ONENESS

The Adam and Eve story has so many layers to it, and yet, because we have heard the story so many times, it's easy to sleepwalk through the lesson in Gospel Doctrine. I know there is a lot of text here, but PLEASE read on--it's Good Stuff!!

I want to share some thoughts about "The Garden Exchange". Rather than do a big intro to explain what's going on (since you already know) I'm just going to begin at the point where Adam and Eve get busted for eating the fruit.

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Let's start with the premise that God--the God Elohim (Elohim which is the word used for God in the creation story, is the name of God in plural form, with both male and female hebraic roots) God wants us to become like Him--he is married and is ONE with a female counterpart. The test we have on this earth is, on one level, about individually proving ourselves. On a higher level, it is about becoming ONE in this life with our spouses.....

1. With this in mind....let’s ask ourselves, what was Eve’s real “misstep” and what was Adam’s? I think Eve made her big mistake when she didn’t CONSULT WITH ADAM OR GOD. She went traipsing off on her own, knowing she was “right”. She didn’t think--"Wow, it sounds logical to have the fruit--I’m going to talk to Adam about it”. She just ate it, then in a more passive agressive way, and came to Adam let him know that she would die alone if he didn’t also partake.

Now let’s read God’s consequence for Eve:

Genesis 3:16 “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow (in Hebrew this also mean labor or work) and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (Spencer W. Kimball changed the word RULE to Preside, making it only slightly more palatable).

On a basic level, we DO suffer for Eve’s misstep, because on the whole, the women of the world have suffered far worse for this phrase than any other in the Bible. But, on a higher level, we must ask ourselves, how does this counsel help us become ONE in the hereafter, which is our real goal? How does this help us in our ability to counsel? In what ways are we supposed to learn to influence our other half? How are we to counsel with "our Adam" ?

In a way, I love this scripture because it teaches us that THIS (man-rule, women-submit) IS NOT THE WAY IT IS IN HEAVEN. Men don’t preside over women in heaven, because clearly this is a consequence of the fall. The term “helpmeet” that is given to describe Eve’s role, is used elsewhere in the scriptures, often to refer to GOD in how he helps US! It is not used in an inferior way by any means. Listen to what Hugh NIbley says here:

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” and 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” and just as dependent on each other. (Hugh Nibley, “Patriarchy and Matriarchy,” Old Testament and Related Studies, page 92f.)

We can see here that in the temple, we are actually walking closer to a more enlightened way of understanding the relationship between Adam and Eve. This quote is one to ponder....

2. I believe Adam’s real misstep wasn't that he listened to Eve, but that he ONLY listened to the Eve. He didn’t CONSULT GOD. He had every opportunity to lay the problem out before the Lord, but he didn’t. Perhaps life was TOO EASY in the garden---I mean, what did he do all day--play with animals? There was no challenge, no problems for him to struggle with and forge his character on. He took the easy way out, spiritually.

With that in mind, now let’s read God’s consequences to Adam:

Genesis 3:17 Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree...cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

I also am intrigued by this idea that God would create the ground and seeds so that Adam and Eve would have to go through a process of PLANTING, NURTURING and HARVESTING together. I believe this process wasn’t a mistake, and is a simple pattern we can take in to our more modern lives. Am I planting, nurturing and harvesting anything with my husband? What, besides our children are our shared projects, and how are we using them to CONSCIOUSLY propel us closer to each other and to God?

God does all things to bring us unto him. These consequences have a purpose--I think the purpose is to achieve greater ONENESS----Adam, having to truly work and be tested, is told to become more reliant on God. Eve, who was given different innate gifts than Adam, is told that she must not be the person who leads the relationship. Adam must learn to lead.

What do Adam and Eve do to greater achieve ONENESS after they are cast out of the garden?

1. Eve labors beside her companion (Moses 5:1)

2. Eve and Adam have sex and babies :)

3. Both bear the responsibilities of parenthood (Moses 5:2)

4. Eve and her partner worship the Lord in Prayer (Moses 5:4)

5. Both heed commandments of obedience and sacrifice (Moses 5:5)

6. Eve and Adam both teach the gospel to their children (Moses 5:12)

7. Eve and Adam reflect together about choices they've made (Moses 5:10,12)

We see here that Adam and Eve are creating oneness on MANY levels---physically, sexually, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Is this in our consciousness as a couple, or are we just trying to get through the day? Do we ever have a conversation that begins with “How can we be more ONE?” An interesting concept.

Satan wants us to be stuck finger-pointing at the other gender---we must use our energies to become more of a team. For me, it takes real effort to step back and wait for Aaron to get his own answer from the Lord, especially if I’ve prayed about something and have got my own answer. I can see that this process, if done correctly, will bring a couple much closer together and closer to God. I believe the very principles taught here--how to interact as a partnership, how to counsel together, and how to create oneness on multiple levels is the real post-endowment challenge of our lives.

Thoughts? Ideas? Agreements? Disagreements? Is anyone out there?