Strong woman. Feminist. “You are such a girl.” Why do these words and phrases have such a negative connotation in today’s society? Are woman really weak and less intelligent than men? Of course not. So why are we still treated as such? Sure, we have more “rights” than we did in the past, but according to a 2008 poll conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, sixty-three percent of women in the United States felt that the media is biased against women, sixty-eight percent reported sexual discrimination in the workplace, and seventy-two percent believe that women are treated unfairly in politics. This is appalling to me, and has always made me wonder what ever happened to give females such a bad rep. According to Beverly Campbell, it all comes down to the very first woman herself, Eve.
It’s true that in mainstream society Eve is known as the weak, disgraced, disobedient, subordinate of Adam. Most people you ask will say that they feel that we are now paying the price for her blatant lack of obedience. I’m even ashamed to admit that I’ve felt this way at one point myself. So it was very comforting to know after reading Campbell’s analysis of Eve to discoverer that, contrary to popular belief, Eve was in fact a woman of honor, dignity, intelligence, and good judgment.
The main points of Campbell’s that I felt most applied to me and women everywhere were the following:
1) Eve’s role to Adam was as “a power equal to.” Sorta changes the whole way people think about women, huh? The men are not our “masters;” instead, they are our “ equal partners” in everything we do.
2) Eve was deceived by the identity of the messenger, not the message. Campbell reiterates throughout the passage that Eve knew all along that she eventually had to disobey God’s commandment so that she could eventually multiply and populate the earth. She was not deceived by Satan’s message; rather, she was deceived by Satan’s identity, an entirely different thing. Eve knew her role in the plan of salvation, and she carefully considered the consequences before partaking of the fruit.
3) Satan is a key architect in the “battle of the sexes.” This one’s for you, boys. Whenever you find yourself comparing yourself to the opposite gender, remember: it’s Satan that wants you to feel this way. Women are meant to be respected and valued rather than demeaned and controlled.
Eve is a huge role model for all women today and for me especially. It is our duty to make clear to the rest of the world Eve’s true nature, so that sexism and inferiority are no longer an issue. We should all be able to stand up for ourselves, and exclaim loud and proud:
“I am a daughter of Eve!”
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Campbell’s article really impressed me. I feel like so many people, including church members, misunderstand what Eve’s role in the Plan of Salvation was, that she played an essential part in helping the Fall happen, so that we could come here to earth and be tested and tried. I’ve felt like I’ve always known this and Campbell’s words made so much sense to me. Of course Heavenly Father wouldn’t allow us to come here because of someone’s mistake or susceptibility to be tempted. I wish that more people at church would teach doctrine according to what the inspired scriptures and modern prophets teach.
ReplyDeleteI really really liked the part of the article when Campbell shared her new-found information about the actual original definition of “help meet.” I loved when she rewrote the scripture in Genesis with her new understanding of what help meet means, that “I will make a majestic, saving power, equal with him, to be his companion.” This makes so much sense to me. Heavenly Father has made this equal relationship between male and female central to the Plan of Salvation. I really learned a lot reading this article and loved it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beverly Campbell’s article. It reinforced ideas I already had, as well as introducing some new views on Eve and the choice she made in the Garden of Eden. I especially loved the idea that Adam and Eve were partners and equals; I had never before realized that when the name Adam was used it referred to both Adam and Eve. I also liked the idea that Eve’s decision, crucial and necessary part of the plan, was the result of agency, a key belief in our doctrine and a belief that the Plan of Happiness is based upon. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Adam and Eve were glad to enter mortality; I had always thought of it as a punishment before. There were many enlightening and refreshing ideas in Campbell’s article and I loved reading them.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an awesome article. I have always felt that women maybe are treated a little bit as inferior in life and have tried to reconcile it with myself. I was talking to my mom about the husband being the patriarch of the family and presiding over it. I said that this didn't really seem fair. She told me that I was forgetting that the wife is the matriarch and is equal with the husband. I have always thought that in my own future marriage my wife would be my equal. I think that after reading this article you could get the wrong idea that Eve was better than Adam because she is rightfully put up on a pedestal and Adam isn't so much. I think that Adam and Eve both shined in different things just as men and women as a whole do. That is why marriage is so important. After reading this article I feel much more knowledgeable about the Garden of Eden story and the doctrine of the Fall.
ReplyDeleteThis article was incredibly interesting. It really helped open my eyes to a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding the doctrine of the Fall and the Plan of Salvation. Whoever criticizes Eve's actions for disobeying God's commandments clearly does not understand the Plan of Salvation. The Lord knew that Adam and Eve would disobey; otherwise, we could not have the agency and temporality that we enjoy today. This article really helped me realize how confused some people really are regarding this doctrine. I have a feeling it's really going to help me better learn the Plan of Salvation lesson in Preach My Gospel as I prepare to serve a mission in the winter. Instead of blaming "stupid Eve" for her "mistake," I'd much rather thank both her and Adam for giving me a chance to make my own decisions and enjoy this life that I have.
ReplyDeleteThis article screams out at me. I know that I am not a female but I feel the need of women to rise out of oppression. I have always viewed women as equal to man. I hope none of you take offense to this, but the only place where I see a separation is in the athletic world. Do not get me wrong, there are many women who are athletically gifted and talented and great competitors, but they cannot compete at the level of us men. Back on topic, I too have noticed the bias and discrimination towards women. It absolutely gets under my skin when I see women being “stepped on” by men. There are women out there who voice their opinion and fight for equality, but at the end of the day, it is the men who keep them oppressed. I give my outright respect to women across the globe. They deserve every bit of respect and chance as us men get.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a very powerful article. I really liked how Campbell summarized and brought together all of the information and revelation that we have about Eve in a concise article. We were just talking about the Fall and it's centrality to the Plan of Salvation in my Book of Mormon class and I recognized many of the quotes she used. I especially liked the original Hebrew meanings of words that she included. They shed light on the actual meanings, and clarify them. I had heard of the original meaning of "help meet" before, but not the other ones such as "sorrow" meaning hard work instead of sadness. That was very enlightening.
ReplyDeleteI suppose what impressed me the most about this article was how courageous Eve was- she fully understood the gravity of her choice and its consequences and she made the choice anyway. My paradigm of her almost completely shifted. Sort of. I guess I never really believed that Eve was the ignorant, subservient figure she is always portrayed to be; I just lacked a better image to associate with her. This article provided that image, and I realized how blessed I am to be a descendant of this noble woman and can now appreciate why she did what she did.
ReplyDeleteThis article is amazing and it really reaffirmed the belief I've always had that men and women are equal partners. I'm so glad that Beverly Campbell wrote this article because it shows the world that women are not meant to be inferior to men.
ReplyDeleteI love how it says that women and men are supposed to be equal according to God's plan and any man who tries to make himself superior to women is following Satan. It is evil to discriminate against women, and I thought that was incredibly interesting.
All my life I have been a feminist. When I was a little girl, I used to get so mad that I wasn't able to have the priesthood. I thought that it was so ridiculously unfair that all the men get to have the priesthood and women are stuck with enduring painful childlabor. I used to think that our own church is sexist and discriminates against women.
As I have grown, matured and learned more, I have realized that a woman's power to bear children is exactly equal to a man's power to hold the priesthood. It's just a different responsibility, but completely essential to God's eternal plan. Women bear children so men have to have something to do. Thus anyone can see that men and women are equally made for the purpose of rearing righteous children.
Eve knew that her role was to bear children. She was honorable, intelligent and a strong woman of God. She was in no means a slave or servant to her husband, Adam. They were equal. Therefore, all men and women today, are equal.
Yay!! Men and women are equal partners!! The difference is only the roles that each is meant to play. In the Proclamation to the World on the family, it specifically states “fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners”. They are equal! But they carry responsibilities – it says that women are primarily responsible for the nurture of children and men are responsible to preside and provide. They have different responsibilities, but they counsel together and strive to do what is right together. None is greater than another! I love this doctrine – the family is crucial, and that is why there is so much opposition against the family. Satan is specifically attacking it from every angle. He wants us to believe that one role is more important or that one is unnecessary. We need to remember that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of his children”!
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