Whether you view Adam & Eve as actual people or a story designed to illustrate the nature of man’s separation from God, you can opine on the motives of the act. What’s your view?
[poll id=”437″]
Discuss.
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Was the Fall a Sin? (Weekend Poll)
Eve was like a little child, not knowing good from evil. She was deceived.
We all benefit from her error, and no doubt God, who sees the beginning and the end, knew the outcome and allowed Eve to act, but still it was error or sin on Eve’s part. But all things work together for good for those who love God, as Eve did.
The glory goes to God.
Eve did not sin. Sin is breaking a covenant. Adam and Eve did not initially make a covenant to obey all of God’s instructions/commandments nor to not partake of the fruit even though they intended to follow all of God’s commandments. Therefore, they did not sin when they partook. They disobeyed an instruction and many think that is a definition of sin, but it is not. However, it is a sin if we make a covenant to obey and we don’t. Note: a Savior to redeem Adam and Eve and their posterity was not provided nor offered until after they made their first covenant. When did we make our first covenant? Think of our First Estate.
The instruction/commandment was to “not partake” and They would be back later to give Adam and Eve “further instruction”. Lucifer then appears and gives at least two lies, most everything else he says is truthful: “you shall not surely die”, and “there is no other way”. Well, there was another way. The other way would be the “further instruction” that was promised.
So why would Lucifer even “help” God promote the Plan of Salvation. This has not made sense to me for a long time until someone described Lucifer’s desire for Glory and to take that Glory from God. Remember how upset Lucifer was when he was punished for doing that which has been done in other worlds? He did not ask why he was being punished for what he did in other worlds. Question: who gave “further instructions” in the other worlds? It wasn’t Lucifer, it was He whose Plan it was who instructed Adam and Eve’s of other worlds how to enter into mortality.
OK everyone, next time you go to the Temple, pay attention!
First, I really do not like this page format. Much prefer the previous.
The use of “sin” may have some value for teaching children–and those that are like them–as does the myth of the Garden, etc. It is, otherwise, a false concept. That said, to use this terminology (though it has such a long, sordid, hyperbolic past) the truth (as I have come to understand) an action is not a sin. Intent of the heart is the “sin.” One can kill another person in complete righteousness, if the intent is righteous.
So I would interpret/correct the Adam and Eve allegory by pointing out that one cannot exercise Agency (becoming less, or more righteous/Christ-like/perfect) without knowledge. Ergo, they both had to consciously choose to leave God’s presence (spiritual death) and become mortal. They were not put in a situation where the mythological devil tempted them. Though that makes a great story.
Eventually scrolled down and saw a “Mobile” “Desktop” selection, so problem solved.
Eve made a choice. She chose knowledge.
Having recently concluded that I don’t think Adam and Eve ever existed, it is hard for me to opine about her motives.
I find it more likely that Eve made her decision because someone was trying to impose an explanation for why women bear the task of childbirth.
Perhaps the allegory has less to do with specific individuals and choices and more to do with differences in style for evaluating choice.
Hoff#2. So, as a nonmember I didn’t covenant with God. Therefore, I could commit no sin. Therefore, when I was baptized I wasn’t washed clean of sin? I understand your thinking but I don’t think its doctrinal.
First of all, I believe Adam, Eve, the two trees, the Garden of Eden, God, Jesus, Satan, and the serpent were real.
I would like to leave the whole matter at the seminary level.
Scripture chase.
2Nephi 32:8-9 – (The Spirit teaches us to pray.)
8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.
Let’s make an observation and then ask a question.
First, the observation. As already pointed out, they should have asked God before performing such an important action. They didn’t.
Second, the question. If they had prayed, would God have consecrated their performance of disobedience unto them that their performance of disobedience unto Him would have been for the welfare of their souls?
Answering this question correctly is imperative to understanding what happened in Eden.
Instead of a poll, let me make a questionaire.
1. Did Eve sin? Ans. Yes.
2. Did Adam sin? Ans. Yes.
3. Were they supposed to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil when they did eat it? Ans. No
4. Were they ever supposed to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Ans. Yes. (When God gave it to them, when they could have eaten it without any transgression whatsoever.)
Hoffbegone,I found the tone of your comment marred your message.It allows no difference of interpretation, and implies all the rest of us are not sitting up and paying attention.
It’s comments like these that have led me to feel very alienated from the temple, not least of all because we understand these things so differently,leading me to think we all belong to the gospel we construct.
I’m now at the point where I try to let my brain stop thinking during the endowment, and invite the Spirit to bear witness.
handlwithcare:
If you stop thinking, what’s the Spirit suppose to witness to? ASK and ye shall receive.I, once, had an explosion of knowledge right during the endownment. Hang on tight.