You said: A rational deity ought to at least insure that the punishment fits the crime. So because one chick decided to take a bite of a forbidden apple, all later generations are condemned to die—in many cases, in great pain and suffering. Sorry, that's a disproportionate punishment and, as such, it offends the rational mind.
The punishment was announced prior to the "crime." The "chick" was forewarned as to what would happen. That's what happens when you are created in the image of God-- there are consequences. Whyy do you blame God for something He didn't do?
You said: A rational deity ought to at least insure that the punishment fits the crime. So because one chick decided to take a bite of a forbidden apple, all later generations are condemned to die—in many cases, in great pain and suffering. Sorry, that's a disproportionate punishment and, as such, it offends the rational mind.The punishment was announced prior to the "crime." The "chick" was forewarned as to what would happen. That's what happens when you are created in the image of God-- there are consequences. Whyy do you blame God for something He didn't do?
Let's say you forbid your children—who don't yet grasp the difference between good and evil and who don't know that there are evil forces in the world who might induce them to do wrong—from swallowing pills which, if ingested, will teach them the difference between good and evil. Let's say you warn them that if they ingest the pills, you'll personally see to it that they ultimately die horrible deaths. Let's say that your kids go ahead and ingest the pills. Would you carry out your threatened punishment?
If so, I'd say that you'd acted justly (because of the warning), but unmercifully and also irrationally (on any rational scale I'm capable of grasping, the 'crime' of learning the difference between good and evil doesn't merit the punishment of horrible death).
More generally, the notion of a vengeful deity is something of an oxymoron. Tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner.