During General Conference last month, I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary from the pulpit, but then Pres. Uchtdorf stood up. He started a typical general conference talk touting the benefits of joining the LDS church, and then he said this:
“One might ask, “If the gospel is so wonderful, why would anyone leave?”
“Sometimes we assume it is because they have been offended or lazy or sinful. Actually, it is not that simple. In fact, there is not just one reason that applies to the variety of situations.”
I sat up. This statement got my attention. He went on to validate those who have struggled with their membership in the Church. Those who have asked tough questions as they sought truth and understanding only to find confusion and disappointment. He validated those who have made the difficult decision to walk away from their Church because they knew they had to be true to themselves. They knew they had to leave in order to worship their God according to the dictates of their own conscience. There are also members who choose to stay in the Church, although they find themselves at odds with certain teachings or expectations.
For a member who finds joy and fulfillment within the Church, it can be heartbreaking to watch a loved one walk away or watch them stay but struggle. It’s easy to give someone outside our faith the respect to worship as they deem correct, but it becomes increasingly difficult to extend that same respect to members of our church. How do we respond to a member who believes in marriage equality? How do we treat a member who seeks to agitate the Brethren for further revelation regarding female ordination? How tolerant are we with members who approach Mormonism differently? Pres. Uchtdorf acknowledged this but also counseled us to allow those we love to be true to themselves, to give them the space to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience.
While on earth, Jesus taught his disciples that to know God was life eternal (John 17:3). To know God, we must seek after Him. We must come to understand of His true nature and His characteristics. This happens as the Holy Ghost reveals and confirms truths through our conscience. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God” (Teachings,345).
Why is a knowledge of God’s true nature so vital to our experience on this earth? We know through scriptures that God placed His children here to prove us and see if we would obey all of His commandments (Abr. 3:25). In order to have faith that we are, in fact, being obedient to God’s will, we need to be able to recognize God in the commandments.
We are taught that our first parents were placed on earth in the Garden Eden where they were able to till and tend without any noxious weeds or sweat on the brow. Things came easy to them and they lived without any worries or cares. They were able to speak directly with God, learning of His true nature by experience. This understanding of His true nature became vital to them later in their journey.
They were given only two commandments in the Garden. The first was to multiply and replenish the earth and the second was to partake freely of every tree except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were given these commandments and the agency to choose for themselves. We do not know exactly what transpired between Satan and Adam, but we know that Satan tried to beguile him into eating the forbidden fruit and Adam rejected his invitation.
Satan moved onto Eve and beguiled her. In her book, Mother Eve, author Beverly Campbell cites Dr. Nehama Aschenasy, a Hebrew scholar, lending meaningful insight to the Hebrew word which is translated as “beguiled” in the Bible. “It does not mean “tricked” or “deceived” as we commonly think. Rather, it is a rare verb which indicates an intense multi-level experience, evoking great emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual trauma. She said that it is likely that this intense multi-level experience, this “beguiling” by the serpent, was the catalyst that caused Eve to ponder and evaluate what her role and purpose in the Garden really was” (Beverly Campbell, Mother Eve).
Could it be this invitation triggered a faith crisis in Eve? Was she faced with a moment where her beliefs seemed to be at odds and she was confronted with conflicting commandments? Did she begin to doubt all that she had experienced with her Heavenly Father? Did she have to figure out what truth was according to the dictates of her conscience?
When Satan confronted Adam with the fruit, Adam wouldn’t even consider eating the fruit. He was content hanging out in his Garden while waiting for further knowledge from God. When Satan confronted Eve, perhaps she considered various possible outcomes. She studied it out in her mind. What if she took into account God’s nature and what decision would most emulate God? — She “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). Pres. Packer explained, “there is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.” (Ensign, May 1983, 66) As she weighed her options and struggled to understand God’s will, were her eyes opened to see the ‘mind of Christ”? (1 Cor. 2:16) And as her eyes were opened, did she see God in that tree and find the confidence to move forward in faith and partake? We do know, through modern revelation, she ultimately found joy in her decision, “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)
I believe Adam and Eve’s individual responses to Satan’s invitation to eat of the fruit provide a great analogy of how we should confront our doubts and questions. God wants us to question. He wants us to seek after truth, to know His true nature and to become like Him. It is no secret that the Kingdom of God progresses on this earth through humans questioning and challenging the status quo. It is the same in our own personal faith journey. If we are serious about our progression towards eternal life we have to accept that our faith will be challenged, perhaps even by unorthodox means. “In life all must choose at times. Sometimes, two possibilities are good; neither is evil. Usually, however, one is of greater import than the other. When in doubt, each must choose that which concerns the good of others – the greater law – rather than that which chiefly benefits ourselves – the lesser law. The greater must be chosen whether it be law or thing. That was the choice made in Eden” (John Andreas Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 194).
Each one of us must own our faith journey. We must seek after God and worship Him according to our own conscience. Fiona Givens said she believed “the reason why the pathway is so straight and so narrow is because we are the only ones on it. Just us and God. But there are millions of paths.” My experiences with God are going to be different than the person next to me. That is why it is called personal revelation. We must allow each other the space and respect to search out God’s true nature and worship Him as we see fit. We are all trying to do the best we can with the knowledge (or lack of), we have on this earth. We need to let each other figure out how God works in our own lives without becoming obstructionists to one another, or worse, vilifying one another in the name of God. Perhaps it would be wise to follow the example of our Heavenly Father in how we interact with one another’s differences and remember that “being kind is more important than being right.”
Know this, that ev’ry soul is free
To choose his life and what he’ll be;
For this eternal truth is giv’n:
That God will force no man to heav’n.
He’ll call, persuade, direct aright,
And bless with wisdom, love, and light,
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind.
Freedom and reason make us men;
Take these away, what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well
The beasts may think of heav’n or hell.
May we no more our pow’rs abuse,
But ways of truth and goodness choose;
Our God is pleased when we improve
His grace and seek his perfect love.
(Know This, That Every Soul Is Free, Hymn #240)
Jamie Gilbert
Jamie Gilbert grew up in Colorado by way of Utah and California. She took a hiatus from college to serve a mission in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission. After graduating from BYU, she headed to Washington, DC to put her Public Health degree to good use. After spending a few years trying to do her part to save the world, she settled down and got married. She now resides in the Blugrass State and is a mother to two sweet children. She stays at home, doing her best to raise them properly, but she will completely understand if they seek counseling down the road. She currently serves in her ward's Primary Presidency, although she was demoted from first counselor to second last year.
All posts by Jamie Gilbert
Very powerful, thank you Jamie!
Thank Paul! 🙂
I *LOVE* the idea of Eve having a faith crisis. Not so much because faith crisies are awesome, but, to me, that makes Eve’s thought processes and actions make so much more sense. And the truth of it is that a good faith crisis is often an awakening, and can bring us closer to our Heavenly Parents and an understanding of their gospel. Eve is a great example of that.
Really, really wonderful post, Jamie.
Leah, I agree with you completely. I love that idea, “a faith crisis is often an awakening”. So true.
I agree with Leah, the idea of Eve having a faith crisis makes a lot of sense in interpreting her actions. Thanks for this post.
Thanks for your comment, Michele. 🙂
Brilliant! I really like your ideas about the differences between Adam and Eve. Adam took the “obedience with exactness” route, or at least he thought he did. Eve took the more complicated, troubling, and nuanced route of questioning–the route of asking so that she could receive.
This makes me wonder how many of our current situations are also governed by conflicting commandments. Technically, Adam was obeying /a/ commandment by refusing the fruit, but Even ultimately was obedient as well. This means that tolerance really should go both ways–we are all following God the best way we can figure out. That’s why I love the way you conclude your post:
Thanks Jeff.
I love looking at Adam and Eve’s individual narratives and apply it to our lives. I think we should definitely be tolerant of those that question. So much good that has happened in the Gospel came about because someone had the courage to question. And when you think about just how tolerant God is of His children, it seems silly to not be tolerant as well. 🙂
Great post! I’ve been working on a post involving Eve for months now,and I think yours will help me put into words somethings that I feel very strongly but have a hard time expressing.
Heidi, I can’t wait to read what you write! I’m glad I could help in whatever way. 🙂
Jamie,
Wonderful. The two week long wait for this post was well worth it. Thank you
Thanks Michael!! 🙂
Wow, well done Jamie! There is so much greatness in this article. The concept of Eve choosing the path of greater truth is so huge to the entire Eden narrative. It’s easy to mistake her partaking of the fruit as an act of disobedience, but that’s such a misunderstanding of the entire situation. This life advances us towards God or away from God based on our ability to seek, recognize, choose and embrace the greater truths over the lesser truths.
Thanks Rob for your comment. I kept thinking about if anyone had been present with her during her decision making process, would they have supported her? Or would they have told her to run away and not partake? Who would have stood by her, silently, trusting that she would make the right decision even if you thought you knew the correct answer already. Do we stand next to our loved ones trusting that they have the ability to choose what is most correct for their own faith journey? It’s a hard thing to do.
I’ll echo the “great post!” comments with everyone else.
I love the idea of Adam and Eve each choosing different kinds of good. True, Adam was obedient, and that is a good thing, but he did not seek for more understanding beyond that obedience. His obedience preserved his current state of being, (which I imagine was quite comfortable and happy in its own right), but would not have opened the way for more happiness or understanding. Eve chose a good that had a lot of pain and confusion wrapped in it, but also allowed both her and Adam to find real joy. Neither choice was “bad.” It’s just up to the individual and where they want to be, kind of like our kingdoms of glory in the next life.
Laurel, you bring up an excellent point. Adam’s decision wasn’t necessarily the wrong decision. I would definitely not want to bring down Adam in the my effort to bring up Eve. Great point! Each person needs the time and space to figure out what his/her heart truly desires. I love your comment. Thank you!
Lovely. Really.
I agree – we leave the garden again and again and again. (And always there is a way prepared whereby we find God in the lone and dreary world.) Thanks for this post, Jamie.
Thanks Melody! Our time on earth is to journey in the wilderness, seeking out truth and clinging to it. I love your comment about leaving the garden again and again and again. Thanks.
Jamie, You are awesome. Nice bit of work, and may be one of the first things i share with my parents from the fringes (<:{
Thanks Scott! I think you’re awesome too. I’d love to hear how your parents responded, if you end up sharing it with them!
As I was reading this I was struck by the parallels between Eve’s decision to partake of the fruit (and therefore leave the Garden) and the agonizing decision many of our brothers and sisters take to leave the Church. We should never condemn them for their choices, but should instead hope and pray that the choices they make, while leading to a potential “fall”, will ultimately lead to a glorious rising. Is that not the story of Eve?
Dave, I love your comment. This is exactly what i was hoping people would take away from the post. We have to respect each person’s decision, whether we agree with it or not. Thank you for your comment. It’s perfect.
I love this. After this past conference was over and everyone was talking about the hurt/pain I looked hard to find something I could post on my wall to connect with my two active children and extended family since I no longer participate. I wanted to find something that had meaning for me that I could share with them even as an outsider. This was the quote I shared and I’m super glad he said it.
“In this Church that honors personal agency so strongly, that was restored by a young man who asked questions and sought answers, we respect those who honestly search for truth. It may break our hearts when their journey takes them away from the Church we love and the truth we have found, but we honor their right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience, just as we claim that privilege for ourselves”
Alison, I got chills when I heard him say that at conference. It is probably one of the most beautiful things said from that pulpit. Thank you for your comment.
Beautiful. This brings up lots of great questions to ponder. Someone on another site a week or so ago brought up the question about the “serpent”. It never says Satan, so it’s been curious to me to ponder the symbolism of serpents, as well as why God would tell Adam and Eve to do something that would thwart the plan intended. I appreciate the thoughts that you presented on Eve having the “mind of Christ”. Lovely. Thank you for taking the time to share.