AXEL - Great site man. I like how you don't shy away from
any questions. I teach sunday school for 15-18 year
olds, so I can appreciate getting different questions.
One thing however,
You have it said that Eve was the first missionary by
converting Adam to God's plan. I think the common
idea that Eve "knew" more than Adam and chose the
right by eating the apple is a flawed one.
God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit. Then
Satan told them they had to if they wanted to be like
God and know good from evil. So Eve makes up her mind
to disobey God and follow Satan. That was a mistake.
I belive that had Eve said "thanks for the advice, I
would prefer to ask God what He thinks" both Adam and
Eve could have asked God "what is it with this apple
thing, do we have to eventually eat it?" By ASKING
the question, they would have shown God they were
READY for the next stage and I belive God would have
said, he was right, and you are blessed (instead of
cursed) for asking the question, and here you go, eat
the apple now.
The problem was not that they ate the apple, that had
to happen. The problem was that they listened to
Satan. If you look at all commandments, they come by
a question proceeding it, showing God that we are
ready for the next level. God never just tells us
what to do without our asking him a question first.
So Eve was not a "missionary" even though her
intentions were good, she and Adam should have waited.
I have lots more on this, but I think this way of
looking at it solves the biggest catch-22s the world
has ever had to wrestle with (ie, don't eat the apple
and have kids, but you need to eat the apple if you
want to have kids.)
JOEL - Your first statement is correct. Before taking the
fruit, Eve couldn't know more than Adam, because both
of them didn't really know much of anything, except
what God told them, and God told both of them the same
things at the same time.
And she could not "choose the right" when confronted
by Satan, because she did not yet have the ability to
do that. She did disobey God's command but not because she made
a choice between right and wrong.
However, after Eve ate the fruit she was able to
process right from wrong and know good from evil;
something Adam still couldn't do; so at that moment
she did know more than Adam, and was able to convince
him to also take the fruit. That was when she became
the first missionary.
Actually what I said about Eve being the first misionary was supposed to be more a joke than anything else.
I think what happened there is a classic example of
the difference between men and women. The man goes
with his head and lives the letter of the law, and
woman goes with her heart and tries to live the spirit
of the law. Eventually together they manage to make
the right decision.
Your idea about how they should have asked God first
sounds good for us, but it never would have happend
that way. All along it was God's intention for Adam to
transgress His command and to curse the land(He did
not curse Adam), so that Adam and Eve would become
mortals and experience life, and so we could do the
same.
As Lehi declared, "If Adam had not transgressed he
would not have fallen, but he would have remained in
the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created
must have remained in the same state in which they
were after they were created; and they must have
remained forever, and had no end" (2 Ne. 2:22)
In reality Adam was not cursed at all but felt very
blessed for what God did. After being cast out of the
garden he praised God, saying, "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" (Moses 5:10).
And Eve was glad, saying, "Were 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" (Moses 5:11).
Please read an answer I already gave on this subject at this page.
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