<\/p>\n
[As usual, all the really good questions you’ve heard before because I lifted them right out of Jim’s lesson.]<\/em><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong> I can remember President McKay in his advanced years, on an occasion when he stood in the temple among the Brethren and quoted the temple ceremony at great length. Just quoted it, and explained it. Then finally he stopped, clasped his large hands together, and stood silent for a little while. Then he said, “Brethren, I think I am finally beginning to understand.\u00e2\u20ac? (Boyd K. Packer, <\/em>Things of the Soul<\/em>, page 217.)<\/p>\n Moses 4<\/strong> There is no patriarchy or matriarchy in the Garden; the two supervise each other. Adam is given no arbitrary power; Eve is to heed him only insofar as he obeys their Father\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand who decides that? She must keep check on him as much as he does on her. It is, if you will, a system of checks and balances in which each party is as distinct and independent in its sphere as are the departments of government under the Constitution\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand just as dependent on each other. (Hugh Nibley, “Patriarchy and Matriarchy,” Old Testament and Related Studies, page 92f.)<\/em><\/p>\n –V27: The word translated \u00e2\u20ac\u0153coats\u00e2\u20ac? means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153coverings.\u00e2\u20ac? Why did the Lord need to replace the coverings Adam and Eve had made for themselves? Cf. v13. What might the aprons Adam and Eve made when they first discovered their nakedness indicate? What might the replacement of those aprons with coverings from the Lord indicate? <\/p>\n Moses 5<\/strong> 1. She labored beside her companion (see Moses 5:1). –Moses 5:6 is one of my favorites: cf. 1 Nephi 11:16-18 for another example of a humble acknowledgement of incomplete knowledge (accompanied by a willingness to obey) followed by new revelation. Conclusion<\/strong> Here’s a list of supplementary statements about the Fall that might be useful. I can provide the citations if anyone wants them.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam fell that men might be\u00e2\u20ac? (2 Ne. 2:25). Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall. Joseph Smith taught that it was not a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153sin,\u00e2\u20ac? because God had decreed it. Brigham Young declared, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We should never blame Mother Eve, not the least.\u00e2\u20ac? Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!\u00e2\u20ac? This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s transgression\u00e2\u20ac? (emphasis added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin\u00e2\u20ac\u201dinherently wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut a transgression\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall. Modern revelation shows that our first parents understood the necessity of the Fall. Adam declared, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God\u00e2\u20ac? (Moses 5:10). Note the different perspective and the special wisdom of Eve, who focused on the purpose and effect of the great plan of happiness: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient\u00e2\u20ac? (Moses 5:11). In his vision of the redemption of the dead, President Joseph F. Smith saw \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the great and mighty ones\u00e2\u20ac? assembled to meet the Son of God, and among them was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153our glorious Mother Eve\u00e2\u20ac? (D&C 138:38-39).\u00e2\u20ac? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam and Eve did the very thing the Lord intended them to do. If we had the original record we would see the purpose of the Fall clearly stated and its necessity explained.\u00e2\u20ac? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As He concludes this statement he says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.\u00e2\u20ac? (Gen. 3:16.) I have a question about the word rule. It gives the wrong impression. I would prefer to use the word preside because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what he does. A righteous husband presides over his wife and family. . . . No woman has ever been asked by the Church authorities to follow her husband into an evil pit. She is to follow him as he follows and obeys the Savior of the world, but in deciding this, she should always be sure she is fair. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I never counseled a women to follow her husband to the Devil.\u00e2\u20ac? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When we speak of marriage as a partnership, let us speak of marriage as a full partnership. We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner.\u00e2\u20ac? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eve was [Adam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s] equal\u00e2\u20ac\u201da full, powerfully contributing partner.\u00e2\u20ac? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Zebedee Coltrain remembered that he and Oliver Cowdery had shared a vision with the Prophet. Joseph Smith took Brothers Coltrin and Cowdery by the arm and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take a walk.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 After arriving at a place \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwhere there was some beautiful grass, and grapevines and swamp birch interlaced, President Joseph Smith then said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLet us pray.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 [They] all three prayed in turn\u00e2\u20ac\u201cJoseph, Oliver, and [Zebedee]. Brother Joseph then said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNow brethren, we will see some visions.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 . . . The heavens gradually opened, and [they] saw a golden throne, on a circular foundation, and on the throne sat a man and a woman, having white hair and clothed in white garments. They were the two most beautiful and perfect specimens of mankind [he had] ever [seen]. Joseph said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThey are our first parents.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Adam and Eve. Adam was a large broad-shouldered man, and Eve, as a woman, was as large in proportion.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac?
\n–I have many unanswered questions about the Fall and its aftermath. . .
\n–. . . which makes me feel like an idiot until I remember something that Elder Boyd K. Packer wrote:<\/p>\n
\n–Read 4:5-11.
\n–Notes:
\n(a)\tv5: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsubtle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 translates a Hebrew word that means prudent, crafty, or sly.
\n(b)\tV6: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbeguile\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 translates a Hebrew word that is usually translated \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdeceive\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 but has the underlying meaning of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcto lend on interest or to be a creditor.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122
\n–Ask: What do you learn about Satan from this account?
\n(a)\tHe doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the mind of God (v6). Point out that the Fall was not a mistake or a sin.11
\n(b)\tBy asking a question (v7) he creates doubt.
\n(c)\tV10: parsing and semantics. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t physically die, but in a sense they die spiritually. Mixture of truths and lies is one of Satan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hallmarks.
\n–Ask: What do you make of the addition \u00e2\u20ac\u0153neither shall ye touch it\u00e2\u20ac? which was not a part of the original commandment (cf. 3:17)?
\n–What do you make of the fact that, apparently, Eve was not present when the command was given (cf. 3:17 with 3:22)?
\n–Read v20-27.
\n–V21: Why enmity between the Woman and the serpent rather than between the couple and the serpent? What does it mean to say that there is enmity between the serpent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s children and the children of the Woman? Why does the Lord say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153her seed\u00e2\u20ac? rather than \u00e2\u20ac\u0153their seed\u00e2\u20ac?? How is this verse relevant to your life?
\n–Note: President Kimball said that he preferred the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153preside\u00e2\u20ac? to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rule\u00e2\u20ac? in v22.
\n–Note that the serpent is cursed; Adam and Eve are not. If what the Lord says to Adam and the Woman isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a curse, what is it? Is it a blessing? If so, how so? (I consider v22 to be the divine version of What to Expect When You Are Expecting.)
\n–Hugh Nibley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s explanation of the new relationship between Adam and Eve: <\/p>\n
\n–Read Moses 5:1-15, looking at it as a template for family life.
\n–Ask: What do you learn about the ideal family life from this passage?<\/p>\n
\n2. She and Adam bore the responsibilities of parenthood (see Moses 5:2).
\n3. She and her partner worshiped the Lord in prayer (see Moses 5:4).
\n4. She and Adam heeded divine commandments of obedience and sacrifice (see Moses 5:5, 6).
\n5. She and her husband taught the gospel to their children (see Moses 5:12).
\n(this list is from Elder Nelson)<\/p>\n
\n–Adam and Eve were reflective: v10 and 11.<\/p>\n
\nWe talk about how it is necessary to understand the Fall so that we can understand the Atonement. How would you explain the Atonement in terms of the Fall?<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cElder Dallin H. Oaks\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201dPresident Joseph Fielding Smith<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cPresident Spencer W. Kimball<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cPresident Brigham Young<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cPresident Spencer W. Kimball<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cElder Richard G. Scott<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u00e2\u20ac\u201cBeverly Campbell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-corn","category-lessons-all"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}