Keywords

distinction, harmonization, Fall of Adam and Eve

Document Type

Article

Abstract

At least every other year, if not more frequently, Sunday School teachers throughout The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share core doctrines drawn from the Fall of Adam and Eve with their students. The sacred story of what transpired in Eden is recorded in multiple scripture passages (Genesis 3, Moses 4, and 2 Nephi 2) and is represented in Latter-day Saint temples. While essential doctrines related to the Fall’s necessary and beneficial impact on human progress towards exaltation are clear,[1] some conflicting narrative details can be difficult to sort out—especially for younger students. One interpretive strategy that teachers use to respond to conflicting narratives is harmonizing the varied accounts to try to complete the picture for students. The merits of this approach can be seen in the rewarding insights teachers glean from a harmonized teaching approach of the Gospels—an approach commonly taken in Church curriculum and in seminary and institute instruction.