Were Adam and Eve born on a terrestrial world rather than on this earth?
Question
Dear Gramps,
Based on one of your articles, I’d like to ask you a question about Adam and Eve. Would it be a reasonable point to believe that Adam and Eve were representatives of a terrestrial world/kingdom (like the one most of the humanity are going to inherit according to Mormon doctrine)? If this were true, it would turn out that Adam and Eve would have been selected from a terrestrial kingdom (on some planet) by God to found a human race on earth in order to make a way for the incarnation of spirits born to exalted beings in the celestial kingdom, who are our God-Father and our Heavenly Mother. Am I to any extent on a right path of understanding this principle? Has it been discussed at all by the prophets/authorities of the Mormon Church? What is your opinion about that? I will highly appreciate your opinion and understanding of my theory.
Thank you very much
Roman
Answer
Dear Roman,
Those are some pretty deep doctrinal questions, but in my opinion you are exactly on the right path. The tenth Article of Faith of the Mormon Church states,
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
The paradisiacal glory is that of a terrestrial world. This Article of Faith implies that the earth was once a world of terrestrial glory and will be returned to that state at the advent of the Savior as he initiates his great millennial reign. We are told by the prophet, Brigham Young, that Adam was born on a terrestrial world, and that he was instrumental in the development of this earth.
“Though we have it in history that our father Adam was made of the dust of this earth, and that he knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not so; and when we learn the truth we shall see and understand that he helped to make this world, and was the chief manager in that operation.
“He was the person who brought the animals and the seeds from other planets to this world, and brought a wife with him and stayed here. You may read and believe what you please as to what is found written in the Bible. Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not from the dust of this earth. He was made as you and I are made, and no person was ever made upon any other principle.” (Journal of Discourses, 3:, p.319)
At the fall of Adam, the earth fell also. When Adam and Eve exercised their agency to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they, with the earth and all it contained, were transformed from a terrestrial condition to a telestial condition, which is the state that the earth is now in, and in which it and all its appointments will remain until the advent of the Lord at the beginning of the Millennium. In the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie,
“This earth and all that pertains to it, including every form of life on the face thereof, was first created in a terrestrial or paradisiacal state. Incident to the fall of Adam, the earth itself and all life on its face fell to their present telestial state” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., p.633).
Gramps
“At the fall of Adam, the earth fell also. When Adam and Eve exercised their agency to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they, with the earth and all it contained, were transformed from a terrestrial condition to a telestial condition, which is the state that the earth is now in, and in which it and all its appointments will remain until the advent of the Lord at the beginning of the Millennium. In the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie,”
In spite of what McConkie goes on to say about this, I’m not sure I’m fully on board, yet, with the idea that the entire world fell because of Adam and Eve eating the fruit. There are a couple things that don’t line up with that for me. For instance we know that Lucifer and his group were kicked out of the Garden by God and his angels, led by Michael. We also know Lucifer and his gang were kicked down to this earth. There is no scriptural foundation I know of describing some sort of intermediary stop for them. Michael was Adam, in other words, Satan and his millions of followers were here on Earth before Michael became Adam. If Lucifer was kicked down to this earth, that means the earth was already built by God, Jesus, and some of us, before Lucifer was kicked down to it. Just like us, Lucifer was probably a skilled co-creator, but unlike us, he did not lose all of his talents, knowledge, and memory. In my view, he and his gang probably had plenty of wherewithal to immediately start wrecking havoc on this earth as soon as they were cast to it. While the earth was very likely created in a perfect Terrestrial state, Lucifer with his creation knowledge probably began the work of introducing disease, sickness, violence, and death to the earth. It could be the earth began to fall because of Satan’s introduction to it, even before Adam and Eve were introduced to the Garden, which is obviously distinct and protected from the rest of the world. Why would it be distinct and protected if the whole world was still Terrestrial?
Adam and Eve were introduced into the GARDEN, not the earth. And after they partook of the tree (which may have been a transplant from the outside world into which Satan had already sewed decay and disease). The tree obviously did not belong in the Garden. Do we really think that God created a diseased death tree? No, it’s much more likely that Satan introduced this disease to the tree in the outside world, and that it was allowed in the Garden for the sake of opposition. As important as opposition is, God doesn’t create it, he just allows it, so it makes sense that the tree of opposition was made that way by Lucifer.
After the Fall, Adam and Eve were cast OUT of the Garden and into the world. In other words, the Garden was still Terrestrial. Adam and Eve, eating the fruit chose to introduce disease and death from Satan’s outside world into their bodies. So their bodies became naturally fallen, but that didn’t cause the Garden to suddenly decay; just their bodies. So why would it cause the outside world to suddenly decay? I think it makes more sense to consider that Satan’s introduction to this earth is what changed it from Terrestrial to Telestial, not the Fall. And Adam and Eve’s fall was based on their following Satan’s advice and also in eating Satan’s diseased Telestial fruit.
JJ Brown
thinkpolicy@yahoo.com