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
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]
Notes