Catholicism

Dear Readers,

Another delicate post, much like my post about Jehovah's Witnesses, I will talk about Catholic beliefs and why I am not Catholic. It is my sincere desire to not misrepresent the Catholic church or Catholicism. If there seems to be any misunderstandings on my part, please feel free to correct me. I am not above amending something that I have misconstrued. Unlike my post about the Jehovah's Witnesses, I could not find a direct website from them, thus Wikipedia was my main source of information. Therefore, I have all the more need for your comments to make sure that my understanding and information is correct.

Like with my other post, I will focus on the three questions of the soul:

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

The Catholic church, an umbrella term I am using to refer to Catholicism in general, is comprised of an organization based around priesthood authority. Claiming lineage of this authority primarily through Peter, and therefore Christ Himself, passing down to Linus (2 Timothy 4:21) as the first recorded Pope (arguably Peter, but since he is still referred to as Saint Peter it is Pope Linus as the first Pope), then to Anacletus, Clement, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telephorus, Hyginus, Pius, et cetera.

Under the pope are Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and Deacons. This is based much after the organization depicted in 1 Timothy chapter 3 minus the Cardinals, who are basically superior Archbishops.

It is interesting to point out that in the same chapter where this organization is set forth, there are also stipulation that are unmet in the Catholic church today, including Bishops being the "husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2) and Deacons as well (1 Timothy 3:12). This seems contrary to the current practice of celibacy required for the station of Bishops and other clergy. However, I must admit that though this seems to be a requirement, it does appear to be closely related to the "forbidding to marry" as warned about in the following chapter (1 Timothy 4:3).

Alas, this brings us to the doctrines taught. Though they teach from the Holy Bible, many of their practices and doctrines come from tradition and other liturgy written and formulated by former Popes and other leaders, including theological counsels.

Saint Birinus Catholic Church link

One of the most famous of these counsels was that of Nicaea. From the counsel was created the Nicene Creed which decrees the nature of God as the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, Spirit of God) all as one being in order to stand apart from the polytheistic (multiple god) religions of Greece and Rome.

Madonna (Virgin Mary) from All Saints Catholic Church St. Peters, Missouri

With this monotheistic (one god) extreme of combining the Trinity into one, other doctrines were set forth, including prayers, sacraments, and other forms of worship. One of the many forms of worship that other Christians often view as idol worship is prayers to Mary the mother of Jesus and various Saints. However, in the course of my research I have been able to discern why this isn't so, or at least, why Catholics do not view it that way.

Adam's Creation by Michelangelo Sistine Chapel Censored

God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing) in 6 literal days. Though, Catholic consign that evolution may have been the means of creating the first human body (Adam), God is responsible for creating his soul.

After Satan's fall, he tempts Adam and Eve into mortal sin. Mortal sin being unpardonable after death while venial sin is more forgivable. Baptism washes away mortal sin, thus with the fall of the human species, children have to be baptized to remove this original sin. Yet, this does not remove their agency.

Infant Baptism

While children, through baptism, have been cleansed form the original sin, there is a second conversion at 13 in which an individual expresses a personal willingness to serve God and thus, essentially, renew their baptism.

Though mortal sin can only be forgiven in this life through confession, penance, and a priest conferring absolution, venial sin can be forgiven after. This, therefore, allows for death bed repentance and thus salvation. According to Catholicism, when we die we are taken to God for judgment where we are set into one of three states of being.

Catholic Heaven as depicted in Simpsons season 16 episode 21

There is heaven (Mark 14:62), where those who are free from sin are raised in a state of "unspeakable joy that lasts forever" (wiki).

Depiction of Dante's Infero

Then there is hell, a state of eternal misery burning in fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:10). Even though I find interesting the depiction of hell in Dante's Inferno, the description of nine circles is inaccurate according to Catholic theology. In this terrible state are all those who die with mortal sin remaining such as unbaptized babies, murderers, adulterers, et cetera.

Purgatory scene from 1999 The Haunting

Lastly, there is a temporary state of purgatory, where people who die with venial sins remain until they are purged by penance and prayers of others still living, on their behalf. Once they are cleansed, they are finally released to heaven or dragged down to hell. I like how this was depicted in the movie The Haunting, where an evil man clung onto children, thus holding them in purgatory with him until the demons finally dragged him down and released the children into heaven.

But what does this have to do with the "idolatry" of Saints? Because heaven is alive and well now, those who die and go there are currently alive and with God. Thus, prayers to Mary and other Saints are more like phone calls to someone not in the room. Also, with the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, being one with God the Father, there is no mediator to plead for us in mortality other than the Saints. Wherefore, praying to Saints to ask God for blessings on our behalf is the only help we can receive beside from God directly.

With this knowledge, it also makes sense why Pope Francis recently talked about how having a personal relationship with Christ can be dangerous (youtube). It appears woven into their beliefs that without others you are alone. Without Saints pleading to God on your behalf, without friend and family at church praying for you after you die, or receive constant absolution from priests then your efforts by yourself, as an individual, could leave your soul in jeopardy.

Now that I have talked about their beliefs and even defended the Pope, lets answer the questions at hand.

Where did I come from? Our bodies are essentially those of an animal though in the likeness of God having a spirit uniquely created by God at our birth.

Why am I here? Our purpose is to not sin and worship God.

Where am I going? Depending on how well I did not sin and worshiped God, I either go to heaven or hell, everlasting bliss or misery respectively. There might be a brief stay in purgatory, but eventually it would be one of these two places.

Not having any memories before this life, personally, I could live with my mortal body being created at birth and God creating my spirit at that time, but mortality seems rather pointless, just scraping by to live and commit no grand sins in order to make it to heaven. Then in heaven, yes it is ultimate bliss, but what is the point?

It seems as though most of the incentive to keep from sinning comes from not burning in hell fire for eternity. As it stands, according to Catholicism, I would be damned to hell because I have not been baptized by their authority and thus being cleansed from the original mortal sin. It is interesting, however, to note some of that power and authority as laid out in the Holy Bible. Matthew 16:19 is Christ addressing Peter concerning the keys of authority He gives him, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

As anecdotal evidence, while on my mission I had an opportunity to talk to a Catholic who clearly had talked to missionaries before. He politely turned my companion and I away, but before closing the door he added that the "keys" to bind and loose are found in the Catholic church. I knew what he was referencing because as a missionary, we talk a bit about how the keys are restored and families can be bound or sealed together for all eternity. Thus his comment intrigued me. In all of my research of the Catholic church I have not found what they would use this authority for (if they indeed had it).

With confession and absolution it seems as though they openly exercised power to "loose" people from the binds of sin on earth and in heaven, but what do they bind? Catholic marriages are till death do they part, so they bind on earth, but NOT in heaven, where everyone is like an angel of God (Matthew 22:30) having no spouse or children but are all brothers and sisters or children of God. I truly do not know what they "bind" on earth and heaven and therefore it appears as though they do not in reality have this authority to which they profess and claim.

To sum up, though I do not think the Catholic church is God's church on the earth, I do find their desire to serve God by being proper Christians, and even their desire to pray and try to help those who have passed on to be admirable. Yet, their idea of the purpose of life leaves me much to be desired, including the results of the afterlife. It boggles my mind that God would create a spirit for a new born baby or infant only to damn it to everlasting fire and brimstone for simply not being born to a Catholic family. This philosophy portrays a God that performs much for pointless and futile reasons. Alas, with this viewpoint I recognize my bias and advise others to follow their own hearts and to pray, asking God, to learn and know truth for themselves.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Previous: Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses

Dear Readers,

As with some of my posts, this is a delicate one to type. Though I do not want to offend any Jehovah's Witnesses, I do want to express why I do not adhere to their religion. It is my desire to accurately depict their beliefs and their church, thus if any of my information or assertions is incorrect, please correct me in the comments. I am not above correcting my mistakes. The majority of the information I have obtained is from their own website: jw.org

This may reflect my own bias, but as a missionary I learned that as human beings we have three basic questions:

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

Before I address theses, I will talk a little about the Jehovah's Witness' church.

The church was originally organized by Charles Taze Russell in 1879, not as a church or religion, but as a society or a community dedicated to going back to what the Holy Bible actually teaches and then worship God accordingly. This original organization, called Zion's Watch Tower Society, was not meant to be a church, and therefore claims no authority, but simply a sincere desire to seek God's truth.

From this humble beginning developed the Jehovah's Witness' church as it stands today, organized with "Elders" under the direction of a group of "Mature Christians". None of whom claim actual authority to act in God's name or on His behalf. They simply lead the church according to the Bible and to the best of their human knowledge and reasoning.

Using this organization, they worship God through prayer (Philippians 4:6), reading the scriptures (Holy Bible), meditation and pondering upon the word (Psalms 1:2), helping those in need (James 2:14-20), and lastly preaching the "good news of the kingdom" of God (Matthew 24:14). All of which I have adhered to growing up in the LDS church, and is not much different than how other Christian churches worship.

Not only do they adhere to basic Christian worship, but also the requirements of salvation. Faith having works (James 2:22) such as baptism (John 3:5), the symbol of ending one's old life of sin and beginning a new one in Christ, and a knowledge of the scriptures and the significance of what is being performed (Acts 8:35-36) is what is required for Jehovah Witness salvation, or at least beginning to walk the path, needing to continue to worship God throughout our lives.

Because they do not claim any authority, anyone baptized in the name of God the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost with a knowledge of what they are doing would be "saved" by these requirements, which includes all faithful Latter-day Saints. Thus, I can continue in my life, in the church I currently belong to, and still fully qualify for the salvation they preach.

Yet, this does not answer the questions of the soul. To answer the three questions above we need to ask, who is God and what is He like? Jehovah's Witnesses, as their their name depicts, believe in Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. As to His nature, they believe He is a spirit. Where does that place Jesus, as His Son, the Savior and Redeemer of the world and the King of God's Kingdom. However, unlike many Christian religions, including Mormonism, Jesus Christ and God (in this case Jehovah) are separate beings. Thus it is proper to say that Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity.

Now, this God, who is clearly benevolent wanting as many humans as will to be saved and worship Him, created the earth. Though, it was not necessarily created in 6 days, for the Old Testament portrays a planet before God started speaking His creation (Genesis 1:1-2).

As with the true understanding of the "soul" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15) being the spirit and the body, God breathed into Adam the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). When humans were created, in the garden paradise, Satan, a fallen angel who rebelled against God, convinced them to join him and partake of the forbidden fruit, committing the first sin and plunging humanity into this terrible fallen world.

So, if our mortal life here is so terrible, what awaits after death? Oblivion. Psalms 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he is returned to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." When the spirit leaves the body, that is it, non-existence. Now, while serving my mission, I had an opportunity to talk to a Jehovah's Witness who explained that the word "hell" in the New Testament is translated from "shoel" and "hades" which they translate as the "common grave". Thus, they only live in the mind of God, that is, until the resurrection.

image link

With the resurrection, there will be those who go to heaven, a spiritual plane of existence. These are limited to 144,000 in God's kingdom (Revelations 7:4) who will be kings and rulers over those resurrected as part of the "great multitude" (Revelations 7:9) with immortal human bodies (1 Corinthians 15:40) on a perfect earth. Here, on earth, there will a utopia where people will live their lives worshiping God in righteousness.

An Ancient from Stargate Atlantis

This reminds me surprisingly of the Stargate worlds, in how the Ancients aka energy beings which could be likened unto spirit beings are the superiors to beings with a body.

The Ori Adria taking human form from Stargate SG1

Particularly in the Ori galaxy where the Ori energy beings commanded that the physical being worship them continually, and that worship gave the Ori power.

Finally, to answer the questions:

Where did I come from? God created us from the dust using a blueprint (DNA) instilled with His spirit to create a soul (1 Corinthians 6:19). Thus we only enter existence when we are born and enter non-existence when we die.

Why am I here? I am here to worship God... that is it... either worship God or be erased forever when I die.

Where am I going? Oblivion first, then paradise where I will be in a utopia forever worshiping God, because the 144,000 chosen spirit beings have long since been selected. Never progressing, because God's great design was to see what flesh robot designs would obey and worship Him and which would not.

jw.org who goes to heaven?

Though my "flesh robot" might be a little outrageous, it reflects my feelings on this matter. I do believe that if the Holy Bible was the full word of God and the only word of God, then Jehovah's Witnesses would be the true religion. Yet, it removes the possibility of revelation, of a living God that continues to speak. Thu, ultimately, portraying a God that always wants us to be under His heel.

Thus, these answers do not satisfy my soul, and there is little incentive to change for by their criteria, I would be saved anyway. Not to mention, according to Mormonism, the Utopian state of  existence that the Jehovah's Witnesses aspire to, and if their doctrines are lived, qualify for would be the Terrestrial kingdom. Though the Terrestrial kingdom is part of God's kingdom, it is limited from progression, and therefore damned though not in misery.

Wherefore, I am left holding on to the Mormon beliefs which I have felt the Spirit of God testify to me are true. I do encourage everyone to seek truth for themselves by asking God. Who better to tell you pure truth than the Master of Truth, God Himself? If anyone can lead you to the true religion, He can!

Love,
Jacobugoth

Next: Catholicism

Adam, Eve, and Lilith

Dear Readers,

I am about to take you on a journey, my journey, in trying to understand what is true about the Adam and Eve story. Alas, that is only part of why I am talking about this subject. Opinions and speculations abound in this post, for it is my mortal mind trying to accept and understand the scriptures and the teachings of modern prophets.

Adam and Eve from the movie Noah 2014

What first got me trying to discover this is when I was trying to understand and combat the anti-mormon information out there, including the false doctrine that Adam is God the Father. During this pursuit I found this quote from Journal of Discourses given by Brigham Young, "When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him." (Journal of Discourses v1 pg 50)

Of course, it is important to note the context for this quote. Brigham Young was trying to dispel the false notion that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost. In so doing, he compared Christ's birth to Adam's creation. "He is the first of the human family; and when he took a tabernacle, it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve; from the fruits of the earth, the first earthly tabernacles were originated by the Father; and so on in succession." (Journal of Discourses v1 pg 50-51) "from the fruits of the earth" is key here, at least for me.

All accounting of Adam's creation in the scriptures describe him as being "formed from the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7, Moses 3:7, Abraham 5:7). However, President Brigham Young has stated, "Look for instance at Adam. Listen, ye Latter-day Saints! Supposing that Adam was formed actually out of clay, out of the same kind of material from which bricks are formed; that with this matter God mad the pattern of a man, and breathed into it the breath of life, and left it there, in that state of supposed perfection, he would have been an adobie to this day. he would not have known anything."

Though I am one of the first to admit this is faulty logic, for I believe in the same God that turn water into wine (John 2:1-11), that multiplied the loaves of bread and the fish (Mark 6:38-43), who parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22, Psalm 136:13-15), and raised the dead (Luke 7:12-15, John 11:14, 43-44). Therefore, if God wanted to, He could create Adam from clay and the dust of the earth, that is within His power. However, because of Prophet of God was permitted to teach this for doctrine, I must believe it is true. For we also see that if there is a natural way to bring something into existence then there is no need for Him to intervene so miraculously. As with the wine, they could not get wine for the party, so the transmutation needed to occur.

Similarly, there was a world-wide devotional this year in which Russel M Nelson talked about Divine Law. "I learned this as President Spender W. Kimball's surgeon." he said concerning divine laws, "When the implanted pacemaker for his heart suddenly failed, President Kimball came back to me for help. But first he asked me to give him a priesthood blessing. After the blessing, which promised correction of his failed pacemaker, he then said to me. 'Now you may do whatever you need to do to make that blessing a reality. I proceeded with the operation. One the wire that carried electricity from the pacemaker to his heart, I found a break in the insulation. When I replaced the faulty wire, the pacemaker immediately worked again, allowing President Kimball's heart to beat normally. Not even for God's prophet could the law relating to the transmission of electricity be ignored." Again, I believe in a God that could repair the pacemaker without surgery, but why would He need to when He has our natural and learned skills at His disposal. Thus the truth is made plain that there was another, natural way for God to create Adam.

It is interesting that while studying why Christ had to be born of the mortal Mary and the immortal Father in Heaven, that the logic dictated this truth. If Jesus was born of two mortals, He could not withstand the pains of the atonement and give up His life for us. Thus we would remain under the condemnation of sin. Nor could He raise Himself from the dead, and we would forever remain subject to death. Yet, if Jesus was born of two immortals, then He must needs remain immortal, unless He were to fall. Though, if He fell, He would no longer be perfect and without sin. Therefore, Jesus had to be born half mortal, half immortal, a demigod. Able to die, and yet live a perfect life. With this realization, I saw that Adam could have been born of two immortal beings, and as thus, he would need to fall to become mortal, to know pain, suffering and evil so that he can choose and rejoice with the good (2 Nephi 2:22-25).

Thus my conclusion that by the natural laws, dust of the ground was take and shaped into the fruits of the earth, literally fruits and vegetables likely in the Garden of Eden. As our Heavenly Mother bore Adam within her womb, she ate of this matter which was used to form Adam's physical body. This, to my mind, satisfies all of the laws of both God, man and the scriptures. For Adam was "formed from the dust of the ground" and yet begotten of the Father in immortality, celestial as his parents before him.

Until further light and knowledge is revealed, this explanation and conclusion satisfies me. Though it is clearly based upon quotes from the Journal of Discourses which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not proclaim and uphold as scripture (Church's standing), it does adhere to the Church's official stance upon the creation of Adam as stated in The Origin of Man. "True it is that the body of man enters upon its career as a tiny germ embryo, which becomes an infant, quickened at a certain stage by the spirit whose tabernacle it is, and the child, after being born, develops into a man. There is nothing in this, however, to indicate that the original man, the first of our race, began life as anything less than a man, or less than a human germ or embryo that becomes a man." That same article also refutes evolution as it is currently taught as "...the theories of men."

With this understanding that I have about the creation of Adam, I recently met up with some discrepancies with the creation of Eve. For the longest time, I had believed that the rib was literally taken of Adam, and with the knowledge that I have and seeing the symbolism of "woman" being taken out of "man" thought that maybe God had taken some cells from the rib and using them like gametes taking the x-chromosomes from Adam and formed Eve with a pair. However, as I brought up briefly in my post about the Creation,  President Kimball stated with no uncertainty that Eve was not created from Adam's rib (The blessings and responsibilities of womanhood).

 Though it has been argued by some that the entire creation story is all symbolic and only symbolic, I do not now believe that to be so. Which is why I struggled with accepting this doctrine. Luckily I had a friend that purposed this idea to me. The scriptures say that Adam was put into a deep sleep (Genesis 2:21). Therefore, there is a possibility that what the scripture states about Eve's creation was the vision that Adam was shown in a dream. Thus the symbolism of the rib, "The rib signifies neither dominion nor subservience, but a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side." (Lesson from Eve). This makes more sense, though the scriptures do not say that Adam woke up, but assuming that he did so, or even if it was in the dream, he would proclaim "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:23-24).

Now, unsure if it was still in the dream not the scripture says "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman..." (Genesis 2:22). To this I would like to sight how "man" stood for "mankind": "Man here is always in the plural. It was plural from the beginning." (In the Beginning: A Latter-day Perspective). Therefore, Eve being the symbolic rib was "taken from man" which could mean that she was taken or set apart from mankind, which at this stage was in the spirit world. This brings me full circle to the quote from Brigham Young that started this post, "When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him." (Journal of Discourses v1 pg 50).

If you want to know my position on Plural Marriage, you can read my post about it. For this post, it will be enough to acknowledge that fore-ordination or pre-destination (Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved. [William Jennings]) exist and that we were called to certain positions before mortality to serve in during mortality. With that realization, why couldn't a woman be called or fore-ordained to be a man's wife? or a man fore-ordained to be a woman's husband?

Thus, my understanding that Eve was fore-ordained to be Adam's wife, and the mother of all living. However, what if there were other women fore-ordained to be Adam's wives? Who are they and why don't we have a record of them?

By getting into some very strange stuff, there is Jewish mythology of a being known a Lilith that was supposedly Adam's first wife, but she sinned against God and was cast out. It is interesting to note that maybe this is true, maybe Lilith was a fore-ordained wife to Adam, but she sinned against God and His plan and was cast out with Lucifer. Therefore, she never received a body and we have no account of her in the creation.

Western Screech Owl

Indeed, the only biblical reference we have for her is her name as a Hebrew word that was translated as "screech owl" in Isaiah 34:14 "The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest." (Bold Added).

As with the topic of Adam, context is important. Isaiah 33 is talking about apostasy and wickedness abounding before Christ's second coming. Isaiah 34 talks about the destruction and evil right before Christ's second coming, and Isaiah 35 talks about restoration, rebirth and blessings as Christ comes again. Thus this "screech owl" or Lilith might find rest, in the destruction, in the wicked world, right before it is cleansed and made new for Christ. It is also interesting to note that in Mesopotamia Lilim were female night demons and in Akkadian/Sumerian "lil" is a reference to wind which co-incided with the "breath of life" or spiritus (Latin for breath or breeze) or spirit, which could mean that she is still a spirit and is indeed a demon or angel of Satan.

Alas, Jewish folklore, not myth, but folklore has Lilith being made at the same time as Adam, from the same dirt. She then disobeys Adam and God and leave them for the archangel Samael. Whether she was actually born in the flesh or merely a fore-ordained spirit, there certainly seems some negative connotations associated with her. Least of all being Lilith, the first demon in the television show Supernatural. However, that show requires many grains of salt considering they also portrayed Eve as being the mother of monsters.

In any case, we do not have a credible account of their Eve's actual creation nor of Lilith even existing. Thus, until more light and knowledge is revealed, it satisfies my mind to think that Eve was created the same way as Adam. Though that would make them brother and sister, they would be perfect, with perfect genes, even relatively perfect after the fall enabling the genetic diversity to prevent deformities from inbreeding.

Now, with all of this stated, I don't want anyone to go away thinking that this idea of Adam's creation takes away from the majesty of Christ's birth. Not only is Jesus Christ the "Only Begotten Son in the flesh" it is a title as well as a state of being.

"The 'divine Sonship' also refers to the designation 'Only Begotten Son in the flesh.'... This title signifies that Jesus' physical body was the offspring of a mortal mother and of an immortal Eternal Father, which verity is crucial to the Atonement, a supreme act that could not have been accomplished by an ordinary man." (Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel chapter 7)

This signifies that "in the flesh" is a reference to mortal life. Christ is the only child that God has been the sire of into mortality.

I hope that these ideas get all of you thinking and pondering upon the beauty of the gospel and of the the Plan of Salvation.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Creation

Dear Readers,

I felt like sharing and bearing my testimony and knowledge of the creation of this world. Though I am not sure where to begin.

We know from Moses 3:5 that everything was made spiritually before it was physically created. Now, as far as I know, and have testimony of, God is the creator of spirits (Teachings:Joseph F. Smith 37), thus He created man as spirit first (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29), so also did He create the earth. It was indeed His plan after all, and it would also make sense that he would have something visual for us to see when He shared His plan with us to be sustained (not voting upon, but signifying our allegiance to).

As we know, Christ was the first to volunteer to be the Savior in God's plan , and that Satan volunteered second to be the Savior with his own plan (Isaiah 14:12-15). God, of course, chose Christ, and Satan with his 1/3 of all of the spiritual children of God, were cast out of heaven. (Revelations 12:4, Joseph Smith Translation Revelations 12:4)

Then in Abraham 3:22-24, Abraham was shown in a vision from God through the Urim and Thummim, that we were all intelligences which were organized, and that there was one, like unto God, who is Jesus Christ, who was then called Jehovah, and said "we will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;"

Now this "we" could be Jehovah and Michael, which is at least confirmed by the teachings of the temple, but I believe that we, ourselves, even all of the children of God who kept their first estate (sustained Christ and God's plan instead of Satan and his {Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual Lesson 2}) worked and helped organize and build this world, all under the direction of God through Jehovah.

 As plainly described in Abraham 4:1, the earth was organized from actual materials, i.e. physical matter. Joseph Smith also added "The word create came from the [Hebrew] word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and buil a ship. Hense, we infer that God had materials to organize the world our of chaos--chaotic matter" Some believe this was a nebula, in which gravity was introduced, which is indeed congruent with the teachings of the temple.

But mixed with the teachings in the institute manual about dinosaurs, we find that whatever original planet which hosted the dinosaurs was likely created from a nebula, but then pieces or even the entire thing recycled was then turned into that fundamental, void (Genesis 1:2) earth. Possibly, and this is my opinion based upon the truths that I know, that the initial gravity that condensed the nebula was likely this planet, that is why there is so many layers of dirt and stone upon the fossils of the dinosaurs. Thus there are the fossilized remnant of dinosaurs that date back millions of years which are also buried in the earth, and yet this was all done before the first day of God's 7 day creation. Also, should this be the case, it would also explain why the dinosaurs grew to such large heights. A smaller planet, indeed part of our own, would have a lighter gravity, thus the animals could physically grow larger. Kind of the same phenomenon as portrayed in James Cameron's Avatar.

Now we have the basic planet structure by this nebula birth and recycling, with the heavier, solid matter below, liquid in the middle, and the gasses on top. For there was darkness on this planet structure and the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost) went forth upon the face of the deep. (Genesis 1:2). I remember praying once to learn from God what that spirit was, whether it was all of us spiritual children of God, or the Holy Ghost. I bear witness that it was indeed the Spirit of God and that He was and is there watching over the tabernacle we call earth. He helped to build it, and though He will not receive a body until the end (The Restoration of Major Doctrines through Joseph Smith: The Godhead, Mankind, and the Creation) He is always there, helping us when we need help, and will also be there to welcome us when we depart from this life.

Now the first day, according to the reckoning of God, which is the same, if not close to the reckoning of time on the sphere called Kolob, is one thousand years as we know it now, on earth. (Abraham 3:4, 9, 2 Peter 3:8)This is also verified by God's own word, in Genesis 2:17 God says to Adam, "...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Then in in Genesis 5:5 it says "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." Thus within that one day to the Father, Adam did indeed die. God does not sleep so there is no night. Anyway, this day begins with God saying "let there be light" and there was light, and the light was "good" (Genesis 1:3-4). Then God divided the light from the darkness. I have wondered about this. I have come to the conclusion that the light is from "God's face" or His glory and that He drew near to watch as His children continued to work, thus departing the darkness which was upon the face of the earth. Thus the light is good, and the first day was completed.

This first day also makes sense from any scientist's objective perspective. If you are about to run an experiment, first you want light to see what you are doing.

Day two, a firmament between the waters and the waters. (Genesis 1:6) Basically now that there was light, water began to evaporate from the heat of the light and rose into the atmosphere making clouds.

Day three. The waters below the firmament are gathered together and dry land is brought up or forth.(Genesis 1:9) This would be the birth of pangea, the first solid landmass. For it was in the days of Peleg that the land divided (Genesis 10:25) into the continents as we know them today. Then grass and plants spring forth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:11) Again from the practical perspective, you need plants to make oxygen for the eventual other forms of life, indeed for the eventual children of God and the purpose of the creation of the earth. The plants use this "light" from God to fuel this process of photosynthesis. Essentially, the earth was being terraformed. I would like to point out that the earth, though perfect with the vegetation, was not celestial, for it was a paradise like the earth will return to during the Millennium (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Section 38). Indeed it was a terrestrial planet.

Day four. God knows that He will have to leave, because of "the fall", so that we can be truly tested. Thus this "light" would be taken away, and that we need other forms of light. So God either created the stars, or allowed their light to reach us, and created the sun and moon for us. (Genesis 1:16) Now, I should mention that I know not whether the sun and moon were actually created or organized at this time, or if they were brought into their current orbits.

Day 5. God causes fish, then fowl, then whales. (Genesis 1:20-21)I like how the creatures of the ocean and waters are created first, as a testimony to me that just because they were created first, thus having older bones and remains, does not mean that one begot the next or evolution, but rather God is a God of order and has stages and levels of creation which we usually call a species.(dictionary.com species Biology. The major subdivision of a genus of subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. [Breed meaning sexual intercourse that produces viable offspring that are not sterile]) 

Quick rant: I am annoyed by the scientific community because they do not adhere to their own definition. Probably for more publicity about discovering a new species, or to make them force the puzzle pieces together about evolution. Either way, it is bad science and bad classification. The coyote, wolf, and domestic dog are all prime examples to me of this phenomena. Different "breeds" of dog are still the same species, yet wolves, their ancient ancestors, are considered a different species. Yet they can indeed breed with domestic dogs, thus getting "part wolf". Yet those part wolf offspring can then continue to reproduce. Given, for some reason, it is rare for a wolf and a dog to breed, but so it is with coyotes. Now a wolf and a coyote are also considered different species under the strange, made up rule about them not normally breeding in the wild. But when they breed, they create what scientists call a hybrid. Yet again these hybrids can continue to breed and create viable offspring. For example, the Texas Chupacabra. This is indeed a real creature. It is the result of one of these coyote-wolf "hybrids" breeding with a "pure blood" coyote. Thus in all actuality, they are all the same species, dogs, wolves, and coyotes, and they should be objectively call breeds, or at least subspecies. 

The same thing happens with other species, for example rattle-snakes. The Timbur Rattle-snake and the Diamondback Rattle-snake are separated by distance and land, but they can still breed, but don't in the wild. Yet, these same scientists, in some cases like this, wisely call them subspecies. Pretty much, genetic variations of the same species, like breeds for cats and dogs, or races for humans. So, I hope that you can see, why it frustrates me so, when they claim there are so many species, or even new species, when they are not adhering to their own criteria. 

Again going with the flaws with evolution, and going back to the examples of canines. Even with will of the controlled breeding to get a Chiwawa and a Mastiff, though they are massively different in size, they could still breed and produce viable offspring. Given a female chiwawa bearing such an offspring would either need a C-section or die during birth, but a female Mastiff could easily bring forth a litter created from such a union. So, with all of man's efforts over the generations, we still have not truly observed the creation  of a new species, unless you count A-sexual organisms, but they are a whole different discussion. Lastly, I would like to point out that I am not fighting Darwin's notion of natural selection, I am just arguing that no matter how much natural selection or man's selection, a new species is not created. 

End of rant. 

So, God commanded that these fish, birds, and whales multiply. That was the end of the 5th day. (Genesis 1:22)

Day six. God created more and higher species, like cattle and things that creep upon the earth. God called them "good". (Genesis 1:24) There was not maliciousness, not fighting or contention. Literally, they were all herbivores, just like they will be during the millennium, "the lion shall eat straw like the ox."(Isaiah 11:6-8). Quickly, I would like to point out that felines are one of the few purely carnivorous animal families on earth. Even dogs and wolves will eat grass to help settle stomachs. 

Anyway, commanded them to multiply, and create more of their own kind. Again, the definition of a species. After God created these perfect animals, God created mankind. First with Adam, from the very dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7) with a celestial, perfect body (Journal if Discourses volume 1 pg 50), and then Eve, as part of Adam, taken from his rib (Genesis 2:21) in similitude of their being side by side, true, unified partners, of one flesh. I also find it fitting that Eve, or woman, was taken out of man, and then women have X chromosomes while men have an X and a Y. So quite symbolically, the X was reproduced and taken out of the XY man. Then God commanded His creations to multiply and replenish the earth. I also like the word "replenish" because it implies that the earth was once fully inhabited, thus again giving more credence to the dinosaur planet concept. 

Sadly though, I have learned that the rib being taken from Adam was purely symbolic. "The story of the rib, of course, is figurative." (The Blessings and Responsibilities of Womanhood, President Spencer W. Kimbal also The Eternal Family Teacher's Manual Lesson 7) Yet in this discovery I found this by Elder Russel M Nelson "From the rib of Adam, Eve was formed. Interesting to me is the fact that animals fashioned by our creator, such as dogs and cats, have thirteen pairs of ribs, but the human being has one less with only twelve." (Lessons from Eve)  

Thus ended the sixth day. The seventh day God "rested". (Genesis 2:2) I put rested in quotations because it is a basic misconception. As the Sabbath or 7th day is made for man to "rest", so it was for God. But what has God commanded us to do on the Sabbath, attend church, serve in our callings, study His word, ponder upon the things of God. All of these things are not resting, or as most people think of as sleeping or napping. On the contrary, most of these things take quite a bit of "work" and effort. So what is the true meaning of this "rest"? It is taking time out for the spiritual things, resting from matters of the flesh, or the temporary things, and focusing on those things that are most important, more crucial. Indeed, during this thousand of earth years in which God "rested", He focused on teaching Adam and Eve. Teaching them His gospel, teaching them truth, and imparting to them of knowledge. That is why it is so very fitting that this time period climaxed with Adam and Eve gaining the greatest, most progressive knowledge possible, by partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3:4) Quite a mouth full in more than one way. 

I feel that I should expound a little about about the nature of life in the Garden of Eden. During the course of writing this post, specifically Sunday July 26, 2015, I came across something that I did not know, and had not testimony of. Indeed it was perplexing to me, and I had little scriptural information to clarify it to me. So I prayed to know the truth. I had trouble receiving the answer, but finally through the means of writing things out, on paper, I received what I believe to be an answer. I know that the fall of Adam and Eve was necessary for them to procreate and to replenish the earth. And I know that in the celestial kingdom, after this life, celestial beings can too reproduce, so that the physical fall was not what was necessary for them to procreate, but rather a mental and spiritual fall. What I did not know was if the fall was necessary for animals to reproduce as well, or if they were already fulfilling God's first commandment while in the Garden of Eden. 

My answer, through prayer, was that they were indeed able to reproduce. The fall, and the curse upon the earth as a result, was for man's sake, not for the animals. The animals were, and will be redeemed. They, though celestialized, were able to reproduce more celestial beings. Their bodies have a nature for this, that was not caused by the fall. While for humans, we may claim it is our nature, but that nature is only a result of the fall. Flesh begets flesh, and spirit begets spirit. 

Another aspect I would like to touch on is that as a result of the fall, animal's brains are more limited. While in the garden animals could indeed speak. Satan does not, and will never have a body of his own, so he literally possessed a snake's body to speak to Eve. (Genesis 3:4, Moses 4:6-7 )

 It is known that demons and evil spirits can possess animal bodies, like when Jesus cast Legion into the herd of swine. (Mark 5:9-13). Also, why didn't Eve wonder why the snake was taking to her? We know from Numbers 22:27-31 that the Lord made the ass to speak, or rather weakened the veil so that the ass could speak for itself. Which means that at least the spirit of the ass is smart enough to be able to speak, even though its body, because of the fall, is not normally able to. 

I do believe that I have covered all that I have desire to cover in this post. I hope that you enjoyed this, and if you have any questions, comments, or references for or against what I have posted here, please leave them in the comments. Thank you. 

Love,

Jacobugoth