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(5/3/97)
Can any man who has walked beneath the stars at night, can anyone who
has seen the touch of spring upon the land doubt the hand of divinity in
creation? So observing the beauties of the earth, one is wont to speak
as did the Psalmist: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night
unto night sheweth knowledge." (Ps. 19:1-2.) — Elder Gordon B. Hinckley,
General Conference April 1978
(5/4/97)
The creation of the earth and all that dwell therein, the necessary fall
that enabled man to be, and the atonement of the Lord are three
fundamental components of God's eternal plan. — Elder Russell M. Nelson,
General Conference, April 1984
(5/5/97)
The Lord who created us in the first place surely has power to do it
again. The same necessary elements now in our bodies will still be
available-at His command. The same unique genetic code now embedded in
each of our living cells will still be available to format new ones
then. The miracle of the Resurrection, wondrous as it will be, is
marvelously matched by the miracle of our creation in the first place. —
Elder Russell M. Nelson, General Conference, April 1992
(5/6/97)
Gradually [man] is mastering the elements and extending his dominion
over all the earth. The winds and ocean currents have long been his
servants; the lightning bears his messages; the element of fire is made
to serve him in a thousand ways; steam propels his chariot; distance he
well nigh annihilates; he weighs the earth in his balances; measures the
distances of the sun and the stars, tells the substances of which they
are composed and the mathematical laws by which they are governed. As
one thus even partially reviews man's achievements and considers the
mastery he has obtained alike over the animal creation and the forces of
nature--with the poet he exclaims: "What a piece of work is man! how
noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express
and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a
God! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!" — Elder B. H.
Roberts, New Witnesses for God, Vol.1, p.450
(5/7/97)
The human family are formed after the image of our Father and God. After
the earth was organized the Lord placed His children upon it, gave them
possession of it, and told them that it was their home--the place of
their habitation from henceforth; He told them to till the ground and
subdue it; He gave it to them for their inheritance, and to do their
will upon it. Then Satan steps in and overcomes them through the
weakness there was in the children of the Father when they were sent to
the earth, and sin was brought in, and thus we are subjected to sin. The
earth is pure in and of itself, having kept the law of its creation; and
mankind have actually brought on themselves all the sin, all the
distress, all the anguish, pain, sickness, and death that are upon the
earth. — Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.10, p.300-301
(7/14/04)
"Truly, the heavens and the earth and all things in them evidence the
handiwork of God, their Creator. In the Book of Mormon we learn of
Korihor, an anti-Christ who was brought to the Prophet Alma. He asked
for a sign of God's existence before he would believe. 'But Alma said
unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye
say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy
brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before
thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth,
and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea,
and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness
that there is a Supreme Creator' (Alma
30:44). These eternal evidences continue to testify to us today."
- M. Russell Ballard, "God's
Love
for His Children," Ensign, May 1988, pp. 57-58
(5/15/05)
"How blessed we are for our
understanding of who He is. How blessed we are as a people for the
gift of the gospel. I marvel at what He has created for our use and
benefit and for the privilege of enjoying this earthly experience. My
heart is especially filled with gratitude at this season of the
harvest when I go out to dig a hill of potatoes and there find
manyfold over the small piece I planted a few months before, or pull
off an ear of corn and see how those two or three kernels placed in
the earth now yield a hundredfold. As I travel and see the beauty of
His creations—the mountains, the fertile plains, the sparkling
streams, or the mighty oceans—how grateful I am for His blessings to
me. When we kneel in family prayer, let us teach our children to
express gratitude unto the Lord for His many blessings to us." - L.
Tom Perry, "Our
Father Which Art in Heaven," Ensign, Nov. 1983, p. 13
(7/15/05)
"We sometimes feel great respect and reverence for creative genius as
expressed in great art or music. How much more should we revere the
power and majesty of our Divine Creator? We may stand in awe of man’s
creations of beautiful buildings or bridges. But remember the Apostle
Paul's words to the Hebrews: 'He who hath builded the house hath more
honour than the house.
"'For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things
is God' (Heb. 3:3–4).
"Those who feel no reverence for the creations and the divine
attributes of God likely will have little appreciation for other
sacred things. Such a lack of veneration for God's creations may
diminish until a person becomes totally insensitive to the feelings of
others. This, I am afraid, is the condition in some parts of the
world." - M. Russell Ballard, "God's
Love for His Children," Ensign, May 1988, 58
12/1/06
"I marvel when I think of this world so rich in beauty, so
perfect in function. This world was created by Jesus Christ under the
direction of our Heavenly Father. Creation is one of the characteristics
that defines God. He takes matter without form and molds it into stars,
planets, and solar systems. 'Worlds without number have I created,' He
tells us.
"Brothers and sisters, we are children of God. Shouldn't we be about our
Fathers business? Shouldn't we be creators as well?
"You might say, I'm not creative. I'm here to tell you, you are. You are
creators. Have you ever coaxed a smile from a baby? Have you ever taught
someone to forgive? Have you helped someone learn to read? Prepared a
family home evening? Organized a family reunion? Possibly you were
prompted to do something for a person you go visiting teaching or home
teaching to that made a great difference in their lives. If you have
done some of these things, you have been creative." - Mary Ellen Smoot,
"We
Are Creators," Ensign (CR), May 2000, p.64
6/12/07
"We believe it to be self-evident
that the greatest truth in all eternity is: That there is a God in
heaven who created all things—the universe, man, and all forms of life;
that there is existence, creation, and being—all controlled and governed
by an intelligent Head; that God is, and we are, and all things exist.
As to the facts of existence and creation, such need no proof. As to the
wisdom and omnipotence of the Creator, such is shown by the extent,
complexity, and organized nature of created things." - Bruce R.
McConkie, "The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ," p.518
10/7/08
"You
may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we
all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity
extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not
require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing
into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens,
harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.
"What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.
"If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," General Relief Society Meeting, September 2008
3/6/09
"Astronauts
viewing the earth from space have stated how incredibly beautiful it
is and how alive it appears. United States Senator Jake Garn wrote of
his experience in space: 'It
is impossible for me to describe the beauty of the earth. It is a
breathtaking, awe-inspiring, spiritual experience to view the earth
from space while traveling at twenty-five times the speed of sound. I
could also look into the blackness of the vacuum of space and see
billions of stars and galaxies millions of light-years away. The
universe is so vast as to be impossible to comprehend. But I did
comprehend the hand of God in all things. I felt his presence
throughout my seven days in space. I know that God created this earth
and the universe. I know that we are his children wherever we live on
the earth, without regard to our nationality or the color of our skin.
Most important, I know that God lives and is the Creator of us all'
(letter to M. Russell Ballard, 3 March 1988)."
- M. Russell Ballard, "God's Love for His
Children," Ensign (CR), May 1988, p.57
3/9/09
"There
is an exactness of order in the universe of which we become conscious.
The days come and the nights follow. The tides rise and fall with
regularity, the recurring lunar cycle of the moon is exact; the seasons
come and go in the sequence of nature. The stars in the sky follow exact
repeated orders; the planets and their satellites perform precisely in
their relation to their suns. The biologist sees the wonders and the
beauty of plant and animal life, and the chemist discovers the mysteries
of the elements of the earth; but with or without scientific training,
every person becomes aware of a vast universe in which there is
intricate exactness in all nature.
"When
we observe the phenomena of the heavens and the earth, we can come to
only one conclusion: these are the effects of some great cause. There
can be no design without a designer and nothing built without a
builder. For every effect there is a cause. There must be a guiding
hand to regulate the universe in its precise order. Are we compelled
to admit the reality of a Supreme Being? Millions of people in the
world have this deep and abiding conviction."
- Howard W. Hunter, "Conference Report," April 1970, First
Day—Morning Meeting, p.7
3/17/09
"When we look at a
building, we realize that it did not come into existence without
purpose. Every building was planned and erected for a special reason.
Likewise, when we look upon this beautiful earth upon which we are
privileged to live, we realize that it did not come into existence
without purpose."
- Legrand Richards, "A Marvelous Work and
a Wonder," p.292
5/3/09
"Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and
accepts chance as a first cause cannot be accepted by Latter-day
Saints. The evidence for God is yet greater than for the chance
creation of the earth and its inhabitants. Mind and thought shape a
work of art from the marble block. More marvelous than any human work
of art is man. However he may have risen to his present high estate,
it has been by the operation of mind and thought. That man and the
whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally
unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God,
the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by
mortal man. The great law of evolution may have many forms of
expression, far beyond man's present comprehension." - John
A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.163
7/1/10
"The theory that
man is other than the offspring of God has been, and, so long as it is
accepted and acted upon, will continue to be, a major factor in blocking
man's spiritual growth and in corrupting his morals." - Marion
G. Romney, "Man—A Child of God," Ensign (CR), July 1973, p. 11
8/26/11
Do we appreciate what this earth really means to us? Do we see why it
was made? Do we understand its purpose? Do we see that there was
nothing accidental or spontaneous about its origin? Do we see that its
creation was literally and truly, completely and exclusively, an act
of God?
And who was the Creator?
Our Heavenly Father declares that it was His own Beloved Son who
accomplished the mighty task. -
1/8/15
Today many people of the world
are questioning their belief in God, thinking they have progressed
intellectually and scientifically beyond their need for his guidance
in the affairs of life. They choose to forget that he is the source
of all knowledge, he controls all life, and all things are his works
of creation. - Delbert L.
Stapley, “The
Path to Eternal Glory,” Ensign (CR) April 1973
3/28/15
I
testify that the earth and all life upon it are of divine origin.
The Creation did not happen by chance. It did not come ex
nihilo (out of nothing). And human minds and hands able to
build buildings or create computers are not accidental. It is God
who made us and not we ourselves. We are His people! The Creation
itself testifies of a Creator. We cannot disregard the divine in the
Creation. Without our grateful awareness of God's hand in the
Creation, we would be just as oblivious to our provider as are
goldfish swimming in a bowl. With deep gratitude, we echo the words
of the Psalmist, who said, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in
wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” -
Russell M. Nelson, "The
Creation," Ensign (CR), May 2000, p.84
2/27/16
We admit that God is the great source and fountain from whence
proceeds all good; that He is perfect intelligence, and that His
wisdom is alone sufficient to govern and regulate the mighty
creations and worlds which shine and blaze with such magnificence
and splendor over our heads, as though touched with His finger and
moved by His Almighty word. ... The heavens declare the glory of a
God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork [see Psalm
19:1]; and a moment's reflection is sufficient to teach every
man of common intelligence, that all these are not the mere
productions of chance, nor could they be supported by any power less
than an Almighty hand. - Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p.44
6/2/16
What is the purpose of our existence? Can a man who thinks that life
came about by chance on a globe that was made by accident have any
overlying purpose to guide him?
Can a man who thinks he evolved from the lowest forms of life have
any lofty aspirations?
Does the idea that we are descendants of ape-like ancestors inspire
us to any great heights of achievement?
The importance of having purpose in life cannot be overstated. - Mark
E. Petersen, “Conference Report,” October 1968, General Priesthood
Meeting, p.99
11/5/16
His existence in
Palestine was to be physical, in a body of flesh and bones like our own.
On this earth He would endure the physical suffering of crucifixion. He
would die physically, and then—how glorious it was—He would bring about
a physical resurrection.
Therefore, a physical earth was essential to His mission.
There was nothing ethereal about His work here on earth. It was not to
be accomplished in some intangible or mystical way.
His life on earth was real and physical. His death was real and physical, as was His resurrection, all taking place on this very real and physical planet. It fully demonstrated His genuine reality as a physical being. – Mark E. Petersen, “Creator and Savior,” Ensign (CR) May 1983
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