Creation

The world was not created out of nothing

Mormons teach that the world was not created out of nothing: what the Bible calls creation was simply a reorganization of matter which had always existed. Here is what Bruce McConkie wrote: ‘To create is to organize. It is an utterly false and uninspired notion to believe that the world or any other thing was created out of nothing ….’ (Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1993, page 169). John A. Widtsoe puts it this way: ‘God, the Supreme Power, cannot conceivably originate matter; he can only organize matter’ (A Rational Theology, 6^th ed. Salt Lake City, 1952, page 12). Joseph Smith said: ‘Now, I ask all who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation, say that God created the heavens, and the earth our of nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of God, and have not the gift of the Holy Ghost …. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put together’ (Sermon ‘How God came to be God’, preached on March 9, 1844; in Robert L. Millet, Joseph Smith: Selected Sermons and Writings, N.J. 1989, page 135)

Confutation

The Holy Scripture teaches that God created all things out of nothing, as it is written in the epistle to the Hebrews: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3 – NKJV – The NIV reads: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible”). Therefore, Mormons are wrong in saying that ‘what the Bible calls creation was simply a reorganization of matter for God can’t originate matter’. Our God is an Almighty God: with Him nothing is impossible. The Psalmist wrote: “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9 – NKJV). To Him be the glory now and forever. Amen.

Back