Brigham young was clear that adam and eve were born on another earth just like the rest of us and then placed here on earth to start things again. The fact that they were comanded to replenish the earth makes it sound as if earth has been cycling through periods of usuage before or could be a conglomerate of portions of other fallen worlds. Who knows on that. Microeveolution happens. Macroeveolution has not been proven. No species to species jumps are provable. Adaptation yes. But remember the animals were also commanded to procreate after their own kind. Its all a lot of fun to speculate on but does it really matter much? All that matters to me is the fall and the atonement. With no fall there was no need for an atonement. The spirit confirms the need for atonement therfore evolution is just the latest fleeting fancy of the orecepts of men that will eventually pass away. Stick with God. Hes got it figured out.

here is where it gets complicated. the standard works that we have along with other revelation is the knowledge that is necessary for attaining celestial glory. it doesnt elaborate a lot on the “sons of God that came down and found favor with women” and the giants. and i dont believe that anywhere in the standard works is there anything mentioned about neanderthals or any of the other “in between evolved states of man” (not that i believe those were actually stages of evolution to the modern homo sapien).

there are myths/legends/historical accounts of some stuff that will sound kinda crazy at least it did to me talking about some kind of beings that made slave races to mine the earth and that is where these less intelligent and more “cave man like” versions of humans come from. the only record i can remember is the cuneiform tablets of sumer. i warn you you must be very careful when you go into studying these things. not because everything you read or study in other ancient records or things on the internet is false. but because some of it is. and it becomes hard to toe the line.

where does myth and legend come from? its my personal belief that there may be more truth to all the greek mythology and Minotaurs and other such things. i believe dragons existed. now i have looked into and researched a lot of this stuff. i try and work out what could possibly be true of this information against my own personal testimony and what i have learned in the church. therefore some gets processed out, some stays. i also have read books by david icke and view his web site. sometimes i regret doing that. because the spirit is not there, and it is dangerous ground. its hard to sometimes think of a reason why some anti stuff could have been made up and because satan is already lurking in these places, as soon as you come across certain things or read certain things, he pounces ready to tear down your whole testimony.

that is why BYU is careful in what they allow to be taught. and so many people have a fit when action is taken to protect peoples testimonies. just like the movie line cliche, you want the truth? you cant handle the truth. because once you start down a road of viewing sources for information that can have some truth about history and other such things (that you may or may not be able to handle and still have a strong testimony), it then becomes a slope of being more curious of opinions, accounts that could be true or not true where satan is waiting to ensnare you and make you think you are some such smart intellect and is laughing is head off once you then doubt and or leave the church and were carefully led down to hell.

The “only” explanation we have at present that fits all of the facts (A. Fossils in the geologic record, and B. No death being in the world prior to the fall), is that the Lord used un-organized Telestial matter that already had fossils in it when he created the earth in its perfected, Terrestrial form. Which matter could have been reused over and over again for billions of years. There he brought forth Adam and Eve and all living things in their perfected forms 6000 years ago, which would have remained that way, unchanged forever had the forbidden fruit not been partaken of. Which introduced death once again into the new creation, pulling it back down into a Telestial state.

I think there is a generous portion of ‘we don’t know’ salt that has to be sprinkled onto a dish such as this. The world as we know it requires death and decay in order for their to be growth. Things grew in the garden of Eden, did things die? Of course that was an existence that nobody except Adam and Even ever witnessed. Talmage said essentially that the idea that Adam and Eve fell approx 4,000 BC, and the idea that there was no death at all on earth seem to contradict one another, since “the rocks clearly demonstrate that life and death have been in existence and operative in this earth for ages prior to that time” he also made reference to the geologic record when he said that there were ages or epochs where the rise and fall of species dominating the land were preparing the earth for human inhabitants. Of course we get into an area of speculation and opinion.

I am with Robert on this one. There was no death and no birth… not until the fall. For evolution to happen, life would have to create life over and over. Evolution would require the birth of new creatures and this didn’t happen before the fall. Also, the scriptures (see Moses Chapter 2), all things were commanded to produce after it’s “own kind”. Every plant, creeping thing, animals, etc.
I personally think that evolution is man’s way of trying to explain something that can’t be explained to our finite mind… specifically, how God created the world and all that is in it.

Amen and amen!

Remember, all creation in this world testifies of Christ. In Jacob 7:11 it even says this of the scriptures:

“[F]or they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.”

In Moroni 10:6 it also says this:

“And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.”

Charles Darwin lost his faith and did not testify of Christ so why would I believe him?

On the other hand, would I like to know how the world was created? Sure. Do I care if I know right this second? No. Why? Because all that extra knowledge really has nothing to do with my own personal salvation, that of my family, nor anyone else in this world. There is a good reason why we are told to preach nothing but repentance to this untoward generation.