If nothing else, the Bible is a mysterious book, filled with prophecies and admonishments. Perhaps none is more well-known than the tale of Eve being tempted by the serpent and eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And perhaps none is more pertinent to today’s worldwide culture than that story.

It seems that there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of violence, conflict, and intolerance on an international scale. Lately, it seems particularly extreme in the USA.

The advances in science and technology have given us great gifts in the area of communication. Unfortunately, that gift of knowledge comes with the companion or at least the potential of evil. The ease of spreading valuable information allows the spread of misinformation just as easily. The floodgates are open, and the flood is a mix of good and bad. Even our churches are not immune. Sadly, there have been stories in the news of clergy and churches that seem to have abandoned the principles of Christianity in favor of political expediency.

There is no denying that the Bible is filled with stories of conflict, cruelty, and intolerance. If we take a step back and view the Bible in its entirety, we might recognize that much of the Bible is a history that leads up to a revelation and confirmation of the ultimate goal and standards for humanity.

But, the apple is off the tree, and we need to recognize and travel the right path. We need to learn to recognize and reject those messages that are in conflict with basic ethical and Christian principles. We need to learn how to use those principles in making the judgments of the messages we receive daily.

There is another familiar phrase we might want to reference – “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” Its roots can be traced back to  “A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor”, first recorded as used in English in 1340.

There is no question that there are some bad apples in current harvests. It is up to each of us to reject those bad apples before they can spread hate and intolerance.

Christian is more than just a title – it is a way of life, but it shares a common theme with many other religious beliefs – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

We may have gained the knowledge of good and evil, but perhaps we still need to learn how to make the right choice.