When do the Mormons believe the world was created?

Answer 1

Mormons do not have a specific doctrine concerning the exact date the Earth was created, but believe scriptural accounts of Creation to be true.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are taught that the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly and that there are other true sources of scripture, including the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price.

Individual interpretation of these scriptures allows for a fairly wide range of possible beliefs, ranging from an Earth that is roughly 6000 years old, an Earth that is 13,000 years old, or an earth that is hundreds of millions of years old. This hinges on both the meaning of the word "day" and on what "beginning" was referring to in Genesis.

What is doctrinal is that the Earth was created in 6 periods of time and that God was the cause of the organization of the Earth as it currently is.

The Old Testament Study manual used by the LDS Institute of Religion and in religion courses at LDS schools explicitly states that there is not enough evidence in the scriptures to give the age of the Earth. Some older manuals may have referred to various speculations, but none of these reflect actual official doctrine of the church.


(The following is misleading at best, a fabrication at worst.
The Mathematical Tabulation concerning the Year of "Adam's Creation" according to the Account of "Moses" (contained in the First Five Books of the Old Testament) is Absolute: 4004 BC
---Old Testament Study Manual Vol. 1 Latter Day Saint Edition

This Calculation coincides with Bishop James Ussher (1581 - 1656).
His Result: 4004 BC
Note that this Conclusion Occurred During the Renaissance Era & thus, itself, was amidst MANY Forward Thinking Queries.

The First Latter Day Saint Leader, Joseph Smith, also agreed with the Chronology of Moses & went further a step to Calculate the Age of the Universe according to his Understanding:

And the Following Document agrees, from a "Christian" Perspective, by adding: "Today there are many Christians who accept the Reliability of Geologic Dating, but do not compromise the spiritual and historical inerrancy of God's word."


To this, I would like to add: If God's Word were Truly "Inerrant"-- Moses, as a repeater of "God's Words" would have therefore been "Inerrant", and Bishop Ussher's Chronology of Creation, based on his Calculations on the "Word of God through Moses", would have been Held as Admissible Fact in a Court Decision.


In Short, the Stories of ANY Religion are based in Myths cultivated by 200,000 years of Human History.


Theological Belief:

God spoke everything into Existence within 6 "Days" (the length of which is open to Interpretation).


Scientific Conclusion:

In the Beginning there was Hydrogen.
And Hydrogen, formed from Quarks & Anti-quarks, became so Abundant that the Process of Fusion transformed some Molecules into Helium.
Hydrogen & Helium continued to interact through the Processes of Fusion and later, as Heavier Elements were Formed, through Fission to Birth the First Star.
The First Star Lived & Died, perhaps longer than any we've known, and then upon its Death collapsed into a disc-shaped Kerr Black Hole.
All of the Dead Star's Matter was forced by Extreme Gravity through the Black Hole, spewing it out into what we would recognize as a Universe.
Each Galaxy, being little more than Galactic Tide Pools, began living Its Own Life & Birthing New Stars.
Each Star Lives & Dies, but sometimes, it creates Planets in the process.

OUR Star died once, Birthing Earth & neighbors, then it Re-Ignited into what we now know as our Sun.
The Sun still keeps Earth Alive & a Multitude of Organisms, including Us, are fortunate enough to Thrive here.

Answer 2

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the "Mormon" Church) believe in the Biblical creation account given in Genesis. In this account, God creates the Heaven and the Earth (Genesis 1:1), and places planets in the heavens. (Genesis 1:14-17)

This creation account is expanded by further scripture introduced by Joseph Smith. The books of Abraham and Moses in the Pearl of Great Price go into futher detail about the creation. Moses 7:30 says "And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;"

Answer 3

Like all Christians, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) believe in the Creation account found in the book of Genesis in The Bible. They also believe in an account found in the book of Moses, which is similar but with a few clarificiations. You can find links to both of these accounts at the "Related Links" below.

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ created the earth under the authority, direction, and guidance of God the Father. Most do not believe that the creation literally took seven days. Most would say that it was either seven thousand years (as a thousand years on earth is one day in heaven, see 2 Peter 3:8) or that it was simply seven distinct creative periods.