Two trees and two stewardships in the Garden of Eden

One of the biggest differences between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other denominations is that we believe that Eve’s choice in the Fall was a holy and righteous one; a necessary, vital step for all of mankind to take on the path to becoming more like our Heavenly Parents.

7 min readMar 18, 2021

Why would this distinction be important?

Because the treatment of the daughters of Eve is a direct correlation, causation, and consequence of how the story of Eden is translated and interpreted.

If Eve is considered to be second-class to Adam, guess what?

Her daughters are considered second-class to sons of Adam.

If Eve is considered to be weak-willed and easy to succumb to sin, then guess what?

Her daughters are considered weak-willed and treated as if they need the sons of Adam to take over, grab hold of the reins, and run every aspect of their lives.

If Eve is considered only in relation to her creation from Adam, then the idea of divinity will rest solely on Adam and his sons, a strong insinuation that God is male only, that women were created for purposes that onlly a man decides.

But these long held cultural assumptions are just. Plain. Wrong.

To be a female member of the Church is to have access to the most “radical” Christian ideology available on earth to date, to belong to the most feministic congregation in existence.

And this “radical” ideology begins in the garden, in the correct understanding of what was there, why it was there, the true character of the main characters, and why what happened happened.

Before we discuss the beginning, we need to start at the end, for if we know where we are pointed it will help with the understanding of the true plan, and give a clearer picture of what really happened.

Who is God?

We believe in both a male and female God — a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, our Heavenly Parents. In my book “We are Adam: the Partnership of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and what it means for you”, I discuss briefly about this idea that many words in the Bible are not just given names, but are sometimes used interchangeably as titles, or mantles.

So, for instance, “God” is not merely Heavenly Father, although, depending on context, it can mean that. Usually “God” is a title that means both Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother — a title or mantle that covers them both, much like the title/word “family” means everyone involved in that particular institution: husband, wife, father, mother, child.

That is the direction we are heading, the path we are striving to get on and remain on. That is the end goal of this covenant path that begins with birth (gaining a physical, mortal body), baptism, and all of the other covenants we worthily participate in until resurrection and our final kingdom assignment.

If a male is meant to become a God, a female is meant to become a Goddess. So it is crucial to get the beginning of this story right, or, as we have witnessed over the centuries, much pain, suffering, and confusion will ensue, and progress will be delayed for both sexes.

Especially for the one causing the pain at the expense of the other.

The Garden

We have two important, hyper-focused-on trees in the Garden of Eden: the tree of good and evil, and the tree of life.

We know the story.

God says eat everything they want except the one tree, the Tree of Good and Evil. Satan puts the idea into the head of Eve to ignore that. She eats, and gives some to Adam. They are driven from the garden. They have babies and begin the human race.

Oh, but what beautiful symmetry and complexity we miss when we boil something down as holy as this into such seemingly simple terms.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we do not believe that the Fall was a tragedy, but rather a pre-ordained plan that was orchestrated by our Heavenly Parents. At the center of that plan was Jesus Christ.

we do not believe that the Fall was a tragedy, but rather a pre-ordained plan that was orchestrated by our Heavenly Parents

Nothing that happened in the garden was by accident. Since God is all powerful, all knowing, He wouldn’t have allowed an “accident” to either 1) jeopardize the entire plan or 2) needed one to put the plan into motion.

Meaning, there were no “accidents”. There was no sin committed by either Adam or Eve.

Transgression, yes. But sin, no.

Back to the two trees.

Each tree is symbolic of doorways, doorways from and into the presence of God. Since Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of Good and Evil, we can just as appropriately label this the Tree of Mortality, because that is where their mortality began.

From there they were banned by God from the Tree of Life which would have given them continued mortality.

Two trees. Two people.

Two trees. Two stewards.

Each tree, and each individual, were involved with, participated in, and stewards over specific ordinances.

An ordinance is a sacred physical act with symbolic meaning, “performed by the authority of the priesthood.”

Baptism, for instance, is an ordinance. We are physically immersed in the water to symbolize death and rebirth through our commitment to Christ and His gospel.

As I’ve stated before, we don’t need to change anything about the priesthood, such as ordaining women. We need to change our understanding of it. Gratefully we are in the process of just that with the continuing unfolding restoration.

Two Stewards

The Tree of Mortality represents the doorway from heaven to earth, to mortality. We enter this through the ordinance of birth, gaining a physical body, keeping our free agency we had in the pre-mortal realm, and are given opportunities and experiences that eventually will awaken the light of Christ we’ve been promised.

The Tree of Life represents the doorway back to heaven. We enter this doorway through the ordinances that pertain to salvation, such as baptism, sealing, and priesthood ordination for men (women do not need ordination for salvation, but we do need the priesthood.)

So, who are the stewards over each tree?

Who presides over mortality? Women bring souls through the first doorway, giving them bodies, awaking within those bodies the light of Christ.

Eve was the steward over the first tree, the Tree of Mortality.

Who presides over the salvation ordinances? Men are responsible for the ordinances of baptism, confirmation, endowment, and sealing.

Adam was steward over the second tree, the Tree of Life.

Now can we understand why Eve was created second? She wasn’t an afterthought, and “add on”, a guest. The entire plan had to be initiated by her, “kicked off” so to speak.

Just as her daughters are needed to initiate the plan — in part — by helping souls through that first tree into mortality. Remember. While creating bodies and giving birth is extremely important and holy, it is not the sole reason or purpose of Eve or her daughters.

Life Giver

Eve’s title was “the mother of all living” before she ever gave birth to a child, before she ever carried a single soul in her womb.

This says a lot about the divine mission and worth of a woman, no matter our marital or parental status.

Don’t you find it fascinating that Adam and Eve were not created together, at the same time?

Why?

God can do anything. Why create Adam and then make him wait?

Adam had to wait for Eve because god wanted to highlight to him, to you and I, that Eve was vital to the plan, to God’s plan, to our Heavenly Parent’s plan.

As wonderful and strong and capable Adam was, he could not initiate God’s plan. He needed Eve, and not just because she could carry and give birth to the human bodies for humanity.

Eve gave Adam life.

Through partaking of the fruit that she gave him, Adam became mortal, now capable to get on his own path to salvation, to return to heaven and our heavenly parents; but also to be a full partner with God and Eve to bring about mankind.

But Eve was more to Adam than a vessel. Adam was the one that recognized Eve for who and what she was when God first introduced her to him.

Life Giver.

Now Adam felt alive. This is whom he had been waiting for.

Women ignite life in this world, in our relationships, in our community, our families. That is not something to be taken lightly. It is holy. It is God’s plan.

Awakening the Light of Christ

I love this quote by Valerie Hudson Cassler:

“It is through the work and power of women that souls journey to mortality and gain their agency, and in general it is through the nurturing of women, their nurturing love of their children, that the light of Christ is awakened within each soul.”

And she continues with this beautiful reminder:

“We should include in that list of souls Jesus the Christ. Even Christ our Lord was escorted to mortality and veiled in flesh through the gift of a daughter of Eve, fed at his mother’s breast, and awakened to all that is good and sweet in the world. Women escort every soul through the veil to mortal life and full agency.”

Two trees. Two stewardships. Two equal and inseparable partners in God’s great Plan of Happiness.

You can read more about the divinity of women in my book, “We are Adam: the Partnership of Adam and Eve in the Garden and what it Means for You”, available at Amazon and Cedar Fort.