FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Creation out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo)
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
Creatio ex nihilo
Summary: Mainstream Christianity teaches that God created the universe from nothing (ex nihilo), while Mormons teach that God organized the universe from pre-existing matter. The LDS God is therefore claimed to be "less powerful" than the God of mainstream Christianity, or "unbiblical."
Colossians 1:16
Summary: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus: 1) created all things out of nothing and 2) was responsible for the existence of all beings?Creation of spirits
Summary: Joseph Smith taught that spirits were not created, and that spirits did not have a beginning because they will not have an end. In scripture, however, there are many verses which stated that God created spirits. Did what Joseph taught contradict the scriptures?
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]
Notes