Time-Length of Creation

THE TIME-LENGTH OF CREATION. The age of the earth has been a subject of discussion this season in the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations. The Manual teaches in lesson seven that though the exact, or even approximate, age of the earth is not known, it is fairly certain that immense time periods, hundreds of thousands or even millions of years in length, were consumed in preparing the earth for man's coming. The Manual teaches further that not only does science claim this great age for the earth, but that the Prophet Joseph Smith, in chapter four of the Book of Abraham, taught that the creation of the earth occupied indefinite time periods of great duration. - Several of the associations have found difficulty in harmonizing the view that the earth is of very high age with statements found in the accepted doctrinal standards of the Church. The questions that have been received have been carefully summarized and may be answered as follows :

1. The account of Moses as recorded in Genesis, first and second chapters, and also in the Pearl of Great Price, (Book of Moses, second and third chapters) , speaks of six days in which God created the heavens and the earth. In the original Hebrew from which Genesis was translated, the word rendered day means literally a time period of indefinite duration. The account in the Book of Moses, chapter two, is almost wholly a literal transcription of the Mosaic account found in King James' translation of the Bible. It must not be forgotten that the first few chapters of Gene-

492 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . sis deal with time periods covering the creation and fifteen hundred years of human history. There is no attempt in this part of the Bible to give more than a panoramic view of mighty events as the stream of infinite time passed by. It does not seem just to the historian Moses to interpret his picture of the events of creation in terms of hours. To obviate the necessity of interpreting the word "day" of Genesis, as a day of twenty-four hours, it has often been suggested that the Apostle Peter (II Peter 3: 8) stated that "one thousand years are a day unto the Lord," and that Moses really meant in his account that the Lord required six days of one thousand years each, or six thousand years for the creation of the earth. The Prophet Joseph has corroborated the statement of Peter that one day according to God's reckoning is one thousand years, and he has explained further that this is so, since the heavenly body, Kolob, which is near the throne of God, requires one thousand years, according to the reckoning of the earth, for a complete revolution upon its axis. This interpretation of the length of a day before God, has, however, no bearing upon the length of creation, if we assume that the word "day" as used in Genesis, means a time period of indefinite length. Moreover, by any or a combination of all the natural processes now known to us, it would have been utterly impossible to create the earth in six thousand years. If supernatural processes were employed, it is practically as easy to believe that the days of creation were of twenty-four hours as of one thousand years each. It should be remembered especially well, however, that in Abraham's version of the creation, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph, each period of creation is not confined to one day, but to days. In addition it may be noted that in the beginning of Abraham's account, (Abr. 4: 1, 2) it is stated distinctly that the earth and the heavens were formed first without any reference to time whatever, though the context implies a very great time period. 2. The Prophet Joseph has been reported as teaching that the earth is made up of fragments of other worlds (Compendium). The scientific doctrine of the great age of the earth, rests largely upon the evidence of the orderly arrangement of plant and animal fossils in the rocks constituting the upper portion of the earth's

EDITOR'S TABLE. 493 crust. Those who hold to the six day theory of creation, claim that in accordance with the above quotation from the Prophet Joseph, these stratified rocks, containing fossils, are fragments of other worlds, and do not represent processes that have taken place on this earth. Why fossils may have been formed on other worlds, but not on the earth, is nearly as difficult to understand as the doctrine that living, intelligent beings are found only on the earth. Modern science has developed a doctrine like that of Joseph Smith, which teaches that heavenly bodies may be made up of fragments of destroyed worlds, but the parts of destroyed worlds which go to build new heavenly bodies are minute, even microscopic in size. There are numerous strong evidences against the view that large sections of other worlds were brought together to form this earth (see an article by Dr. J. E. Talmage, Improvement Era, vol 7, p 481). Primarily, it would not be the way of nature, as we know it. God, who is nature's master, does his work in a natural manner. 3. The Doctrine and Covenants (section 77: 6, 7, and 12) teaches very plainly that the earth is to have a temporal existence of seven thousand years. It has been urged that this period begins with the first creative act, and that the first six days of this seven thousand years were devoted by the Gods to the work of creation. Beyond question, the seven thousand years spoken of in section 77, date from the time when the earth was completed, and Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden. At any rate those who do not agree with this cannot accept the doctrine that the earth was made in six days of one thousand years each, for that would make the temporal existence of the earth at least thirteen thousand years. The more the matter is carefully examined, the firmer grows the belief that the creation of the earth occupied immense time periods, the exact length of which is not yet given to man to know. This view does not in any way discredit the book of books, the Holy Bible. The Bible must be read with understanding minds; as a book, it must no more be held to a word, than a man desires so to be held. By verse and chapter and book, the Bible will be found an accurate, inspired record of the most wonderful and

494 IMPROVEMENT ERA. valuable events and doctrines of the world. However, it must not be forgotten that the Apostle Paul has reminded us that "the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." God reveals himself in nature; and when nature is read understanding^ God may thereby in part be comprehended. There is no conflict between the story of the rocks and the Bible, except as man has made it. Finally, it must be said that so far as living a correct gospel life is concerned, it matters little whether or not we know the time God consumed in making the earth a fit habitation for man. John A. vVidtsoe.