Aah, the Garden of Eden...that 'Golden Age'.

One has to be be careful that one does not become religious in

one's zeal to offer the opposing view, however, the 'Garden of Eden'
came up in a recent conversation.
The misconception that there was once a past 'Golden Age', is present
in the ancient myths of the 'Garden of Eden'. The theological notions
of Grace (unearned benefits) and Providence (God regarded as the              
provider) are related to and constitute this Garden of Eden/Golden Age.
However when say 'Providence' appeared to reduce its level of support
in say a famine; an earthquake; a tsunami: in order to connect the
supposedly 'unproblematic' past (Garden of Eden) the authors and current purveyors
of these myths deem terrible present day events to be caused by our 'fall from Grace.'
Right, our fall from Grace, from a state of perfection. Yet perfection is
is not a state that one can analyse. So how come the claim that we have
fallen from a state that no one can analyse.
Still, you have to doff your hat to the soothsayers for thinking
on their feet.