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Bookstore Home > Scripture Studies > Old Testament
Eve and the Choice Made In Eden
Is the way that women evaluate their own worth affected still by the biblical story of Mother Eve? Author Beverly Campbell suggests, "In much of the literature and in most of the histories referring to women there is an undercurrent of apology, as though there is something not quite 'all right' about being a woman. In looking for the source of this unease, I came to recognize that it could be traced to accounts of the Creation and to the ever-prevalent and negative characterizations of Eve." Interview Excerpt, KSL Radio, 2003 Host: Doug Wright Doug: Sometimes I find that I end up having the very best discussions off the air with my guests rather than on the air. And already we have had a very interesting and stimulating conversation on Eve and the Choice Made in Eden. Before we actually get into some of the specifics, though, perhaps I could ask you what motivated this book for you? Why this great interest for you? Beverly: I had started to write a book on agency and choice. I've been very active in issues relating to women and concerns women had, and it was felt time for a moderate voice. However, as I started writing the book and began to do the research I found that the negatives that women were dealing with could be traced to stories of Eve and were so important to concepts of society, of governments, of laws, and just understanding of self and who you are, that it seemed that I needed to address this issue before I address the other issue. Doug: When did you start working on this, Beverly? Beverly: Well actually, I started on it almost fifteen years ago. It's been a long time in process, and one of the reasons it's been so long is that there is no text, there is no one place to go. I recall my first conversation with Hugh Nibley on this subject, and he outlined at least fifteen sources in ancient literature, and apocrypha, and operas, in stories that had been told orally that I needed to understand before I could even begin to start on this. Then I found that I needed to understand how religions and governments had approached the subject. So it was a long learning curve, and I literally was digging in the pits for a very long time. But what a marvelous adventure filled with spiritual “ah-ha’s” that I couldn't believe. Doug: I asked you before we went on the air if there was kind of an awakening, a change of thought or of perception or even just a different focus on what happened in the Garden of Eden so many years ago. Beverly: Well, there is a different focus. From the time of the restoration of the Church to now, there has been not a single prophet who hasn't spoken with love and reverence on this subject. However, those are just lines in speeches or addresses, there--as I said, there's no place where this has all been pulled together. And because this story seems to be so well understood by everyone, no one has really looked in depth to find the truth of the words and the meaning and the true significance of that first exercise of agency and choice which was courageous, heroic, and spectacular. Doug: Many of us who were raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would listen to some of the rhetoric about the Fall, the Original Sin, the choice that Eve made, the serpent luring her into a choice and then beguiling Adam into following her footsteps and her actions. But yet at the same time it was crystal clear to most of us that we just would not be where we are, that the plan wouldn't have unfolded as was intended had that not happened. And it tends to be a little confusing sometimes. Beverly: Well, I think that once you begin to look at these words, and you have to, I started by taking each word that was troublesome apart and finding some great authority who new ancient languages to look at them. For example, "beguiled"; is a word that is so laden with guilt. And yet I had heard a marvelous Ancient Hebrew scholar speak in Washington D.C. on this subject. She had been raised in the far corners of Siberia and had as her main source of language Ancient Hebrew. She spoke about this just a little, and as I talked to her later she also reminded me she'd referenced it in a book that she'd written. But she said, "That word is no longer in use so most people have no idea what it means. But it is one of the richest and most beautiful words in Ancient Hebrew. It means that you have been caused to pull together every resource--spiritual, physical, and personal--in understanding a concept or a subject and seeing what it means." Now, the word that she 'saw,' we hear that, but we never give any credit that she indeed 'brought together' all of the richness of her learning, her time, her walking and talking in the Garden with God the Father, the Son, and a variety of angels that had been sent to teach. And so, with that piece, then you begin to say, "What do all these other pieces mean?" If indeed this was the plan she'd been taught, and she was able to pull all of those pieces to the plan together. Doug: It is so interesting to hear it from that perspective because, again, the perception of the world is that this was a terrible moment. This was the Fall; this was the Original Sin. Beverly: Well and it still is very much. And as I watched a television show flipping through channels, I saw a preacher just two weeks ago speak on the subject with all of the ugliness and heavy-laden language that says we're all sinners, and it's because of this choice that we are all paying such a terrible price. And, of course, as I said when we began is that the whole reason we're here is that we might have the opportunity to use our agency and make correct choices. Doug: You open the first chapter on page thirteen with this line, "Who is this woman, the Mother of All Living, this Eve, who with Adam, the mighty premortal Michael, Ancient of Days, aided the Creator as this world was organized?" Who is this woman in the grand scheme of things? Beverly: Well, this woman is--as her title conveys--the Mother of All Living. She was chosen and trained in the heavens. And of course this is the wonderful thing, this story, it teaches us that we had a life before, that we have a life here, and that we will have a life hereafter. But in that life before, she was trained, she was taught, she had been set apart to be the Mother of All Living. She came to Eden to exercise agency and choice. Another word that is so heavily laden is 'forbidden.' They were forbidden to partake of the fruit. Now those are two words that just, you know, send us kind of into frenzied activity trying to understand them. Yet Joseph Fielding Smith said, "The only reason the fruit was forbidden to them was if they wanted to stay in Eden and not make the choice to fulfill their mission." Doug: Mm-hmm. Beverly: If they chose to fulfill their mission it was not forbidden. And 'fruit'--I mean, it wasn't going and plucking an apple off a tree, although that's a wonderful visual image. Only God has the power to bestow life and mortal life, and so it was a sacrament. It was not an act. But as we speak of keys, we don't mean a key that turns. Doug: Sure. Beverly: And as we speak of fruit, we don't mean an actual fruit that was eaten. Doug: What was the role here? The serpent and so on. Maybe you can put that into perspective for us. Beverly: Well, of course, as we understand fully, those who understand the concepts of agency and choice--and the interesting thing that I've learned, because I thought we all as children of God inhabiting this world understood the role of agency and choice, and yet it is not taught in many religions. But those who understand the role of agency and choice realize that there must be a clear-cut choice. You must see that there is an evil, and you must see that there is a good. Otherwise there is no true exercise of agency. And, of course, the Garden was God's Garden. Satan had to be allowed there. So, when you realize that, then you realize that he was possibly a part of a plan. He was allowed there to trigger the plan because he presented such a clear vision of good and evil. And with his tempting, Eve is caused to re-evaluate, to see, to be beguiled in the most positive sense of the word, and then she does partake. Doug: We will take a brief break, and when we come back Chapter Eleven is titled, "Sent Forth or Cast Out?" And I'd really like to explore that a little bit because the concept of being sent forth versus cast out is a significant difference. We'll come back, and we'll talk more with Beverly Campbell. The book that we are discussing is Eve and the Choice Made in Eden. We'll be right back. Doug: We're back with the author of Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, Beverly Campbell is our guest today. Before we took our break I mentioned Chapter Eleven, "Sent Forth or Cast Out?" And my what a difference those words imply. Adam and Eve, were they cast out, or were they sent forth? Beverly: They were sent forth. They had made a correct choice, and they were now on a very difficult journey. It's much the same as a child who's been raised in a magnificent, glorious home and had everything in the world but knows that unless they get that degree at some foreign university they're not going to be able to continue forward. And the parent knows that they're going to live in a cold-water flat and that they're going to struggle for the next eight years. And they would like it not to be, but they cannot grow in all ways they need to for the fulfillment of their mission unless they do this. This is the simile with Eden. And I think that, I have always been disturbed by the concept of 'thrown out.' Doug: Mm-hmm. Beverly: And yet when you read so many references, both in the scriptures and of modern prophets you understand that they were sent forth, and that there was a very--they weren't just ejected from the Garden--there was a very careful period of learning after they had made the choice, before they entered the full sphere of mortality. And--the world is "dark and dreary" has always bothered me. Doug: Yeah. Beverly: I love this world. I think it is the most gorgeous, wonderful place. It's wrought with problems and trials and awful things, but it is a wonderful, wonderful place. Doug: Even so many of the artistic depictions of the 'being sent forth'--or 'being cast out,' depending on your viewpoint here--do make it look like they are being cast out. They're ashamed, and they're bowing their heads and almost the finger of God pointing for them to leave. These are misinterpretations, then. Beverly: They are misinterpretations. But that is the common story that has been told from the time the worlds began. And it has often been told to shake society's laws and systems of government and to subjugate, in many situations, to subjugate women. And it's a very harmful story. Anytime you see an error in the foundation of a building you know that the building is going to eventually have terrible problems. This error is profound, and it is found everywhere. Doug: Right. Beverly: And it's time, it's time we correct it. Doug: We were discussing during the break that even in major publications they have pointed to this very story that we've been talking about as not only, as you indicated, shaping history, shaping culture, shaping art, but really working to the detriment of women. I can remember even as a child hearing that even childbirth was--the pains associated with it--was almost a curse upon women for the Original Sin and on and on and on. Even being raised within the LDS culture, you can't help but absorb some of those stories. Beverly: Well, yes that's true and, as I said, because there is not one place where all of the truths are gathered together and the ideas and words and concepts explored. It's been very difficult to sort out what it is that is true and what is fiction. But a full page article in the Washington Post of some two or three years ago stated that the story of Eve has had a more negative effect on women than any other story in the history of humankind. It is still relevant--you'd think it wouldn't be--but it is still relevant. In fact, two weeks ago the cover of Time Magazine had a picture of Adam and Eve and was discussing the concepts of DNA and the tie we have to them, and is this good or is this bad. And yet, scientists have now found that this wonderful concept of labor pains is absolutely essential to the emergence of a healthy body. It gets all of the functions of the body going--it clears the lungs; it alerts the child--all of these things necessary. It is not a curse; it is a gift. Doug: Mm-hmm. What is going to have to happen to change? Because, as you mentioned, in the grand scheme of things the Latter-day Saints who believe that this was a going forth rather than a casting out and a blessing rather than a curse, but the whole Judeo-Christian world primarily believes what we have been discussing, the other side of that equation. Beverly: Well, I think that we're going to have to have more books--I hope that this book will help and will be a starting place for people to think and to read and to ponder. We see many changes, particularly in reformed Judaism, this story is told in a very positive way. But in Conservative it is told in a very negative way. And I think as the truth begins to emerge, it's like all truths, it has to emerge. And it will be a person at a time, an idea at a time until we begin to realize the magnificence and courage of this first couple. Doug: Do some traditional theologians, do they see this as heresy? Beverly: I would think that they would find it very, because it does explore truths in a way that they have not been willing to explore. One of the most interesting things I found was a series of dialogs between Augustan in the 6th Century BC and Julian who was, they were the two great Catholics, so to speak. And Julian got it right the whole way, and he was just ranting and raving saying, "You cannot believe that the pain of childbirth could be a curse. You cannot believe that they were cast out." And he goes on and on, and he lost. And, of course, then the Augustine concept of Original Sin was adopted. But it was still known up to that 6th Century, the truth of it was still there. And then it has essentially been buried until the restoration of the Church. So it's a very important part of the restoration of all things. Doug: I know many times in LDS Church circles it is discussed, what is the role of Christ, what is the role of Joseph Smith, what is the role of even Adam? What is the role, ultimately, of Eve? What role will she play? Beverly: Eve plays the, as I said her title is the Mother of All Living. Doug: Sure. Beverly: That's not a description; that is an absolute God-given title. And she is literally the Mother of All Living. When Joseph Smith was doing some translations, he corrected a word, which talked about life, to read 'lives.' Eve was endowed with lives while Adam was only endowed with life. Because it is her role to bring forth the lives of, in other words to start the chain. I read recently a marvelous study by a geneticist, and he talks about the seven daughters of Eve, how through all of the work he's done he has found that you tie the lineage of humankind through the mother, through the mitochondria of the mother, it is never passed through the father. And the linkage of all humankind goes back to Mother Eve, and he has identified twenty-six other daughters. Doug: Wow. Beverly: And all of humankind is linked to those. So you see it is a linkage. So we have two parallel concepts: the linkage of humankind through the mother, the linkage of the priesthood of the father. Magnificent scales of justice. Doug: Wow. That is a wonderful point to conclude our conversation. There is so much more to discuss, so many more questions that I have. I am so looking forward to, again, reviewing the book Eve and the Choice Made in Eden. It's published by Bookcraft; it's available in your bookstores now. And Beverly, this has been most enlightening for me. One final quick thought, what do you hope that people do get who take the time to pick up this book and read it and study it? Beverly: I hope they will see themselves as empowering, magnificent partners who are truly daughters of Eve with a mission, with a purpose, with a reason for being here. Review Excerpts: "Almost as an answer to a prayer, I received the advertisment for this book. I had some questions regarding this very subject and this was the book to clarify everything for me! It is an amazing book that has given me so many new insights. With each page, I learned something new. It has re-awakened in me a strong desire to truly 'study' my scriptures and glean the great truths that are written there for me. I will never look at the story of the creation the same way. My eyes have been opened! I LOVE this book and would recommend it to everyone." --Debbie Fish, 2004 "This book will change your entire perspective on the Female gender as a whole. You will walk away with a greater respect for Mother Eve as well as a strong sense of pride for your femininity. This book is a must read for all LDS women, and even a few LDS men. ;) If you have ever questioned a Woman's worth... This book will enable you to feel more powerful and special as a mother, daughter, wife... WOMAN. People have said that LDS women have a submissive roll amongst men. This book eloquently reiterates what we as LDS Sisters already know. That we walk side by side and that our worth truly is as Daughters of our Father in Heaven." --Leah Stimmel, Washington, 2004 "This is one of the most important works for women in the gospel that I have ever read. Beverly Campbell has done an incredible amount of research regarding our Mother Eve and compiled is into one succint source. In beautiful terms she rehearses and explains the happenings in the Garden of Eden and how those events apply to women and men today. Any women who reads this will walk away with a greater understanding of who she is and what her mission in life is." --DeAnn Hansen, Utah, 2003 "Never before has a book spoken so directly to me as a woman, mother and wife! It's confirmation of who women really are. Beverly Campbell's book on Eve carries truths, which will shore me up during the most difficult hours, because it's clear how I fit into the Great Plan. I am, as all women can be, partners with the Lord in the divine plan to return His children to Him-- to lift us all to our highest potential. Understanding Eve's choices sheds divine light upon my path -- like a lamp, an iron rod. I'm grateful that Beverly listened to the promptings that led her to compile the truths about Eve into one very well written book. It's a must read for women AND men of all ages." --Linda Turley-Hansen, Arizona, 2003 Beverly Campbell served for twelve years as a Director of International Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As director of community relations for Special Olympics, Inc., she played a major role in the creation and developement of the Special Olympics programs. She has served on numerous civic and government boards and has been a spokesperson for the LDS Church on the Equal Rights Amendment and other women's issues. Title: Eve and the Choice Made In Eden Retail Price: Your Price: Only $14.35
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Beverly Campbell, Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 2003, 6x9" hardbound, 198 pages.