I've been pondering the creation for the last few weeks. This may seem like an odd topic for a blog post, but I guess being in the temple regularly probably does that to you. There's a lot of argument these days about the "Creation", how it happened, what caused it, and pitting people of FAITH against people of SCIENCE. As if there needs to be a competition, and as if it's an either/or proposition. I think a major misconception is that people of faith can't or don't believe in science, and vice versa. In my mind, there is room for both. God is the author of truth, and all truth comes from God and the Savior. They want us to understand and not be threatened by science. As we learn more about science, we learn more about Them.
So, with that in mind, here's what I believe about the creation. Note that this is not a statement of LDS doctrine, but a statement of my own beliefs.
1. I believe in the Big Bang, and that it caused the Universe to begin, and that the Universe continues to evolve and expand.
2. I believe that God and Christ planned and initiated the creation. In other words, just because there was a Big Bang, doesn't mean that a creator could not have set it in motion.
3. I believe in evolution. I look at the word "evolution" as really being all about adapting to environments. All organisms need to adapt to their environments, or will lose their opportunity for growth.
4. I believe that the world came to be created in an evolving process that occurred "line upon line, precept upon precept". I believe that God and The Son looked upon this as 6 creative periods, and it doesn't really matter how long those periods lasted. What really matters is that the creation occurred.
5. I believe that the creation of man was an evolutionary process. My feeling is that when God said that he would make man in his image, man needed to evolve in both appearance and mental capacity to the point where he was in God's image.
6. I believe that Adam was the first man that God covenanted with. There may have been other people on earth prior to this, but Adam was the first to be self-aware enough to know who he was, that he was a Son of God, and had progressed to the point where he could choose to make and keep covenants.
7. I believe the Bible, as far as it's translated correctly, and I believe it needs to be read with perspective. What I mean by that is who's to say how long a DAY really is, or how long a YEAR really is? It all depends on how the person who was writing it looked at it, and what the perspective was of the person translating it. Was the world created in 6 DAYS? What is a DAY? Is it 24 hours as we know it? Probably not. Did Adam and the patriarchs live to be several hundred YEARS old? What is a YEAR? Is it 365 days as we know it? Probably not. Does any of this bother me? Absolutely not. As Mrs. Anna says to the King, that "[The Bible] was their explanation for the miracle of creation, which is the same miracle, whether it took 6 days, or many centuries."
Finally, as stated in the 9th Article of Faith, I believe there is still more truth to be revealed, both scientific and otherwise. God will continue to inspire good people of faith and of no faith to make truth known to us. Sometimes this may cause us to question and wonder what really is true. The thing to do is read, ponder, pray and follow the prophets, so that we may know the truth and it can make us free.
So, with that in mind, here's what I believe about the creation. Note that this is not a statement of LDS doctrine, but a statement of my own beliefs.
1. I believe in the Big Bang, and that it caused the Universe to begin, and that the Universe continues to evolve and expand.
2. I believe that God and Christ planned and initiated the creation. In other words, just because there was a Big Bang, doesn't mean that a creator could not have set it in motion.
3. I believe in evolution. I look at the word "evolution" as really being all about adapting to environments. All organisms need to adapt to their environments, or will lose their opportunity for growth.
4. I believe that the world came to be created in an evolving process that occurred "line upon line, precept upon precept". I believe that God and The Son looked upon this as 6 creative periods, and it doesn't really matter how long those periods lasted. What really matters is that the creation occurred.
5. I believe that the creation of man was an evolutionary process. My feeling is that when God said that he would make man in his image, man needed to evolve in both appearance and mental capacity to the point where he was in God's image.
6. I believe that Adam was the first man that God covenanted with. There may have been other people on earth prior to this, but Adam was the first to be self-aware enough to know who he was, that he was a Son of God, and had progressed to the point where he could choose to make and keep covenants.
7. I believe the Bible, as far as it's translated correctly, and I believe it needs to be read with perspective. What I mean by that is who's to say how long a DAY really is, or how long a YEAR really is? It all depends on how the person who was writing it looked at it, and what the perspective was of the person translating it. Was the world created in 6 DAYS? What is a DAY? Is it 24 hours as we know it? Probably not. Did Adam and the patriarchs live to be several hundred YEARS old? What is a YEAR? Is it 365 days as we know it? Probably not. Does any of this bother me? Absolutely not. As Mrs. Anna says to the King, that "[The Bible] was their explanation for the miracle of creation, which is the same miracle, whether it took 6 days, or many centuries."
Finally, as stated in the 9th Article of Faith, I believe there is still more truth to be revealed, both scientific and otherwise. God will continue to inspire good people of faith and of no faith to make truth known to us. Sometimes this may cause us to question and wonder what really is true. The thing to do is read, ponder, pray and follow the prophets, so that we may know the truth and it can make us free.
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