Testing the Creation Model of
the LDS Church
Richard Deem
Evidence for God from Science
www.GodAndScience.org
Why Test Religious Claims?
• Determine the truth
• Adopt a valid
worldview
• Lead others to
develop a valid
worldview
Is It Fair to Test LDS
Theology?
• According to Joseph Smith, all
Christianity had become apostate and
was an “abomination” in the sight of
God
• Current official teaching of the LDS
church teaches that “error crept into
Church doctrine” and that the true
Church was destroyed
• Christians have the right and
responsibility to defend the
indestructible Church that Jesus Christ
established in the first century
Overview of LDS Theology
• “Standard works”
•
•
•
•
Bible (Old and New Testament)
Book of Mormon
Doctrine and Covenants
Pearl of Great Price
• Some or all of previous revelation may
be superceded by the current
“prophet”
• This presentation uses the official LDS
teaching book Gospel Principles
Overview of the LDS Creation
Model
• Heavens and the earth were created by
a council of gods
• The God of this world (Elohim) was
once a man who worked his way to
godhead
• Gods are created
• Celestial procreation produces “spirit
children”
• Spirit children can progress to godhead
• Matter is eternal
The LDS Creation Model
• Heavens and the earth were created by
a council of gods
• “…the Council of the Eternal God of all
other gods before this world was…” (D&C
121:32)
• The Gods plan the creation of the earth
and all life thereon… (PoGP:Abraham
4:Heading)
• …And they went down at the beginning,
and they, that is the Gods, organized and
formed the heavens and the earth.
(PoGP:Abraham 4:1)
The LDS Creation Model
• The God of this world (Elohim) was once a
man who worked his way to godhead
• “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as
tangible as man’s…” (D&C 130:22)
• “This is the way our Heavenly Father became
God. Joseph Smith taught: ‘It is the first principle
of the Gospel to know for a certainty the
character of God. . . . He was once a man like us;
. . . God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an
earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did’
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 34546).” (Gospel Principles, 1997. Chapter 47 “EXALTATION”).
The LDS Creation Model
Obedient humans can become gods:
• “If we prove faithful to the Lord, we will live in the
highest degree of the celestial kingdom of
heaven. We will become exalted, just like our
Heavenly Father…”
“These are some of the blessings given to exalted
people…
2. They will become gods.”(Gospel Principles,
1997. Chapter 47 “EXALTATION.”
• “Celestial marriage and a continuation of the
family unit enable men to become gods;” (D&C:
Section 132:Heading)
The LDS Creation Model
Gods are created through celestial
procreation
“… our Heavenly Father called a Grand
Council to present his plan for our
progression (see Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, pp. 348, 349, 365). We learned
that if we followed his plan, we would
become like him. We would have a
resurrected body; we would have all power
in heaven and on earth; we would become
heavenly parents and have spirit children
just as he does (see D&C 132:19-20).”
Gospel Principles, Chapter 2, “Our Heavenly
Family”
The LDS Creation Model
Matter is eternal
• Since gods are created, matter must be
eternal
Problems:
• Scientists agree that matter (along with
energy, space and time) was created at
the Big Bang
• How did matter create the first god?
E-mail From an LDS Member
“Cosmology today postulates an initial
explosion (the Big Bang) from which our
universe has emerged … the beginning
for energy and all the associated laws of
physics, chemistry, et al. This is great
for Christianity. It certainly appears that
science supports the Biblical “in the
beginning” which is interpreted to define
a creation of the Heavens and the Earth
out of nothing… I think it is safe to say
that Mormons don't believe in the Big
Bang.”
Book of Mormon Overview
• “Another testament of Jesus Christ”
• Recorded by the prophet Mormon
• Claims to be an account of two great
civilizations in the Americas:
• Jaredites (from the scattering at the Tower
of Babel)
• Nephites and the Lamanites (from
Jerusalem in 600 B.C.)
Book of Mormon Errors
• Archeology
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Metals
Weapons
Agriculture
Textiles
Animals
Calendars
Religion
Racial characteristics
• Genetics
Smithsonian Institution Letter
The Book of Mormon is a religious document and
not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian
Institution has never used it in archeological
research and any information that you have
received to the contrary is incorrect.
Archeology
• Metals (in coins, weapons, and
buildings)
• Weapons of war (chariots, scimitars,
swords, breastplates)
• Crops (wheat and barley)
• Specialized fabrics (linen and silk)
• Animals (donkey, cattle, oxen, horse,
pig, and elephants)
• Calendar
Metals in the Book of Mormon
• Book of Mormon
claims that iron,
steel, brass, copper,
silver and gold
found in Americas
before Christ
• These metals were
said to be found in
coins, weapons, and
buildings
Metal workers in pottery,
1000 to 1500 A.D.
Metal Use in the Americas
• Metallurgy did not
occur until at least
900 A.D.
• Stone weapons in
use at time Spanish
conquistadors
arrived
• Depictions of
metals/metal work in
art did not appear
until ~1000 A.D.
Stone Aztec knife,
1450 A.D.
Weapons in the Book of
Mormon
• Book of Mormon
claims that chariots
were used in Americas
before Christ
• Book of Mormon
describes use of
scimitars (spelled
“cimiter” in Book of
Mormon), steel swords
and brass breastplates
Scimitar, Middle
Eastern weapon of war
Weapons in the Americas
• No chariots or even
wheeled vehicles
used
• No metal weapons
prior to 1000 A.D.
• Millions died in battle
at Hill Cumorah – no
weapons or remains
found
Weapons included
spears
Agriculture in the Book of
Mormon
• The Book of
Mormon describes
the growing of
crops that require
the use of plows
and specialized
farming techniques
• Book of Mormon
crops included
wheat and barley
Agriculture in the Americas
• Many ancient American Cultures were
hunter-gatherers
• No evidence of plows (as actual
artifacts or in artwork)
• No evidence of either wheat or barley
• Crops know to be grown by
ancient Americans, such as
chocolate, lima beans,
squash, potatoes, and
tomatoes are not mentioned
in the Book of Mormon
Textiles in the Book of
Mormon
• The Book of Mormon describes the use
of linen and silk
• No evidence for the growing of flax
(used to make linen) has been found in
pre-Columbian sites
• No evidence of silkworms or the
technology required to produce silk
material has been found
• No linen or silk items have been found
Textiles in the Americas
• Textiles have been
found dating from
as early as 5800
B.C.
• Elaborate weaving
and patterns found
in textiles dating
from 600 B.C. (date
Nephites and
Lamanites were
said to have sailed
to the Americas)
Animals in the Book of
Mormon
• The Book of Mormon claims that the
following Old World animals were
found in ancient America:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Donkeys
Cattle
Oxen
Horses
Pigs
Elephants
Animals in the Americas
• Mammoths,
mastodons, and
horses had
disappeared from
the American
continents 10,000
years ago
• Donkeys, cattle,
oxen, horses, and
pigs were
introduced on the
continent by the
Spanish after 1492
Man with llama
Calendars in the Book of
Mormon
• The Book of
Mormon claims
that ancient
Americans
practiced a seven
day week
• This week was
said to have
consisted of six
days of work and
a seventh day of
rest
Aztec calendar, 1372 A.D.
Calendars in the Americas
• 260-day cycle divided into 13 “months” of
twenty days (used by most of the ancient
Mesoamericans)
• 365-day cycle, divided into 18 “months” of
twenty days. The five leftover days were
called the “resting,” or “sleep of the year.”
• 3276-day cycle divided into four quadrants of
819 days (the product of 7 x 9 x 13, all sacred
numbers to the Maya).
• “Long count” calendar counted days from
the creation of the world (said to be on
August 11, 3114 B.C.)
•
Religion in the Book of
The Book of Mormon
Mormon claims
that ancient
Americans were
monotheistic
and worshipped
the God of the Wheeping God Bat God Water Goddess
Hebrews
Solar God Jaguar God Death God
Rain God
Corn God
Religion in the Americas
• Religion in the
Americas
included human
sacrifice,
including child
sacrifice
Racial Characteristics of
Ancient Americans
• All native peoples
of the Americas are
dark-skinned
• Depictions of native
peoples in the
period artwork
shows darkskinned peoples
• No evidence for the
“white, and
exceedingly fair
and delightsome.”
Nephites
Genetics in the Book of
Mormon
• Book of Mormon
claims
• DNA studies
• LDS objections
based on science
• LDS objections
based upon textual
interpretation
Book of Mormon Claims
• Native Americans are descended from
Hebrews
• “...Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of
the house of Israel..” (Title Page 1:2)
• “...the Lamanites, and they are the principal
ancestors of the American Indians” (Introduction
Preface:1-2)
• “...I speak unto you [Lamanites], ye remnant of
the house of Israel; and these are the words
which I speak: Know ye that ye are of the house
of Israel.” (Mormon 7:1-2)
• “Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may
go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a
remnant...” (D&C: Section 19:27)
DNA Studies on Native
American Origins
•
•
•
•
•
Y-chromosome
mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA)
Polymorphic Alu insertions
Intestinal microbial flora
Domesticated animals
Y-Chromosome Studies
• SNP in DYS199 locus present in all 5
Native American populations and in
Siberian Chukchi populations
• Examination of more than 2,500 Ychromosomes of wide geographic
origin indicated this polymorphism is
found only in Native American and
Asian populations (not found in
African, Australoid, or Caucasian
European populations)
Y-Chromosome Studies
• Haplotype M3 present in 66% of NA
males found in Chukotka peninsula in
Siberia
• Haplotype M45 present in 25% of NA
males found in Lower Amur River and
Sea of Okhotsk regions of eastern
Siberia
• Haplotype RPS4Y-T present in 5% of
NA males found in the Lower Amur
River/Sea of Okhotsk region of Siberia
Y-Chromosome Studies
• Polymorphisms of Native American
populations show a gradient of
polymorphisms extending from North
to South America
• Such a gradient is expected from an
Asian migration through the Bering
Strait
• Book of Mormon suggests that a
genetic gradient should extend in the
opposite direction
Mitochondrial DNA
• Four Native American
haplotypes (A-D)
found in 50% of
native Mongolians
• NA HVS-1 haplotype
found in 50-70% of
aboriginal Siberians
• Genetic studies set
the date for the
origination of these
haplotypes at 20,000 30,000 years ago
Polymorphic Alu Insertions
• Alu family of retroposons is present at
an extremely large copy numbers
within the chromosomes of the human
genome (500,000 copies/genome
equivalent)
• Five polymorphic Alu insertions were
examined from 24 Native American
populations
• The comparison showed a close
similarity between Chinese and Native
American populations
Intestinal Microbial Flora
• Helicobacter pylori, a chronic gastric
pathogen of human beings, can be
found in virtually every human
population group
• H. pylori strains can be genetically
divided into seven populations that
exhibit distinct geographical
distributions
• Native Americans have the same strain
found in East Asians
Domesticated Animals
• Native Americans had
domesticated dogs in their
settlements
• All of these dogs were wiped
out or interbred with European
dogs
• Remains from pre-Columbian
NA dogs (Alaska,Mexico, Peru,
and Bolivia) have been
genetically examined
• mtDNA sequences show that
Native American dogs
originated from Asian dogs
who accompanied late
Pleistocene humans across the
Bering Strait
Mesoamerican dog
(with fleas) dated
200 B.C. - 500 A.D.
LDS Objections to the Genetic
Studies
Founder effect
• If one individual harbors a significant
mutation compared to the population
he came from, the genetics would be
skewed toward that one individual.
Genetic drift
• Results in isolated populations as
selective breeding occurs, skewing the
genetics in a particular direction
LDS Objections: Founder
Effect
• All males descended from Lehi and all
females descended from Ishmael
• Requires mutations of at least:
•
•
•
•
•
6 Y-chromosome polymorphisms
4 mtDNA haplotypes
5 polymorphic Alu insertions
Helicobacter pylori
Canine mtDNA haplotypes
• All mutations must occur
simultaneously and must result in
Asian haplotypes
LDS Objections: Genetic Drift
• Could genetic drift over 2,600 years account
for the loss of Jewish haplotypes in Native
Americans?
• 700 year old remains show that Native
American mtDNA haplotypes have not
changed significantly
• The African Lemba tribe claims to have
Jewish roots
• More than 50% of Lemba Y chromosomes
carry haplotypes that are common among
Jewish populations but absent in their
African neighbors
Other People Groups Are Primary
Ancestors of Native Americans
• Nephites – Same Hebrew origins
• Mulekites (book of Omni) – also of
Hebrew origins
• Jaredites – from the Tower of Babel. All
except one man were killed in a
devastating war
Lamanites Were a Small
Group in Central America
Doctrine and Covenants
• section 28 says that the city of Zion will
be built “on the borders by the
Lamanites.”
• indicate that Mormon leaders were to
“preach to the Lamanites”
• relates the Lamanites to the “Indian
tribes in the West”
Gospel Principles
• teaches that “The Lamanites Will
Become a Great People”
LDS Cosmology
• Matter is eternal
• Habitable planets
exist at the
center of our
galaxy
Matter is eternal
“A
large
body
of astrophysical
• Since“One
gods
created,
matter must
ofare
the
major
hypotheses
on be
observations
clearly points
to a
eternal
which
modernnow
cosmology
is based
is
beginning
forthat
ouroriginated
universe
about
that
the
Universe
in an 15
• Scientists
agree
matter (along
with
billion
years
ago...
is,created
in fact,
no
explosion
called
theThere
Big
Bang,
in which
energy,
space
and
time)
was
at
evidence
that
any
of
the
particles
of
all
energy
(and
matter)
that
exists
the Big Bang
matterwas
withcreated.”
which we are now familiar
today
existed before
this great UC
event.”
Eric S Rowland,
Santa Cruz
Louis J. Clavelli, Ph.D., Professor of
Physics, University of Alabama
Planet Kolob is the Throne of
God
Pearl of Great Price
• And thus there shall be the reckoning
of the time of one planet above another,
until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which
Kolob is after the reckoning of the
Lord's time; which Kolob is set nigh
unto the throne of God, to govern all
those planets which belong to the
same order as that upon which thou
standest. (PoGP:Abraham 3:9)
Kolob is at the Center of the
Galaxy
Pearl of Great Price
• Kolob is the throne of God (where God
supposedly lives)
• Kolob “governs” other planets,
including earth
• Therefore, Kolob must be at the center
of our galaxy, since this is the only
position from which it could govern the
movement of the earth, Sun, and moon.
Light Borrowed From Kolob
Pearl of Great Price
Fig. 5. Is called in Egyptian Enish-go-on-dosh;
this is one of the governing planets also, and
is said by the Egyptians to be the Sun, and to
borrow its light from Kolob through the
medium of Kae-e-vanrash, which is the grand
Key, or, in other words, the governing power,
which governs fifteen other fixed planets or
stars, as also Floeese or the Moon, the Earth
and the Sun in their annual revolutions. This
planet receives its power through the medium
of Kli-flos-is-es, or Hah-ko-kau-beam, the stars
represented by numbers 22 and 23, receiving
light from the revolutions of Kolob.
(PoGP:Facsimile 2:5)
Light Produced by Fusion, Not
Borrowed From Kolob
Pearl of Great Price
• The Sun “borrows its light from Kolob”
• Other stars receive their power through
“the revolutions of Kolob.”
Science
• Sun produces light through nuclear
fusion
• Other stars generate power through
nuclear fusion
Kolob Revolves Once Every
1,000 Years
Pearl of Great Price
• And the Lord said unto me: These are the
governing ones; and the name of the great
one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I
am the Lord thy God… that Kolob was after
the manner of the Lord, according to its
times and seasons in the revolutions
thereof; that one revolution was a day unto
the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it
being one thousand years according to the
time appointed unto that whereon thou
standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's
time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.
(PoGP:Abraham 3:3-4)
Scientific Problems With
Kolob
Scientific Problems
• Kolob’s 1000 year rotation period
would make it extremely temperature
variable.
• The side that remained in darkness for 500
years would be extremely cold (near
absolute zero)
• The side in the light for 500 years would
become very hot (likely several hundred
degrees minimum)
Scientific Problems With
Kolob
Scientific Problems
• Since Kolob governs the movements of
the Earth the Moon, and the Sun it must
reside at the center of our galaxy
• Kolob would be subjected to extremely
high levels of radiation from our galaxy’s
central black hole
• The chance of collision with other stellar
systems would be very high at this
location in our galaxy
Summary of Scientific
Problems
According to official LDS doctrine
• Gods are created and matter is eternal
• God lives on an uninhabitable planet
called Kolob
• Ancient Americans used metals in
coins, buildings and weapons
• Ancients Americans grew plow
agriculture crops, such as wheat and
barley
Summary of Scientific
Problems
According to official LDS doctrine
• Ancients Americans made materials
from linen and silk
• Ancient Americans raised donkeys,
cattle, oxen, horses, pigs, and
elephants
• Ancient Americans used a calendar
consisting of a seven day week
• Ancient Americans were descendants
of Hebrews
Conclusions
• LDS “standard works” and official
theology contain numerous scientific
errors in their creation model
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints is a false religion