Saturday Night's Saturday Night Live and Sunday morning's designated Old Testament lectionary reading both featured the story of Adam & Eve and their infamous decision to eat the fruit from the tree God commanded them not to touch. (You'll find it in the Bible in Genesis 2-3).
This story of "Original Sin" (as it has become arguably best known) is one of the most iconic in the Bible and is often dressed (pun totally intended) with comic touches while not embraced as inherently comic in tone. This weekend's deiightful movie trailer parody with Lena Denham as well as pictures I've seen on FB suggesting many a sermon included, as an illustration, Snow White, suggest many viewers and listeners were treated to some levity even as the story being told was to be understood as tragedy.
While it may seem a given that Genesis 2-3 is inherently quite serious and seriously tragic -- it purportedly seeks to tell us why there is sin, suffering and death in the world and there's nothing much funny about that -- perhaps that's not the story's original purpose and message. What we come to know about Adam, Eve et al is actually based on the interpretation (spin?) St. Augustine put on text, and his profound influence in most corners of the Christian theological world has remained.
Here is the monologue I created for "The Bible Cabaret", my live show exploring the Bible as comedy, that explores my take on the story. Enjoy! (And if you wish to plop a little Alka Seltzer into your body before you begin, probably all the better.)
Here's my monologue, Pt. 1:
And here's Pt 2:
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