The Two Trees - Valerie Hudson

Introduction and Context

• Speaker appears at FAIR and references SQUARE Two, an online LDS thought journal aiming to be the best online journal for the church’s perspectives on global issues.
  • All articles and comments are peer-reviewed; controversial topics attract large viewership, with up to $50{,}000$ viewers for some articles.
  • Example cited: a spring issue article on polygamy by a faithful Mormon woman, illustrating a female perspective on polygamy.
• The talk pivots to a feminist reading of LDS doctrine, arguing that the restored gospel contains a radical, egalitarian vision for gender relations.
• The speaker emphasizes: polygamy is discussed within Abrahamic sacrifice framing, and monogamy is presented as a God-given blessing, not an abomination.
  • Scriptural reference: Doctrine and Covenants D&C ext{ }132 is cited in discussing polygamy.
  • The speaker cautions against baptizing living polygamists where polygamy is illegal, except within a commandment to perform sacrifice.

Core Doctrinal Points and Feminist Framing

• The restored gospel’s core teaching about God reframes divinity as involving exalted women and men in eternal marriage under the new and everlasting covenant.
  • The speaker cites D&C $132$ and emphasizes equal, eternal partnership between genders.
• Heavenly Father is not an old bachelor; the speaker underscores a divine model of mutual, loving relationship between male and female.
• The body as a continued, eternal blessing:
  • You will have your male or female body forever; the body is a gift to be treasured, not a curse. Bodily attributes (breasts, womb, ovaries) are described as blessings, not burdens.
• Eternal marriage and motherhood are portrayed as paths to lasting joy and fullness in the afterlife.
• A memorable contrast is drawn with Rosemary Radford Ruether (Catholic theologian) who reportedly looked forward to a heaven without genders—contrasted with the speaker’s insistence that gendered embodiment and marital companionship are central to heavenly life.

Equality, Agency, and “But Only in Zion”

• The speaker argues for a radical equality between men and women before the Lord and before each other, not a mere form of equality that implies sameness.
• Quotation and ideas highlighted:
  • Elder L. Tom Perry (February 2004) describes the family as having “co-presidents” who are equal, plan jointly, and govern the family together with equal footing.
  • The concept is presented as a distinctive, revolutionary feature of LDS belief, not a submission-based hierarchy.
• The talk lists areas of equality: blessings, partnership, power, intelligence, wisdom, dignity, respect, counsel, consent, agency, value, potential, spirituality and spiritual gifts, and even temporal matters within Zion.
• The speaker argues this equality is essential for the gospel to function in society; without gender equality, the bedrock of faith—family love and stability—collapses (cites Jacob’s sermon as bedrock principle).

Garden of Eden: Reinterpretation through the Restored Gospel

• The speaker outlines three initial points about LDS views on the Garden of Eden:
  1) The Fall is not a tragedy; it is foreordained, part of progression and a blessing for our growth.
  2) Eve did not sin by partaking of the fruit from the tree of knowledge.
  3) Eve was not punished but rewarded for her role. The Fall is thus celebrated rather than condemned.
• A reversed narrative is presented: the two trees, two people, and two stewardships symbolize a planned partnership between genders in the plan of happiness.
• The cosmic setting:
  • Heavenly parents (father and mother) exist in a realm bounded by good and evil; their children progress through mortal life, gaining knowledge and agency.
  • pre-mortal existence included a war in heaven; a plan of separation allowed full agency and progression.
• The two-tree/ two-person motif is used to illustrate two gifts or stewardships: the first tree gift (knowledge and the enabling of mortal life) and the second tree gift (eternal life and ordinances of salvation/exaltation).

Two Trees and Two Stewardships

• Why Eve created second? The speaker challenges common interpretations that Eve’s creation second implies inferiority. She cites church authorities who say “help meet” means equal in power—companions who walk side by side, not one above the other.
• Elder Earl C. Tingey’s interpretation: a “help meet” is a companion suited to or equal to us; this supports absolute equal partnership in marriage.
• A provocative suggestion: Eve’s second-creation demonstrates Adam’s helplessness before the first tree; two people and two trees symbolize two stewardships—Eve’s gift (the first tree) to all souls, and Adam’s gift (the second tree) later (the ordinances of salvation and exaltation).
• Eve’s sin is rejected by LDS doctrine; Elder Oaks’s keynote talk is cited to highlight that Eve’s act was not a sin but a step enabling mortal life and agency. The audience is reminded of the contrast with broader Christian interpretations.
• The narrative asserts: Eve opened the doorway to mortality, and Adam later accepted the first tree’s gift through Eve, effectively being born of Eve in a symbolic sense.
• The prophecy of who hearkens to whom: Eve hearkened to God; Adam hearkened to Eve to receive the second tree’s gift.
• The ground was cursed as a means to establish the law of opposites (virtue/vice, etc.), but the speaker argues this is not a punishment for Eve; childbirth is presented as a blessing.
• The Genesis verse (Genesis 3:16) is reinterpreted: the Hebrew term for “rule over” (in some translations) is argued to mean “rule with” rather than “rule over,” indicating interdependent, equal partnership in heaven and on earth.
• A claim is made that the restoration of the priesthood and related priestly offices supports an egalitarian view of gender: priesthood is not about men ruling over women, but about equal partnership under God, with men and women both having distinct divine assignments.

The Patriarchal Order, Priesthood, and Family Government

• The term “patriarchal order” is explained as coming down from father to son; however, in modern revelation it is described as an order of family government, where a man and a woman covenant to be sealed for eternity and to participate in God’s work.
• James E. Fa—(transcript typo) James E. Faust line quoted: every father is to his family a patriarch and every mother a matriarch, as coequals in their distinctive parental roles.
• The restoration of the priesthood is framed as restoring right relations between men and women, and as a catalyst for men to uphold chastity, fidelity, and equal care for women and children. It is presented as a foundation for preventing abuse, pornography, neglect, and promoting gender-equitable duties and responsibilities.
• The speech argues that priesthood is not an extra privilege for men; it is an apprenticeship toward becoming heavenly father, while women have their own apprenticeship toward heavenly motherhood.
• The “endowment” discussion notes that the daughters of God hearken to the sons of God in their apprenticeship to heavenly father, and that Adam’s partaking of the first tree’s gift through Eve completes this mutual journey.

Endowment, Heavenly Mother, and Bodily Dignity

• Bodily ordinances (pregnancy, childbirth, lactation) are framed as spiritual ordinances, not lesser or merely temporal phenomena.
• The speaker insists that women have godly power and spiritual gifts, and that religions that devalue the body tend to devalue women—an ethical point against anti-body or anti-female theologies.
• The broader claim is that gender equality is essential to Zion; it is not optional or a cultural add-on but foundational to building a divine society.

Social Implications, Ethics, and Real-World Relevance

• The talk links gender equality to societal health and civilization viability: the bedrock is the love and equality within families—the core of Jacob’s sermon about the Nephites.
• The speaker argues that the true drama of societies is the relationship between men and women, not geopolitical or economic markers like oil prices or stock markets.
• The talk connects doctrinal truth to practical life: ethical relationships, mutual respect, shared parenting, care for children, and avoidance of domestic abuse.

Bedtime Story: Red Fruit and White Fruit (Narrative Summary)

• The speaker shares a bedtime story to illustrate the two trees and two doors in a parabolic form:
  • A garden with two trees: red fruit (blood color) and white fruit (snow color). Parents place two children: a strong son and a courageous daughter.
  • The journey principle: all children must leave home to gain real choice and agency; doors correspond to paths to mortality (red tree) and homeward return (white tree).
  • The daughter (courageous and true) opens the red door by taking the red fruit, enabling all children to begin the journey and for others to join if they consent.
  • The son accepts the red fruit from the daughter and joins the journey; the parents celebrate the shared enterprise and the journey toward the white tree (salvation and exaltation).
  • The white fruit represents the teachings and path back home (the way of righteousness) and the son will open the doorway to that path, with the daughter having previously opened the doorway of the red tree.
  • The concluding image emphasizes that both the red and white fruits and both doors are gifts to the other by the hand of their eternally equal partner, illustrating ongoing, mutual companionship.
• The bedtime story ends with the message that the two journeys—gift of agency and gift of salvation—continue in the present day for each listener and their family.

Audience Interactions, Questions, and Clarifications

• Question: Do you view the two trees as a model for why men have the priesthood and women do not? Answer implies a forthcoming clarification: the two-trees framework is not a simple justification for male-only priesthood.
• Question: Mention of Mary weaving the veil of the temple before Christ’s birth; the speaker expresses interest in learning more about that tradition.
• Question: A listener asks about the second tree (eternal life) and whether it matches the tree Lehi and Nephi saw; the speaker confirms it is the tree of eternal life, accessible through the ordinances of salvation and exaltation by the sons of God.
• Question: Publication and distribution: the speaker notes his/her work (Women in Eternity and Women of Zion) has similar themes and that copies exist; offers to email the talk and PowerPoint to interested parties; plan to post on the FAIR website.
• The dialogue includes caveats and humor about various topics (e.g., temple traditions, Mary’s role, critiques from different sources), all used to illustrate the breadth of views within the LDS feminist conversation.

Key Quotes and References

• “There is not a president and vice president in a family. We have co-presidents working together eternally for the good of their family.” — Elder L. Tom Perry, 02/2004.
• “A help meet is a companion suited to or equal to us. We walk side by side with a help meet, not one before or behind the other.” — Elder Earl C. Tingey.
• “Eve was to be equal to Adam as a husband and wife are to be equal to each other.” — Quotations aligned with LDS authorities on Eve’s role.
• “Genesis 3:16 states that Adam is to rule over Eve, but the Hebrew bet implies ruling with, not ruling over.” — Bruce Hafen’s extension cited in the talk.
• Elder Oaks’s perspective on Eve’s partaking: the act is not a sin but part of the plan enabling agency and a fuller inheritance.
• Ezra Taft Benson on the patriarchal order: it originates from father to son and is reframed in modern revelation as a family government with equal partners.
• James E. Faust (referred to in the talk) on the formal role of fathers and mothers as equal in their own domains within the family.
• The two-tree, two-people metaphor used to articulate two gifts: the first tree’s gift (mortality and agency) given through the woman; the second tree’s gift (ordinances of salvation and exaltation) given through the man.
• The bedtime-story framework as a didactic method to convey the mutually gifting relationship between spouses and the ongoing journey toward exaltation.

Connections to Foundational Principles and Real-World Relevance

• The talk consistently ties gender equality to the core LDS doctrine of eternal families, agency, and exaltation, reframing traditional gender roles as complementary rather than hierarchical.
• The restoration of priesthood is presented not as gender-based dominance but as a restoration of relational balance between genders, enabling a community where men and women cooperate fully in religious life and family governance.
• The discussion links doctrinal interpretation to social ethics: addressing violence against women, rape, forced marriage, and trafficking by rooting advocacy in a theology of equal partnership and sacred bodies.
• The metaphor of two doors and two trees is used to teach how choices in mortality connect to eternal outcomes, emphasizing moral agency, responsibility, and mutual support within marriage.

Ethical, Philosophical, and Practical Implications

• Ethics: The talk argues for mutual respect, shared decision-making, and non-coercive, egalitarian partnership in marriage and family life.
• Philosophy: The restoration is presented as offering a coherent metaphysical basis for gender equality, rooted in eternal law rather than contemporary social norms.
• Practical: The emphasis on the priesthood as a path toward harmony in family life implies practical commitments to chastity, fidelity, equal responsibility for children, and shared domestic leadership.
• Critique and Controversy: The framing of polygamy as an Abrahamic sacrament within a limited context is acknowledged as controversial; the speaker argues for monogamy as a blessing and suggests that polygamy is an abomination outside a sacrificial context.

Summary Takeaways

• The speaker presents a feminist reading of LDS doctrine that centers equality, mutual agency, and the dignity of the body.
• The Garden of Eden story is reinterpreted to emphasize two equal partnerships and two gifts that make mortal life and eternal life possible.
• The patriarchy term is reinterpreted as a framework of family government built on equal partnership, not a system of male domination.
• The restoration of the priesthood is framed as enabling women and men to fulfill complementary roles that sustain families and Zion.
• A core ethical claim is that gender equality is foundational to the gospel and to the stability of civilization.

References to Specific People and Texts Mentioned

• Elder L. Tom Perry, talk (February 2004): co-presidents in the family.
• Elder Earl C. Tingey: “help meet” = companion equal to us.
• Elder Oaks: Eve’s partaking and its meaning in LDS thought; Genesis 3:16 reinterpretation.
• Bruce Hafen: discussion of the Hebrew word for “rule over” and “rule with.”
• Ezra Taft Benson: patriarchal order and family government.
• James E. Faust: patriarch/matriarch roles as coequals.
• Doctrine and Covenants D&C ext{ }132: polygamy reference.
• August 2007 Ensign: cited by the speaker in relation to the interpretation of male/female roles.
• Bedtime story (red fruit and white fruit): narrative illustrating two doors and two gifts in the plan of happiness.
• General themes: polygamy debate, monogamy as blessing, equal partnership in heavenly life, the body as a divine gift, and the centrality of family love as the bedrock of Zion.