The Creation: Israelite Views and Modern Science

8/4/2019 The Creation: Israelite Views and Modern Science

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Official LDS Position

Upon the fundamental doctrines ofthe Church we are all agreed. Ourmission is to bear the message of the

restored gospel to the world. Leavegeology, biology, archaeology, andanthropology, no one of which has to

do with the salvation of the souls ofmankind, to scientific research, whilewe magnify our calling in the realm ofthe Church - First Presidency, 1931


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Topics 5-6 accounts

3 Popular views

What did ancient Israelites believe?

What if the scriptural account is wrong?


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Major Accounts

Genesis 1:1-2:3 (P)

Genesis 2:4-2:4 (J)

Job 41, Psalm 74, Psalm 104, Isa 27:1 (U)

Moses/JST Genesis 2-3

Abraham 4-5

Temple

Each account gives its own twist.


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Young Earth Creationism(YEC)

7 days = 24 hour periods

Earth is 6,000 years old

7 days = 1,000 year periods (2 Peter 3:8) Earth is 13,000 years old

No evolution, Adam formed from dust, first man

Reading Genesis literally


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Old Earth Creationism

7 days = 7 periods of undefined time day in Hebrew, in some cases, can be

non-specific

Earth is 4.5 billion years old Modern scientific view

Some evolution

Life and death before Adam and Eve

Adam may or may not be the first homo

sapien


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Theistic Evolution

7 days = various views

24 hour periods

Undefined Earth is 4.5 billion years old

God operates through evolution

Life and death before Adam and Eve

Adam not the first homo sapien


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What did the Israelites believe?

Geocentrism Flat Earth

Three-tiered Cosmos

Functional creation

No creation ex nihilo


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Geocentrism


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Two Important Points

Functional Creation

Most recent scholarship

Genesis is about the assigning of purpose and function to

already existing things Not about physical creation of objects and bodies

A thing doesnt exist until it is given a role or function

No creation ex nihilo

God does not create matter out of nothing

Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could.


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What are the Creationaccounts?

What are they not?

Not science textbooks

Not history textbooks

Narratives designed to givetheological lessons

Jehovah is the creator, notother gods

Man is in Gods image

Sacred time (7th day)

Spiritual creation

Council of Gods

Creation is Gods temple Pre-existent matter


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Crucial Elements

In my opinion

God, in some way, created

the Earth and all life

We are Gods children

Adam and Eve were a realcouple, who in some way, atsome time, were the first

humans and who representall of us

Adam and Eve fell in some

way that affects us

The story of Adam and Eve isthe story of us.


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What if part of the story is scientifically

inaccurate? Explain how a car works to a 5 year old, in simplified terms,

then let him/her try to re-explain it.

You are going to get errors!

That is essentially what the creation narratives are.

God is OK with us not perfectly understanding everything.

Latter-day Saints dont believe in inerrant scriptures.


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Official LDS Position

Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church weare all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message ofthe restored gospel to the world. Leave geology,

biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one ofwhich has to do with the salvation of the souls ofmankind, to scientific research, while we magnify ourcalling in the realm of the Church

- First Presidency, 1931

The Creation: Israelite Views and Modern Science

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