Mormon Monday: Kingdoms of Glory; Part 6 of the Plan of Salvation

Here are the previous parts, if you want to read them in order:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4
Part 5

As I discussed last week, after we are resurrected, we will be judged.

Our judges will be our Heavenly Father and our Savior. They are perfect beings, and cannot make mistakes.

Mosiah 29:12 Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.

When that day comes, there are no more chances. We will stand before our Savior, and we will have a perfect remembrance of our guilt and our iniquities. However, if we accepted the Lord's gospel, were baptized under proper authority, kept the commandments, and endured to the end, then will his grace be upon us, and we will be clean before our brother.

One of the things that we believe very differently from other Christian religions is the concept of Hell. We don't believe that there is a fine line between salvation and damnation. Instead, we believe that there are three degrees of glory. Christ said that (John 14:2):

In my Father's house are many mansions.

People sin to varying degrees. One person may have been a good person, but decided to never accept Christ. They went through their whole lives being a basically moral person, but just never would accept Christ as a real person. Would it be just for this human to be placed in the same place as a serial killer?

The Lord loves all his children. He allows them to choose what they will, but He will try to place them in a kingdom where they can be as happy as possible.

We believe there are three kingdoms of glory. Paul also spoke of these kingdoms. He said (1 Cor. 15:39–41):

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Celestial Kingdom 

The highest degree of glory that you can attain is called the celestial kingdom. Its glory is likened to the sun. This is where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ dwell, and this is the only place where we can continue to progress to become like our Father. Here, families are eternal and will be together forever. 

Those who reach this kingdom are those who have repented of their sins, received the ordinances of salvation, and kept the covenants that they made through the Lord through these ordinances. These people shall be cleansed from their sins and shall live forever with their eternal families. 

We have also been told, that those who would have received the gospel in their mortal life but didn't have the opportunity to make and keep these sacred covenants, will be saved as well. (Doctrine and Covenants 137:7-10)

 7 Thus came the ^avoice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died ^bwithout a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be ^cheirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
 8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who^awould have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
 9 For I, the Lord, will ^ajudge all men according to their ^bworks, according to the ^cdesire of their hearts.
 10 And I also beheld that all ^achildren who die before they arrive at the ^byears of accountability are ^csaved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.

This really is the only kingdom that we should strive to reach. It is the only kingdom that will bring everlasting happiness and joy and the only place where we can dwell with our families forever.

Terrestrial Kingdom

This kingdom is the next kingdom of glory. Its glory is likened to the moon. This is where those who live honorable lives, but refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ will dwell. It will still be an incredible, wonderful place, but it will be incomparable to the celestial kingdom. 

Telestial Kingdom

Those who revel in their sins and refuse to repent of them will be placed in the lowest kingdom, the telestial kingdom. This is the place where those who do not accept Christ shall go. Its glory is compared to that of the stars. 

Those who reach the higher kingdoms will minister to those who reside in the lower kingdoms. The terrestrial and telestial kingdoms do not have the opportunity for eternal progression, and in that sense, their occupants are damned. 

Personally, I want to do my best to be saved in the celestial kingdom. Those who dwell in the lower kingdoms will be those who are not clean and cannot bear to be in the presence of our Father. How awful would it be to not be able to even look at our Heavenly Father? Doctrine and Covenants 88:22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

I testify that our choices in this life do matter. The Lord has given us very strict commandments, and as we strive to listen and hear his voice, we will be lead to truth. I know that God lives, and that His Plan of Salvation is perfect and is a plan for living life. If we follow the teachings of his prophets, both modern and ancient, we will be lead to eternal happiness.

Do your best. That's all that He expects of you. Listen closely, and heed His voice when you hear it. He is real and does speak to us if we will only listen. The world is pretty crazy right now, and we need all the help and peace we can find. Don't let the voices of the world overwhelm the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. 

Be humble and prayerful. Repent of your sins. We all have them, and we are all trying to get to the same place. Help others and allow others to help you. 

It wouldn't be Heaven if we got there and we were all alone.

If you would like more information about these three kingdoms or the Plan of Salvation visit Mormon.org, read this article on the 3 degrees, or meet with the missionaries. They can answer your questions, and that's why they exist.

Mormon Monday: Resurrection,Judgement, and Grace; Part 5 of the Plan of Salvation

I got a bit derailed last week, but this week we're back on track!

Here are the previous parts of my Plan of Salvation series:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4
Part 6

After we die, we exist in the spirit world. Then, once everyone has had a chance to accept or reject the gospel, Christ will return in his glorious second coming. Then, everyone who has died will be resurrected. We believe that our bodies are sacred and that when we die, our spirits and our bodies are separated. Then, during the time after we die and until we are resurrected, we exist solely as a Spirit. 

However, we believe that we were created in the image of God, and that God has a perfect body of flesh and bone. Therefore, because of Christ's atonement, we will all overcome physical death and be reunited with our bodies. However, once this resurrection occurs, our bodies will be perfect. Thus, one aspect of Adam's fall is rectified. 

Then, once everyone has been brought from corruption to perfection, we will be judged by our Heavenly Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Our Father wants all of His children to return and to live with him, but He will never force anyone to do anything. Choice is our greatest gift, and He has offered us salvation, if only we will choose to accept it. For those who accept Christ's sacrifice for them and who kept God's commandments to the best of their ability, they will be saved in the last day. 

I think that nowhere is this better expressed then in the book of Alma 11:42-45:

 42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

 43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

 44 Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

 45 Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

I love these versus, because it so clearly explains what will occur when our spirits and bodies are rejoined.

Often people ask if Mormons believe we are saved by grace or by works. Really, we don't believe they are separate. We believe that the definition of grace is "the enabling power of God." This means that through Jesus Christ, we will have to ability to do anything, including obtain perfection. However, God has never allowed his children to sit idly by and let someone else do the work for them. Without the grace of our Savior, NO ONE would get to heaven. However, if we don't allow Christ's grace to work through us and change us, we won't be enough like our Father in Heaven to be able to dwell in His presence. Grace isn't simply saying that we accept Christ and then we're saved. Grace is doing our best and relying upon our Savior. As we do that, his grace (enabling power) will magnify all that we do and allow us to do things that are only possible through our Savior. 

If you want to read an incredible talk about the grace of our Savior, go to this link. It changed the way I thought about grace. 

It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that anyone is saved. Unfortunately, discussions about grace often come down to semantics. Often, Christians have more in common than we'd like to believe. I don't know very many Christians who really believe that if they accept Christ and then go out and kill someone that they will be saved because they accepted Christ. Most I know, in our faith and out of it, believe that they need to do their best and that their Savior wants them to treat others will love and respect. A true disciple of Christ will be judged on the way that they treat those around them and on who they become. (Matt 25)

 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

 

For my final note to this topic, I'm going to geek-out for a second and quote from one of my favorite television shows. One of my favorite quotes from the Stargate universe goes like this:

“Judge yourself by the intentions of your actions and by the strength with which you faced the challenges which stood in your way. The universe is vast and we are so small. There is really only one thing we can ever truly control--whether we are good or evil.” 

― Oma de Sala

We can't control what this life will throw at us, but we can control how we will react to the challenges that we will face. Every decision we make is important, and the Plan of Salvation is a plan of hope. God will be as merciful as He can be, while still assuring that justice is met. If we will accept the Savior's atonement, the demands of justice will be satisfied. However, if we throw his sacrifice away and treat it as naught, we will have to pay for our own sins, and that is a far less pleasant option.

Next week, I'll talk about the kingdoms of glory that are in store for Heavenly Father's children after they are judged.

Mormon Monday: After Death and Baptism for the Dead, Part 4 in the Plan of Salvation

If you want to read the first three parts, here are the links. This is part four.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 5
Part 6

After we go through this life, eventually we all die. The Christian world then believes that you either go to heaven or hell, but members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that is it a little more glorious and hopeful than that.

When you die, your body dies, but your spirit continues to exist. Once you have died, you aren't suddenly a holy being. You are the same person you were before you died. In fact, one scripture reads (Alma 34:32-34):

 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

 33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

 34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

 35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

So, death bed repentance doesn't work.

We believe that once you die, you go to one of two places: Spirit Paradise or Spirit Prison.  Where you go is determined by what you did and who you became in the mortal life. We also believe that they are not acutal places, but states of mind. Where you dwell depends on who you were in mortality and whether you were baptized by one with authority from God and kept the commandments that He gave you.

However, this isn't the end of the journey, this is just another stopping point and where one of the greatest mercies of the plan of salvation takes place.

What if you didn't have the chance to be baptized or accept the gospel of Jesus Christ? What if you lived your entire life on some rock, isolated from the rest of mankind? Is it fair that you would go to spirit prison and never have a chance to accept the gospel? What if you would have accepted it, if you had only had the chance? (Little children who die without baptism are not damned. Read the blog I wrote about that here.)

The Lord has prepared a way for all men to come to him. In Corinthians 15:29 it says:

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

This implies that baptism for the dead occurred when Christ's church was on the earth. What is baptism for the dead?

Baptism for the dead is when the living stand in proxy for those who have died without having the opportunity to be baptized in this life. Proxy means a person authorized to act for another. Baptism can only occur in the flesh under the proper authority, so similarly to how Christ suffered in proxy for our sins, we have the opportunity to be baptized in proxy for those who have gone on before. This doesn't mean that they are forced to accept being baptized as a member of God's church. Instead, this just opens the door for their spirit to accept the gospel if they want to. Otherwise, there would be no chance for them to do so. We learn in 1 Peter 4:6:

 6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

 

We believe that those spirits who have passed on will have the chance to accept Christ as their Savior and be saved. It is always their choice, but they have until the time of the ressurrection to decide will all the information available to them. I know that there are other spirits preaching to the dead so that as many of God's children that will accept his gospel can be saved as possible.

I know that death is not the end of life and that all men are given opportunities to come to Christ and be forgiven of their sins so they can dwell with their Heavenly Father again. He is a just God, and He wants ALL his children to return to Him if they will only do the things that He has required of them. I know that God's ways bring us enduring happiness in this life and the next.

Next Monday I'll discuss what happens after Spirit Paradise and Spirit Prison.

Mormon Monday: Mortality; Part 3 of the Plan of Salvation

Here's the other parts to this discussion.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The fall had two consequences. The first was death of the body or physical death. The second was separation from God or spiritual death. Adam's fall caused all men to experience physical death, but we are not responsible for his sins, and Adam's fall did not cause us to sin. It opened the door so that we could be mortal and make mistakes, but each sin that we do is our own responsibility.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. Adam's trangression may have caused death to come into the world, but he didn't make us sin. We are responsible and accountable for the decisions we make in this life. However, every time we sin, we draw further and further away from God. There is no way for us to remove the stains on our souls. Even if we try not to do it again, we are imperfect, and only perfect creatures can enter the presence of the Lord.

So, how then shall we return to our Father in Heaven?

It is through our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

As was planned from the beginning, Christ came into this world. Born of a mortal mother and an immortal father, he was the only one capable of being perfect in this life. His paternal heritage gave him the ability to completely resist temptation and choose not to sin, while his maternal heritage gave him the ability to die a physical death.

Due to this, he was able to come and be the perfect sacrifice. Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I like to liken this to two scenarios.

You are in a boat and someone pushed you into the water. You can't swim and you begin to drown. Someone jumps in and pulls you out. He would then be your savior. You didn't have to do anything for him to save you, he just did it because he loves you. It wasn't your fault you fell into the water, and so you didn't have to do anything in order for him to save you.

This is likened to physical death. It is due to Adam and Eve's decision that death entered this world, and so, regardless of the choices you make in this life, Christ will save you from physical death. Eventually, everyone who's lived on this earth will be resurrected from physical death. Their bodies will be restored to their spirits, except they will be given perfect bodies, incapable of death. This is how Christ is our Savior.

1 Corinthians 15: 22

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Now the second scenario. You receive a incredible coupon in the mail. If you take it to the store, it will help you to purchase several items that you need for free! However, if you just allow that coupon to sit in a drawer, it won't help you. It is only when you do something yourself and take it to the store that it will save you money. We call this redeeming a coupon.

I compare this to spiritual death. Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross so that we could repent of our sins and become clean again. However, we are required to do somethings in order for this redemption to occur. God has given us an incredible gift, the gift of choice. He will never force anyone to do anything, because we need to learn the difference between good and evil by our own decisions and choose which we will follow. So, in this case, Christ is the Redeemer. If we come to him, and do what He has asked of us, we can be redeemed from our sins. Mosiah 3:7-10 says:

 7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations, and pain of body, ^chunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. 8 And he shall be called ^aJesus ^bChrist, the ^cSon of God, the^dFather of heaven and earth, the ^eCreator of all things from the beginning; and his ^fmother shall be called Mary. 9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that ^asalvation might come unto the children of men even through ^bfaith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a^cdevil, and shall ^dscourge him, and shall ^ecrucify him. 10 And he shall ^arise the ^bthird day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to ^cjudge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

 

What does Christ ask of us in order that He can judge us to be righteous?

We call this the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It can be stated very simply, as it is in the following Articles of Faith:

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

 4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second,Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

These ordinances and principles are commandments. They are requirements for eternal life. Christ himself said in John 3:5:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

 After you have done these commandments, you must also endure to the end. Faith is not a one-time occurrence, it is something we must have our entire lives. We also need to continually repent. Baptism does occur one time, but by taking the holy sacrament that the Lord instituted, we can continue to renew our covenants and be clean. Finally, after we are baptized, if it is done under the proper authority by one who received the priesthood from the Lord, you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost from someone of the same authority.

These are incredible promises and commandments. The Lord does require of us to obey these few simple commandments, and as we do, we will have our sins remitted.

Through Christ, the effects of Adam's transgression can be taken away from us and we can become clean enough to enter the presence of the Lord. This mortal life is a time to prepare to meet God. (Alma 34:32)
It does have difficulties, but with the aid of our Savior, we can survive and concur both physical and spiritual death.

I testify that whatever happens, our Savior knows what we are going through and He is there with his arms outstretched waiting for us to come to Him. As we keep the commandments He has given us, and become more like Him, we will be able to enter the presence of our Heavenly Father and return to live with Him again. This life is a place for joy and hope. The Lord wants us to be happy and if we obey and worship Him, we will be filled with incomparable joy!

Mormon Monday: The Fall and the Theory of Evolution; Part 2 of The Plan of Salvation

Last Monday, I talked about the Premortal Life. I had intended last week to share what we Mormons call "The Plan of Salvation", but after teaching about it at church that Sunday, I decided there is far too much information to put all in one blog post. So, for the next few weeks, I'm going to share a little bit of the plan at a time.

Here's all the other parts:

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

So, this will be part 2 of The Plan of Salvation.

This actually is an awesomely timed blog, because a friend of mine just recently asked a question that I hope this blog will answer.

Most of the Christian world views The Fall of Adam and Eve as a tragic incident, if they believe that it occurred at all. They blame Adam and Eve for the fact that we have trials and our lives are hard. I've heard people say that if it wasn't for Adam and Eve, we would all be in the Garden of Eden still, living in paradise.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we view The Fall in an entirely different light. We view it as a integral part of our progression.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve were told that they could eat of any tree,

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

That seems kind of contrary of God, doesn't it? Why would He put a tree in the Garden that would potentially doom his children. Wouldn't it have been better, if He truly was a loving Father to just leave the tree out of the Garden? Wouldn't everyone have been happy then?

There is actually a very logical reason that God placed the tree in the Garden.

This life is based upon choice. In order to experience joy, Adam and Eve had to experience sorrow. However in my person opinion, God is a perfect God who can only create perfection. Our doctrine states that in order for Adam and Eve to become capable of sinning, they had to choose to have the ability to sin. God could create a perfect tree that would change Adam and Eve into mortals, but He wouldn't make them imperfect himself. He knew that was necessary for them to learn and grow, but they had to choose to sin.

Adam and Eve, if they had not partaken of the tree would have lived forever in the Garden, knowing neither good or evil, sorrow or joy. You can't understand joy without experiencing sorrow. If Adam and Eve had never taken of the fruit, we would never have been born. As much as people want to believe that we would have all been living in paradise together, it was only after Adam and Eve left the Garden that they were able to have children and bring more souls into this mortal and fallen world.

God knew that The Fall was going to occur long before it happened. That is why He allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. He also already had a plan in place to fix the mistakes that Adam was going to make. He had already chosen a Savior before the world was even created. 1 Corinthians 15: 22 says:

22 For as in ^aAdam all ^bdie, even so in ^cChrist shall all be made ^dalive.

We believe that Eve knew full well the choice that she was making and that she felt it was necessary in order for her to progress and for her children to exist. In fact, we honor Eve for her foresight. Yes, Satan did deceive her, but like always, the Father of Lies word's were falsehoods mixed with truth.

 We believe that the Fall truly did occur. We believe that Adam caused death, both physical and spiritual to come into this world. In next Monday's blog, I'll address the way that we can overcome the affects of the fall. We believe that Adam and Eve are our first parents and that they were created directly by God. Before the Fall they were innocent and there was no death on this Earth. The Fall affected all life on earth as well as the earth itself.

So, what about the theory of Evolution? What does LDS doctrine say about that?

Well, rather than answer that myself, I'm going to let you read from the writings of our leaders. The link to the manual where this information is found is here.

"In the world another theory of how things began is popularly held and widely taught. This theory, that of organic evolution, was generally developed from the writings of Charles Darwin. It puts forth different ideas concerning how life began and where man came from. In relation to this theory, the following statements should help you understand what the Church teaches about the Creation and the origin of man.

“It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was ‘the first man of all men’ (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or the body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father.” (First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund], in Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:205.)

“Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted by Latter-day Saints. … That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man.” (Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 1:155.)

“I am grateful that in the midst of the confusion of our Father’s children there has been given to the members of this great organization a sure knowledge of the origin of man, that we came from the spirit world where our spirits were begotten by our Father in heaven, that he formed our first parents from the dust of the earth, and that their spirits were placed in their bodies, and that man came, not as some have believed, not as some have preferred to believe, from some of the lower walks of life, but our ancestors were those beings who lived in the courts of heaven. We came not from some menial order of life, but our ancestor is God our heavenly Father.” (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1925, p. 33.)

“Of course, I think those people who hold to the view that man has come up through all these ages from the scum of the sea through billions of years do not believe in Adam. Honestly I do not know how they can, and I am going to show you that they do not. There are some who attempt to do it but they are inconsistent—absolutely inconsistent, because that doctrine is so incompatible, so utterly out of harmony, with the revelations of the Lord that a man just cannot believe in both.

“… I say most emphatically, you cannot believe in this theory of the origin of man, and at the same time accept the plan of salvation as set forth by the Lord our God. You must choose the one and reject the other, for they are in direct conflict and there is a gulf separating them which is so great that it cannot be bridged, no matter how much one may try to do so. …

“… Then Adam, and by that I mean the first man, was not capable of sin. He could not transgress, and by doing so bring death into the world; for, according to this theory, death had always been in the world. If, therefore, there was no fall, there was no need of an atonement, hence the coming into the world of the Son of God as the Savior of the world is a contradiction, a thing impossible. Are you prepared to believe such a thing as that?” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:141–42.)

(2-19) But what of the scientific evidence that supposedly contradicts these statements? Isn’t the evidence that all life evolved from a common source overwhelming? Harold G. Coffin, Professor of Paleontology and Research at the Geoscience Research Institute, Andrews University in Michigan, presented one scientist’s view of how life began. The following excerpts are from a pamphlet on the Creation written by Dr. Coffin.

“The time has come for a fresh look at the evidence Charles Darwin used to support his evolutionary theory, along with the great mass of new scientific information. Those who have the courage to penetrate through the haze of assumptions which surrounds the question of the origin of life will discover that science presents substantial evidence that creation best explains the origin of life. Four considerations lead to this conclusion.

“1.Life is unique.

 "2.Complex animals appeared suddenly.

 "3.Change in the past has been limited.

 “4.Change in the present is limited.

“Anyone interested in truth must seriously consider these points. The challenge they present to the theory of evolution has led many intelligent and honest men of science now living to reevaluate their beliefs about the origin of life.” (Coffin, Creation: The Evidence from Science, p. [1].)"

The article goes on to talk more about this, but you can follow the link at the top of the quotations if you want to read more.

Now back to me. Here's my question for you. Science itself states that they can never know anything perfectly. At best they can be 99.9% sure of something. However, if you were able to travel back in time and see for yourself if Adam and Eve really existed and you found out they did, wouldn't that knowledge be more definite than any scientific theory?

I know that God has been there and He knows everything that has occurred throughout the history of mankind. If you believe in God, and God says that Adam and Eve were the first parents of our race and all life began in a state of perfection where death did not exist, doesn't that trump anything that science has to say? Science doesn't really KNOW about anything. They're just guessing based upon what they find.

I believe that God uses true laws of science to accomplishes great things. However, there are many things that we, as humans with imperfect understanding, still do not comprehend. God could tell us how He had accomplished everything and why there are so many unexplained mysteries on our planet, but then where would faith come in? Things that occur without scientific explanation (that we can understand) are called miracles, and I testify that miracles do still occur in our day.

Ask yourself this. Do you believe in God and that He is all-knowing? If you answer yes, then trust him. Tolerate man's theories, but don't let them challenge your faith. Pray and seek guidance for yourself about questions you have. God will answer your prayers and bring you peace. Instead of turning to man and your own speculations, turn to the source of all knowledge.

I know that you will have increased understanding and your faith will be strengthened.

God lives, and He has a plan for this life. The Fall was necessary, and I'm so grateful for it. Without it, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have the opportunity to go through this life and learn and grow to become like my Heavenly Father. I testify that we are His spirit children, and like all children, we can become like our Father. Christ is the center of the Plan of Salvation, and through Him, all mankind can be saved.