| Question |
Donny, would you please explain the Mormon view on creationism vs. evolution? My personal view is that both are correct -- that perhaps God
created a world with a history. The scientific evidence supporting intra-species evolution is clear, but there is not much clear evidence supporting inter-species evolution; very rarely is the "transition" form
found. Scientific "truth" is always transient; based on the state of the current evidence that may be disproved with further evidence. Science maintains its truths, but from our position of limited understanding, as
well as from limited evidence.
The Christian understanding that I have is that all God's creations are all
still in existence, because extinction would imply that God was less than
perfect. Extinction does occur, now, almost daily.
Does the LDS adhere to the Genesis description of earth's creation as a
literal, or metaphorical (6 days or 6 billion years) description? Your
thoughts?
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| Response |
Thanks for your question. It sounds to me like our beliefs are very similar as it relates to this subject.
We accept the Creation account in Genesis, and we "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth;
believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 4:9)
In other words, we do not know the exact methods or timing of creation of the earth or of the living things on the earth. Of course, "God created man
in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27). To me, this is the true origin of man and means that man did not evolve. Other living things, it seems clear, adapt to their environment and by natural selection may evolve to some degree. I have heard that the study of genetics has established that living things can change or evolve because they typically utilize only a small portion of their genes, also that the new understanding of DNA shows that living things cannot jump from species to species, but they do have the capacity to adapt or change within its genetic bank.
I'm a singer, not a scientist, but I personally feel that evolution as it is taught in text books today is not accurate and additionally that God is the creator and the earth and all that is in it and further that it was Christ, "by whom also he made the worlds;"(Hebrews 1:2)I believe that all creation is subject to the creator.
Thanks again for your email.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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