Testing the Creation Model of the LDS Church

1
Testing the Creation Model of the LDS Church

• Richard Deem
• Evidence for God from Science
• www.GodAndScience.org

2
Why Test Religious Claims?
?

• Determine the truth
• Adopt a valid worldview
• Lead others to develop a valid worldview

3
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

4
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  superceded by the current prophet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

5
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

6
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 (DC 12132)
• The Gods plan the creation of the earth and all
  life thereon (PoGPAbraham 4Heading)
• And they went down at the beginning, and they,
  that is the Gods, organized and formed the
  heavens and the earth. (PoGPAbraham 41)

7
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 mans (DC 13022)
• 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. 345-46). (Gospel Principles, 1997.
  Chapter 47 EXALTATION).

8
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 FatherThese are some of the
  blessings given to exalted people2. They will
  become gods.(Gospel Principles, 1997. Chapter 47
  EXALTATION.
• Celestial marriage and a continuation of the
  family unit enable men to become gods (DC
  Section 132Heading)

9
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 DC 13219-20).
• Gospel Principles, Chapter 2, Our Heavenly
  Family

10
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?

11
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.

12
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.)

13
Book of Mormon Errors

• Archeology
• Metals
• Weapons
• Agriculture
• Textiles
• Animals
• Calendars
• Religion
• Racial characteristics
• Genetics

14
Smithsonian Institution Letter
15
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

16
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

17
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.

18
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

19
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

20
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

21
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

22
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

23
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)

24
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

25
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

26
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

27
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.)

28
Religion in the Book of Mormon

• The Book of Mormon claims that ancient Americans
  were monotheistic and worshipped the God of the
  Hebrews

29
Religion in the Americas

• Religion in the Americas included human
  sacrifice, including child sacrifice

30
Racial Characteristics of Ancient Americans

• All native peoples of the Americas are
  dark-skinned
• Depictions of native peoples in the period
  artwork shows dark-skinned peoples

• No evidence for the white, and exceedingly fair
  and delightsome. Nephites

31
Genetics in the Book of Mormon

• Book of Mormon claims
• DNA studies
• LDS objections based on science
• LDS objections based upon textual interpretation

32
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 12)
• ...the Lamanites, and they are the principal
  ancestors of the American Indians (Introduction
  Preface1-2)
• ...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 71-2)
• Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it
  may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a
  remnant... (DC Section 1927)

33
DNA Studies on Native American Origins

• Y-chromosome
• mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA)
• Polymorphic Alu insertions
• Intestinal microbial flora
• Domesticated animals

34
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 Y-chromosomes 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)

35
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

36
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

37
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

38
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

39
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

40
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

41
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

42
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

43
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

44
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

45
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

46
LDS Cosmology

• Matter is eternal
• Habitable planets exist at the center of our
  galaxy

47
Matter is eternal
A large body of astrophysical observations now
clearly points to a beginning for our universe
about 15 billion years ago... There is, in fact,
no evidence that any of the particles of matter
with which we are now familiar existed before
this great event. Louis J. Clavelli, Ph.D.,
Professor of Physics, University of Alabama
One of the major hypotheses on which modern
cosmology is based is that the Universe
originated in an explosion called the Big Bang,
in which all energy (and matter) that exists
today was created. Eric S Rowland, UC Santa Cruz

• Since gods are created, matter must be eternal
• Scientists agree that matter (along with energy,
  space and time) was created at the Big Bang

48
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. (PoGPAbraham 39)

49
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.

50
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. (PoGPFacsimile 25)

51
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

52
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.
  (PoGPAbraham 33-4)

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Scientific Problems With Kolob

• Scientific Problems
• Kolobs 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)

54
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 galaxys central black hole
  
• The chance of collision with other stellar
  systems would be very high at this location in
  our galaxy

55
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

56
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

57
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