Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 4?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

This essay is the fourth in teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first thesis discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second treatise discussed sin and punishment for sin. The third essay discussed Satan. This paper will begin a discussion of The Fall, starting with the creation of Adam and Eve and Satan’s great temptation, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 63-65).

Our First Parents in Eden – The crowning scene of the great drama of creation was the forming of man in the image of his spiritual Father, God. For the reception of the first man the Creator had especially prepared a choice region of earth, and had embellished it with natural beauties to gladden the heart of its possessor. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed” [Gen. 2:8, 9]. Soon after man’s advent upon the earth the Lord created a companion or help meet for him, declaring that it was not good that man should be alone. Thus, male and female, Adam and his wife /eve were placed in the garden. They had been given dominion “over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” [Gen. 2:18]. With this great power were associated certain commandments, the first of which in point of importance was that they “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”; then, that they refrain from eating or even touching the fruit of a certain tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which grew in the midst of the garden; though of all other fruits they were at liberty to freely partake. The words of God concerning this command and the penalty for its violation are: “And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, 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” [P. of G.P., Moses 3:16, 17].

The Temptation to disobey this injunction 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. The fact that Adam acted understandingly in this matter is affirmed by scripture. Paul in writing to Timothy, explained that “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” [1 Tim. 2:14].

Some women take offense when they understand that Eve was deceived but Adam was not. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes that mortality would not have happened without the decision of Eve. However, there were consequences to her transgression.

 

 

 

How Should School Districts Motivate Students to Attend School?

 Families are stronger when parents help their children to seek and appreciate education. Strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations.

School is starting in numerous areas in the United States. Schools opened this week in Anchorage. Some schools in other states started last week.

What happens when parents fail to get their children excited about school? According to Jennifer Graham at the Deseret News compared schools in Detroit with those in Iowa and declared, “Detroit schools are paying kids for showing up. Iowa took another approach.” The question is, “Should students be rewarded for going to school?” A better question might be: “What kind of awards should be given to students?” 

The week before the first day of school in Detroit, Mayor Mary Sheffield penned an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press, urging parents to take their children’s attendance in school seriously. With a chronic absentee rate around 60% last year, the city has one of the highest rates of absenteeism in the country.

But in case the mayor’s urging doesn’t work, Detroit schools have another strategy to improve attendance: awarding gift cards for every week [that] students show up.

The program, called “Perfect Attendance Pays,” has drawn the ire of some conservatives who see it as a ploy that coddles children at taxpayer expense. (The district has said that the money for the gift cards, which students in middle and high school can earn, comes from interest earnings on money set aside for capital projects.)

Getting an education is a privilege, the program’s critics say. And the lessons of school aren’t just about math, science, reading and writing, but also about learning to be responsible and punctual, and learning that life involves doing things you might not feel like doing at the time for benefits that come later.

Detroit school officials, however, are happy with the program, which launched in January of 2025, and say it’s paying off in increased attendance.

High school students have to attend every class during the school day for an entire week to qualify. But they can get a $100 Visa gift card for every week they have perfect attendance over 10 weeks, with the possibility of earning $1,000 in rewards….

The district’s chronic absenteeism rate – defined as missing 18 days of class within a school year – had been 70% before the program launched, WXYZ reported.

Absenteeism isn’t just a problem for Detroit. Educators have been wringing their hands over the problem since it peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic. And although the number has been coming down, it hasn’t come down enough….

Nationwide, the chronic absenteeism rate before the pandemic was 15%, according to a recent report form the American Enterprise Institute. It peaked at 28.5% in 2022 and has come down every year since then, now hovering at about 23%. But the rate of improvement has slowed….

Iowa’s approach

Iowa has taken a different approach to the attendance problem. Per The 74, a nonprofit news site about education, Iowa cracked down on absenteeism with a three-pronged plan: When a child misses 10% of days in a grading period, parents will be notified; at 15%, the school will work with parents and the student to create a plan on improving attendance; and at 20%, the case will be referred to the county attorney for possible charges….

A blend of a serious approach with consequences, plus support for families, is likely a combination that will lower absentee rates….

Could a Visa gift card be such a support? For some families, maybe.

Detroit doesn’t provide school bus service for high school students, and a principal told WXYZ, that one student told her it took him a half-hour to get to school on a bike, and an hour and a half on a city bus. Buying a bike with that gift card, or a good backpack, and school supplies, might indeed improve educational outcomes. Buying video games, not so much.

At this point, Detroit’s program is too new and too novel to tell how it will work over time, and whether educational outcomes will be improved, not just attendance. It’s possible that the rewards will motivate only students who were already motivated, and that those with the highest rates of absenteeism will see perfect attendance as out of reach….

At least the city is trying to solve a problem that, left unchecked, will have serious consequences, not just for individual students but for all of society….

 

Should the US Take Dramatic Action in Iran?

Victor Davis Hanson has a theory that Iran has a dangerous strategy for America’s midterm election. The Trump administration has said seven or eight times that a deal with Iran is close. Each time, Iran denies that there is a deal, lied about being close to an agreement, or start launching missiles at their Middle East neighbors. 

However, “this time, people like [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent and [State Secretary] Marco Rubio confirmed [President] Donald Trump’s optimism.” Why are we doing this over and over again? Because “Each side has a position.”

America wants to get the unpopular war over before the midterm election, so Iran wants to talk, talk, talk and negotiate, negotiate, negotiate but continue to launch missiles. They are willing to do anything to prolong the war because they think that the war will give them (Iran) leverage in the negotiations.

The Iranian actions make Trump and his administration angry, so they start launching missiles and dropping bombs. The Iranians get paranoid about being hit hard and want to talk, negotiate, and continue going through cycles, hoping to gain more leverage.

And what is our strategy? Why does Donald Trump put up with it? He has a strategy too, that while they’re talk, talk, talking and they’re breaking their talk, they’re getting poorer. We did not lift the sanctions. We did not lift the embargo. We did not cancel their bank accounts. We have de-banked them, and they have a blockade around them every day. They’re losing $400 million to $500 million a day. They talk all they want, but the facts on the ground show that they’re going broke.

So, the Trump administration’s attitude is, as long as we’re not conducting a full-scale war, and the American people don’t think we’re at war, and as long as we’re negotiating, we’ll negotiate till hell freezes over.

And we don’t really care because we’re winning every single day. They are getting poorer and poorer to the point where they’re either going to implode, there’s going to be a revolution in the streets, or they’re going to collapse and agree to it.

Now, that strategy is pretty smart, but it depends, from the American point of view, on one important thing. As they get to the midterms and Iran sees that while it has increased the unpopularity of the war, and as it has raised the price of gas and it has created global uncertainty, it still has not been able to ensure that Donald Trump will lose the midterms.

So, they need some dramatic event to remind the American people they’re still at war and the price of gas will get higher and the Europeans and our Asian friends will be angrier at us. What will that mean?

I would imagine that we will have a late October surprise. Right before the elections, they will try to do something dramatic. Empty their last missiles, hit the Gulf, attack Israel, try to go after a carrier. Anything that would remind the Americans that the war was not winding down, but with this last gasp, sort of like the German Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes Offensive, where they marshaled all of their final resources and tried to stage a dramatic counteroffensive to remind the Allies they still could lose this war and they should negotiate, or something to that effect.

So, what does that leave us? I think the Trump administration should keep talking, keep all the sanctions and blockades, keep them on. But because Iran will probably do something dramatic, they should do something dramatic. In other words, if they have a list of targets, command and control, dual-use facilities, missile inventories and caches, and they think Pickaxe Mountain might be vulnerable, they could actually do some damage there, they should do it all and keep talking and get this dramatic element out of the way before the midterms so that Iran would be substantially reduced in its nuclear industrial military capability.

It already is, but try to preempt them and hit them very, very hard, and then keep talking. And then the American people will see they’re getting more and more desperate. But don’t be reactive because, trust us, they are going to try something dramatic to bring home the idea [that] the war is not over, and they’re not defeated, and gas will go up.

            But if you do something dramatic now and keep talking, you may hasten or accelerate the pace                 of negotiations, i.e., the pace at which Iran is losing and is going absolutely broke. And that                     could happen faster than we anticipate, and there’s at least an outside chance that they will be in             a far, far weaker place by the midterm elections in 83 days than they are now. 

Who Is Sara Gonzales?

My VIP for this week is BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales who has exposed alleged H-1B visa fraud in Texas. She has been on the ground there, “knocking on doors of ghost offices, confronting company owners, and uncovering shell companies used to import foreign workers.” Her reporting caught the attention of law enforcement and sparked “state investigations, lawsuits from Attorney General Ken Paxton against dozens of suspect firms, and growing federal attention.” An article by BlazeTV Staff shared the following information. 

Investigative reporting like Sara’s takes time, resources, and a team willing to keep digging when the answers aren’t easy to find….

The Texas native sets her sights on Dallas resident Mohammed Abbas, who has allegedly been scamming people with the promise of sponsoring green cards and H-1B visas.

“My team received tips from multiple people, unrelated, who say that they were scammed by one person who promised to sell them sponsorship for either green cards or H-1B visas. These people were charged thousands of dollars for this. One of the victims even said he paid $60,000, but the sponsorship never came through,” says Sara.

You can find more information about Sara and her exposure of alleged H-1B visa fraud by signing up for the BlazeTV newsletter. Journalists like Sara and Nick Shirley are exposing lots of fraud. What are the so-called journalists of mainstream media doing?

Do Americans Have Freedom of Religion or Not?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns the right to invite other people to pray with us in our homes. Lauren Irwin’s article published at Deseret News reports on the case of Daniel Grand, a devout Orthodox Jew who just wanted to pray in his home with a few friends in 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear his case. 

Daniel Grand, a devout Orthodox Jew, wanted to gather about a dozen people in his home outside of Cleveland in 2021. Instead, the minyan – a prayer gathering of at least 10 men – was stopped by city officials in University Heights, Ohio.

Grand was issued a cease-and-desist notice demanding that he obtain a permit that would label his home as a “place of religious assembly.” Police then were ordered to monitor his home and asked neighbors to file complaints about visitors to the house….

Grand has spent the last several years in court looking to fight back against what he said took him by surprise….

Grand initially had the idea of hosting the gathering at his home for convenience, since he doesn’t have a synagogue nearby and doesn’t drive on the Sabbath, which is a day of rest.

In June, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Grand’s case in the next term.

[Alliance Defending Freedom] ADF, a legal organization that protects religious freedom, said in a statement that Grand was never trying to establish his home as a synagogue, but rather “simply hosting a prayer gathering with friends.”

After receiving the cease-and-desist notice and being informed about needing a special-use permit, Grand canceled the gathering and tried to comply with the city’s directive by submitting an application for a permit.

His legal team said that neighbors went on to protest that they “do not want our neighborhood labeled as Jewish” and there was a citywide hearing that was marked with “overt hostility to Jewish religious practice.”

Grand later withdrew his application because he didn’t want to be part of an “inevitably hostile public spectacle.”

ADF and co-counsel Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe asked the Supreme Court to hear the case after it was dismissed in federal court. They’re asking the justices to clarify whether Americans have to go through permitting processes and can challenge government threat to individuals’ religious freedom.

They’re also arguing that the city officials were specifically targeting Grand’s religious practice, because a permit wouldn’t be required for a nonfaith-centered event, like a birthday party or Super Bowl party.

“Every American has the right to host a prayer gathering in his home, and he certainly doesn’t need a city permit to do so.” ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in a statement. “This city’s actions underscore a troubling trend of weaponizing zoning laws against people of faith while allowing other gatherings of the same size, like book clubs or poker nights, to meet without issue.”

This case should concern all people of faith. Grand is a Jew who was being persecuted by government officials in his home city, but the same thing could happen to Latter-day Saints, Catholics, or any other religious group.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees Freedom of Religion, and it also guarantees Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press, and Freedom of Assembly. Grand was denied his First Amendment rights, and it could happen to any other person of faith.

How Do We Know That God’s Perspective Is Greater Than Our Own?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the book of Job in a lesson titled “Yet Will I Trust in Him.” The following information introduced the lesson. 

It’s natural to wonder why bad things happen to good people—or, for that matter, why good things happen to bad people. Why would God, who is just, allow that? The book of Job explores questions like these. Job was one of those good people to whom a lot of bad things happened. Because of Job’s trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and wondering, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested but never completely abandoned. That doesn’t mean all the questions are answered. But the book of Job teaches that until they are answered, questions can coexist with faith. And regardless of what happens in the meantime, we can say of our Lord, “Yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

The book of Job teaches several principles, including (1) I can trust God in all circumstances (Job 1-3; 12-13). (2) Jesus Christ is my Redeemer (Job 19). (3) “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 21-24). (4) God’s perspective is greater than mine (Job 38-40; 42). This essay will discuss principle #4 about God’s perspective, but I first wish to discuss the question posed in the introduction.

Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? I have. I was about 11 or 12 years old when my oldest sister – 11 years older than me – gave birth to a baby – named Gary John -- who died when he was 24 hours old. He had a problem with his lungs – like the baby of President John F. Kennedy at about the same time.

In August 1963, First Lade Jacqueline Kennedy experienced premature labor pains and was rushed to the hospital. JFK was notified, and he dropped everything to go to the hospital. Patrick Bouvier Kennedy was born, and fear soon overcame celebration.

Patrick was born with Hyaline Membrane Disease (now known as Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome). A glassy substance coated his lungs and made breathing impossible because the lungs could not expand to absorb oxygen, causing slow motion suffocation. However, most babies born with this problem survive today.

Like the Kennedy family, my immediate and extended family mourned the death of an innocent baby. As a child/young woman, I pondered his death for months. I knew that my sister and her husband were righteous, and I wondered why God did not bless them with a healthy baby. I understand why Job and others ask questions, such as why do bad things happen to good people.

Although we do not know much about Job, we know that he was a real man. When the Prophet Joseph Smith and his companions suffered in the Liberty Jail, he cried out to the Lord for help. As part of His answer to Joseph, the Lord said, “Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:10).

Job was a good person who had a lot of bad things happen to him. Because of his trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and questions, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested but never completely abandoned. The author of Job did not answer all the questions, but the book of Job teaches that questions can coexist with faith until they are answered. Like Job, we can say of Jesus Christ, “Yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

We can trust God because His perspective is greater than ours. He sees the big picture, while we struggle with tunnel vision. Job’s friends accused him of sin (see Job 16:1-5; 19:1-3), causing Job to repeatedly ask God why he had to suffer so much (see Job 19:6-7; 23:1-9; 31). God did not give Job an obvious reason – at least it is unknown to us. However, the Lord taught Job an important message.

When the Lord finally spoke with Job, He asked Job where he was when the earth was created and other such questions. The Lord’s questions show that there was a premortal existence. There God taught His spirit children about His plan for their eternal happiness. The plan of salvation was developed before the foundations of the earth were laid. There “the morning stars sang together, and all of the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Heavenly Father selected Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and all the spirit children of God shouted for joy at the prospect of coming to earth and receiving physical bodies and experience unavailable in the spirit world.

After God gave Job a wider picture of His plan, Job understood that God’s perspective was greater than his own. Job better understood the nature of suffering and that man must sometimes endure suffering without understanding why. Because God’s perspective is greater than man’s, He knows and understands more than we do. Job was humbled, and at the end of the book of Job, he received greater blessings than he had in the beginning.

What Behaviors Show That There Is Trouble Between Partners?

Strong families begin with strong marriages. The strength of a marriage can be seen in the presence or absence of six behaviors. According to Dr. John Gottman of the Gottman Institute, any marriage is in trouble if any of the six behaviors appear between marital partners.

Dr. John Gottman and his wife Dr. Julie Gottman run the Gottman Institute in Seattle. They have worked with different couples in their institute for more than forty years. They developed a model with which they can predict the likelihood of divorce with high accuracy, and they do it by simply watching couples communicate. Their research identified six specific behavioral patterns, some more obvious than others, that consistently appear in marriages that are heading toward divorce. When couples understand the patterns and are willing to change behavior, they have an opportunity to start working on the behaviors early in the marriage. Robles Agustin shared the following information about the six troublesome behaviors. 

Criticism

Criticism, according to Dr. Gottman, involves attacking a partner’s character rather than addressing a specific behavior, transforming complaints like I wish you had called into broader accusations about who a partner fundamentally is as a person. Gottman’s research found that frequent criticism erodes goodwill steadily over time, making partners increasingly defensive and less willing to engage constructively with legitimate concerns raised during everyday conversation, gradually replacing curiosity with quiet resentment on both sides.

Defensiveness

Defensiveness, the second pattern Gottman identifies, typically emerges as a response to criticism, with partners deflecting responsibility rather than genuinely hearing the concern being raised during a disagreement. His research found that defensiveness, while a natural instinct, tends to escalate conflict rather than resolve it, since it signals to the other partner that their concern is not being taken seriously or heard, which often causes the original issue to resurface again later.

Contempt

Contempt, which Gottman considers the single most damaging of his identified patterns, involves treating a partner with disrespect through sarcasm, mockery, or eye rolling, communicating a sense of superiority rather than equality within the relationship. His long-term studies found contempt to be the strongest single predictor of divorce among all behaviors observed, more damaging even than frequent open conflict between partners, largely because it erodes affection and respect at their foundation.

Stonewalling

Stonewalling, the fourth pattern, occurs when a partner withdraws entirely from a conversation, shutting down emotionally rather than engaging, often as a response to feeling overwhelmed by conflict. Gottman’s research found that stonewalling frequently emerges after repeated criticism and contempt, functioning as a final defensive wall once a partner feels there is no longer any productive way to participate in the conversation, leaving both people feeling isolated even while sitting in the same room together.

A Shrinking Ratio of Positives

A declining ratio of positive to negative interactions, according to Gottman’s research, is another key warning sign, with his studies finding that stable couples maintain roughly five positive interactions for every negative one during everyday life together. When that ratio drops significantly, Gottman found [that] relationships become measurably more vulnerable to escalating conflict and eventual separation over time, since small positive gestures stop offsetting the accumulating weight of daily friction between partners.

Failed Repair Attempts

Failed repair attempts, the sixth pattern Gottman identifies, occur when one partner tries to de-escalate tension, through humor, an apology, or a simple pause, and the other partner does not accept the gesture. Gottman found that couples who successfully navigate conflict are not those who avoid disagreement entirely, but those who can successfully repair tension once it begins to build between them, turning what could become resentment into a manageable, resolved disagreement instead.

The first four of the six behaviors are known as the Four Horsemen of Gottman. Recognizing and mitigating the Four Horsemen is important. The following strategies can be useful. 

·       Replace Criticism with Complaints: Focus on specific behaviors rather than personal attacks. Use “I” statements to express feelings without blaming your partner.

·       Counter Contempt with Respect: Foster a culture of appreciation and respect in the relationship. Avoid sarcasm and focus on positive interactions.

·       Address Defensiveness: Take responsibility for your part in conflicts and approach discussions with a mindset of collaboration rather than competition.

·       Combat Stonewalling: If you feel overwhelmed, take a break to calm down before re-engaging in the conversation. This can help prevent emotional flooding and promote constructive dialogue.

When couples are aware of the Four Horsemen and then working actively to “counteract their effects,” they can overcome those problems, “strengthen their relationships, and improve their communication skills.”