In preparation for our lesson today in relief society, I thought I'd learn about Adam and Eve. Being something that I was taught in the temple and is also something that most Christian religions believe, I thought it was kind of a simple lesson, but was really surprised at how well it turned out.
First we wrote out what we know about Adam and Eve. We came up with a few things, and then researched and participated in a discussion to tell me what I didn't know.
We knew: They were the first people on Earth. They had no opportunity for exaltation. They had no need for a Savior and had restricted choices. They were the first parents and Eve is the mother of all living. I found out Adam and Eve were not mortal and were married! (D&C 107:54-56)
We have a fairly descriptive account of the life of Adam and Eve in Moses 3 and 4. This part of scripture was shown to Moses in a vision. It doesn't change any of the facts recorded in the Old Testament, but it does provide clarity.
After Eve partook of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. How did that change their lives?
1. They had to work for everything. Food, clothes, shelter, survival - everything.
2. They had a mortal body that was subject to illness, heat, cold, death, pain, health, and everything associated with mortality.
3. They now had to deal with sin and opposition.
4. Adam and Eve had the opportunity to experience joy, pain, and other emotions.
5. They now had a need for a Savior and repentance.
6. They had the opportunity for exaltation.
How many of those did you know? Me? Well, I guess I knew all of them, but some just hadn't occurred to me. Like the opportunity for exaltation. Of coarse if we're never tried we can never be exalted, and of coarse they couldn't be tried before they knew good from evil, but I guess it just hadn't hit me.
Then an interesting question was raised in Relief Society. Was Eve wise or naive to partake of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil? Hmmm. There was silence, and then, the discussion ensued. What was ultimately shared was that we don't know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden before Satan convinced Eve to take the fruit. And yes, Satan did tell Eve a partial lie, but at the same time, Eve could use logic to realize something was missing. While they didn't have worldly knowledge, they did have the limited experience they had gained while they were in the Garden. It was compared as children while they have no real world knowledge, they do have experiences in their limited world. That was what was Eve used to make her choice. As they gained mortal bodies when they were cast out of the Garden, they had not been able to "multiply and replenish the earth" and therefore no matter what they chose or did, were breaking the Lord's commandments in some way.
And where Eve was the first to partake of the fruit, Adam stood by her side even when speaking to the Lord. While Adam was given dominion over his wife, in some ways this makes him and his priesthood responsible for his wife's behavior. Many LDS women resent having a man have "dominion" over them, but in many ways, this does not mean that he can control the woman, but rather that there is responsibility for the things she does and choices she makes that affects people other than herself.
The second Article of Faith states, "We believe man will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression." It doesn't say, 'Adam's sin' but rather his 'transgression.' What is the difference between a "sin" and a "transgression"? The miriam-webster dictionary defines a transgression as: infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty. Whereas sin is defined as: an offense against moral law. So we know from the second article of faith that God did not consider partaking of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil a sin, but rather a transgression.
And finally, Why is it important that we learn about the fall of Adam of Eve?
We learn the principle of work and what it will take for man to survive (Moses 4:23-25). The principle of work is an eternal one. Our work will not stop when we die, but will continue for the rest of our existence. But the most important reasons are summarized in Eve's response, written in Moses 5:11.
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had a 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."
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Womanhood - Such Potential
I have discovered so much the value of womanhood in my years since I got married. Let me suffice it to say my opinion of the values of being a woman was that they were there to attract, tease, and entice men to do what you wanted them to. I didn't value much more than that as a woman. What else did I have to offer? Our lesson in relief society yesterday really taught me the kinds of things women have. Some men have as well, and others they don't. But the point that was made in class, was that they should be things all men want in their lifelong (existence long) companion. The discussion and materials of the lesson were taken from a talk by President James E Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.
So the 10 values talked about are: faith, honesty, chastity, humility, self-discipline, fairness, moderation, cleanliness, courage, and grace. Some of them I thought to be obvious...honesty? faith? chastity? duh.... But as I reflected on my own appreciation of womanhood and listened to the words said regarding each, I thought maybe I did have some space to grow.
Faith was one that I kinda really thought was a duh virtue. But the last line in this section caught me off guard. "In exercising faith, we become cheerful and optimistic, charitable and courageous, because faith is the moving cause of all of these virtues." This sentence reminds me of James 2:17, D&C 20:14, and 2 Nephi 1:10. All of which talk about how you have to have faith and works together to reach to your highest potential. The verse in 2 Nephi is worth putting on my mirror in my bathroom. What great motivation and reminder of faith.
Honesty - my favorite part was again at the last, that "you cannot be honest with others unless you are honest with yourself." So True! So much of what is important in life relies on an honest representation. And really, until I know what is honest and true, I cannot tell anyone else what that truth is. Whether I'm talking about learning to read, my current weight, or any other reason - honesty is crown and golden.
Chastity - Sometimes I wonder, 'for how long are we going to beat that horse?' Then I think, well, we wouldn't be hearing it so much if we were doing correctly, right? The passage quotes Jacob 2:28, similar to Proverbs, 31:10 - declaring the value chaste women. President Faust continues to say, "Those who engage in physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage are likely to suffer feelings of guilt as well as deep emotional and physical hurt. Intimate relationships between men and women outside the bounds the Lord has set bring great misery, shame, degradation, and unhappiness to those involved." The thought that struck me, is that sometimes those feelings don't come right away. So often it is after choices have been made to return to the Lord that the full reality of all that transpired takes its full effect. Such hard emotions to deal with! I remember those moments of sorrow as I realized how deeply I had offended and saddened my Lord.
Humility - My neice and I talked sunday night about having peace in life and balance in all things. Humility is the same way - keeping balance by being willing to graciously accept a compliment but remain humble and teachable.
Self Discipline - Self discipline to accomplish goals and enhance natural strengths. This discipline also will remain as part of my character for the rest of my life and even rise with me in the Resurrection (D&C 130:18).
Fairness - When raising my children, and often in dealing with my spouse, sometimes that fairness is difficult to achieve. I know that I am to forgive as I have been forgiven and remember the parable in the scriptures about the master who forgave the large debt but the servant who would not return the same fairness to his debtor.
Moderation - For this one, I am going to just copy the first paragraph, "Part of the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is moderation in all things, except those things specifically forbidden by the Lord. It is well to avoid extremes in dress, hairstyles, makeup, conduct, speech, and music. Extremes may attract the attention of some, but they are more likely to turn off those you really want to impress." We discussed some of the things critical moderation like balance and gratitude. So many things all tied up in moderation!
Cleanliness - When I was younger I liked the movie, 'Clueless.' There's a part where the main character says something to the effect of, "The boys roll out of bed, throw on some mismatched clothes, slick back their greasy hair under a backwards baseball cap, and we're supposed to swoon! As if!" This part of the talk reminded me of that. Not only do my clothes need to be clean, but so does my body and spirit.
Courage - I also like the movie, 'Princess Diaries'. "Courage is not an absence of fear, but rather a judgment that something else is more important." The Lord will strengthen me, help me, and cause me to stand. I can tell you this more today than in the last several months. I am not pain free, but I am drug free. Time ran short today and pain ran high and I didn't get out to refill my prescription. The only way I make it up to the bathroom is with the Lord's help.
Grace - In D&C 50:40 we are told to grow in grace. This is one of those traits that I don't think men have much of a chance to obtain. "Grace is a God-given virtue. It is a disposition to be kind and to do good." Grace comes from a feeling of personal dignity and an inner beauty that comes from a feeling of self-worth. I think it is something we develop over time and it has to be something I constantly work on. I like looking at the wives of prophets and apostles. They seem to have a positive outlook and look about them that makes me want to develop that grace this talks about.
So the 10 values talked about are: faith, honesty, chastity, humility, self-discipline, fairness, moderation, cleanliness, courage, and grace. Some of them I thought to be obvious...honesty? faith? chastity? duh.... But as I reflected on my own appreciation of womanhood and listened to the words said regarding each, I thought maybe I did have some space to grow.
Faith was one that I kinda really thought was a duh virtue. But the last line in this section caught me off guard. "In exercising faith, we become cheerful and optimistic, charitable and courageous, because faith is the moving cause of all of these virtues." This sentence reminds me of James 2:17, D&C 20:14, and 2 Nephi 1:10. All of which talk about how you have to have faith and works together to reach to your highest potential. The verse in 2 Nephi is worth putting on my mirror in my bathroom. What great motivation and reminder of faith.
Honesty - my favorite part was again at the last, that "you cannot be honest with others unless you are honest with yourself." So True! So much of what is important in life relies on an honest representation. And really, until I know what is honest and true, I cannot tell anyone else what that truth is. Whether I'm talking about learning to read, my current weight, or any other reason - honesty is crown and golden.
Chastity - Sometimes I wonder, 'for how long are we going to beat that horse?' Then I think, well, we wouldn't be hearing it so much if we were doing correctly, right? The passage quotes Jacob 2:28, similar to Proverbs, 31:10 - declaring the value chaste women. President Faust continues to say, "Those who engage in physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage are likely to suffer feelings of guilt as well as deep emotional and physical hurt. Intimate relationships between men and women outside the bounds the Lord has set bring great misery, shame, degradation, and unhappiness to those involved." The thought that struck me, is that sometimes those feelings don't come right away. So often it is after choices have been made to return to the Lord that the full reality of all that transpired takes its full effect. Such hard emotions to deal with! I remember those moments of sorrow as I realized how deeply I had offended and saddened my Lord.
Humility - My neice and I talked sunday night about having peace in life and balance in all things. Humility is the same way - keeping balance by being willing to graciously accept a compliment but remain humble and teachable.
Self Discipline - Self discipline to accomplish goals and enhance natural strengths. This discipline also will remain as part of my character for the rest of my life and even rise with me in the Resurrection (D&C 130:18).
Fairness - When raising my children, and often in dealing with my spouse, sometimes that fairness is difficult to achieve. I know that I am to forgive as I have been forgiven and remember the parable in the scriptures about the master who forgave the large debt but the servant who would not return the same fairness to his debtor.
Moderation - For this one, I am going to just copy the first paragraph, "Part of the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is moderation in all things, except those things specifically forbidden by the Lord. It is well to avoid extremes in dress, hairstyles, makeup, conduct, speech, and music. Extremes may attract the attention of some, but they are more likely to turn off those you really want to impress." We discussed some of the things critical moderation like balance and gratitude. So many things all tied up in moderation!
Cleanliness - When I was younger I liked the movie, 'Clueless.' There's a part where the main character says something to the effect of, "The boys roll out of bed, throw on some mismatched clothes, slick back their greasy hair under a backwards baseball cap, and we're supposed to swoon! As if!" This part of the talk reminded me of that. Not only do my clothes need to be clean, but so does my body and spirit.
Courage - I also like the movie, 'Princess Diaries'. "Courage is not an absence of fear, but rather a judgment that something else is more important." The Lord will strengthen me, help me, and cause me to stand. I can tell you this more today than in the last several months. I am not pain free, but I am drug free. Time ran short today and pain ran high and I didn't get out to refill my prescription. The only way I make it up to the bathroom is with the Lord's help.
Grace - In D&C 50:40 we are told to grow in grace. This is one of those traits that I don't think men have much of a chance to obtain. "Grace is a God-given virtue. It is a disposition to be kind and to do good." Grace comes from a feeling of personal dignity and an inner beauty that comes from a feeling of self-worth. I think it is something we develop over time and it has to be something I constantly work on. I like looking at the wives of prophets and apostles. They seem to have a positive outlook and look about them that makes me want to develop that grace this talks about.
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