Adam And Eve Were "wise" In The Garden?

[stephenpurdy]

I am quite on board with just about everything that LDS church leaders are teaching in terms of doctrine at this time .... except maybe one thing.

 

It may surprise you what it is. 

 

I have often seen among Latter-Day-Saints this idea that Adam and Eve (particularly Eve) was quite aware of why her decision to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was necessary.  I don't know if I agree with this concept that she had it all figured out.

 

Of course, I agree that the fall was what I call an, "unfortunate necessity", however, I do not agree that either Adam or Eve understood exactly why this was the case. 

 

Is there any scripture that points to the idea that they acted out of wisdom in that situation they were placed in?

 

-Stephen

[Maedros]

I doubt if she knew the outcome of her choice; but I do think that she made a conscious decision to partake after pondering the situation. I found the this article interesting: 

 

http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2013/08/what-does-it-mean-that-eve-was-beguiled.html

[Maedros]

http://www.templethemes.net/publications/Meridian/100225-Was%20Eve%20Beguiled.pdf

[Tony Frank]

I am quite on board with just about everything that LDS church leaders are teaching in terms of doctrine at this time .... except maybe one thing.

 

It may surprise you what it is. 

 

I have often seen among Latter-Day-Saints this idea that Adam and Eve (particularly Eve) was quite aware of why her decision to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was necessary.  I don't know if I agree with this concept that she had it all figured out.

 

Of course, I agree that the fall was what I call an, "unfortunate necessity", however, I do not agree that either Adam or Eve understood exactly why this was the case. 

 

Is there any scripture that points to the idea that they acted out of wisdom in that situation they were placed in?

 

-Stephen

 

I don't know to whom you have been talking, but Satan/the serpent persuaded Eve to disobey Heavenly Father. The doctrine is that Satan/the serpent "beguiled" Eve, and she then knew she was going to get tossed out of the Garden of Eden. She told Adam that he would be alone and unable to fulfill the commandment to replenish the earth. Adam agreed, and, as it states in 2 Nephi 2:25, "Adam fell that men might be."

 

Moses 4:6 states, "And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world."

[CV75]

Is there any scripture that points to the idea that they acted out of wisdom in that situation they were placed in?

“We and all mankind are forever blessed because of Eve’s great courage and wisdom. By partaking of the fruit first, she did what needed to be done. Adam was wise enough to do likewise.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1993/10/constancy-amid-change?lang=eng

 

Given that her experience and knowledge were limited to a paradisiacal environment, and given she was beguiled, I think she displayed wisdom in the form of good judgement to keep the command to multiply and replenish the earth.

 

It is interesting to me that an old-fashioned meaning of “beguiled” means distracted or enthralled, rather than tricked or deceived. She may have (wisely) focused on that command to multiply, which is congruent with “the wisdom of him who knoweth all things” even though the devil “knew not the mind of God.” In this regard, she knew more than he did. Man's wisdom is not God's wisdom, and I think she was displaying godly wisdom.

[Meadowchik]

In such a state of innocence, I don't know if wisdom is actually possible.  However, like Maedros says, it appears she made a conscious decision based on Satan's claim that they would "be like Gods, knowing good and evil." Just one thing I'd like to add, tangential to the OP, and that is that it was knowing "good from evil," not just knowing "good and evil" which they needed to return to their Father:

 

 

"And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given."  2 Nephi 2:26

Edited October 30, 2015 by Meadowchik

[HappyJackWagon]

In such a state of innocence, I don't know if wisdom is actually possible.  

Excellent point!

[MDalby]

 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

 15 Notwithstanding she (JST changes she to they) shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

(1 Timothy 2:14-15)

 

 6 And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world.

 18 And the man said: The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat.

 19 And I, the Lord God, said unto the woman: What is this thing which thou hast done? And the woman said: The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

(Moses 4: 6, 18-19)

 

The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not.

( J. E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 59)

 

Eve was fulfilling the foreseen purposes of God by the part she took in the great drama of the Fall; yet she did not partake of the forbidden fruit with that object in view, but with intent to act contrary to the divine command, being deceived by the sophistries of Satan, who also, for that matter, furthered the purposes of the Creator by tempting Eve; yet his design was to thwart the Lord’s plan… Adam's part in the great event was essentially different from that of his wife; he was not deceived; on the contrary he deliberately decided to do as Eve desired, that he might carry out the purposes of his Maker.

( J. E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 63)

 

Adam was not deceived. On the contrary he deliberately decided to do as Eve desired, that he might carry out the purposes of his Maker. 

(James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.69-70)

 

The temptation to disobey [the] injunction [not to partake of the forbidden fruit] soon came. Satan presented himself before Eve in the garden, and, speaking by the mouth of the serpent, questioned her about the commandments that God had given respecting the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve answered that they were forbidden even to touch the fruit of that tree, under penalty of death. Satan then sought to beguile the woman, contradicting the Lord’s statement and declaring that death would not follow a violation of the divine injunction; but that, on the other hand, by doing that which the Lord had forbidden she and her husband would become like unto the gods, knowing good and evil for themselves. The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not. Then, telling Adam what she had done, she urged him to eat of the fruit also.

Adam found himself in a position that made it impossible for him to obey both of the specific commandments given by the Lord. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam had not yet fallen to the state of mortality, but Eve already had; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and therefore could not fulfil the divine requirement as to procreation. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another commandment by yielding to Eve’s request.

He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with understanding of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge.

(James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.63-65)

 

And so Eve partook because she was deceived by Satan, the scriptures tell us. She was deceived. It wasn’t because she understood that the great purpose of God would be realized if she did partake. She didn’t understand that. She was deceived by Satan, and so she was in transgression of that law. 

(Harold B. Lee, "The Fall of Man," Lecture Given to Seminary and Institute Teachers, June 23, 1954, Brigham Young University)

[Alan]

I am quite on board with just about everything that LDS church leaders are teaching in terms of doctrine at this time .... except maybe one thing.

 

It may surprise you what it is. 

 

I have often seen among Latter-Day-Saints this idea that Adam and Eve (particularly Eve) was quite aware of why her decision to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was necessary.  I don't know if I agree with this concept that she had it all figured out.

 

Of course, I agree that the fall was what I call an, "unfortunate necessity", however, I do not agree that either Adam or Eve understood exactly why this was the case. 

 

Is there any scripture that points to the idea that they acted out of wisdom in that situation they were placed in?

 

-Stephen

I'm with you on this, but I would go further.

In my view the fall was a disaster and was not supposed to happen when it did or the way it did. It was a victory for Lucifer.

Would the purposes of God have been frustrated if it hadn't happened? I don't know but I don't think so.

What we have now is very much a plan B in my view.

[CV75]

In such a state of innocence, I don't know if wisdom is actually possible.  However, like Maedros says, it appears she made a conscious decision based on Satan's claim that they would "be like Gods, knowing good and evil." Just one thing I'd like to add, tangential to the OP, and that is that it was knowing "good from evil," not just knowing "good and evil" which they needed to return to their Father:

 

 

"And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given."  2 Nephi 2:26

I think the innocent can be very wise: “even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were [--a play on words on my part to reflect Eve’s action--] forbidden… (3 Nephi 26:16).”

 

Psalms 2:8 of course shows how God has ordained that even the most innocent will confound His enemies, and the “wise” (D&C 133:58).

[stephenpurdy]

I'm with you on this, but I would go further.

In my view the fall was a disaster and was not supposed to happen when it did or the way it did. It was a victory for Lucifer.

Would the purposes of God have been frustrated if it hadn't happened? I don't know but I don't think so.

What we have now is very much a plan B in my view.

 

Well, I wouldn't go that far.  I think God knew very much what would happen, therefore, it is not "plan B".

 

In fact, Jesus Christ was prepared and foreordained from before the foundation of the world in order to redeem us from the Fall, however, when Adam and Eve were placed in the garden and the veil covered their memories, they were unaware of that.

 

-Stephen

[theplains]

I don't know to whom you have been talking, but Satan/the serpent persuaded Eve to disobey Heavenly Father. The doctrine is that Satan/the serpent "beguiled" Eve, and she then knew she was going to get tossed out of the Garden of Eden. She told Adam that he would be alone and unable to fulfill the commandment to replenish the earth. Adam agreed, and, as it states in 2 Nephi 2:25, "Adam fell that men might be."

 

Maybe more appropriate to say that "Adam and Eve fell that men might be".  From what the

scriptures say, Eve did not realize she was naked or feel shame or fear until Adam also partook.  

As for the other words and actions you attribute to Eve ... it sounds like something you made

up.

 

Regards,

Jim

[janderich]

Is there any scripture that points to the idea that they acted out of wisdom in that situation they were placed in?

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto here husband with her, and he did eat" (Moses 4:12). I do not think that Eve saw the fruit and wanted to taste it because it was juicy and sweet. No, the allusion here points to the fact that she partook of the fruit "in order to initiate the conditions of mortality", as Elder Oaks once stated. 

[Tacenda]

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15 Notwithstanding she (JST changes she to they) shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

(1 Timothy 2:14-15)

6 And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world.

18 And the man said: The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat.

19 And I, the Lord God, said unto the woman: What is this thing which thou hast done? And the woman said: The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

(Moses 4: 6, 18-19)

The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not.

( J. E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 59)

Eve was fulfilling the foreseen purposes of God by the part she took in the great drama of the Fall; yet she did not partake of the forbidden fruit with that object in view, but with intent to act contrary to the divine command, being deceived by the sophistries of Satan, who also, for that matter, furthered the purposes of the Creator by tempting Eve; yet his design was to thwart the Lord’s plan… Adam's part in the great event was essentially different from that of his wife; he was not deceived; on the contrary he deliberately decided to do as Eve desired, that he might carry out the purposes of his Maker.

( J. E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 63)

Adam was not deceived. On the contrary he deliberately decided to do as Eve desired, that he might carry out the purposes of his Maker.

(James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.69-70)

The temptation to disobey [the] injunction [not to partake of the forbidden fruit] soon came. Satan presented himself before Eve in the garden, and, speaking by the mouth of the serpent, questioned her about the commandments that God had given respecting the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve answered that they were forbidden even to touch the fruit of that tree, under penalty of death. Satan then sought to beguile the woman, contradicting the Lord’s statement and declaring that death would not follow a violation of the divine injunction; but that, on the other hand, by doing that which the Lord had forbidden she and her husband would become like unto the gods, knowing good and evil for themselves. The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not. Then, telling Adam what she had done, she urged him to eat of the fruit also.

Adam found himself in a position that made it impossible for him to obey both of the specific commandments given by the Lord. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam had not yet fallen to the state of mortality, but Eve already had; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and therefore could not fulfil the divine requirement as to procreation. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another commandment by yielding to Eve’s request.

He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with understanding of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge.

(James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.63-65)

And so Eve partook because she was deceived by Satan, the scriptures tell us. She was deceived. It wasn’t because she understood that the great purpose of God would be realized if she did partake. She didn’t understand that. She was deceived by Satan, and so she was in transgression of that law.

(Harold B. Lee, "The Fall of Man," Lecture Given to Seminary and Institute Teachers, June 23, 1954, Brigham Young University)

Why don't you quote the Bible more? But glad you quoted Harold B. Lee, it represents scripture in the Bible. Aren't we as LDS disobeying by believing we are to be Gods? Why is God being so contradictory? And I admit I haven't read the whole thread, I'm going off of another thread, which made me go back to wondering why the church isn't following the Christian belief on this. Is the "become as God" not to be taken as literally as JS thought? Which is obvious to me, that his thought process evolved to it. Edited October 31, 2015 by Tacenda

[telnetd]

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto here husband with her, and he did eat" (Moses 4:12). I do not think that Eve saw the fruit and wanted to taste it because it was juicy and sweet. No, the allusion here points to the fact that she partook of the fruit "in order to initiate the conditions of mortality", as Elder Oaks once stated. 

 

Genesis 2:9 says, "And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant

to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of

knowledge of good and evil". Even before the fall, Adam and Eve could enjoy what God had

created for them.

 

It seems like some get the impression Adam and Eve did not eat any of the fruit God permitted

them.  Or if they did eat the permitted fruits before they were expelled, they did not enjoy seeing

it and eating it.

 

Gail 

[JLHPROF]

In my view the fall was a disaster and was not supposed to happen when it did or the way it did. It was a victory for Lucifer.

Would the purposes of God have been frustrated if it hadn't happened? I don't know but I don't think so.

 

I don't believe this at all.

I believe the fall was the plan decided in the premortal Grand Council.

 

Without it God's purpose in creating the the earth for us would have been thwarted.

 

Moses 5

10 And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.

11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: 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.

 

Adam and Eve may have been under the veil when the transgression occurred, but they both rejoiced in their transgression and blessed God for it.

They both recognized that without it they wouldn't have had children, they wouldn't have provided bodies for God's children, they wouldn't have had agency, and they wouldn't have been able to return to God.

That tells us all we need to know about it.

[stephenpurdy]

... Is the "become as God" not to be taken as literally as JS thought? Which is obvious to me, that his thought process evolved to it.

 

Well, "to become as God" is only becoming "like God in a certain sense".  God gave Adam and Eve "dominion" , just as God has dominion.  They were not "like God", in the sense of knowing good and evil, until after the Fall.  

 

And after the Fall, they still were not like God because they were not perfect in terms of morality, knowledge , power, etc.

 

-Stephen

 

P.S.  By the way, I have argued that IF Adam and Eve (and the other spirits of the children that followed) were already DIVINE (like God) , then the Fall would not have been necessary.

 

This also ties back into the Ex Nihilo / Free will discussions that we are discussing on the other threads.

 

Edited October 31, 2015 by stephenpurdy

[stephenpurdy]

I don't know to whom you have been talking, but Satan/the serpent persuaded Eve to disobey Heavenly Father. The doctrine is that Satan/the serpent "beguiled" Eve, and she then knew she was going to get tossed out of the Garden of Eden. She told Adam that he would be alone and unable to fulfill the commandment to replenish the earth. Adam agreed, and, as it states in 2 Nephi 2:25, "Adam fell that men might be."

 

Moses 4:6 states, "And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world."

 

I agree with you that this is the doctrine, but sometimes I see LDS paint Eve's decision as if it was "the right thing to do".   Technically it was not the right thing to do.  It was necessary, but I don't think that she knew that it was necessary.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Maybe I misspoke when I said "LDS leaders".  Maybe just "some LDS intellectuals", but I feel like I have seen some general authorities lean in this way as well, or maybe how I have seen it acted out in LDS portrayals.

 

I think we should be careful in our words.  The Fall was necessary and "fortunate" in a certain sense, but in another sense it was "unfortunate".  It is not "good" in and of itself.  Wouldn't it have been better if Adam and Eve could have fulfilled BOTH commands (multiply and replenish the Earth as well as refrain from partaking of the fruit)?

 

 

 

-Stephen

Edited October 31, 2015 by stephenpurdy

[JLHPROF]

I agree with you that this is the doctrine, but sometimes I see LDS paint Eve's decision as if it was "the right thing to do".  Technically it was not the right thing to do.  It was necessary, but I don't think that she knew that it was necessary.

 

Does that make sense?

 

-Stephen

 

Interesting then that both she and Adam gave thanks to God and praised him for their transgression.

Kind of an unrepentant attitude towards "sin" don't you think?

[stephenpurdy]

Interesting then that both she and Adam gave thanks to God and praised him for their transgression.

Kind of an unrepentant attitude towards "sin" don't you think?

 

They were thankful because they had gained the knowledge of good and evil, and they were thankful because they then knew how to fulfill God's command to multiply and replenish the Earth.

 

As you know, it wasn't a "sin" in the strict sense (it wasn't really a willful rebellion), because Adam and Eve did not yet know good from evil.

 

The "down side" is the suffering , death and separation from God that would result.

 

Again, it is "unfortunate" that Adam and Eve (all of mankind) were not naturally endowed with divine characteristics (such as knowledge of good from evil and perfect obedience) to begin with.  If they had been naturally divine, then the Fall perhaps could have been avoided.  (Or at least IF they had these 2 divine characteristics: knowledge and obediance.  Omniscience and omnipotence and omnipresence were not necessary, so they didn't even have to be completely divine).   This is why the Fall is "unfortunate". 

 

But since we are dealing with reality, there exists imperfect beings.  And since there are imperfect beings, God has to deal with what children God has available to Him, which made the Fall necessary.  Thus it is "fortunate" that there was a path forward if you take it from that perspective.

 

-Stephen

[stephenpurdy]

I don't know to whom you have been talking, but Satan/the serpent persuaded Eve to disobey Heavenly Father.  ...

 

 

 

This is from a blog, so it doesn't count all that much, but this is the kind of thing you hear in LDS circles from time to time:

"Mormons consider Eve a hero, believing she was an intelligent and unselfish woman who chose to make life harder for herself in order to bring about God’s plan....God knew Adam and Eve were intelligent and unselfish enough to eventually give up their perfect life in order to introduce the full measure of mortality. ... This demonstrates that Eve did not do something awful—instead, she did something very brave."  http://ldsblogs.com/19444/adam-eve-left-garden

 

 

I am trying to find more "official" sources still....

 

...maybe found one:  https://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-exaltation-teachers-manual/lesson-3-the-fall-of-adam-and-eve?lang=eng

 

"Why did Eve and then Adam eat the fruit? Help class members understand that Adam and Eve acted with understanding and used freedom of choice. They realized that if they did not eat the fruit, they would not be able to have children and they would not be able to learn to make righteous decisions. They wisely chose to eat the fruit."

 

 

 

-Stephen

Edited October 31, 2015 by stephenpurdy

[Tony Frank]

I'm with you on this, but I would go further.

In my view the fall was a disaster and was not supposed to happen when it did or the way it did. It was a victory for Lucifer.

Would the purposes of God have been frustrated if it hadn't happened? I don't know but I don't think so.

What we have now is very much a plan B in my view.

 

So, you think the eternal plan of salvation was to have a world full of naked people who do not know good from evil, and the only rule is do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

[JLHPROF]

They were thankful because they had gained the knowledge of good and evil, and they were thankful because they then knew how to fulfill God's command to multiply and replenish the Earth.

 

As you know, it wasn't a "sin" in the strict sense (it wasn't really a willful rebellion), because Adam and Eve did not yet know good from evil.

 

The "down side" is the suffering , death and separation from God that would result.

 

Again, it is "unfortunate" that Adam and Eve (all of mankind) were not naturally endowed with divine characteristics (such as knowledge of good from evil and perfect obedience) to begin with.  If they had been naturally divine, then the Fall perhaps could have been avoided.  (Or at least IF they had these 2 divine characteristics: knowledge and obediance.  Omniscience and omnipotence and omnipresence were not necessary, so they didn't even have to be completely divine).   This is why the Fall is "unfortunate". 

 

But since we are dealing with reality, there exists imperfect beings.  And since there are imperfect beings, God has to deal with what children God has available to Him, which made the Fall necessary.  Thus it is "fortunate" that there was a path forward if you take it from that perspective.

 

-Stephen

So the event that enables us to gain bodies, become like God, and gain a resurrection is a fortunate coincidental result of a mistake, and not the plan?

Not buying it.

[Tony Frank]

Maybe more appropriate to say that "Adam and Eve fell that men might be".  From what the

scriptures say, Eve did not realize she was naked or feel shame or fear until Adam also partook.  

As for the other words and actions you attribute to Eve ... it sounds like something you made

up.

 

Regards,

Jim

 

I can appreciate your position, Jim, but given that what I wrote is doctrine, it was not hard to find references.

 

“She subsequently encouraged Adam to partake. Adam concluded that God’s command to remain with his wife was more important than His command to abstain from the fruit. Thus in the face of this enticement, ‘Adam fell that men might be.’”

 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/01/the-choice-that-began-mortality?lang=eng

 

 

“Adam chose to partake of the forbidden fruit rather than become separated from Eve. Adam and Eve fell so we could be born into mortality.”

 

https://institute.lds.org/bc/content/institute/materials/english/teacher-resources/religion-327-pearl-of-great-price-teacher-manualeng.pdf

 

 

“Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and ‘Adam fell that men might be.’”

 

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/35311_eng.pdf

 

 

“The adversary, Lucifer, through the serpent, beguiled Eve and deceived her and induced her to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was not so with Adam. . . . He knew that unless he did partake there would be an eternal separation between him and the partner that God had given to him, so he transgressed the law. . . . Because had he not partaken of the fruit, they would have been eternally separated.”

 

https://institute.lds.org/bc/content/institute/materials/english/student-manuals/religion-430-431-doctrines-of-the-gospel-student-manualeng.pdf

 

 

“Then, telling Adam what she had done, she urged him to eat of the fruit also. Adam found himself in a position that made it impossible for him to obey both of the specific commandments given by the Lord. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam had not yet fallen to the state of mortality, but Eve already had; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and therefore could not fulfil the divine requirement as to procreation. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another commandment by yielding to Eve’s request. He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with understanding of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge.”

 

“Eve, beguiled by Satan transgressed and was to be cast out of the Garden. Adam chose to obey the first commandment to multiply and replenish the earth.”

 

https://si.lds.org/bc/seminary/content/binary-content/general/basic-doctrines-inservice-resources.pdf

[JLHPROF]

This is from a blog, so it doesn't count all that much, but this is the kind of thing you hear in LDS circles from time to time:

"Mormons consider Eve a hero, believing she was an intelligent and unselfish woman who chose to make life harder for herself in order to bring about God’s plan....God knew Adam and Eve were intelligent and unselfish enough to eventually give up their perfect life in order to introduce the full measure of mortality. ... This demonstrates that Eve did not do something awful—instead, she did something very brave."  http://ldsblogs.com/19444/adam-eve-left-garden

 

 

I am trying to find more "official" sources still....

 

...maybe found one:  https://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-exaltation-teachers-manual/lesson-3-the-fall-of-adam-and-eve?lang=eng

 

"Why did Eve and then Adam eat the fruit? Help class members understand that Adam and Eve acted with understanding and used freedom of choice. They realized that if they did not eat the fruit, they would not be able to have children and they would not be able to learn to make righteous decisions. They wisely chose to eat the fruit."

 

 

 

-Stephen

 

This is what I believe (mostly).