The Bible contains interesting stories about ancient people living on earth. Some people say they are only stories, myths, and that none of the events are meant to be read like we would read a modern historical account, since such things didn't even exist back then.
If we were to read the Bible literally as history, then we would have to read other ancient texts in the same way, and next thing you know, you'd have to accept that Sumerian kings were angels or aliens or something otherworldly and men ruled for 10,000 years.
The way I suggest we read the Bible is not as a historical or mathematical text. It is not and never has been a comprehensive theological masterwork. No, the text is an ancient scripture meant to be read in context as ancient scripture. The questions you bring to the scriptures are things of the sort that can't be answered by searching high and low in this mortal realm. These questions are supernatural and extend far beyond the grave and far beyond the beginning of your life.
As a white man, growing up in the LDS tradition, I learned some key things from the Bible and our other works that I want to share with you, as I think they are important and will help you gain proper perspective that will help you take faith and actually DO the things you need to do today, tomorrow and forever.
First, the myth of Adam and Eve is actually a roadmap of OUR lives. We start in a mythical, fairy tale land called the "Garden of Eden." We live in a state of innocence. We live in the presence of an Authority Figure who tells us what to do and what not to do so that we can maintain our status in this fairy world.
Adam and Eve, by positive action, chose to disobey their authority. Most Christians think this is the worst mistake ever made in history, and I can see why you might think that. Because Adam and Eve at the fruit, or rather CHOSE to leave this paradisiacal state, they would die, and they would be thrust out of the presence of God. Thus, they would have to live their own lives according to their own wills, and ultimately, die.
But I was taught that it was a "fortunate fall". Thank God they ate the fruit, we say to each other, because had it not been done, we would have never been able to have this mortal experience, where we live according to our own wills and eventually die!
In this state, we are NOT in a fairy world. We are in the REAL world. We are here because we CHOSE to be, not because someone made the decision for us. (We believe that every person on earth is an immortal spirit that chose to have this mortal experience, just like Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit, knowing the consequences of their decision.)
We are SUPPOSED to suffer here. We are SUPPOSED to feel pain and sickness and heart ache and failure. Ultimately, we ARE going to die, and nothing we do here is going to matter, no one is even going to remember us. Maybe our entire civilization will be lost or if its name is preserved, will be some mythical fairy land that never existed.
So bask in the glory of what was always meant to be! Embrace it as a challenge! Think of it like a video game, where you CHOSE "impossible mode" because you wanted the challenge!
Ancient men understood this concept very well. They struggled, they persevered, they built empires out of sand and dust. They fought wars with each other, oftentimes for unknown reasons other than we were supposed to do that to each other.
You can't take the unfortunate situation you are in and say "This is evil" or "This is good". What is "good" or "evil" is what you intend to do with it! If you take suffering and poverty and all the and all the bad things, and say, "This cannot defeat my spirit because I am an immortal being who will ultimately transcend all of this!" then it works for your good!
The character of God was never meant to be an abstract, untouchable being. To the ancient Israelites, and to ancient man, God and the gods were always present. Just a prayer away. If you felt separated, you could spend a moment in quiet contemplation and remember your relationship with God and come back into his presence. Every night when you go to sleep it is as if your old self is dying, and every morning when you arise you are a new creature with new ambitions and goals and a new destiny. If you make God part of this daily cycle, and other rituals like eating food, exercising, working, etc... then this cycle can spiral you closer and closer to God. Or you can choose to ignore him and grow ever distant from him.
In our religious tradition, Adam and Eve chose to circle towards God. They would offer animal sacrifices out of pure obedience. At some point, an angel came down and asked them, "Why are you doing this?" Adam said, "I don't know except that God told me to." And then the angel taught Adam about the eventual sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Adam and Eve rejoiced at this news, as now their life had a purpose! They knew that despite the fact that they chose to live in this fallen state, there was a way out! And Jesus was the Way!
This is another key feature of our white race. The concept of a Savior God who would come to the earth to be sacrificed and resurrect is a common theme in all of our ancient civilizations and religions. If you look hard enough, you can find the idea repeated everywhere. IE, Osiris and Hercules. Over time these myths and religions get corrupted, but you can see how it might have all started with this key concept of a Savior God.
What are we to do? Should we just wait patiently for the Savior God to appear and save us, doing nothing? Of course not! The Savior God wants us to act and to experiment and to try and fail and try and fail and try and fail again and again and again. As long as we keep trying (exercising faith) and failing but trying again (repentance) we will be saved. It is those who have given up hope, given up trying, given up to doubt and feat and uncertainty -- those are the ones who cannot be saved, not even by a Savior God.
Our race has faced worse tragedies than 2026. It has always been the case that we were persecuted and pursued by our mortal enemies, both in physical and spiritual form. When we forget our God, he leaves us to our own devices, which in Christian terms we might call hell. In hell we are endlessly tormented by other beings who hate us and want to destroy us. But if we pursure our God, he will remember us and redeem us, protecting us and showing us the proper course of action. That course of action is to build here on earth God's kingdom, to call down God from heaven to come live with us on earth. "Thy kingdom come" Jesus prayed to the Father, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
We fell because we wanted to. We came as strangers to this planet, not as immigrants or refugees. We intend to make it part of God's kingdom.
We are not then strangers, are we? No, we are conquerors!
CARPE DIEM!
