Creation
Mormons have a Christian view of the Creation of the earth and mankind. They believe that God and His son Jesus Christ created the earth we live on. While this may be a somewhat traditional view of the creation, that which distinguishes Mormon theology is the belief regarding what led up to the creation and the eternal significance of the creation.
Members of the Mormon Church believe the Creation was carefully planned by God and that there was an important purpose in His creation of us, as mortal humans, and also of the earth we now live on.
Mormons believe, through reading the Holy Bible account written in Genesis, and also through accounts given by Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, that before the earth was created, there was a great council, or meeting, in Heaven.
The grand council was a chance for God to gather his spirit children around Him and present a plan for their salvation. Mormons believe that each human being on the earth lived before this life as such a spirit, in the presence of God. Mormons believe that in this pre-earth life we were given opportunities to learn and make choices.
There came a point where we had learned all we could in our existence as a spirit body. A wise and loving God wanted us to progress further. He knew that the only way was for us to be separated from His presence and be tested and trained. So it was that in the council in Heaven, God told us about this plan for our progression. He told us that he would create a place-–the earth--where we could go down and receive a mortal body and learn to have faith in Him. The purpose of our going to earth would be to prove our allegiance to God and our desires to serve Him, even under very difficult circumstances.
God explained that our life on earth would be trying, but that he would not leave us without help. He also warned us that no unclean thing (3 Nephi 27:19) would be allowed to return to His presence. By natural course we would all become unclean through our sins, but God promised to send a Savior; He would be called Jesus Christ, and He would pay the price for our sins. We would be eligible to be cleansed of our sins if we would be sincere in our hearts and do all we could to follow Jesus Christ and His teachings.
And so, the creation of the earth and of our physical bodies was performed for our benefit. As we experience trials in life, we are trained to become more like God. He tries to teach us patience, love, charity, humility, brotherly kindness, service to others, and control over our physical bodies and appetites. God wants us to return to His presence, and if we are sincere in our desires to follow Him and the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ, we will be cleansed of our sins through the blood of Christ and ultimately be admitted into God presence eternally.
Brigham Young made this very interesting statement in 1874 about the history of the earth, “This earth is our home, it was framed expressly for the habitation of those who are faithful to God, and who prove themselves worthy to inherit the earth when the Lord shall have sanctified, purified and glorified it and brought it back into his presence, from which it fell far into space. . . . When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven. And when man fell . . . the earth fell into space, and took up its abode in this planetary system, and the sun became our light. When the Lord said-”Let there be light,” there was light, for the earth was brought near the sun that it might reflect upon it so as to give us light by day, and the moon to give us light by night. This is the glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return again unto the presence of the Father, and it will dwell there, and these intelligent beings that I am looking at, if they live worthy of it, will dwell upon this earth” (Journal of Discourses, Vol.17, p.144).
What if someone doesn’t make it back to God’s presence? Do they go to Hell? See Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms
