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Prophets or
Evolution - An LDS Perspective Chapter 6 The
Children of God 20 O how marvelous are the works of the Lord,
and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and
impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not
seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them! 21 Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth
from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the
beasts of the forest. Mosiah 8:20-21 [King Limhi] The Children of God I love the
phrase in the above quote: "they are
as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd." Indeed, we humans have a tendency to flee
from those in the Eternal world, and who are on this earth; who are trying to
help us. But God will not force any of his
children into His kingdom, thus we are free to flee from His shepherds. With
regards to the theory of evolution; if the theory of evolution is true then we humans
are monkeys. True, we would be hairless
and very intelligent monkeys according to the theory, but we would be monkeys
nevertheless. The Gospel
of Christ teaches that we are the literal children of God (i.e. our spirits are
the literal children of God). That is
why God referred to Moses as His son (Moses 1:4). Have you
ever noticed that all children, of any species, start out totally ignorant, but
slowly gain the intelligence of their parents and eventually become like their
parents? With this
model of parent and child relationships, does the theory of evolution fit the
data? Humans are
far, far closer to being like God than any other creature on earth. We can comprehend many of the things God has
done. Every decade, humanity becomes
more and more able to understand the things which God has done because of
better education and research. This is
consistent with the intelligence of children.
In other words, it is consistent with the standard pattern between
children and parents that we have the same kind of sentient intelligence as
God, but it is just not as developed. We are
"children" compared to God. In
fact, it is consistent with the teachings of the prophets that humans are not
only children compared to God, but that we (our spirits) are literally the children of God. There is no
other creature on earth which has a clue as to what God has done. Not a clue.
No creature on earth, except humans, has the ability to appreciate
anything that God has done. Have you
ever seen an ape stare into the night sky and ponder whether there might be other
planets with apes on them? But many
humans have done just that; wondering if other planets are inhabited by other
humans. While
scientists constantly attempt to prove that apes are more intelligent than we
think they are (and they might be), the fact is that they will never be able to
write a novel or a science textbook or be able to comprehend the scriptures. It is
perfectly logical that we humans are the children of God since we as a people
are progressing in our knowledge and understanding of the things God has done. This is logical. It is not
logical that we are cousins of worms or chimpanzees or that we are descended
from other primates; because we are nothing like worms or chimpanzees or other
primates. They cannot appreciate or
replicate or comprehend anything related to God. We have unlimited potential; they have no
potential on this world. Thus, the
theory of evolution fails to explain the facts because the theory of evolution
equates us to primates, not to God. We
are more like God than we are like the primates. We are more like the children of God than the
children of primates. Apes are more like
other animals, but we humans are more like God. This is the
key: even though God is many, many times more intelligent that we humans are;
at least our intelligence can be compared to the intelligence of God. The intelligence of non-human primates cannot
be compared to God. The theory
of evolution explains our superior intelligence (over other primates) by saying
that small improvements in DNA can result in massive improvements in
intelligence. This is nothing but wild
speculation. While the
opposite is true, meaning that small damage to DNA can result in major damage
to overall intelligence. There is no
evidence that small mutations to DNA can result in massively higher
intelligence. For example, science has
not proven you can make a small mutation to orangutan DNA and end up with an
orangutan which can graduate from college and write a social sciences textbook. Our
intelligence comes from our spirit, as mentioned previously. Does the spirit in an orangutan have the
intelligence to graduate from college?
No one knows the answer to this, but the answer is probably 'no'. The fact that we humans can
comprehend the theory of evolution is, by itself, a proof that the theory of
evolution is false. In other words, no other
creature on earth can comprehend the theory of evolution. Only a child of God could comprehend a
complex scientific theory. Thus, the
fact that we can think very abstractly and comprehend the theory of evolution
is proof that it is false because it is a proof we are more like God than we
are like other primates. That the
prophets are right should not be a surprise to anyone considering the source of
information the prophets have access to - our Father in Heaven Himself and the
Savior. The fact
that we can comprehend the teachings of the prophets (and no other species on
earth can do that), including the abstract laws of God (such as faith, hope and
charity), is a proof that we are the children of God and have His attributes (though
we have far to go to equal His attributes) and we have the potential that God
has told us about over and over again. We are on
this earth to learn and be tested. No
other species on earth is here to learn or be tested. Other species don't have the intelligence or
understanding to comprehend "good from evil" and thus they are not
eligible to be condemned by the laws of God (see Moses 4:11). In other words, you have to be able to
understand the laws of God in order to be condemned by the laws of God. Thus,
people have the choice of believing that we are monkeys, and thus behaving like
monkeys; per the theory of evolution; or that we are the children of God, per
the prophets. What a vast and irreconcilable difference!! If we are
literally the children of God, then we must behave like the children of God!! If we are
the children of God we must overcome the effects of the burdens of this earth
life and we must rise up to emulate the nature, as best we can, of our living
Father in Heaven. In fact, we are
commanded to do just that (see 3 Nephi 12:48). From God's Perspective From the
perspective of parents; the parents of many species take great care over their
children. Every effort is made to make
them successes. The relationship between
God and us, His children, is no exception. While God
is not a "species," it is obvious that God is watching over us, His
literal children. He wants us to
succeed. However,
God's definition of "success" is not the same as the world's
definition of "success." Many
people think of "success" in terms of money, power over others and
the glory of the world. God thinks
of success in terms of family, helping others and keeping the commandments. President David O. McKay gave us a glimpse of
how God defines "success": When one puts business or pleasure
above his home, he that moment starts on the downgrade to soul-weakness. When
the club becomes more attractive to any man than his home, it is time for him
to confess in bitter shame that he has failed to measure up to the supreme
opportunity of his life and flunked in the final test of true manhood. ... The
poorest shack in which love prevails over a united family is of greater value
to God and future humanity than any other riches. In such a home God can work
miracles and will work miracles. David O. McKay (2005 Priesthood/R.S. Manual - pages 148-149)
Note that
President McKay states that our family values constitute "greater value to
God and future humanity." We are here
on this earth to make a choice: either make the effort to become like God, or to
make no effort to become like God. One symbol
or evidence of our choice is by whether or not we keep the commandments of God
and have the same definition of "success" that God has. When and
how God manifests his pleasure or displeasure with us is up to Him. He will not interfere with our choices, but
he may warn us of His will. We have
been put on this earth to make choices between good and evil. God does not interfere with our choices, but
it is God's prerogative when and how to remind us of which path we have chosen
to take. Societies At the
level of societies, God allows evil and corrupt societies to thrive in their spiritual
filth and wickedness. This is because we
are on this earth to choose between good and evil. When the wicked rule, many people are
attracted to share in the "benefits" (as they suppose) of the power and
glory of the evil forces. Many people,
when they see the glory of the world, choose evil. It is part of their choice between good (i.e.
becoming like God) and evil (following satan). When God is
ready, He will destroy societies which are beyond repentance. Perhaps one of the triggers for their final
destruction is when the children of the people in the society have no hope of
ever becoming spiritual giants. This cycle
has happened many, many times in the history of the world. In it
important to understand that it is not the laws of nature, such as
"survival of the fittest" that are in force when nations are
destroyed. It is the laws of God which
are in force. That is the
whole point. The pattern
of behavior, of the people in the nations which have been destroyed; throughout
the history of the world; has clearly followed the pattern of God's wrath, not the
pattern of "survival of the fittest." For
example, when the Israelites destroyed the people in the land of promise, was
it because of superior battle tactics, as evolution would have us believe? No, it was because God had marked the evil
people who were living in the land of promise for destruction:
32 And after [the Israelites] had crossed the river Jordan he did make
them mighty unto the driving out of the children of the land, yea, unto the
scattering them to destruction.
33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in
the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that
they were righteous? Behold, I say unto
you, Nay.
34 Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they
if they had been righteous? I say unto
you, Nay.
35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is
favored of God. But behold, this
people [the cities destroyed by the Israelites after they left Egypt] had
rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of
the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them,
and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their
destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power
over it.
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited;
and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
37 And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of
the wicked.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked
he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.
39 He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth
is his footstool.
40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he
covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered
the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land
of Egypt. I Nephi 17:32-40 In verses
36 and 37 it says that God has created this earth so His children could inhabit
it. But it also says He destroys the
nations of the wicked and causes righteous nations to thrive. Sometimes
the symbol of God's anger at the wickedness of a society is to have them
destroyed. Of course,
those who do not admit God lives or has any influence on this earth, simply say
that it is natural forces which lead to the destruction of wicked societies. This is
contrary to the evidence. In the
theory of evolution there is no "right" or "wrong." In other words, there are no commandments,
but there is power. It is the power of
"survival of the fittest." If
"survival of the fittest" were an absolute law (i.e. there was no God
to overrule the law), wickedness would eventually rule over the world because
those who are wicked, once they come into power, immediately take control the "media"
of their day (i.e. they brainwash the citizens and take control of their minds);
they control the government policy, the government pocketbook, the education of
the citizens, etc. of their respective country. Not only
that, but frequently evil forces join together to share in the spoils of power. Think, for
example, about Hitler. His government
was a master of propaganda. They totally
controlled the minds and every aspect of the German society. You were at risk to be executed if you owned
a radio which could receive English radio stations. Some would
say that it was excessive ambition on the part of Hitler that caused the
failure of his regime. But that is the
point. Satan is allowed to blind the
minds of his evil followers and when the time comes, their government will be
destroyed. Satan destroys his followers. While it is
the final decision of God as to when a society is destroyed; when the time
comes, satan is loosed and he is allowed to destroy his followers both
spiritually and physically. It is a
formula which has been used hundreds of times on this earth in different
countries and communities. In theory,
the iron rule of Machiavellian control cannot be overthrown. It is the ultimate example of "survival
of the fittest." If there were no
God and no satan, once a Machiavellian government was in full control, that
government could not be overcome by its citizens. But satan is in the business of destroying
the souls of mankind. God can
destroy a nation by allowing another nation to destroy it (as happened to the
Nephites); God can destroy it by disease (as happened during the Plague); God
can destroy it by natural disaster (which is no accident - it is what happened
to many cities in America at the time of the crucifixion); God can destroy it
by an internal uprising (as partially happened to King Noah in the Book of
Mormon); God can destroy it by internal fighting among secret combinations (as
happened in the Book of Ether); etc. On rare
occasions, the wicked can be destroyed by the righteous, such as when Joshua
led the Israelites into the land of promise or as the Nephites constantly won
battles over the Lamanites in the Book of Mormon (when the Nephites were
righteous). Mature evil
societies are frequently destroyed by up-and-coming evil societies. In this way it can appear to be a normal
destruction. But no
matter how these iron-grip governments are overthrown, God is hiding His hand. History
books are not going to mention God any more than biology books or physics books
are going to mention God. God never gets
credit, whether He is creating a Universe, designing human DNA, destroying an
evil nation or protecting a righteous nation. But since
God doesn't get the credit in the newspapers and history books, He does not get
the credit He deserves. His actions, as
always, are officially ignored by the establishments in the media, in science,
and in government. But the
consistency of the pattern is indisputable.
When satan rules over a nation, unless they repent, it is just a matter
of time until God releases satan to destroy his followers, both physically and
spiritually. There are
many, many examples where totally wicked people have thrived for many
generations. It is up to God when and
how to "draw the line" and terminate their spiritually destructive
behavior. It is
essential that the wicked thrive in wealth and the glory of the world from time
to time. Like rotting meat attracts
flies; power and money attract those whose hearts are evil. Wicked people easily fall for the bait that
satan has laid out for them. All of this
is to give people an opportunity to choose between good and evil. People must be exposed to both good and evil
in order to be justly rewarded or justly punished in the eternal worlds. Many, many,
many times the righteous have changed their hearts, and have fallen for the
bait of satan and joined the forces of evil.
27 Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds;
and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests,
did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who
were to be tried according to the law.
28 And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into
that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and
administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.
29 Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter
into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder
from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the
law.
30 And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country;
and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to
establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty
but should be subject unto kings. 3 Nephi 6:27-30 [narrative] Applying the Laws of God
to Even though
22 And then, O ye Gentiles, how can ye stand before the power of God,
except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
23 Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at
his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll?
24 Therefore, repent ye, and humble yourselves before him, lest he shall
come out in justice against you--lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go
forth among you as a lion, and tear you in pieces, and there is none to
deliver. Mormon 5:22-24 [Mormon] And again
referring to
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that
it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve
God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon
them. And the fulness of his wrath
cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands;
wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it
is the everlasting decree of God. And it
is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land,
that they are swept off. Ether 2:9-10 [description of revelation to the Brother of
Jared] Here is a
quote on this subject by the president of the church at the time, Ezra Taft
Benson: I testify that wickedness is rapidly
expanding in every segment of our society. (See D&C 1:14-16; D&C
84:49-53.) It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more
powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power,
gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow
the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil
influence and control over Ezra Taft Benson, “I Testify,” Ensign, Nov. 1988, 86 The interesting
thing about this quote is that President Benson was not warning us about other
nations, but rather he was warning us about secret combinations (which are a
form of Machiavellian society), which generally destroy nations from within, not from without. President
Ezra Taft Benson also stated: Never before has the Ezra Taft Benson, “A Witness and a Warning,” Ensign, Nov.
1979, 31 No doubt
the enemy which President Benson was referring was the secret combinations, not
external enemies. Internal corruption,
and internal wickedness (e.g. unnecessary abortions, the popularity of
homosexual behavior, etc.) must precede the destruction of all nations, prior
to the actual destruction by external enemies or other forces. In other
words, satan must first cause a nation to rot from within. Then, at the appointed time, God releases
satan to destroy the nation from without or by other ways. Thus,
American, which is no exception to the
Laws of God, if it is to be destroyed, must first rot with corruption
from within before there is any danger from external forces. Many people
outside of the LDS church understand these principles perfectly just by
observation and by reading the Bible. As
President of the United States Abraham Lincoln said to the American people: "We have forgotten God. We have
forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness
of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior
wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have
become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving
grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation In this
relevant comment, President Lincoln also said this: "Shall we expect some
transatlantic military giant, to step over the ocean, and crush us at a blow?
Never! -- All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the
treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a
Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or
make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a Thousand years. At what point,
then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it
must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If
destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a
nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." Abraham Lincoln Indeed,
every nation which has been destroyed has died by suicide. While another nation may have "finished
off" the nation; the other nation could not have destroyed it until after it had destroyed itself
from within. What
President Lincoln is saying is that if America is destroyed, America must first
rot from within; then it will be destroyed from within or without (by God) in
whatever way He chooses. The Book of
Mormon says this explicitly, and by example, over and over and over again. This is not
the pattern of evolution and "survival of the fittest." Machiavellian tactics are very good at
maintaining power. President
Spencer W. Kimball stated, referring to the We are a warlike people, easily
distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When
enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone
and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for
protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of
pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot,
thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the
Savior’s teaching: “Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you; “That ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44-45.) We forget that if we are
righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us—and
this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas (see
2 Ne. 1:7)—or he will fight our battles for us (Ex. 14:14; D&C 98:37, to
name only two references of many). This he is able to do, for as he said at the
time of his betrayal, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and
he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53.)
We can imagine what fearsome soldiers they would be. King Jehoshaphat and his people were
delivered by such a troop (see 2 Chr. 20), and when Elisha’s life was
threatened, he comforted his servant by saying, “Fear not: for they that be
with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kgs. 6:16). The Lord then
opened the eyes of the servant, “And he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kgs. 6:17.) Enoch, too, was a man of great faith
who would not be distracted from his duties by the enemy: “And so great was the
faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle
against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and
the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were
turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the
wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch.”
(Moses 7:13.) What are we to fear when the Lord is
with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith
in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as
ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry
the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies. We must leave off the worship of
modern-day idols and a reliance on the “arm of flesh,” for the Lord has said to
all the world in our day, “I will not spare any that remain in President Spencer W. Kimball, “The False Gods We Worship,” Ensign, June 1976, p. 3 President
Kimball has spoke about the preservation of righteous nations by God. This is the next topic. Righteous Societies and
Nations Unlike
wicked nations; righteous civilizations have thrived as long as their citizens
kept the commandments of the true and living God. In some cases righteous civilizations have
even been translated (i.e. taken up to heaven without tasting death), such as
the city of Enoch, called Zion, and the city of Melchizedek, called Salem. As the
great composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote in the Elijah oratorio: "He, watching over No righteous nation on this planet has
ever been destroyed!! All nations
which have been destroyed in the history of the world had first rotted in
spiritual corruption. Righteous
nations are protected by God and cannot be destroyed by other nations. It has never happened and will never happen
in the history of the Universe!! It is
totally contrary to the Universal laws of God. This
message is to all nations, especially to the house of Jacob:
18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments--then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 Thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like
the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from
before me.
20 Go ye forth of 1 Nephi 20:18-20 God loves
those who love Him and who want Him to be their God (i.e. they want to become
like their Father in Heaven). On an
individual level, some children of God fully qualified to live in His presence
while they lived in the preexistence (these are they who never live to achieve
accountability in this life, such as those who die before the age of 8 or those
who are born mentally incapable); many will have the chance in this life; and
many will have a chance in the next life (i.e. the spirit world). God is a just God; and because of Christ, God
is also a merciful God. God is
literally our parent and He looks down on us as a loving Father, but as a
Father who will not compromise and cannot be deceived. The evidence from history is inescapable. The theory of evolution has it wrong; God has
overruled the law of "survival of the fittest" (at the community or
national level) on hundreds of occasions. God has
protected the righteous nations as well. The data
overwhelming supports the understanding that we are the children of God, not of
primates. God overrules the false notion
of "survival of the fittest" whenever He chooses. Progression One of the
main conceptual differences between evolution and LDS doctrine is the
difference between accidental improvements and progression. God did not
become God by a long series of accidents. The human
race has progressed over the centuries, not because of new and improved DNA,
but because of cumulative discoveries.
Adam had the same intelligence, in fact no doubt a much higher
intelligence, than any human today. But
cumulative discoveries make it appear that humans have gotten smarter over the
centuries. They have not gotten smarter since Adam and
Eve. However,
just as humanity has cumulatively improved over time due to increased
technology (which technology was really the result of revelations from God,
though God rarely gets that credit either); individuals have also cumulatively
progressed over time due to better education. In other
words, humans have always had the capability to learn, but only in recent
centuries have they had an opportunity to stretch their intelligence. But our
spirits will live forever. Likewise,
after the resurrection, our spirits and bodies will live together forever. Those who
are righteous will "eternally progress." Those who put themselves into a position of
eternally progressing will some day be able to travel among the stars without
sitting inside of a metal box. It is not
evolution, it is progression. Evolution
implies accidents. Progression implies a
plan, which includes experiences and education (i.e. being taught by someone
who "has been there"). There is no
comparison between the dark theory of evolution and the glorious truth that we
are literally the children of God.
17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have
not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and
prepared for you;
18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer,
for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are
yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-18 |