In some religious stories, like in Genesis, Adam and Eve lived harmoniously in paradise but were forbidden from eating fruit from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Their disobedience led to their expulsion from paradise. The significance of this story is often left unquestioned.

Raja Yoga Spirituality offers a deeper understanding of lust and why abstaining from the forbidden apple (a metaphor for lust or attraction to the physical body) is important. Yielding to such desires is seen as a descent from a higher state of soul consciousness to a lower state of bodily and sexual attraction. This is believed to have caused conflicts in the world based on race, gender, culture, ethics, and religion.