Why Our Children Need the Christian Creation Story
The Test
(Teaching the Creation)
And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people;
and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ. (Jacob 7:2)
Throughout history, people have been perplexed by questions about our origin, purpose, and destiny. The search for answers to these questions has generated an abundance of human philosophies. Concerning the creation and fall of man, for example, many scientists, lawyers, educators, historians, and other schools of secular thought are dissatisfied with ancient teachings and have endeavored to disprove long-held beliefs. Some have re-written the Bible to suit their perspective, or to accommodate “modern” thought. Others have done away with the Bible altogether and have devised their own philosophies.
Does truth change, or cease to exist? Or is truth merely a matter of perception that can be altered to suit the convenience of “experts” who set themselves up as the indisputable sources of our information?
Many good people are sincere in their beliefs. Others, equally well-intentioned, accept secular tenets by default, because they simply lose the debates with more eloquent and persuasive persons.
For those who feel that their cherished beliefs are under attack, God has provided a powerful second witness of the truth. Not only is the Book of Mormon an additional witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, it also establishes the truthfulness of the Bible.
The Book of Mormon affirms what the Bible teaches: that God is the author of the plan for our salvation, which includes the creation and fall of man, and Adam as the first man. As to the truthfulness of the creation and fall, it makes sense to take God’s word for it. After all, He was there when it happened— a distinction the rest of us cannot claim. Furthermore, God’s plan offers a way for His children to enjoy life after death, and overcome spiritual setbacks through the atonement of Christ.
Still, some claim that these truths are too simple and intellectually inferior for the complexities of our day, and that the concept of life beyond the grave is a naive fantasy.
There is nothing in our day that is not addressed in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Mormon 9:9)
During the reign of the judges in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma was confronted by an atheist. This man, Korihor, ridiculed faith in the Savior as foolishness, and claimed that the concept of “sin” was crazy.
And this anti-Christ, whose name was Korihor, (and the law could have no hold upon him) began to preach unto the people that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying:
O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. (Alma 30:12-16)
Korihor postulated further that if there is no sin, there is no need for an atonement. If death is the end, and there is no future, then what people do now does not matter.
And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime. (Alma 30:17)
Anyone can put these philosophies, ancient or modern, to the test. In both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, Jesus told His followers how to discern false prophets. “By their fruits ye shall know them,” He said.
What were Korihor’s fruits?
And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms— telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.(Alma 30:18)
Korihor persisted in his name-calling and ridicule. He could not leave the church of Christ alone. He had to have proof. He demanded a sign.
Korihor got his sign, but not in the way he expected. He was struck dumb. Only then did he acknowledge the power of God, and admitted he had lied.
The Christian government under the reign of the judges practiced religious tolerance; a person could not be punished for his beliefs. In our modern society, also based on Christianity, everyone is free to believe as he chooses.
But the followers of modern secularism do not use their freedom to make positive contributions to society. Because they do not believe in God, there is no accountability. Consequences of their rejection of the Ten Commandments are: moral decline, destruction of the family, and attendant heart-rending effects on our children. If those troubled children grow up and continue in the socially deviant patterns of secularism, then future generations will enjoy neither freedom nor civilized society.
Not only is secularism inherently negative, but it fosters the limitations of others’ freedom. In the name of tolerance, secularists seek to impose their beliefs on others. And yet, having no tolerance for beliefs other than their own, secularists have succeeded in banning God from the schools, removing the Ten Commandments and nativity scenes from public places, misinforming many concerning the consequences of abortion, and creating a secular bias in the mainstream news media. These are some of their fruits.
The fruits of that society which honors God, on the other hand, include liberty, right to life, peace, order, and a considerable degree of justice and mercy.
(Chapter 73)
Dinner Talk
1. Is it necessary to prove the Bible or the Book of Mormon? What proofs do you see of God as the Creator?
2. Why do morality and other virtues often no longer seem important when a belief in God is taken away?
3. Priestcraft is defined in (2 Ne. 26:29)
He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
In what ways do some proponents of human philosophies treat their own beliefs like a religion, while decrying Christian religion?
4. How did Korihor come to be deceived, and how can we guard against deception?
5. Why do some proponents of false philosophies, even though they may mean well, often resort to enforced priestcraft, or in other words, forcing their views and policies on others? How is this forced priestcraft opposed to the doctrine of Christ?
Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.
(Alma 42:27 emphasis added)
