I've never actually read the bible myself, but the story of Adam, Eve and the tree of knowledge has certainly been told to me often enough. Yet what sticks in my mind is an interpretation of it from my father. In this interpretation, Adam and Eve are like God's children and he wants to keep them safe and comfortable. Knowledge, learning and truth are hard and at times painful, so he doesn't want them to have to experience that and they won't have to if they remain obedient. However, like all children they eventually choose to question and want independence, so by casting them out into the big wide world, that is what he gives them, warts and all.

I find your comparison to authority quite apt. People often treat others like children because they think they know whats best for them and the world, so they should obey rather than question. Justification for keeping the truth from the masses is that they can't handle it (I'm sure there's a line in a film along those lines 😉).