THE GARDEN OF EDEN

(more of the same from the recording)

ELOHIM Adam, we have created for you this earth, and have placed upon it all kinds of vegetation and animal life. We have commanded all these to multiply in their own sphere and element. We give you dominion over all these things, and make you Lord over the whole earth, and all things on the face thereof. We now command you and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, that you may have joy and rejoicing in your posterity. We have also planted for you this garden, wherein we have placed all manner of fruits, flowers and vegetation. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat, 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.

Adam, remember this commandment which we have given unto you. Now go to, dress this garden, take good care of it, be happy and have joy therein. We shall go away, but we shall visit you again and give you further instructions.

LUCIFER: (Wearing crimson velvet flowing robe with tunic and apron underneath)Well, Adam, you have a new world here.

ADAM A new world?

LUCIFER Yes, a new world, patterned after the old one where we used to live.

ADAM I know nothing about any other world.

LUCIFER Oh, I see, your eyes are not yet opened. You have forgotten everything. You must eat some of the fruit of this tree (walks to Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and picks 2 ripe fruit, usually having a appearance of an apple, then walks over to Adam and holds fruit out to him. Adam, here is some of the fruit of that tree. It will make you wise.

ADAM I will not partake of that fruit. Father told me that in the day that I should partake of it I should surely die.

LUCIFER You shall not surely die, but shall be as the Gods, knowing good and evil.

ADAM I will not partake of it.

LUCIFER Oh, you will not ?(looks at Eve and expresses a wise grin Well, we shall see. (walks over to where Eve is admiring the flowers Eve, here is some of the fruit of that tree (hold fruit out to Eve. It will make you wise. It is delicious to the taste and very desirable.

EVE (surprised Who are you?

LUCIFER (tenderly I am your brother.

EVE (Inquisitively You, my brother, and have come here to persuade me to disobey Father?

LUCIFER (expounding LDS doctrine) I have said nothing about Father. I want you to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that your eyes may be opened, for that is the way Father gained his knowledge. You must eat of this fruit so as to comprehend that everything has its opposite: good and evil; virtue and vice; light and darkness; health and sickness; pleasure and pain; and thus your eyes will be opened and you will have -- knowledge.

EVE (plaintively) Is there no other way?

LUCIFER (confidently There is no other way.

EVE (resignedly) Then I will partake.

LUCIFER: (Expresses a smug, wise grin) There, now go and get Adam to partake (places another fruit in Eve’s hand, closes it, and pats her hand.

EVE: (Walks over to where Adam is - Sweetly and persuasively) Adam, here is some of the fruit of that tree. It is delicious to the taste and very desirable.

ADAM (surprised) Eve! do you know what fruit that is?

EVE Yes, it is the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

ADAM I can not partake of it. Do you not know that Father commanded us not to partake of the fruit of that tree?

EVE (searchingly) Do you intend to obey all of Father’s commandments?

ADAM (resolutely) Yes, all of them.

EVE (pathetically) Do you not recollect that Father commanded us to multiply and replenish the earth? I have partaken of this fruit and by so doing shall be cast out, and you will be left a lone man in the Garden of Eden.

ADAM (resignedly) Eve, I see that this must be so. I will partake that man may be.

LUCIFER (walks into the scene) That is right.

EVE (philosophically) It is better for us to pass through sorrow that we may know the good from the evil. (Eve turns to Lucifer - contemptuously.) I know thee now. Thou art Lucifer, he who was cast out of Father’s presence for rebellion.

LUCIFER: (wisely) Yes, you are beginning to see already.

ADAM (inquisitively) What is that apron you have on?

LUCIFER (arrogantly) It is an emblem of my power and Priesthoods.

ADAM Priesthoods?

LUCIFER Yes, Priesthoods.

ADAM I am looking for Father to come down to give us further instructions.

LUCIFER Oh, you are looking for Father to come down, are you?

ELOHIM (voices from a distance) Jehovah, we promised Adam that we would visit him and give him further instructions. Come, let us go down.

JEHOVAH We will go down, Elohim.

ADAM (excitedly) I hear their voices, they are coming!

LUCIFER (excitedly and slyly) See, you are naked. Take some fig leaves and make you aprons. Father will see your nakedness. Quick! Hide!*

ADAM (alarmed) Come, let us hide.

NARRATOR Brethren and Sisters, put on your aprons (the movie stops while the patrons in the audience remove the green fig-leaf apron from their package of Temple clothing and tie it around their waist.)

ELOHIM Adam (pause,) Adam! (pause,) Adam! Where art thou?

ADAM (cowering) I heard thy voice and hid myself, because I was naked.

ELOHIM (searchingly) Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou partaken of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, of which we commanded thee not to partake?

ADAM (ashamedly) The woman thou gavest me, and commanded that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree, and I did eat.

ELOHIM (sternly) Eve, what is this thou hast done?

EVE (ashamedly) The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

ELOHIM (angrily) Lucifer, what hast thou been doing here?

LUCIFER (arrogantly) I have been doing that which has been done in other worlds.

ELOHIM What is that?

LUCIFER (arrogantly) I have been giving some of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to them.

ELOHIM (judgementally) Lucifer, because thou hast done this, thou shalt be cursed above all the beasts of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust thou shalt eat all the days of thy life.

LUCIFER (defiantly) If thou curseth me for doing the same thing which has been done in other worlds, I will take the spirits that follow me, and they shall possess the bodies thou createst for Adam and Eve.

ELOHIM I will place enmity between thee and the seed of the woman. Thou mayest have power to bruise his heel, but he shall have power to crush thy head.

LUCIFER (vehemently) Then with that enmity I will take the treasures of the earth, and with gold and silver I will buy up armies and navies, Popes and Priests, and reign with blood and horror on this earth.

ELOHIM (authoritatively) Depart!

ELOHIM (turning to Jehovah) Jehovah, let cherubim and flaming sword be placed to guard the way of the Tree of Life, lest Adam put forth his hand and partake of the fruit thereof, and live forever in his sins.

* Note how often Lucifer voices instructions and teaches doctrine.JEHOVAH It shall be done, Elohim. (Turns away and gives command) Let cherubim an a flaming sword be placed to guard the way of the Tree of Life, lest Adam put forth his hand and partake of the fruit thereof, and live forever in his sins. (turns back to Elohim) It is done, Elohim.

ELOHIM (judgementally) Eve, because thou hast harkened to the voice of Satan and hast partaken of the forbidden fruit, and given unto Adam, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children. Neverthe less thou mayest be preserved in child-bearing. Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee in righteousness.

Adam, because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast partaken of the forbidden fruit, the earth shall be cursed for thy sake. Instead of producing fruits and flowers spontaneously, it shall bring forth thorns, thistles, briars and noxious weeds to afflict and torment man. And by the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread all the days of thy life. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

THE LAW OF OBEDIENCE
ELOHIM (condescendingly) Inasmuch as Eve was the first to eat of the forbidden fruit, if she will covenant that from this time forth she will obey your law in the Lord, and will harken unto your council as you harken unto mine, and if you will covenant that from this time forth you will obey the law of Elohim, we will give unto you the law of obedience and sacrifice, and we will provide a Savior for you whereby you may come back into our presence, and with us partake of eternal life and exaltation.

EVE (humbly) Adam, I now covenant to obey your law as you obey our Father.

ADAM (humbly) Elohim, I now covenant with you that from this time forth I will obey your law and keep your commandments. ELOHIM It is well, Adam. Jehovah, inasmuch as Adam and Eve have discovered their nakedness, make coats of skins as a covering for them.

JEHOVAH It shall be done, Elohim.

NARRATOR Brethren and Sisters, the garment that was placed upon you in the washing room is to cover your nakedness and represents the coat of skins spoken of. Anciently it was made of skins. You have received the garment, also your New Name. The Officiator will represent Elohim at the altar. A couple will now come to the altar (a pre-selected “witness couple”* seated front row center aisle come forward and kneel at the altar facing forward.

It is considered a very special experience to be selected to be the “witness couple”. As they represent all the patrons at the altar, the Endowment takes on a very ‘realistic’ atmosphere for his couple as they move back and forth to the altar to receive the tokens and actually take part in the ceremony. Dolly and I were selected twice in approximately 150 Endowment ceremonies in nine years, and I remember the experience clearly. Brethren and Sisters, this couple at the altar represent all of you as if at the altar. You must consider yourselves as if you were respectively Adam and Eve.

ELOHIM We will put the sisters under covenant to obey the law of their husbands. Sisters, arise (sisters all stand up.) Each of you bring your right arm to the square. You and each of you solemnly covenant and promise before God, angels, and these witnesses at this altar that you will each observe and keep the law of your husband, and abide by his council in righteousness. Each of you bow your head and say yes.

SISTERS Yes.

ELOHIM That will do. (sisters sit down.) Brethren, arise (brethren all stand up.) Bring your right arm to the square. You and each of you solemnly covenant and promise before God, angels and these witnesses at this altar that you will obey the law of God and keep His commandments. Each of you bow your head and say yes.

BRETHREN Yes.

ELOHIM That will do. (Brethren all sit down.)

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