Genesis 1: Theories of Creation

In the middle part of The Lost World of Genesis One, Walton details his theory of the cosmos as God's temple, based on his view of Genesis 1 as an account of functional creation (rather than material creation) and drawing on parallels with other Near Eastern creation accounts. If that idea grabs you, you should read the book. Myself, I know what temples are and I know what the Universe is, and I don't see conflating the two as an advance in my understanding of either. But it is certainly interesting reading.

More direct is his short chapter discussing other theories of creation or other ways of looking at Genesis 1. Here is his list:

• Young Earth Creationism (YEC) - assumes material creation in 7 days with the origin of the cosmos just a few thousand years ago.
• Old Earth Creationism - material creation where days is taken to mean eras and the text of Genesis 1 is cloosely correlated to various cosmic events posited by modern science.
• Framework Hypothesis - a literary/theological approach, noting the text of Genesis 1 is highly structured and highlighting general theological affirmations (God as Creator, the goodness of creation, etc.) that we should take from the text.
• Gap Theories - One was promoted by the popular Scofield Reference Bible, holding there was a prior creation in Genesis 1:1 ("ruled by an unfallen Satan") followed by a second creation at Genesis 1:2. Another saw one creation in Genesis 1 then, after a very long gap, a second creation focusing on humans in Genesis 2. The advantage to these two-step theories is that the gap can be arbitrarily stretched to accommodate long time frames posited by modern science.

I won't even try to comment on the LDS view of creation. The issue has been so thoroughly muddled by Joseph Fielding Smith's adoption of YEC and CES's continued allegiance to aspects of YEC that it is difficult to even speak about an authentic LDS view. The LDS view certainly rejects ex nihilo creation, which makes the continued popularity of YEC among Mormon educators even more puzzling.

Comments

[Bradley]

I prefer this explanation of creation: http://dumpalink.com/videos/Family-Guy-The-Big-Bang-905f.html

[larryco_]

"The issue has been so thoroughly muddled by Joseph Fielding Smith's adoption of YEC and CES's continued allegiance to aspects of YEC that it is difficult to even speak about an authentic LDS view."

The YSA branch that was in our stake would meet in the seminary building. The first time I spoke there as a member of the HC I was completely taken aback by the posters hanging on the walls with various events in OT history and the dates they took place, i.e. Fall of Adam and Eve & beginning of death (4,000 b.c.), The Flood and the distruction of all life but Noah's family/animals (2,500 b.c.), etc.

I understand that educators are in a fix because of JFS's strong stance, as well as the D&C's "seven thousand years...temporal existence" of the earth (D&C 77:6), but since these dates are so demonstratingly "questionable", I would think they might deemphasize them somewhat (a bit like what was done for some of BY's more "questionable" musings).

I read once that after James E. Talmage visited Adam-ondi-ahman and was shown the alter that Adam built and prayed on, he wrote in his diary that he couldn't help notice the fossils in the rock that made up the alter.