Is it possible that God speaks to us today?

General Conference is almost here!!  This is the time of the year when we Mormons gather around and listen to the words of the prophet.  It's a brillant opportunity to receive motivation, inspiration, and instruction from Church leaders.

A prophet, as a righteous and inspired leader, is the mouthpiece of the Lord; a representative of God.  They will always be a special witness of Jesus Christ.  They literally pass on God's words to us, His people, to teach, inspire, refine, and warn us.
So their words will help us come closer to Christ and know God's will.

God has always spoken to prophets.  Always.  And today is no different.
Ever since Adam was roaming around here and here.  Think about it.  Heavenly Father loves us; He's not going to leave us to wander through this mortal life without direction and guidance.  That defeats the purpose of being alive.
It truly is such a simple and wonderful concept - we are God's children, we are in constant need of direction and advice, and so regardless of the era we live in, God will always speak to us via prophets (see Amos 3:7 in the Old Testament).
(this is, of course, in addition to personal answers to prayers and personal inspiration)

The teachings of our Heavenly Father are not the ordinary, predictable, run-of-the-mill kind you can pick up in paperback at the local bookstore.  They are the wisdom of an all-powerful, all-knowing celestial Being who loves His children.  Encompassed in His words is the secret of the ages—the key to happiness in this life and in the world to come.  [1]

To anyone who may wonder if this is possible ... I invite you to come and see.

Read the word of God as found in the scriptures.  Listen to general conference with an ear willing to hear the voice of God given through His latter-day prophets.  ...  For if you seek “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [God] will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).  [2]

Remember .. we believe he is God's spokesperson for everyone, not just Mormons.
Which means you can all tune in to listen or read copies of the address.  Perhaps the answers to your questions will be found somewhere over this weekend.

Visit lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today to learn more about prophets and apostles speaking today.


"General conference is intended to be a revelatory experience as participants learn from living prophets and apostles through the power and influence of the Holy Ghost.  Proper preparation will help ensure that you get the most out of your conference experience." [3]

How can I possibly prepare for this event?
Here are three basic concepts to help us to better receive, remember, and apply the words spoken by the Lord’s servants: [4]

1. Members of the Church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the inspired words spoken at general conference.
So think of questions you need to have answered. Weall have some challenges to face, and we all need direction and guidance to face them.

2. Don’t discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.
God isn't going to introduce a new commandmentor teaching now.  His laws are eternal, and have always been around.  Which means His prophets have always taught by repetition.  It's how we learn.

So you and I will probably continue to hear messages on similar issues from time to time ... because the Lord is teaching and impressing upon minds and hearts certain foundational principles of great eternal importance that must be understood and acted upon before we can move on to other things.

Sometimes we just ain't listening, so He'll try again ...

3. The words spoken at general conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.Ever heard of a Liahona?  How about a compass?

The Holy Ghost, like a compass, will guide us ... but we need to listen and then apply the messages the Lord provides for us.

For this is no ordinary blessing.

In preparation for General Conference this October, Stephanie at Diapers and Divinity is doing a little series about the 14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.

If you need an alternative, or are on the road, you can download this app here and watch conference live.

[1] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Why Do We Need Prophets?", Liahona, March 2012

[2] ibid

[3] source

[4] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "General Conference - No Ordinary Blessing", Liahona, Sept. 2001

Abraham: The Binding.

It has been a good while since I blogged about our Old Testament lessons at Institute.
A good while ... with three weeks left in the second (last) semester.

I don't know if this is interesting or helpful for anyone out there is the big wide world, but I really should finish what I started.  Yeah!


I have some great news - I found the video I wanted to post back here.
I still remember the time I showed this video to my class, and how it really impacted on the students.  The spirit was strong that night.



I'll get you started by thinking about the following:

Upon what do blessing from God depend?

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated --
And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.  [1]

What is the relationship between obedience and faith?

"The fact that certain laws must be observed and ordinances complied with is not the ruling of the Latter-day Saints, but the divine mandate of the Author of our salvation, who has said he will judge all men according to their works and opportunities.  We are merely complying with the teachings of the Master which we have received and which are requisite to salvation.

"If belief alone were sufficient, then even the devils, who fear and tremble, would be saved.  They recognised the Saviour and declared on several occasions that he was the Son of God."  [2]

[1]  Doctrine & Covenants 130:20-21
[2]  Smith, Selections of Doctrines of Salvation, p.204-5

Prayers are answered in the best way.

In Primary last Sunday, we talked about all prayers ... and being parents - I'll get to that in a tick.

But to kick the lesson off, I sang a song.  I've discovered that out of all the possible ways to get the kids to listen attentively and act as reverent as possible, I sing primary songs.  Every week without fail, I sing as they colour in.  They usually join in.  It works a treat.

So I sang the words to "Quickly I'll Obey", and repeated it with them joining in, watching my mouth and trying to copying the words.

When my mother calls me, Quickly I'll obey.
I want to do just what is best, each and every day.

When my father calls me, Quickly I'll obey.
I want to do just what is best, each and every day.

Heav'nly Father loves me, blesses me each day.
I want to do just what is best, each and every day.

This led right into our discussion about our earthly parents and our heavenly parents, and why we should obey them.  I asked the kids what they thought, and got so many great responses.  It's fun, never knowing what mood they'll be in and if they'll answer with the 'right' kind of answer, or if they'll bounce off the walls and start the trend of being unrighteously cool.

They were spiritually cool this time, and answered that parents and Heavenly Father know what's best for us.

I then told a story about a child that had a bad dream.  I tried to act it out a bit, capturing the feeling of being lost and frightened.  I think it always helps to widen the eyes.

Did you ever have bad or scary dreams when you were young?  What did you do?  Other than cry, of course, we all agreed we'd want our mummies.  One kid jumped right ahead and said they would pray.  We weren't up to that kind of spiritual discussion, but they were dead on.  Prayer is comforting, just like mummy's hugs.

After talking about why we would call for our parents, we swung the discussion towards calling out to Heavenly Father for help.  Of course, that is through prayer.  I mentioned that my Mum lives in a different city to me, and that we have to speak to each other via the telephone or Skype.  My explanation of Skype didn't work so well.  But they totally understood when I said that is what prayer is like.

The point, however, that I repeatedly repeated was that we should be talking to Heavenly Father LOTS.  'How often to you talk to you parents?  Once a week?'  Nooooooooooo.  'Once a day?'  Nooooooooooo.  It is so easy to forget that Heavenly Father is a parental figure for us.  He needs to hear from us, just as much as we chat to our parents.

Here is a great story about Brother John A. Widtsoe, or "Brother John" as I called him in class.  I had one of the boys pretend to be Brother John.  I shook his hand, 'Why hello Brother John!'  He had a whale of a time being Brother John:

John’s father died when he was young, and John’s mother worked hard to support her children.  John wanted to get a job to help her.  It was not easy to find a job he could do after school, but he finally found one.  One day the man he worked for told him he had done a good job for several weeks and paid him with a five-dollar gold piece.

We all imagined a huge gold piece - I indicated a giant coin with my hands almost the size of a gold ball.  This was fun. 

John said: “Five dollars!  That was money!  I was jubilant!  I would give half of it to my mother; I would buy a new book, and save the remainder.  Into the pocket of my trousers went the bright new gold piece, and off I ran to tell my mother of my good luck.

Brother John then pretended to run to his mum.

But, I said,“On the way home, I put my hand in the pocket to feel … the money.  It was not there!  
Go on, pretend to look for it in your pockets.

I felt all through the pocket again.  The gold piece was not there!  Instead, I found a hole in the pocket through which the coin had slipped.  It was terrible!  I was so sorry that I sat down by the ditch bank and cried.”

I don't have to tell you that my little actor proceeded to crumble up on the floor, pretending to be all sad-like.


John walked back along his path, looking for the gold piece.  The sidewalk he had been walking on was made of planks (boards), and he searched the cracks between every plank.  But he could not find the money.  He finally decided the money was lost for good.

Then all of us, including me, got up and pretended to look for the lost coin.  It was a thorough search.  We found some plastic on the floor, a shred of gold glitter paper, and lots of rubbish in the rubbish bin.

So now what do we do?  They totally knew where I was going with this ...

John said: “Then I remembered that the Lord knew where that gold piece was, and that if he would help me, and wanted me to find it, it could not be lost for long.

“So I got down on my knees [in] back of a big tree, and told the Lord all about my trouble, and asked him, if he thought it was the best thing for me, to help me find [the gold piece].  When I got up I felt so much better.  I felt sure the Lord had heard my prayer.

“[It was getting dark].  One could not see anything on the ground very clearly, especially a small piece of gold.  But I walked right on, not so slowly this time, for I knew the Lord was helping.  About half way up the second block, there in the grass lay my lost five dollar gold piece. … I almost shouted with joy.  How glad my mother would be, and how I would enjoy that book I had planned to buy.  I leaned up against the fence and said, ‘Thank you, O Lord, for finding my money for me. 

“Since that time I have known that the Lord hears prayers.”  [1]

I like how John offered a second prayer - a prayer of thanks.

Have you had any experiences like this one?
When you ask for help, Heavenly Father will hear you.


The real lesson to be learnt is this one : prayers are answered in different ways.

Looking at a black and white picture of Zacharias and Elizabeth holding their baby boy John, I told the story found in Luke 1:5–17 - that they were both righteous people, and that they had prayed lots and lots for a baby.

One day, an angel visited Zacharias in the temple, and said:

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. (Luke 1:13–14)

And you know what?  The angel's message did happen, and Zacharias and Elisabeth had a baby boy.
So Heavenly Father had heard all of Zacharias and Elisabeth’s prayers all along.  It just hadn't been the right time for their child to be born.  This was because, of course, baby John would grow up to be a great prophet, born at that specific time to prepare many people to believe in Jesus Christ.  And baptise him.


Can you see that sometimes we pray for something that is really really good, but it turns out it's just not the right time?  Heavenly Father hears all our prayers and answers them in the ways and times that are best for us.

This is when we talked about our parents - sometimes we ask them for something, and they say 'no' because they know it it not good for us.  Or perhaps 'not yet' or 'not now'.

To illustrate this point - and I was sure this exercise would backfire - we played a game.  I had each kid take turns at pretending to be a parent.  I would give them the scenario (I ended up being the child), and they had to decide what was best for me.

As it turns out ... these kiddies are going to make great parents.  They were all spot on, for the most part.  We did have some fun ...

Here are some examples:

Q:  Your child is hot and hungry, and wants to eat an ice cream bar.  And it’s almost dinnertime.  What do you say?  Why?

Q:  Your child wants to wear a swimming suit out to play.  It is a cold, rainy day.  What do you say?  Why?

Q:  Your children have finished all their work.  They ask if they can go play outside.  What do you say?  Why?

Q:  Your children are not very careful with their toys or books.  Rather than take care of them, they want to buy new ones.  Then, at the store, they see one of their favourite books and ask if they can have it.  What do you say?  Why?

So guess what, boy and girl bloggers.  Parents want what is best for their children, and so does Heavenly Father.  Heavenly Father always answers our prayers, and he answers them in ways that are best for us.  Just as our parents sometimes say 'yes', sometimes 'no', and sometimes 'not now', our Heavenly Father may answers our prayers with a 'yes', with a 'no', or sometimes with a 'not now'.
I honestly believe that Heavenly Father knows what is best for each of us, and that he always answers our prayers in the best way.

You should accept Heavenly Father’s answers to your prayers, even when the answer is “no” or “not now.”


Clearly adapted and quoted and practically copied from Primary CTR lesson #19.

[1]  Taken from John A. Widtsoe, “The Lost Gold Piece,” Children’s Friend, Sept. 1947, p. 369

Who was Abraham?

This is what we've studied thus far:



It is now that a man called Abram comes into the picture.
(if you're clueless as to what picture he comes into, scroll back to previous posts about our readings starting in Genesis)

Abram was born around the 2000 B.C. mark, and was the father of Isaac and the grandfather of Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). [1]

(Old Testament Student Manual)

Abram, the man destined to be known as Abraham, the Father of Many Nations, was a descendant of faithful Noah (we looked at him here).

The Lord spoke to Abram many times.

This is what the Lord told Abram early on in his story, as recorded in the book of Abraham:
Behold, I will lead thee by my hand, and I will take thee, to put upon thee my name, even the Priesthood of thy father, and my power shall be over thee.
As it was with Noah so shall it be with thee; but through thy ministry my name shall be known in the earth forever, for I am thy God.
(Abraham 1:18-19)

Such beautiful words.
But did you catch the main promise?  The Messiah is to be known forever through the ministry of Abram.

Hello.  Not a bad promise.

Abram was actually from Ur.  Ur was a town of the Chaldees people, and is identified nowadays with a town called Mugheir, in present-day Iraq.  So it was near Egypt.
And Abram travelled to Egypt.  He travelled quite a bit, in fact.  First to Haran, and then Canaan (see my timeline below), and then Egypt due to a famine (as recorded in Genesis 12).  The Lord protected him and his family by directing them where to go.

It's important to note the location of Ur.  Although the peoples of Chaldea and Egypt were separated geographically, it's almost certain that in Abram's day, the peoples shared many religious beliefs and practices.

And that's important to note because it explains the environment Abram grew up in.  And what state of mind his dad was in ... but we can look at that later.

Here is a brief timeline of Abraham's life for your studies.
I've put the keywords in bold.  I'm not really sure why.
Go ahead and start marking those scriptures of yours.  They're screaming for attention.

You can read more about Abram (Abraham) here, in the handy dandy Bible Dictionary.
It tells us that Abraham is regarded throughout the Old Testament as the founder of the covenant race, "which is personified in the house of Israel".

This is what I want to focus on today.  Because ...

“We are a covenant people.  That is, we are subject to covenants and obligations as members of the Church.  It has always been so.  The Lord established covenants with Adam in the beginning.  ... He made covenants with Enoch. ... He made a covenant with Noah, which resulted in the saving of Noah’s family and great promises being given to him in the flood.  Then Abraham received covenants – very definite and important covenants that concern us very materially today.” [2]

I belong to a way of life that requires covenants.  There are certain BIG covenants that I must make - some I have already. 
When I was eight years old, I was baptised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Which is a mouthful, but it was the right thing to do.  I like (and agree) that we baptise when the person is accountable for their decision, and understands the simple truths of Jesus' gospel, and can decide their beliefs accordingly.  That is, they are old enough to have a testimony.  A teeny tiny ounce of faith and belief.
No sprinkling or baptising babies.  We do it the way Christ showed us.  It's a covenant, after all, and the coventee needs to be aware of what they are getting themselves into.

I promised this:  to take upon the name of Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments.

It was a big deal.  And I renew that covenant each week as I take the sacrament.  Other than remembering the Saviour and His crucifial sacrifice for me, I am re-promising what I said I would do when I was eight year old.  That I would take the Saviour's name upon me, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. 
I renew that promise every week.

(Woah, check it out.  Me and my Dad, at my baptism.  My little sister is in the pink.  And that's a close friend on the right.)

More recently, I made another covenant.  I went to a holy place called a temple (read all about it and the difference between a church and a temple here and here) and married my best friend.  He was also the tallest man I could find.

In the temple, I promised this: to be sealed (united) to my spouse for my mortal life and all eternity.

Us.  On that day.  When we promised lots of things.

These are examples of covenants - two way promises with we make with God, where God sets the terms, and is bound when we keep our word.  Mm, hello blessings!

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.
(Doctrine & Covenants 82:10)

But remember:  Broken covenants have no eternal or lasting value.


Getting back to Abram, God made a BIG covenant with him - and consequently us.
We call it the Abrahamic Covenant.  Clever.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
(Taken from Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-18, underline added)

My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee.
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.
(Abraham 2:8-11)

Why are we looking at promises made to a guy many moons ago?
Because we are entitled to the same blessings.  Literally.

Bonus.

So.

Specific promises (blessings) were made to Abraham and his seed.  (Told you so)
These blessings covered the spectrum of land, posterity, name, and blessing the nations of the world.

Since this affects us, take a closer look at these blessings, and read of their significance:

Significance:

The land of Canaan (which is Palestine) was promised to Abraham and all his descendants.  Except .. he never actually personally possessed it.  He never received as much as a foot of it while he lived (Stephen in Acts).  Isn't that interesting.  Why on earth would the Lord then make such a promise?

This is why: "the time [will] eventually come, after the resurrection from the dead, when Abraham and his children who have been faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord, should possess that land, and they shall also spread forth as far as it is necessary for them to receive an inheritance." [3]

Looking further than that - eternally - this means that Abraham's righteous descendants will inherit the earth.
"...the poor and the meek - that is, the godfearing and the righteous - shall inherit the earth; it will become an abiding place for the Father and the Son, and celestial beings will possess it forever and ever." [4]

Not a bad inheritance.  Imagine reading that Will out.

Significance:

Abraham had eight sons, in all.  Did you know that?  But you need to remember, of course, the fact that Abraham was one hundred years old before his covenant son was born.  I imagine the blessing of a posterity - a HUGE posterity that is numberless - would have been perplexing for Abraham to hear.  But God knows what He is doing.  From Issac came the covenant people.  From Ishmael came most of the Arab nations.  From his other sons came the Midianties and other tribes.

In fact, the vast population of the Arab, Moslem, and Israeli world all claim to be descendants of Abraham, and they would number approximately, oh, an easy one hundred million.  And that's just those around today - add that to their ancestors and their future posterities, plus other descendants "such as the past, present, and future members of the Nephite-Lamanite cultures, the lost ten tribes, and the Latter-day Saints" ... and you loose count.  And you realise Yes, God does know what He is doing.  He knew what He meant "concerning the innumberable and unmeasurable blessing of posterity." [5]

Literally, Abraham's posterity will have no end.  His name should be added to this hymn.

Significance:

Well, the priesthood is kinda a big deal.  It's like electricity (I totally stole that from an upcoming Primary lesson I will be teaching) in that, it is a source of power.  God's power.  He used this power to create the Earth.  And you.  And me.  Jesus used this power to heal sick people, raise a few from death, and make several others tremble.  This power was also delegated to some, to act in God's name and represent Him.  So then they could heal the sick and make several people tremble.

I'm not just talking about the twelve apostles that followed Jesus immediately.  The priesthood was given to Adam.  And to Noah.  And most certainly to Abraham.  For these men were prophets and patriarchs.  Of course Abraham received the priesthood power, so he might bless others with it and the gospel teachings that go along with it.

And .. drum roll please .. this is where the mission of the covenant people comes in.  That's US, by the way.  We promise to serve the Lord by blessing others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some of you may have made covenants to that effect in the temple.

This is how the earth will be blessed.

Some descendants of Abraham have already bless the earth.  Moses.  Lehi.  Jesus Christ.  Joseph Smith.  [6]

And so, if WE "remain true and faithful to our charge to bless our own family and others with the blessings of the gospel, we will continue to do so throughout all eternity.  ...we will be heirs to all that the Father has through Christ."  (check that out in D&C 84:38-39)

Who are the children of Abraham who will be blessed with Him?
Who may receive the blessings of Abraham?

Paul tells us.  He knows. 

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

For as many of you as have been baptized unto Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 
 (Galatians 3:7-9, 27-29 (underline added); also read Abraham 2:10) 

Everyone may receive the blessings of Abraham through baptism, even though they may not have been born into the church.  Those not born in the lineage of Abraham may obtain all these blessings through the law of adoption when they join the Church and embrace the covenants.

So why covenants?  Why does God give us covenants?
It is a unique and structured way of blessing us, really.  And we totally benefit by it.  Don't you think making and keeping sacred covenants strengthens us?  Stretches us?  Gives us purpose?

Let's take that thought even further.
The prophet Joseph Smith taught: "God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw purpose to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself."  [7]

You may need to read that a few times.  It is such a powerful principle.

"It is essential to the upward progress of man that he be given certain basic tools by which he can climb." [8]

Love that.

"In order to help His children become like Him, Father in Heaven admonishes them to observe certain gospel principles by means of covenants and ordinances.  The entire gospel itself is referred to in scripture as "a new and everlasting covenant".  That overall covenant includes a series of other covenants that, if observed, will make man like his divine parents.  Covenants, covenant making, and covenant keeping thus become the keys of exaltation, or the kind of life God enjoys." [9]

I am so thankful for the scriptures.  I am a descendant of Abraham (some way or another), but regardless of how, I am entitled to blessings under the Abrahamic Covenant.  And so are you.  AND we are the instruments for some of these blessings.  The scriptures give us so much insight on this!

And really, although this covenant-making process began with Adam and all those other patriarchs after him, it is through the Abrahamic Covenant that we get a fuller idea of what's involved in making and keeping covenants.


[1] See Bible Dictionary, “chronology,” 635–36
[2] Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, p.285
[3] ibid, 1:88
[4] Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.211 - but you should read D&C 88:14-26, 111 first.
[5] Nyman, in Sperry Lecture Series, 1975, p.13 
[6] John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 20:224
[7] Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:312
[8] Old Testament student manual, p.61 - this enrichment section is gold.
[9] ibid

God established a covenant.

I really do think the concept of the war in heaven continuing today is interesting.

Before you and I were here on Earth as we are today, we were together.  We hung out together, you and I, as spirit children of our Heavenly Father.  If you don't believe me, I promise you it's in the scriptures. 
And it makes sense.  This life of ours has a greater purpose than you suppose.

Anyway, I find it interesting that good and evil have been at battle since then.

Our loving Heavenly Father, God, proposed this glorious plan for us to come to Earth, to gain bodies, to learn, to have families, and to find our way by choosing for ourselves. 
Our elder brother volunteered to be our Saviour, because one would be needed.  And Lucifer threw a tantrum.

And the war in heaven began.
And the battle between choosing the right and being swayed to do evil continued.  It followed us down.  We are human, after all.

Adam and Eve are great role models for how parents should be, and how families can be.
That is, we want the best for our children, and we teach them all we can so they can choose good and reach their potential.

Cain didn't do so well with that.  But nonetheless, it's good to know families have been that way since forever.  No family is perfect.  Whatever perfect is.  No one has it all together.
The scriptures can assure us of that.

Read here for an example of righteousness in Adam's posterity.
Read here for an example of wickedness in Adam's posterity.


Before moving on to the next chunk in biblical history, I think it important to note the covenant that God made after the Flood.  Remember, the wicked had just been destroyed by flood, and only a remnant of mankind was preserved.

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
(Genesis 9:8-17)

(source - some good thoughts about the rainbow here)

The rainbow was the token, or symbol, of the covenant made - that God would never again flood the Earth to destroy all living things.

I do recommend noting Joseph Smith's translation of this passage in Genesis here (JST, Genesis 9:17–25).
But the following may also shed more light on this token and the covenant it signifies:

“The Lord hath set the bow in the cloud for a sign that while it shall be seen, seed time and harvest, summer and winter shall not fail; but when it shall disappear, woe to that generation, for behold the end cometh quickly.”

“I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, ‘In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant.’”  [1]

I find it curious that this event is not believed by some.
But hey, this was not believed by the great and wise people of Noah's day either ..


And just like that, the Earth was given another chance.  A clean state.


Hmm.  And then what happened ... ?
Some clever people decided to build a tower to get to heaven.

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
(Genesis 11:1-4)

Why on earth did they do that??
What were their motives?  How could they have gotten it so wrong?

Well hang on a tick .. let's look at what happened as a result of this silliness.
Do you remember what the consequences of their actions were?  Have a look in Genesis again:

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
(Genesis 11:5-9)


And so, people were scattered throughout the Earth, all talking gibberish.

This account, other than providing an explanation for all the languages people speak nowadays (Pig Latin and such probably not included), gosh we learn a lot about how quickly man forgot the lessons of the Flood and turned again from the Lord.

It is the Book of Mormon - the book we should be reading side by side with the Bible - that offers more detail about the confounding of languages, which may not have been so instantaneous.  I think so, because we read about Jared and his brother, who prayed to the Lord and asked that their language not be confounded.  And then he asked that his friends be spared the gibberish.  You can read all about it here, in the book of Ether.

[1] Smith, Teachings, p. 305, 340–41

The wickedness in Cain's posterity.

I recently posted about Adam and Eve and their posterity.
I basically said that good and evil have been around since the beginning, and you can clearly see that from the beginning.

If you have no idea what I'm yakking on about, quickly look here.


In my Institute class, we briefly recapped some of the events in the book of Genesis, the events that show us the good and evil that perpetuated in Adam's posterity.

Here is an example of the wickedness in Cain’s posterity:

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  (Genesis 6)

(source)

By the way, the account in the book of Moses is slightly different.  Go ahead, have a look at Moses 8:14-20.
Some translators way back got the sons and daughters mixed up.
And note:  the 'sons of God' were those who made covenants with the Lord, and the 'sons of men' were those who would not make covenants, or obey their covenants, with the Lord.  And where it talks about selling themselves, it means they were married out of the covenant.


What does that have to do with the story of Noah?

Perhaps we really should understand what was going on in that day - what the conditions were in the time of Noah - for us to understand just how bad it got, and why the Lord decided a flood was necessary.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: “The fact was, as we see it revealed, that the daughters who had been born, evidently under the covenant, and were the daughters of the sons of God, that is to say of those who held the priesthood, were transgressing the commandment of the Lord and were marrying out of the Church.  Thus they were cutting themselves off from the blessings of the priesthood contrary to the teachings of Noah and the will of God.” [1]

The people in this time were foolish.  They were throwing away their covenants and promised blessings.

This is an interesting doctrine - to marry someone within the covenant, or within the Church today.  The apostle Paul told the Corinthians "Be ye not unequally yoked together..."

"Perhaps Paul wanted them to see that religious differences are fundamental differences.  Religious differences imply wider areas of conflict.  Church loyalties and family loyalties clash. Children’s lives are often frustrated.  The non-member may be equality brilliant, well trained and attractive, and he or she may have the most pleasing personality, but without a common faith, trouble lies ahead for the marriage.  There are some exceptions but the rule is harsh and unhappy one.  There is no bias nor prejudice in this doctrine.  It is a matter of following a certain program to read a definite goal.”  [2]

So what does this mean for us today?
Clearly I mean no offense for those who have married outside the Church, or who have parents or friends in that situation.  But you can see the counsel is sound.  There will be conflict in most cases, and there is alot more to it than a happy productive home life.  There are priesthood blessings that we are each entitled too, if we make sacred covenants.
You can read the Lord’s statements about the last days in Joseph Smith Matthew 1:41-43 (a better translation of Matthew 24:36-39).

So why did the Lord flood the earth?
President John Taylor suggested that the world was so wicked that children grew up with no choice but to be wicked.  At that point, when there was no chance to choose righteousness, sending innocent spirits from heaven to earth was no longer just.

“By taking away their earthly existence he prevent them from entailing their sins upon their posterity and degenerating them, and also prevented them from committing further acts of wickedness.” [3]

Did you know the scriptures speak of two separate times when the Lord will cleanse the earth of wickedness.  One, at the time of Noah.  Two, at the second coming.
Yup.
And Joseph Smith Matthew tells us how those two time periods will be like each other.  The biggest difference is that the earth was cleansed by water in the days of Noah, and at the Second Coming it will be cleansed by fire.  These two events are a type of how we are cleansed by the baptism of water and the baptism of fire – the cleansing of the soul that occurs when we truly receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

It makes you think of what preparation we may need, and how we can not be like the people in Noah's time.  Did you see the people in the painting above?  People mocking the prophet, laughing at his warnings, ignoring them or just not taking them seriously.  How could it possible rain and rain and rain to flood the earth?  Think of the warnings and counsel we have received over the years from our modern-day Noah's.

An example of the preparation required was once spoken of by Elder Ezra Taft Benson: 
“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” [4] 

Preparation will be necessary for us to endure times of tribulation.

If we may preserve our physical lives by following the counsel of the prophets, how much more important is it to save ourselves from spiritual death by following the counsel of the prophets?




[1] Old Testament Student Manual, 4-8, bold added
[2] Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 238
[3] John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 19:158-59
[4] In Conference Report, Oct. 1973, p.91

Adam's posterity: the war between good and evil continues.

The effects of the Fall clearly followed the family of Adam.

What do I mean by this?  Well the next two-thousand years of history are filled with great examples of good and evil. 
Righteousness and wickedness. 
Happiness and sadness.
Clearly the 'war in heaven' you've read about here continued.

As soon as Adam and Eve taught their children right from wrong, and all the principles of the gospel, Satan started spreading lies, and turning many toward evil.  This was even before Cain and Abel were born (who were not the first two kiddies, by the way ...)

"From the time of the Fall the people of the world began moving in two opposite directions.  One group followed the teachings of Adam and Eve and continually strived for increasing righteousness and perfection.  The other group yielded to the deceitful enticings of Satan and his servants and moved deeper and deeper into depravity and wickedness.  Both these divergent paths were followed to their ultimate ends."  [1]

So both good and evil perpetuated in Adam's posterity.

(source)

See:

As you study the effects of the Fall, and the lives of Adam's posterity, you realise that - yes, we’ve been shut out of the physical presence of God, but it's disobedience that leads men even further away from God.


Do you remember the story of Abel and Cain?

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.   (Genesis 4:1-16)


This is the first example the scriptures give us of wickedness, of Satan's real power in the world.

Cain’s offering was rejected by the Lord - most likely for several reasons - but the fact remains that his sacrifice was not done in faith, nor was it in the prescribed and revealed manner.  He brought an offering of fruit, and he did it with a flippant attitude.  An angel of the Lord taught Adam how sacrifices should be done:  thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore (Moses 5:8).

Cain later entered into an unholy covenant with Satan, by which he became known as Master Mahan, or “master of this great secret,” and by which he could “murder and get gain” (Moses 5:29–31).  He and his descendants lived separately from the other descendants of Adam.



I thought it was interesting, however, that even after Cain’s unacceptable offering, the Lord did not reject Cain.  No.  Instead, the Lord gave Cain a hard and specific warning about the dangerous path he was walking.  He was pretty much chastised by the Lord to get his act together.

But Cain continued to reject the Lord, and Satan engineered his downfall step by step until he reached the point where “he glorified in his wickedness” and killed his brother at the suggested on Satan.


And that is where it all started.

Coming soon .. an example of the wickedness in Cain's posterity, and the righteousness in Seth's posterity.




[1] Old Testament student manual, 4-26

Adam and Eve .. still in the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Even truly had agency in the Garden of Eden.

We looked at the principles of agency, making choices freely, but what about the other part of agency - accountability?
Were Adam and Eve really held accountable for their choices?

Of course they were!  I just told you that if agency exists, so does accountability.
Now see here:  (Lion King, anyone?)

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.   (Genesis 3:7-13; or see Moses 4:13-19)

Do you see all the questions the Lord asked them?  Where were you?  What did you do? 
The Lord already knew the answers, obviously.  But He still asked the questions, and gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to explain themselves.  (um, good parenting tip to follow?)

Now some people feel that God gave Adam two commandments that were in conflict with each other, and that that was an injustice.

Fair enough.  It certainly looks that way.

"If all decisions had but two alternatives, one clearly marked 'right' and the other clearly marked 'wrong', our personal development in spiritual muscle-building would not be nearly so strengthening.  Quite conceivably, the Lord recognised that man would gain much more learning and experience through dealing with conflict than with simple, clear-cut alternatives, and he therefore provided for this in our mortal period of life.  If it is not so, why did he place a set of principles in conflict before Adam and Eve in the very beginning?"  [5]

Well, say hello to Quinn McKay.  He offers three different ways to handle such situations created by principles in conflict.  His first is relevant here:

"Choose to obey the higher law when two principles are in conflict.  This is exactly what Adam and Eve did when they elected to eat of the fruit, what Nephi did when he slew Laban, and what the Saviour did when he forgave the adulteress.  And one of the important keys to obeying the higher law is to approach the decision with prayer."  [6]

So if alternatives seem to be in conflict, and an individual chooses to obey the higher law, or the most important principle, he does not sin.

Good to know.

It really becomes a matter of priorities - select the alternative that, in our judgment, is most consistent with gospel principles.

Elder Marion D. Hanks said "Never let things which matter most be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Maybe you should read that again.  Coz that is gold.


According to one of the many books I read, some people have wondered, since the Fall is so necessary for eternal progression, why God didn't just place Adam and Eve in a fallen condition to begin with.  I confess, that's never crossed my mind.  Has it yours?

If so, think on this:  If Heavenly Father caused men to become mortal then, He would ultimately be responsible for all the pain, sin, and sorrow that would come to man. 

Adam needed to have the freedom to choose to eat the fruit and fall.


How's this for a change in subject ...  enter the adversary, Satan.
Satan seeks to thwart (what a great word) the Lord's plan - we briefly looked at that the other week as a key truth found in chapter 1 of Moses.  But it is important to know that Satan live, and that he seeks to destroy the work of God.

Elder Marion G. Romney stated:  "We Latter-day Saints need not be, and we must not be, deceived by the sophistries of men concerning the reality of Satan.  There is a personal devil, and we had better believe it.  He and a countless host of followers, seen and unseen, are exercising a controlling influence upon men and their affairs in our world today."  [7]

The methods he used on Eve are the same methods he uses on people today.
Let's compare:

Can you think of specific examples of these methods today?

The reason I briefly look at this, is because knowing how Satan works helps us avoid being deceived by him.

As a side note, even though Eve was deceived, she still brought about the purposes of God.  And even though Satan thought he was impeding or preventing God's plan, he in fact helped it along because he didn't understand God's plan.  Not very bright.

Look at Genesis 3:15.  What does "the seed of the woman" refer to?
The seed of the woman actually refers to Jesus Christ.

"The promise concerning the bruising of the heel and head means that while Satan (as the serpent) will bruise the heel of the Saviour by leading men to crucify Him and seemingly destroy Him, in actuality that very act of the Atonement will give Christ the power to overcome the power that Satan has over men and undo the effects of the Fall.  Thus, the seed of the woman (Christ) shall crush the head of the serpent (Satan and his kingdom) with the very heel that was bruised (the atoning sacrifice)."  [8]


Note in Genesis 3:16 - 'sorrow' should read distress; 'rule' should read preside.


Adam and Eve then had the gospel of Jesus Christ explained to them.  The Lord explained to them that redemption should come through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father.  Read their reaction to this teaching in Moses 5:10-11.

Of course Heavenly Father's plan also includes the means by which He can redeem all of His children from this fallen state, but they must again exercise their agency and choose to accept the plan.

We see that in Genesis 3:14-15.
Physical death and Spiritual death came into the world because of the fall of Adam.

What is the difference between physical and spiritual death?
Physical death is the actual separation of the spirit and the body.  Dead.
Spiritual death is the actual seperation from God's presence.  We hang out, no more.

And the Saviour overcame physical death, and made it possible for us all to overcome spiritual death.

Yup.

WOO!!  That's pretty much what Adam and Eve said, when they were taught about the Saviour's mission and atonement.


And ... then they were cast out of the garden.  Bye bye paradise.  Hello weeds.

[source]

[5] Quinn G. McKay, "Principles in Conflict", Ensign, Jan. 1971
[6] ibid
[7] Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p.25
[8] Old Testament student manual, 3-8

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

I had hoped that my Institute class had read the readings I set in the book of Genesis. 

They had not.
(I shall chastise them with love, as the scriptures telleth us)

Which meant we needed to spend time looking at the events in Genesis, and then at the same events as recorded in the book of Moses.  Moses holds the doctrine lost from Genesis.


We left off around Genesis 2, when Adam and Eve had just been physically created, and were placed in the Garden of Eden.  Do you remember?

Before moving on, I want to recap a few points about the physical creation of man.
(Someone in my class asked about Eve being created out of the rib of Adam ...)

[source]

Have a look at Genesis 2:18.  As indicated by footnote 18b, the Hebrew term for the phrase "help meet for him" literally means 'a helper suited to, worthy of, or corresponding to him'.  The King James translators at the time rendered the phrase 'help meet' because the word meet in sixteenth century English meant 'fitting' or 'proper'.

But language changed.  And other silly translators came along.  In the seventeenth century, the two words help and meet were mistaken for one word.  So 'helpmeet' came to me 'a wife'.  THEN, in the eighteenth century, in a misguided attempt to make sense of this scripture, the spelling 'helpmate' came about.  The original meaning of the phrase had been obscured.

Why do I tell you this?  I want to understand the relationship God intended for Adam and Eve better. 

President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the term man in the story of the creation refers to "a complete man, which is husband and wife".  [1]  I should hope so!  He also taught that the detailed description of the creation of Adam and Eve describes their relationship (i.e. help meet) as "corresponding to each other", and prescribes the ideal of unity between a man and a woman.  The significance of the phrase "help meet" is that the woman is a creation who is a fitting and proper companion for Adam, because she is like him and corresponds to him.

I like that.

That concept is further solidified by the description of the creation of woman as being formed from the rib of Adam - a rib being a metaphor for a person corresponding to Adam.  It is to be taken figuratively.  [2]

"I presume another bone could have been used, but the rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote partnership.  The rib signifies neither domination nor subservience, but a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side."  [3]

This proper role of the man and woman is clarified in the scriptural injunction that they should leave their parents and cleave unto each other, and become one flesh.

Yup.

Talking about flesh, read Genesis 2:7.  Note the word 'flesh'.  It means mortality.

Last week, we discussed the spirit creation of man - that all things were created spiritually long before they were created physically.  Which means they could not die.

When Adam and Eve 'fell', a change took place (it's described here in Moses chapter 4), and all things became natural, meaning they were now subject to death.  So Adam and Eve had natural physical bodies (go and read 2 Nephi 2:22).  If I were you, I'd mark the difference between spiritual and natural in your scriptures.  Or at least note their meanings.
(None in my class marked them ... do people still mark their scriptures these days?)

Here is a diagram of the difference stages in Adam's existence (as described in Genesis 2 and Moses 3):

(source: Old Testament Seminary Student Manual)

Hello.

Now let us look at how that Fall happened.
Remember, the world only has the Genesis account, which doesn't discuss any doctrine at all.
Also remember, the overall purpose of the events in Genesis 3 is this, as taught by Lehi:

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  (2 Nephi 2:25, bold obviously added)

Before reading about the fall, consider these basic principles:

1. When Adam and Eve were placed in garden, they were not subject to the power of death.  They could have lived there forever, in a state of innocence, forever.  And if that happened, the earth would have remained in that same state forever too.  And everything on the earth.  In a type of limbo, if you like.
2. In that situation, there would have been no children.  No making babies.  No experiencing joy, sadness, labour pains, tough decisions, none of that stuff.  Hence the limbo.
3. By eating the forbidden fruit (and violating the law under which Adam was placed), their nature was changed.  It all changed.  Man became subject to (1) spiritual death, which is banishment from the presence of God; and (2) temporal death, which is separation of spirit and body.
4. So .. this transgression brought about mortality, and the children of Adam and Eve inherited mortal bodies and became subject to the mortal death.
5. And .. obviously the state of the earth and everything on it changed to suit the mortal condition of man.  Everything became subject to mortality, even the earth.
6. The is the best bit : to defeat the power which death had gained, it became necessary that an infinite atonement be offered to pay the debt.  It was necessary; it would restore Adam and Eve and all their posterity - in fact all things - to immortal life through the resurrection.

With these principles in mind, we now need to read Genesis 3:1-6 (and/or Moses 4:5-12):

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman 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, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

So "... the forbidden fruit had the power to create blood and change his nature, and mortality took the place of immortality."  [4]  Woah.

Here's an interesting side note for ya:  Who did Satan tempt?
According to Genesis and Moses, he only approached Eve.  But he actually approached Satan first.  There are other scriptures that confirm this, as well as latter-day revelation.  Have a look, you'll find it's in there ...


Now let's talk about the agency that the Lord gave Adam and Eve.
Agency is the ability to make choices and be accountable for them.  It's absolutely necessary for everyone who desires to become like God.  Which means Adam and Eve needed to exercise their agency and partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, so they could progress to become like Heavenly Father.

PLUS, eating that fruit made it possible for the rest of Heavenly Father's children to come to earth and exercise their own agency.  Yay for fruit!

For agency to exist, four principles must be in operation:

1. You must have a choice.
2. You must know the alternatives.
3. You must have an indication of divine will.
4. You must have absolute freedom to choose.

Yup.

So were all four principles operating for Adam and Eve?

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  (Moses 3:17)

What do you think?



[1] Ensign, Mar. 1976, p.71
[2] Spencer W. Kimball, ibid
[3] Russell M. Nelson, "Lessons from Eve", Ensign, Nov. 1987
[4] Doctrines of Salvation, 1:76-77