Or just thoroughly confused?
I can’t stop thinking about the lesson in Gospel Doctrine a few weeks ago that was all about Eve. About whether she knew what she was doing when Satan tempted her with the fruit of that tree. About if she was truly tricked, or if she just knew in her womanly heart of hearts what she needed to do. And as one person said in class, what she needed to do was “take one for the team.”
But as soon as she said that, another sister piped up: “But she was listening to the Father of Lies and so he wasn’t telling her the truth.”
But he was telling her the truth, right? Knowledge of good and evil, becoming as a god, eyes open to remembrance? Isn’t that stuff true? And didn’t we need that? And was there even a Plan B if that didn’t work out?
In my womanly heart of hearts I’ve always known that Eve knew. I’ve been especially keen on her essential glorious part in the plan. And I’m grateful to her, and to a God that loved women enough to make them central to it all. Really, because of her, because of the fall, we have a savior—we have posterity, we have real joy, we have repentance, we have knowledge.
To me, there really was no other way.
But am I being shortsighted?
(Was there another way?)
I get the part about her agency. Our agency. But I don’t get the part where she had to “transgress” to bring it all about because I can’t think of any time when disobedience is the right choice. Okay, I confess… in two weeks I did finally think of one: sometimes I watch rated R movies. I don’t make a habit of movie watching in general, and not because of some noble, moral choice but mostly because I’m just really too tired to endure them; but when I really, really want to see something I’ve never let the rating deter me. And I do think my life is better (perspective enlarged, Spirit felt) because of it.
And perhaps there will be judgment passed upon me because of it—and this is a minute thing with really no lasting ramifications. Are there judgments out there against Eve? Does anyone feel like she was, as she said herself, “beguiled?” And that we got to this point out of deception? And what about this scripture (Moses 4:22): “Unto the woman, I, the Lord God, said: I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” What do you think about that?
(And please trust me when I say that I’m not trying to argue or unravel doctrine. I’ve always loved Eve and was surprised when the conversation in our class sort of went south on her. I’m just curious your thoughts on her and her part.)
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