? There were three kinds of trees, or plants, in the garden which our heavenly Father planted eastward in the Land of Eden. There were plants beautiful to the eye, fragrant, and suitable for food. In the midst of the garden there was the tree of life, which seems to have had medicinal qualities. (See Ezek. 47:12)
Lehi, in his vision had seen a beautiful tree with sweet fruit (11), and this tree, we are told, was a representation of the tree of life.
We may not fully understand all that the account in Genesis of the fall of man conveys to the reader, but we do realize that it is not a myth. It is history. "Adam fell that man might be; and men are that they might have joy." (Alma 42:3)
From a moral point of view, we learn in this narrative that our first parents were free, moral agents, capable of choosing for themselves a course of action, and therefore responsible for their acts.
We also learn that sin is the transgression of the divine law, the result of which is death. From the very moment that man partook of the forbidden tree he was in the power of death.
The Scriptures refer to death in various terms, all very instructive. It is a return to dust (54-57).
The Mosaic story of the fall conveys another important truth. It shows us that man was not sent out upon the uninhabited wastes of the earth before he was fully equipped for the struggle before him. How long time he had developed in Paradise under divine tuition, we know not. But we know that in the garden, God had taught him the value of plants and trees, and how to take care of them. (Gen. 1:14)
The first man, according to the Mosaic account, appeared on earth with a remarkable degree of civilization. History confirms this view, for, no matter how far back the records go, they present us with evidences of civilization.