Hillbilly version: Placing the ten commandments in the Arkansas classroom is not about religion is like saying putting the alphabet in the classroom is not about reading or the beginning of English. The beginning leads to the finish but the beginning is the first step toward the finished product.

This is a cultural story.

Eden. The garden of Eden is a beautiful place. It has everything you need plus two forbidden trees. The tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. In this story Adam named all the creatures of the world. NO small undertaking. Adam, being fairly bright man, looked upon Eve. She had something, and he wanted some of it. Eve just wanted to help. Some say woman was placed in the garden to help man. Whatever!You can fill in the blanks. Now if this was a religious story, then you probably already know how it ended.

But as a cultural story, there are some questions that we can examine. First question: how did Adam know to look upon Eve differently. Some say Eve enticed Adam. That she gave him the “look” that led him astray. It was a little more than helping.

Second question: how long after Eve tasted the fruit before Adam wanted some? If indeed Eve went first then there was a time period when She knew more than Adam. Men, it’s that head start, we have been trying to overcome ever since. Men, you are not going to win a 100 yard dash if you spot women 95 yards. DUH. But you are in the game so does it matter?

As Paul Harvey used to say and “the rest of the story”. Question Three, to my knowledge, has never been asked and as male I wonder: Did Eve share equally? How much did Eve give Adam? Is knowledge of good and evil like hair gel? A little dab will do you. Or if some knowledge is good then MORE is better. Gotta love that knowledge.