Lurker wrote:
Nothing would make me happier than if you two would ask questions,

And make it "tempting" to the eyes of man:-
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Mike wrote:
What would you say is the problem for which this punishment is the solution?

Quenstedt (†1688), "Ques. Theo. Did.," Pol 1., 994.—"It was not simply of the good pleasure or the absolute sovereignty of God, but of the highest justice and equity, that the sin, which Adam as the root and origin of the whole human race committed, should be imputed to us, and propagated in us so as to constitute us guilty."

Calvin.—"God by a just judgment condemned us to wrath in Adam, and willed us to be born corrupt on account of his sin."

H. Witsius (1636–1708), "Economy," Bk. 1., ch. 8, §5 33 and 34.—"It is therefore necessary that the sin of Adam in virtue of the covenant of works, be so laid to the charge of his posterity, who were comprised with him in the same covenant, that, on account of the demerit of his sin, they are born destitute of original righteousness,"

Lurker wrote:
2) Definitions of "first cause" and "second cause" would be in order lest someone perceives you are saying God is ultimately responsible for evil.
2a) "Dumb" means unable to speak.

Mike wrote:
1) Not so. The cause of sin in man is man.(Romans 5:12) Would you say the auto is cause of a ...
2) The first cause of an idol being what?

That one tree was put there by God for a specific purpose only. As you said God planted the tree, He vested it with the power and purpose. Therefore God 'planted' the purpose of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The subsequent whole powerful spectrum of the spiritual realm was placed there in one tree in the garden set against Adam and Eve. No tree - No original sin.
Even Satan had to use the tree for his works of temptation, without the tree he would have had no 'instrument' to use.

2) "First Cause" is by God only. HE is the only one who can execute First Cause. An idol can do nothing as God says in the Bible they are dumb.

Remember your original post point was quote; "nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement" is hard to interpret differently."

God's sovereignty is absolute and complete over all. Even though man's responsibility is held within that law.

Mike wrote:
You read funny.
1)You asked who planted the tree. I answered: God. Is that the wrong answer?
2)No. Look more closely. I said God established that man should choose. Does man need God to make false gods for him?

Mike wrote:
1)God
2)To establish that man shall choose the gods whom he will obey and serve

Mike wrote:
I don't know any other way to read it, bro. "nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement" is hard to interpret differently. Then again, perhaps nothing doesn't really mean nothing. Maybe it means nothing of some things, or some nothing, but not all?

Mike wrote:
May I conclude you think Adam would never have sinned had there been no fruit trees in the garden? Or that Cain would not have slain Abel had not there been a tool or a rock in the field?

Since you raise the point mike, then we today are more sinner than Adam ever was, so good logic would be, keep the restricted tree away from the sinners. Don't make them so accessible as to have shops full of them in a sinner filled society.

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Unprofitable Servant

"There are ~14,869 more gun stores in America than grocery stores. Specifically, there are 51,438 gun retailers and 36,536 grocery stores.
There are almost as many gun dealers in America as gas stations. There are a total of 129,817 gun dealers in the country, which include retail stores (51,438), "collectors" (61,562), pawn shops (7,356), and importers and manufacturers. Meanwhile, there are 143,849 gas stations."