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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Paradisiacal evolution

"We believe ... that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." (Tenth Article of Faith.)


BRUCE R. MCCONKIE: "'We believe ... that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.' (A of F 1:10.) That is to say, when the earth was first created it was in a paradisiacal state, an Edenic state, a state in which there was no death. And when the Lord comes again, and the Millennial era is ushered in, the earth will return to its paradisiacal state and be renewed. It will be made new again; it will become a new heaven and a new earth whereon dwelleth righteousness. In that day, 'there shall be no sorrow because there is no death' as we know it. (D&C 101:29.)" (Ensign, June 1982.)

Three years later, as he closed his ministry, McConkie testified once more that "all things [were] created in a paradisiacal state—without death." (Ensign, May 1985.)


RUSSELL M. NELSON: "The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam.... Eventually, ' the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.' At the Second Coming of the Lord, the earth will be changed once again. It will be returned to its paradisiacal state and be made new." (Ensign, May 2000.)


JOSEPH SMITH: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith speaks of the day when earth will "resume" its paradisiacal glory. To "resume" means to begin again, or continue after interruption. Quoting the Tenth Article of Faith, the manual further says earth will be "renewed" to paradisiacal glory. To "renew" is to make new again, to restore. Joseph Smith originated the ideas quoted above (by McConkie and Nelson).


CONCLUSION: The word "paradisiacal" in the Tenth Article of Faith describes the millennial glory to which earth will be renewed, even the glory that was interrupted by the Fall of Adam. Paradisiacal glory is irreconcilable with evolution theory. There is no such thing as paradisiacal evolution.

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