| Question |
After reading some of your letters and answers on the LDS, there is a question I would like to put to
you. As this earth has evolved over millions of years, so has life on this planet, from single-cell to human life, and we are still evolving. It never
stops. So my question is, when in the evolution chain, did we start being considered human enough to have a soul qualified to ascend to
heaven? And why only humans, and not any other animal species, for instance the Neandertal Man? God, the Universal Force, was here before
us, so when were deemed fit to enter into His realm?
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| Response |
I cannot answer that question precisely as you wish, because I do not believe in the evolutionary process as you described it. I believe in
an all-knowing, all-powerful God who created this earth and the heavens and placed man on this earth just as we read it in the book of
Genesis as well as in the book of Moses, which is latter-day scripture found in the book "The Pearl of Great Price." Specifically, we
believe that over a period of time, God created everything that is on this earth. Finally, when the earth was properly prepared, He placed
man and woman here to "multiply and replenish the earth". We believe that to think otherwise is to limit the power and knowledge of
God. To be more specific, the theory of evolution suggests that God was experimenting, and that He did not know enough about
creation to make man in His own image, and that finally after unknown periods of time, He "got it right." There is nothing but conjecture
that would tend to substantiate the evolutionary theory, but there is the word of God through the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the
Pearl of Great Price which substantiate the doctrine of creation.
Therefore, the doctrine of creation is that Adam and Eve were first placed upon this earth by God our Heavenly Father and that they
were our first parents. They had physical bodies of flesh and bones, which housed their individual spirits (you have called it the soul).
From that time to this present day, as each of Heavenly Father’s children has died, their spirit has returned home to our Father in
Heaven.
I do not know the actual time "Neanderthal" was on the earth. He wasn’t here before Adam; we know that. Whoever these Neanderthal,
as you call them, people were, they had physical bodies which housed their individual spirits. When they died, those spirits returned
home to God just like everyone else’s.
There is order in all that God has done from the first until now, and that order will continue through the eternities. There is a plan of
salvation for all of our Heavenly Father’s spirit children. I would be grateful for the opportunity to have it shared with you, and would be
pleased to ask representatives from our church to explain what we believe and why. If you’ll send me your address and telephone
number, I’ll have someone contact you.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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