Human Fall
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Comment by shanostyle on February 19th, 2017 at 10:54 am
THis article on “Human Fall” references the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as dismissing or not believing in the Fall of Adam and Eve at all, but that statement is incorrect. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng – Article 2: 2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
From The LDS scriptures, besides the Bible, which they follow, here are additional references to the fall of Adam in the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price:
Moses 6:48
48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.
Mormon 9:12
12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.
2 Nephi 2:25
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
Genesis 2:21
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Abraham 5:15
15 And the Gods caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and he slept, and they took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in the stead thereof;
Moses 3:21
21 And I, the Lord God, caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and he slept, and I took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in the stead thereof;
Alma 12:22
22 Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.
Mosiah 4:7
7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
Mosiah 3:11
11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/search?lang=eng&query=fall+of+adam&x=0&y=0
Here is a section of the LDS teaching manual that goes into deeper details on the Fall of Adam:
https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-6-the-fall-of-adam-and-eve?lang=eng
The Key difference in their Doctrine is mentioned in this same manual, which also references their Book of Mormon
After the Fall, Eve said, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed [children], 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).
The prophet Lehi explained:
“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen [been cut off from the presence of God], 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 would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy†(2 Nephi 2:22–25).
Comment by Jennifer Tanabe on February 19th, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Thank you, shanostyle, for your feedback. I have removed the reference to LDS teaching as an example of rejecting the Fall. With more time I will review the article carefully to make any other needed changes. Thank you again for taking the time to help make NWE a valuable information resource.
Comment by Robert Hagedorn on December 7th, 2024 at 4:05 pm
Could the identity of the unknown forbidden fruit in the world’s oldest and greatest mystery story have something to do with procreation and the family Adam and Eve do not have until after their eviction from Eden at the end of Genesis 3? Adam and Eve disobey the Genesis 1:28 commandment–the first commandment–to “be fruitful and multiply [in the Garden]” when they become one flesh incorrectly (Genesis 2:24) by eating from the wrong tree in the allegorical Garden’s center (Genesis 2:9). So they disobey not just one commandment, but two at the same time. Finally, it is interesting that half of Eve’s punishment in Genesis 3:16 is painful childbirth–because she chooses to not have children in the Garden of Eden and God wants to remind her of her decision?
The entire evidence-based exegesis is included in the preceding four sentences. But why was this confusing allegory, whatever its meaning, constructed in the first place, as the original literal story most certainly came first, a story that confused absolutely no one, unlike the allegory into which it evolved? The widely held belief that the forbidden fruit in the Bible story is an apple illustrates among other things how confirmation bias serves as a terrible mechanism that cripples our critical thinking as it prevents discussion, criticism, and evaluation of the validity of the proposed exegesis that begins with Genesis 1:28, continues through Genesis 2 and 3, and concludes with Genesis 4:1. So the struggle continues in an effort to protect the self-esteem of so many who have held lifelong beliefs they are unable to change.
Comment by Jennifer Tanabe on December 9th, 2024 at 6:34 pm
Thank you for your thoughtful and valuable comment on the “forbidden fruit.”
Indeed, the connection with procreation is rather clear. As you noted, Adam and Eve did not “multiply” in the Garden, only after they had been exiled. Regarding that point, it is interesting that you suggest that Eve chose not to have children in the Garden. Surely it was God who sent them away after they ate the “fruit,” not Eve’s choice.
Regarding the confusing allegory which led to the interpretation of the “fruit” as an apple, it has indeed been difficult to challenge the concept of a literal fruit. As to why such an interpretation became widely believed, perhaps it has a parallel in Adam and Eve’s act of covering their lower parts with fig leaves, due to their feelings of shame after their illicit sexual activity. Fallen humankind likewise may have come to feel that sexual activity is shameful, and thus “hid” the meaning of the Fall by identifying the fruit as literal, as an apple.
In any case, than you again for your thought provoking comments!
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