Howard-Browne's biography states he once served as an associate pastor at Rhema. But according to Rhema church officials contacted, Howard-Browne was never an associate pastor-nor did he ever hold any pastoral credentials or responsibilities. Said Kelmeyer: “Rodney was never an associate pastor here. He was an ordained minister by the state and a lecturer at our Bible school, but was not involved in any form of pastoral work.”(Christian News Today)

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Browne claimed a “doctorate of ministry degree” from an obscure San Jacinto, California correspondence institution called “The School of Bible Theology.” A state Department of Education employee contacted likened the tiny school, which bills itself as “The Seminary to the World” and has no faculty, to a “diploma mill.” This is not surprising that most famous Charismatics who call themselves Dr.’s have not gone through the college course, not having the time or endurance” (“It was the pastors job to fleece the sheep” RHB “One hundred million souls for Christ” By John Davies)

Dr. Rodney Browne’s 18 year old daughter died just before Christmas 2002. This is a tragic event to happen in anyone’s life. I feel for his loss. What I’m about to write I don’t take pleasure in, in fact I postponed doing so for a number of months until his program recently aired with his embellished fanciful story (Daystar network June 18, 2003). This needs to be said because of all the bragging of miracles that has taken place by Rodney over the years. I get a sick feeling just thinking about how far this all has gone and that so few have spoken up. I don't want to see anymore people hurt or deluded by what is being promoted by Browne and others. This is not to mock his loss but to make others do some thinking and reach the right conclusion- a biblical one.

On Christmas Eve 2002, his daughter Kelly refused to be put on a ventilator. Her parents said it was the first time in her life that she began to consider she might die of the disease. Her body began to shake violently, Rodney Howard-Browne recalled, as she told him that her spirit wasn't afraid of death, but her body was. The couple prayed and sang to her, and rocked her until she died at 4:37 Christmas morning.

Howard-Browne said Kelly's illness helped make the ministry strong because it kept them in constant prayer. “Kelly caused us to fight,” he said. “The more she suffered, the more we attacked the enemy. Right up until she went home, I just wouldn't quit.

The article posted in the March 05, 2003 edition of Charisma states “Despite their daughter's death, the Howard-Brownes continue to believe that God heals, and they pray for the sick and continue to see miracles in their ministry. They said they believed God would heal their daughter until the end.” In fact there is more to this story than the article would lead to. Rodney Howard-Browne's daughter was skiing on Christmas even though she was on oxygen. Evidently she had Cystic Fibrosis which can cause breathing problems, she went into a coma and died. They tried to resurrect her according to the report I heard according to those who were at his meeting at the River church at the Ala Moana Hotel right after Christmas here in Hawaii. Before she died she made a pact with her father that after death she should go to Jesus and get new lungs, and then Rodney would “call her forth” and resurrect her. That's what they tried to do at her memorial service yesterday. But it was unsuccessful.

I have some problems with this considering all the promises of healing made by Browne. It seems that not only Browne, but others are unable to heal people they love the most despite the braggedeering attitude in all the stories they share; where the power of God fell or flowed out of his finger tips like a water hose.

The story was that she must be enjoying heaven too much and that's why she wouldn't come back to life. So does this mean if someone does not enjoy heaven like earth they can come back? This is absurd to say and unbiblical to the max.

The sermon given was Acts 2:15 and also a verse about “joy” to explain the “Holy Laughter” phenomenon. Browne in his service had people falling and laughing, the ministry was not affected at all. You would think one would take time off, I would think one would take stock after all the creative miracles they claimed to have fail.

Browne’s position has been that the anointing breaks the devil and his work, this is the problem with the 3rd wave and faith healing, all this talk and no action. His daughter was sick all along yet he claimed to have the anointing to heal people.

Browne says, “Kelly is totally healed now,” he added. “She's better off than any other Christian on the planet.” He is turning his grief into action. “My daughter dying is the worst career move the devil could have made. We're going after 100 million souls, and he will pay.”

You would think with this tragedy Browne it would have had him come to a different conclusion, but he did not, it actually reinforced his false theology. Is not God in control of the believers life, does not he number our days. So the devil is now more powerful than God. Does the Bible not say Jesus has the keys of death and hell. How can the devil take a believers life? Rodney is placing blame on the wrong one. This is very sad to see such a reaction.

Has there ever been 100 million souls won for Jesus in a period of ten years in earth's history. Browne has pronounced something no other braggart would think of saying, giving a number like this. But this is the extension of his latter rain theology.

Rodney said the same at NY coliseum. Brownes six-week crusade in Madison Square Garden were nights the river did not flow. Only 3,000 a night attended most who were his trained workers in the 19,000 seat arena. Even though the free meetings include entertainment, Howard-Browne's “Good News New York” campaign that was begun by a dream from God failed

Howard-Browne boasted to the hosts of Dominion Sky Angel’s satellite network “We’re believing for 150,000 souls to come to Christ,” (7/5/99 Sky Angle broadcast) Reinhardt Bonnke told Howard-Browne, “I believe that the harvest will be three times that amount.” (Howard-Browne quoting Bonnke 7/5/99 Sky Angle broadcast).

It failed because Browne is not an evangelist, he did well when he played to the Christians who laughed along with him to forget their problems and look for an experience. But to present the gospel, dealing with sin and salvation by the cross has always been his weak point.

But it was this story that got me to write this article. On the Daystar network June 18, 2003 Rodney Browne shares about Dec.25 when his daughter died. He promised her that he would bring her back from the dead and she would have new lungs. He claims the funeral parlor could not bury her for several days later so he requested the body be brought to his office so they dropped off his daughter there.

Not being able to carry the casket upstairs they carried her body upstairs into his office and put her on his couch few days. His family along with the assistant pastors gathered from 8-5 to pray for her. Rodney came in ever half- hour praying all day but nothing happened. The next day she was buried.

But this story is not finished. An assistant pastor had a dream or vision, he was taken out of his body and went to heaven. He approached a girl with her back turned to him, she was on her knees with her hands raised. He yelled Kelly and she turned and said to him you don’t belong here. He could see Rodney underneath her praying over her body below. She looked at her body in disgust saying what an ugly thing (Hmm same words Rodney says to people who does not like). Then two lights appeared one went to the throne of God the other went into Rodney’s room above his head. He said to Rodney “I don’t know if you know there was an angel in the room” Rodney says yes I felt the presence.

He thinks God gave her a choice to go back to her body but she declined. “why would I want to go down there when you guys are coming up here soon”

It amazes me the lengths these men will go to have an excuse for the lack of power they claim to have and demonstrate.

Well a number of things seem to come to remembrance. Browne is friends with Benny Hinn, and the Harfouches both claim miracles and healing in a unprecedented number.

In TBN Oct.23 1999 Hinn had this outrageous prophecy to say “You’re going to have people raised from the dead watching TBN. Programs, just plain programs. Programs that haven’t done much when it comes to supernatural manifestations. Teaching programs. It’s not gonna be a Benny Hinn saying, Stretch your hands. It’s gonna be your average teaching program, your normal Christian program that’s blessing the church. There’s gonna be such power on these programs, people will be raised from the dead. Worldwide. …People around the world who will lose loved ones, will say to undertakers, ahh, not yet. I want to take my dead loved one and place him in front of that TV set for 24 hours.… People are going to be canceling funeral services and bringing their dead in their caskets, placing them, my God, I feel the anointing here.

… Placing them before a television set, waiting for God’s power to come through and touch them. It’s gonna happen time and time, so much it’s gonna spread. You’re gonna hear it from Kenya to Mexico to Europe to South America, where people will be raised, from the, so much so, that the word will spread that if some dead person be put in front of this TV screen, they will be raised from the dead. And they will be. By the thousands. You wait. “

Hinn describes this vision he is having on the set of TBN “And I see them bringing them closer to the TV set. And as people are coming closer, I see ahh, a, actually loved ones picking up the hands of the dead and letting them touch the screen, and people are, are getting raised as their hands are touching that screen. With just programs. I’m not talking about my program. I’m talking about programs, plain programs airing.

What a story to tell millions how many have died and not been raised? We are still waiting, and I predict that this is all we will do, wait. But why does not those who believe in Hinn do this, certainly Browne is aware of Hinns prophecy. And what of David Hogan who claims to have raised near 200 people (speaks at Brownsville), surely Browne and others are aware of this. Why was he not solicted for help. Something is amiss when you are surrounded by healewrs who claim miracles everywhere they go but are unable to work them among their own. Rodney Browne is also friends with the Harfouches; he dedicated their church. Robin Harfouche interviewed on the Sid Roth program said when she went to heaven Jesus told her “your going to see my created hand created miracles, arms growing out legs growing out amputated limbs where there have been no limbs will begin to grow out… Jesus told me he said he gave us all power and authority over work of darkness...”

This is the same thing Browne had said about the new Pentecost he was promoting, that “Eyeballs will form, legs and arms will grow out, people will leap out of wheelchairs...” (Rodney Howard Browne, The Coming Revival p. 27)

Concerning the claims of miracle healings of incurable diseases, Rodney gives an example on pages 10-11 of The Anointing of a woman who was dying of cancer and only had a few hours left to live. Commanding the Spirit of death and cancer to leave her in the name of the Lord, he spent 20 minutes cursing the cancer as Jesus cursed the fig tree. He describes the Power of God as hitting her from the top of her head down to her feet, and shaking her and her bed as well as her nephew. She finally fell out of her bed healed.

It seems surrounded by all these healers who claim these fantastic stories avail nothing. I suspect that the Lord is soon to be awakening many people to these facts as his last attempt of love and mercy to get them out of this deep deception of following these men’s teachings.

This should be evidence these men who claim all the grandiose miracles cannot produce any, their own loved ones die and they hang onto the same position as before, how sad this all is, how very sad. Please pray for the truth to set them free.

http://www.letusreason.org/Popteac18.htm 7/8/03 11:19:26 AM

TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES IN MORMON HISTORY

THE MISSOURI PERIOD

But the citizens of Missouri evicted their Mormon neighbors. To add to the Mormon disappointment came the failure of Zions camp between 1833 to 1834 to fulfill what Joseph Smith had predicted. Not only didn't the camp end as predicted it suffered a deadly outbreak of cholera.

Back in Kirtland Ohio Joseph Smith was not finding success either. Joseph started his own bank there which he called the Kirtland Safety Society in 1836. This bank was also associated with “word of faith” type of special revelations which declared it was safer than any bank in the world. Smith was so bold that with no federal or state approval they began printing their own currency.

In 1837 this bank failed and with it the remaining good feelings of the other citizens in Ohio. In a cloud of legal difficulties Joseph traveled to Far West Missouri in January 1838 in what Church historian and prophet Joseph Fielding Smith called a "flight."

JOSEPH SMITH'S PLAN IN FAR WEST
Joseph planned to restore the united order which would have solved the financial problems of the Church because it required every member to transfer real estate, farms, business, homes, and money to the Church. As he looked around at past failures he determined his past problems were due to "enemies" of the Church both within and without who were close neighbors. Joseph planned to purge key counties of "dissenters." For Joseph Smith in 1838 a dissenter was anyone who would not transfer their property to the him. With this world view, Joseph Smith was in need of a dependable security force with the intention of carrying out the will of the "presidency." Joseph formed the Danite group in this period to carry out his will. This became one of the toughest periods in the history of the Church.

PROBLEMS WITH THE WAY MORMONS & WORD OF FAITH PEOPLE USE HEB 11:1-3

The way this passage is translated is a primary reason why in a day of many modern excellent translations both Mormon and Word of Faith people use the King James Version. The reason is because they think it is saying that God used faith to create the earth. Actually, if we examine the Greek grammar with some Greek scholars we will see this interpretation was never intended by the original author in the Greek language. Rather my study revealed faith in this passage is the means through which human beings are able to understand that God created and prepared his creation using not faith but his own Sovereign rhema word.

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT
In this context we see the author of Hebrews first making a statement about what faith is and then begin to present a long list through the remainder of the chapter that give examples of Biblical faith in the form of witnesses which were included to encourage a persecuted church. The word witness is repeated in a "theological passive" because the author presented their stories to evidence how God bore witness in the past so the readers would be encouraged. Most call this section a "catalogue of faithful witnesses." The Word Biblical Commentary on this passage sees pistis faith as a characteristic term being repeated twenty-four times between 11:3 -31. They identify this grammatical development as an "anaphora," which is a rhetorical mechanism for repeating key words at the beginning of successive clauses to give unity, rhythm, and solemnity to the whole text. Verse three should not be isolated but become the start of a new paragraph idea. There translation reads:

"Now faith celebrates the objective reality [of the blessings] for which we hope, the demonstration of events as yet unseen. On this account the men of the past received attestation by God. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is seen was not brought into being from anything observable" [Heb 11:1-3 WBC}.

In commenting on v.3 the WBC reads, "the commendation of faith in vv 1–2 is supplemented by the further affirmation of v 3: faith entails knowing that the physical universe was formed in response to the dynamic, personal word of God." [Nolland, John, Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 47b: Hebrews 9-13, (Dallas, Texas: Word Books, Publisher) 1998.]

The United Bible Society Translator Handbook Series on verse three is as follows: This verse is the first example of the general statement in verse 1. It is, however, of a different kind from all the other examples, and for this reason CLTs, following the UBS Greek New Testament, make it a separate paragraph. As in verse 2, the expression [It is by faith] may be restructured as cause; for example, "Because we have faith, we understand..." or "Because we trust God, we understand...."

[Understand] is not emphasized, but the use of this word shows that in Hebrews "faith" is not opposed to "understanding"; the two belong together. This verse contains two examples of the need to choose clearly between alternative meanings of a word. The Greek word for [created] sometimes means "repaired," and the word for [the universe] sometimes means "the ages," but these choices would obviously be wrong here. The Greek term for [word - rhema], as in Heb 1:3, usually means a spoken rather than a written word, and this is so here; see Genesis 1:3 and Psalm 33:6,9. However, there is no sharp distinction between the two Greek terms for [word] which are used in Hebrews: (a) in Heb 1:3; 6:5; and here; and (b) in 4:12 and 13:7.

The statement [we understand that the universe was created by God's word] may be restructured; for example, "we understand that God used his word to create the universe" or "...the heavens and earth." It is also possible to render [the universe was created by God's word] as [So that] probably means "with the result that," not "in order that"; it is an expression of result rather than purpose. TEV uses [seen] twice to translate two different Greek words, used for the sake of variety but having the same meaning. [Was made] implies "and still exists," like the English "came into being," but there is no emphasis, as there is in Heb 1:3, on the idea of God's "maintaining" or "upholding" the universe by his "word." TEV and RSV agree in taking the Greek word for "[not]" with "[appear]" ([cannot be seen]), to give the paraphrase "To say that the world came into being by God's word is to say that the visible world was made out of something which cannot be seen." It is grammatically possible, but less likely, to link "not" with the whole clause, to give the meaning "it was not out of the world of visible things that the visible world came into being." UBS Translator Handbook Series

Because so many are confused about Biblical faith I am including the entire article written by Handley Dunelm from the International Standard Bible Encylopaedia.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORD OF FAITH
AND MORMON DEIFICATION

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYLOPAEDIA ~ FAITH

In the Old Testament (the King James Version) the word occurs only twice: Deut 32:20 ('emun); ('emunah). In the latter the Revised Version (British and American) places in the margin the alternative rendering, "faithfulness." In the New Testament it is of very frequent occurrence, always representing pistis, with one exception in the King James Version (not the Revised Version (British and American)), Heb 10:23, where it represents elpis, "hope."

1. Etymology: The history of the English word is rather interesting than important; use and contexts, alike for it and its Hebrew and Greek parallels, are the surest guides to meaning. But we may note that it occurs in the form "feyth," in Havelok the Dane (13th century); that it is akin to fides and this again to the Sanskrit root bhidh, "to unite," "to bind." It is worth while to recall this primeval suggestion of the spiritual work of faith, as that which, on man's side, unites him to God for salvation.

2. Meaning: a Divergency: Studying the word "faith" in the light of use and contexts, we find a bifurcation of significance in the Bible. We may distinguish the two senses as the passive and the active; on the one side, "fidelity," "trustworthiness"; and "faith," "trust," on the other. In , e.g. context makes it clear that "fidelity" is in view, as a quality congruous with the associated graces. (the Revised Version (British and American) accordingly renders pistis there by "faithfulness.") Again, the King James Version, "the faith of God," by the nature of the case, means His fidelity to promise. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, "faith," as rendering pistis, means "reliance," "trust." To illustrate would be to quote many scores of passages. It may be enough here to call attention to the recorded use of the word by Our Lord. Of about twenty passages in the Gospels where pistis occurs as coming from His lips, only one presents it in the apparent sense of "fidelity." All the others conspicuously demand the sense of "reliance," "trust." The same is true of the apostolic writings. In them, with rarest exceptions, the words "reliance," "trust," precisely fit the context as alternatives to "faith."

3. Faith in the Sense of Creed: Another line of meaning is traceable in a very few passages, where pistis, "faith," appears in the sense of "creed," the truth, or body of truth, which is trusted, or which justifies trust. The most important of such places is the paragraph , where an apparent contradiction to some great Pauline dicta perplexes many readers. The riddle is solved by observing that the writer uses "faith" in the sense of creed, orthodox "belief." This is clear from verse 19, where the "faith." In question is illustrated: "Thou believest that God is one." This is the credal confession of the orthodox Jew (the shema`; see ), taken as a passport to salvation. Briefly, James presses the futility of creed without life, Paul the necessity of reliance in order to receive "life and peace."

4. A Leading Passage Explained: It is important to notice that is no exception to the rule that "faith" normally means "reliance," "trust." There "Faith is the substance (or possibly, in the light of recent inquiries into the type of Greek used by NT writers, "the guaranty") of things hoped for, the evidence (or "convincing proof") of things not seen." This is sometimes interpreted as if faith, in the writer's view, were, so to speak, a faculty of second sight, a mysterious intuition into the spiritual world. But the chapter amply shows that the faith illustrated, e.g. by Abraham, Moses, Rahab, was simply reliance upon a God known to be trustworthy. Such reliance enabled the believer to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen. In short, the phrase here, "faith is the evidence," etc., is parallel in form to our familiar saying, "Knowledge is power."

5. Remarks: A few detached remarks may be added: (a) The history of the use of the Greek pistis is instructive. In the Septuagint it normally, if not always, bears the "passive" sense "fidelity," "good faith," while in classical Greek it not rarely bears the active sense, "trust." In the koine, the type of Greek universally common at the Christian era, it seems to have adopted the active meaning as the ruling one only just in time, so to speak, to provide it for the utterance of Him whose supreme message was "reliance," and who passed that message on to His apostles. Through their lips and pens "faith," in that sense, became the supreme watchword of Christianity.

6. Conclusion: In conclusion, without trespassing on the ground of other articles, we call the reader's attention, for his Scriptural studies, to the central place of faith in Christianity, and its significance. As being, in its true idea, a reliance as simple as possible upon the word, power, love, of Another, it is precisely that which, on man's side, adjusts him to the living and merciful presence and action of a trusted God. In its nature, not by any mere arbitrary arrangement, it is his one possible receptive attitude, that in which he brings nothing, so that he may receive all. Thus "faith" is our side of union with Christ. And thus it is our means of possessing all His benefits, pardon, justification, purification, life, peace, glory.

As a comment on our exposition of the ruling meaning of "faith" in Scripture, we may note that this precisely corresponds to its meaning in common life, where, for once that the word means anything else, it means "reliance" a hundred times. Such correspondence between religious terms (in Scripture) and the meaning of the same words in common life, will be found to be invariable. Author, Handley Dunelm, International Standard Bible Encylopaedia, 1996

Included under the title "Lectures on Faith" in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, these seven "lectures on theology" (HC 2:176) were presented to the School for the Elders in the early winter of 1834-1835 in Kirtland, Ohio. The school was organized to help Church leaders and missionaries "[qualify] themselves as messengers of Jesus Christ, to be ready to do His will in carrying glad tidings to all that would open their eyes, ears, and hearts," by being "more perfectly instructed in the great things of God" (HC 2:169-70; see also Schools of the Prophets).

The lectures address three major themes: "first, faith itself—what it is; secondly, the object on which it rests; and thirdly, the effects which flow from it" (Dahl and Tate, p. 31). The first lecture explains what faith is; the second shows how the knowledge of God first came into the world and traces this knowledge from Adam to Abraham; the third and fourth discuss the necessary and unchanging attributes of God; the fifth deals with the nature of God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost; the sixth teaches that acquiring faith unto salvation depends on knowing that one's life is pleasing to God, which knowledge can be obtained only by the willingness to sacrifice all earthly things; and the seventh treats the fruits of faith—perspective, power, and ultimately perfection. In the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants the seven lectures comprised seventy-four pages. The lectures are organized in numbered paragraphs in which principles are stated and supporting scriptures quoted. Appended to the first five lectures are lists of questions and answers restating the principles discussed. These catechisms are about as long as the lectures themselves.

No clear evidence documents who actually wrote the lectures. Recent authorship studies ascribe the wording of the lectures "mainly to Sidney Rigdon," with Joseph Smith substantially involved, and others perhaps having some influence. Joseph Smith's close involvement with the lectures is suggested by Willard Richards's history, which reports that Joseph was "busily engaged" in November in making "preparations for the School for the Elders, wherein they might be more perfectly instructed in the great things of God" (HC 2:169-70). The same source indicates that in January 1835 Joseph was engaged in "preparing the lectures on theology for publication" (HC 2:180). From these references and other circumstances it seems evident that the lectures were prepared and published with Joseph Smith's approval (Dahl and Tate, pp. 7-10; 16, n. 8).

Until 1921 the "Lectures on Faith" were printed in almost all the English-language editions of the Doctrine and Covenants, and in many, but not all, non-English editions. An introductory statement in the 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants explains that the lectures were deleted because "they were never presented to nor accepted by the Church as being otherwise than theological lectures or lessons" (see Doctrine and Covenants Editions). The decision may also have been influenced by what many readers have perceived as conflicts between statements about the Godhead in the fifth lecture and certain later revelations (D&C 130; Dahl and Tate, pp. 16-19). Others have found these conflicts to be more apparent than real and have attempted reconciliations (R. Millet, in Dahl and Tate, pp. 221-40).

The "Lectures on Faith" have been published separately from the Doctrine and Covenants for the LDS community four times: in 1840-1843, by Parley P. Pratt in England; in 1940, by compiler N. B. Lundwall in Salt Lake City; in 1985, by Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City; and in 1990, by the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University. They were published separately twice by schismatic groups: in 1845-1846, by Sidney Rigdon (in Pittsburgh, soon after he left the Church); and in 1952, by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Religious Studies Center publication includes a newly edited version of the lectures designed to make the text more readable. It provides textual comparison charts that identify all textual changes that have occurred in various printings of the lectures from 1835 to 1990. It also contains a summary of historical information, a doctrinal discussion of the topic of each lecture, and an extensive bibliography (Dahl and Tate).

Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not acquainted with the text of the "Lectures on Faith," though many may recognize excerpts that are occasionally quoted in speeches and writings of leaders and scholars. A sampling of these quotations as printed in the 1990 edited edition follows:

Lecture One
1. Faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness. 9. Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen and…the principle of action in all intelligent beings.
12. As faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual. 13. But faith is not only the principle of action, but it is also the principle of power in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth.
15. The principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which he framed the worlds, was faith.

Lecture Two
55. Let us here observe that after any members of the human family are made acquainted with the important fact that there is a God who has created and does uphold all things, the extent of their knowledge respecting his character and glory will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking after him, until, like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they shall obtain faith in God and power with him to behold him face to face.

Lecture Three
2-5. Let us here observe that three things are necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that he actually exists; Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will.

Lecture Four
11. Without the knowledge of all things God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures. For it is the knowledge which he has of all things from the beginning to the end that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life. And if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God has all knowledge, it would be impossible for them to exercise faith in him.

13. It is also necessary that men should have the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in God in order to exercise faith in him unto life and salvation. For without the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in the Deity, men could not have confidence sufficient to place themselves under his guidance and direction. For they would be filled with fear and doubt lest the Judge of all the earth would not do right, and thus fear or doubt existing in the mind would preclude the possibility of the exercise of faith in him for life and salvation. But when the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in the Deity is fairly planted in the mind, it leaves no room for doubt to get into the heart; and the mind is enabled to cast itself upon the Almighty without fear, and without doubt, and with the most unshaken confidence, believing that the Judge of all the earth will do right.

Lecture Five
2. There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, governing, and supreme power over all things, by whom all things were created and made…. They are the Father and the Son: the Father being a personage of spirit, glory, and power, possessing all perfection and fulness. The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, is a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, being in the form and likeness of man, or rather man was formed after his likeness and in his image. He is also the express image and likeness of the personage of the Father, possessing all the fulness of the Father, or the same fulness with the Father; being begotten of him, and ordained from before the foundation of the world to be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should believe on his name. He is called the Son because of the flesh…possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit that bears record of the Father and the Son. These three are one; or, in other words, these three constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme power over all things.

Q & A 15. Do the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute the Godhead? They do.

Lecture Six
2. It is essential for any person to have an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the will of God to enable him to have that confidence in God without which no person can obtain eternal life.
4. Such was and always will be the situation of the Saints of God. Unless they have an actual knowledge that the course they are pursuing is according to the will of God, they will grow weary in their minds and faint.
7. Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It is through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life. And it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God.
12. But those who have not made this sacrifice to God do not know that the course which they pursue is well pleasing in his sight. For whatever may be their belief or their opinion, it is a matter of doubt and uncertainty in their mind; and where doubt and uncertainty are, there faith is not, nor can it be. For doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time. So persons whose minds are under doubts and fears cannot have unshaken confidence, and where unshaken confidence is not, there faith is weak. And where faith is weak, the persons will not be able to contend against all the opposition, tribulations, and afflictions which they will have to encounter in order to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. But they will grow weary in their minds, and the adversary will have power over them and destroy them.

Lecture Seven
19. All things which pertain to life and godliness are the effects of faith.
20. When faith comes, it brings its train of attendants with it—apostles, prophets, Evangelists, pastors, teachers, gifts, wisdom, knowledge, miracles, healings, tongues, interpretation of tongues, etc. All these appear when faith appears on the earth and disappear when it disappears from the earth. For these are the effects of faith and always have attended and always will attend it. For where faith is, there will the knowledge of God be, also, with all things which pertain thereto: revelations, visions, and dreams, as well as every other necessary thing, so the possessors of faith may be perfected and obtain salvation [Dahl and Tate, pp. 31-104].

The Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, who compiled the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, said in the "Lectures on Faith" preface "that it contains, in short, the leading items of the religion which we have professed to believe," and "we have…endeavored to present our belief, though in few words, and when we say this, we humbly trust that it is the faith and principles of this society as a body" (Dahl and Tate, pp. 29-30).

Although it is impossible to evaluate the long-term impact of the lectures on LDS belief and teaching, the process of producing the lectures led early Church leaders to articulate and synthesize some of what they had learned from the revelations of the Restoration with the understanding of the Bible that they inherited from American Christianity. Although these lectures have received limited attention from most Latter-day Saints, others have taken them quite seriously and praised their value. LDS scripturalist and apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote regarding the lectures, "They were not themselves classed as revelations, but in them is to be found some of the best lesson material ever prepared on the Godhead; on the character, perfections, and attributes of God; on faith, miracles, and sacrifice. They can be studied with great profit by all gospel scholars" (MD, p. 439). The 1990 republication of the lectures signals the desire of some LDS scholars to stimulate interest in their historical and doctrinal significance for the Church.

Bibliography
Dahl, Larry E., and Charles D. Tate, eds. The Lectures on Faith in Historical Perspective. Provo, Utah, 1990.
Gentry, Leland H. "What of the Lectures on Faith?" BYU Studies 19 (Fall 1978):5-19.
Larsen, Wayne A.; Alvin C. Rencher; and Tim Layton. "Who Wrote the Book of Mormon? An Analysis of Wordprints." BYU Studies 20 (Spring 1980):249, app. E ("Lectures on Faith"); rev. repr. in Book of Mormon Authorship, ed. Noel B. Reynolds, pp. 183-84. Provo, Utah, 1982.
Phipps, Alan J. "The Lectures on Faith: An Authorship Study." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1977.
Van Wagoner, Richard S.; Steven C. Walker; and Allen D. Roberts. "The "Lectures on Faith': A Case Study in Decanonization." Dialogue 20 (Fall 1987):71-77.
Larry E. Dahl

Faith 1992 Encyclopedia of Mormonism

Douglas E. Brinley, Faith, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ (A of F 4). One who has this faith believes him to be the living Son of God, trusts in his goodness and power, repents of one's sins, and follows his guidance. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is awakened as individuals hear his gospel (Rom. 10:17). By faith they enter the gate of repentance and baptism, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which leads to the way of life ordained by Christ (2 Ne. 31:9, 17-18). Those who respond are "alive in Christ because of [their] faith" (2 Ne. 25:25). Because God's way is the only way that leads to salvation, "it is impossible to please him" without faith (Heb. 11:6). Faith must precede miracles, signs, gifts of the Spirit, and righteousness, for "if there be no faith…God can do no miracle" (Ether 12:12). The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni2 summarized these points:

The Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved [Moro. 7:32-34].

Although in common speech people speak of having faith in people, principles, or things, faith in its eternal sense is faith in, and only in, Jesus Christ. It is not sufficient to have faith in just anything; it must be focused on "the only true God, and Jesus Christ" whom he has sent (John 17:3). Having faith means having complete confidence in Jesus Christ alone to save humankind from sin and the finality of death. By his grace "are ye saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8). If "Christ be not risen," then "your faith is also vain" and "ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). To trust in the powers of this world is to "trust in the arm of flesh" and, in effect, to reject Christ and his gospel (2 Ne. 4:34).

Paul explained, "Now faith is the substance [or assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence [the demonstration or proof] of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Mortals must live by faith, since divine realities are veiled from their physical senses. The invisible truths of the gospel are made manifest by the Holy Spirit and are seen in the lives of people who live by faith, following the daily directions of that Spirit. Though most mortals have not seen the spiritual realities beyond this physical world, they can accept such premises in faith, based on personal spiritual witness(es) and the scriptural record of former and latter-day special witnesses whom God has called and who have experienced these realities firsthand.

True faith is belief plus action. Faith implies not only the mental assent or cognition of belief but also its implementation. Beliefs in things both spiritual and secular impel people to act. Failure to act on the teachings and commandments of Christ implies absence of faith in him. Faith in Jesus Christ impels people to act in behalf of Christ, to follow his example, to do his works. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21; italics added). James further emphasized that "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:17-18; see also Grace).

Righteousness leads to greater faith, while sin and wickedness diminish faith. "The just [man] shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). Violating the commandments of God brings a loss of the Spirit of the Lord and a loss of faith, for faith in Jesus Christ is incompatible with disobedience. The Book of Mormon prophet Alma2 characterized the words of Christ as a seed that is tested as people plant it in their hearts and nourish it. If they desire to see the seed grow, they must give it room and nourish it with their faith. If it is a good seed, it will swell and grow, and they will know that it is good. However, if they neglect the seed, it will wither away. But if they will "nourish the word…by [their] faith with great diligence," it will grow into a tree of life, and they will taste its fruit, which is eternal life (Alma 32:26-43).

Faith may be nurtured and renewed through scripture study, prayer, and works consistent with the commandments of the gospel. Because those who act on faith, repent, and are baptized receive a remission of sins, they have reason to hope for eternal life (Moro. 7:41). With this hope, their faith in Jesus Christ further inspires individuals to minister to each other in charity, even as Christ would have done (Moro. 7:44), for the "end of the commandment is charity out of…faith unfeigned" (1 Tim. 1:5). "Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever" (Moro. 7:47). Thus, faith, or "steadfastness in Christ," enables people to endure to the end, continuing in faith and charity (2 Ne. 31:20; 1 Tim. 2:15; D&C 20:29). True faith is enduring and leads to an assurance that one's efforts have not gone unnoticed and that God is pleased with one's attitude and effort to implement the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in one's personal life.

While Alma explained how faith leads to knowledge, modern LDS commentary also points out how certain kinds of knowledge strengthen faith (MD, pp. 261-67). The knowledge that God exists, a correct understanding of his character, and a reassurance that he approves of one's conduct can help one's faith "become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness" ("Lectures on Faith," pp. 65-66; see Lectures on Faith).

The restoration of the gospel in modern times was initiated by an act of faith by the youthful Joseph Smith. Reading the Bible, he was struck by the encouragement of James to all who lack wisdom that they should "ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:6). The visions that came to Joseph Smith in answer to his prayers (see Visions of Joseph Smith) are evidence that prayers are "answered according to [one's] faith" (Mosiah 27:14). Though God delights to bless his children, he "first, [tries] their faith,…then shall the greater things be made manifest" (3 Ne. 26:9). But there will be "no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6), and "without faith you can do nothing" (D&C 8:10). "Signs come by faith, not by the will of men" (D&C 63:10).

Because faith involves the guidance of the Holy Ghost to individuals, it leads them by an invisible hand to "the unity of the faith" (Eph. 4:13). Through the strength of others and increased confidence in the Lord's way, faith provides a shield against the adversary (Eph. 6:16). Similarly, faith has been described as part of one's armor, serving as a "breastplate of faith and love" (1 Thes. 5:8) in protecting the faithful from evil.

Christ Healing the Blind Man, by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890; oil on copper plate, 20" x 30"). Jesus heals a man blind from birth (John 9). Healings and other miracles are one manifestation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Courtesy the Frederiksborg Museum, Hillerod, Denmark.

Bibliography
Benson, Ezra Taft. The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pp. 65-69. Salt Lake City, 1988.
Kimball, Spencer W. Faith Precedes the Miracle. Salt Lake City, 1973.
"Lectures on Faith." In The Lectures on Faith in Historical Perspective, ed. L. Dahl and C. Tate, pp. 29-104. Provo, Utah, 1990.
Douglas E. Brinley

Burton, Rulon T., Creation, We Believe: Doctrines and Principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Tabernacle Books, 1994.

Creation
Author's Note: A dictionary definition of To Create: "To originate or cause; to bring into being; to cause to exist; to make or form, by investing with new character;" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language p.201)

Bruce R. McConkie defines it as follows: "To create is to organize. It is and utterly false and uninspired notion to believe that the world or any other thing was created out of nothing, or that any created thing can be destroyed in the sense of annihilation. 'The elements are eternal' (D&C 93:33)." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 169)

Joseph Smith had this to say about the word "create," which he uttered just a few months before his death: "Now, the word create came from baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end." (TPJS:350-52; DGSM:16)

114. Through His son Jesus Christ, God the Father created the earth and all things in the heavens and in the earth.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
It was Jesus, our Redeemer, who, under the direction of his father, came down and organized matter and made this planet. . . . (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74-75) DGSM:16

Joseph Smith,
translating the Book of Moses
And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

32. And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

33. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. (The Lord talks to Moses, face to face; revelation received in 1830) Moses 1:31-33

Bruce R. McConkie
We know that Jehovah-Christ, assisted by "many of the noble and great ones" (Abr.3:22), of whom Michael is but the illustration, did in fact create the earth and all forms of plant and animal life on the face thereof. But when it came to placing man on earth, there was a change in Creators, that is, the Father himself became personally involved. All Things were created by the Son, using the power delegated by the Father, except man. In the spirit and again in the flesh, man was created by the father. There was no delegation of authority where the crowning creature of creation was concerned. (The Promised Messiah, p. 62) DGSM:18

Abraham
quoted by Joseph Smith
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; . . .

24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abr.3:22,24 115. Adam, known as Michael, assisted Jesus Christ in the creation of the earth.

John A. Widtsoe
Three great intelligent Beings were in supreme authority in the building of the earth; namely, God, the Father, his Son Jehovah, who became the Christ, and Michael, who became the first man, Adam. These three Beings were naturally the ones concerned in the making of an earth for the sojourn of the spirits, for it was through the agency of God, the Father, that the spirit beings were started on the road of eternal progression; it was about the mission of Jehovah, the Son of God, that the differences of opinion raged in the Great Council, and finally, it was Adam, or Michael, who was appointed to be the one to come upon the earth, and there to subject himself to death, so that the procreation of spirits in earthly tabernacles might be begun. (A Rational Theology, pp. 49-51) TLDP:120

President Brigham Young,
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
When Father Adam came to assist in organizing the earth out of the crude material that was found, an earth was made upon which the children of men could live. After the earth was prepared Father Adam came and stayed here. . . . (At Paris, Idaho, Aug. 31, 1873, JD16:167) DBY:102

116. The elements are eternal; they were not created from nothing.

Joseph Smith,
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing, and they will answer, "Doesn't the Bible say He created the world?" And they infer, from the word create, that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning and can have no end. (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—,"King Follett Sermon", April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62) HC6:308-09; TPJS:354

President Joseph F. Smith
Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose
(First Presidency)
The Council of the Twelve Apostles
The scriptures plainly and repeatedly affirm that God is the Creator of the earth and the heavens and all things that in them are. In the sense so expressed the Creator is an Organizer. God created the earth as an organized sphere; but He certainly did not create, in the sense of bringing into primal existence, the ultimate elements of the materials of which the earth consists, for "the elements are eternal" (D&C 93:33).

So also life is eternal, and not created; but life, or the vital force, may be infused into organized matter, though the details of the process have not been revealed unto man. (In pamphlet, "The Father and The Son; A Doctrinal Exposition by The First Presidency and The Twelve," published by the Church June 30, 1916. Reprinted in AF:420-26. See MOFP:5:23-34) AF:420

John A. Widtsoe
Matter in its essence is eternal, that is, everlasting. Whether the various known forms of matter may be converted one into the other is not definitely known, though it seems probable. Any such conversion would, however, leave the total quantity of matter or its equivalent unchanged. God, the supreme Power, cannot conceivably originate matter; he can only organize matter. Neither can he destroy matter; he can only disorganize it. God is the Master, who, because of his great knowledge, knows how to use the elements, already existing, for the building of whatever he may have in mind. The doctrine that God made the earth or man from nothing becomes, therefore an absurdity. The doctrine of the indestructibility of the essential elements of the universe makes possible much theological reasoning that would otherwise be impossible. (A Rational Theology, pp. 11-12) TLDP:121-22

Joseph Smith
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; (Revelation received at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833) D&C 93:33

117. Mankind and all forms of life were created spiritually before they were created physically on the earth.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
There is no account of the creation of man or other forms of life when they were created as spirits. There is just the simple statement that they were so created before the physical creation. The statements in Moses 3:5 and Genesis 2:5 are interpolations thrown into the account of the physical creation, explaining that all things were first created in the spirit existence in heaven before they were placed upon this earth.

We were all created untold ages before we were placed on this earth. We discover from Abraham 3:22-28, that it was before the earth was formed that the plan of salvation was presented to the spirits, or "intelligences." This being true, then man, animals and plants were not created in the spirit at the time of the creation of the earth, but long before. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:75-76) TLDP:120-21

Joseph Smith,
translating the Book of Moses
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; . . .

7. And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word. (The Lord reveals to Moses the creation of the earth and of man) Moses 3:5,7

Mark E. Petersen
Our religion tells us that God is our Father, and that we lived with him before we were born on this earth. It tells us further that every creature, microscopic and otherwise, was made by him before it lived here on the earth, and also that each one was made as a spirit before it was made in the flesh here in mortality. There were two creations, one in which God made all things in the spirit. That is, he made the real life, the real being, as a spirit, in the first creation. And then, in the second creation, he provided these mortal tabernacles in which he placed these spirits that he had created in the preexistence. ("We Believe in God, The Eternal Father," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 247) TLDP:121

President Joseph F. Smith,
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
By His almighty power He [God] organized the earth, and all that it contains, from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with Himself. He formed every plant that grows, and every animal that breathes, each after its own kind, spiritually and temporally. . . . He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant, but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter, each class in its 'distinct order or sphere,' and will enjoy 'eternal felicity.' That fact has been made plain in this dispensation (D&C 77:3). (Christmas greetings, Dec. 18, 1909) MOFP4:206

Bruce R. McConkie
Man and all forms of life existed as spirit beings and entities before the foundations of this earth were laid. There were spirit men and spirit beasts, spirit fowls and spirit fishes, spirit plants and spirit trees. Every creeping thing, every herb and shrub, every amoeba and tadpole, every elephant and dinosaur—all things—existed as spirits, as spirit beings before they were placed naturally upon the earth. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 642-43) DGSM:16

Mark E. Petersen
The sectarian people have a hard time understanding the idea that man is made in the image of God and that God looks like a human being. But I ask you, he having made all these rules, he having created all things and now reproducing us after his own kind, how could we be other than the exact image and likeness of God? It had to be that way, because we're the offspring of God. And since we are the offspring of God, and since the law is that everything should reproduce after its own kind, and inasmuch as God would not break his own laws, he reproduced after his own kind and thus man looks like God and man is in the image and likeness of God. ("We Believe in God, the Eternal Father," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 249) TLDP:122

Abraham,
quoted by Joseph Smith
And the Gods took counsel among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, after our likeness; and we will give them dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27. So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth) Abr.4:26-27

Joseph Smith,
translating the Book of Moses
And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27. And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. (The record of Moses: God makes man and gives him dominion over all things) Moses 2:26-27

President Joseph F. Smith,
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. (In The Origin of Man, official statement, Nov. 1909) MOFP4:206

Abraham,
quoted by Joseph Smith
4:1. And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth. . . . 4:31. . . . [A]nd they numbered the sixth time. . . . 5:1. And thus we will finish the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them. 5:2. And the Gods said among themselves: On the seventh time we will end our work, which we have counseled; and we will rest on the seventh time from all our work which we have counseled. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth) Abr.4:1,31; Abr.5:1-2

Joseph Smith,
translating the Book of Moses
2:1. [I]n the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest. . . . 2:31. And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good; and the evening and the morning were the sixth day. . . . 3:1. Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 3:2. And on the seventh day I, God, ended my work, and all things which I had made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work, and all things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good; (The Lord explains the Creation to Moses; revelation received in 1830) Moses 2:1,31; Moses 3:1-2

Bruce R. McConkie
But first, what is a day? It is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a division of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes. One measuring rod is the time required for a celestial body to turn once on its axis. . . .

There is no revealed recitation specifying that each of the "six days" involved in the creation was of the same duration. . . . (Common Consent, p. 11) DGSM:17

120. All plants and animals upon the earth were created for the benefit of human beings.

Joseph Smith
Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17. Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18. Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

19. Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

20. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. (Revelation received Aug. 7, 1831) D&C 59:16-20

Joseph Smith,
translating the Book of Moses
And I, God, said unto man: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which shall be the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (The record of Moses: God makes man and gives him dominion over all) Moses 2:29

Abraham,
quoted by Joseph Smith
And the Gods said: Behold, we will give them every herb bearing seed that shall come upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which shall have fruit upon it; yea, the fruit of the tree yielding seed to them we will give it; it shall be for their meat. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth) Abr.4:29 121. God the Father created other worlds through His son Jesus Christ.

Joseph Smith
translating the Book of Moses
And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

33. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. (The Lord talks to Moses, face to face, revelation received in 1830) Moses 1:32-33

Joseph Smith
And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives 23. For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

24. That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:22-24

Bruce R. McConkie
After the Firstborn of the Father, while yet a spirit being, had gained power and intelligence that made him like unto God; after he had become, under the Father, the Creator of worlds without number; after he had reigned on the throne of eternal power as the Lord Omnipotent—after all this he yet had to gain a mortal and then an immortal body.

After the Son of God "made flesh" his "tabernacle," and while he "dwelt among the sons of men" after he left his preexistent glory as we all do at birth; after he was born of Mary in Bethlehem of Judea—after all this he was called upon to work out his own salvation. ("Our Relationship with the Lord," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1981-82, p. 99) TLDP:747

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
We know that our Heavenly Father is a glorified, exalted personage who has all power, all might, and all dominion, and that he knows all things. We testify that he, through his Only Begotten Son, is the Creator of this earth and of worlds without number, all of which are peopled by his spirit children. CR1971Apr:4-5

Bruce R. McConkie
Further, the gospel is in operation in all the worlds created by the Father and the Son. Their work and their glory, in all the infinite creations that their hands have made, is to bring to pass immortality and eternal life for the children of the Father. Through the atonement of Christ, the inhabitants of all these worlds have power to become his sons and daughters, to become joint-heirs with him of all the glory of his Father's kingdom, to be adopted into the family of the Father, which is to say that the inhabitants of all worlds "are [thus] begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:24) (The Promised Messiah, p. 286) TLDP:238

President John Taylor
It would appear that the translated residents of Enoch's city are under the direction of Jesus, who is the Creator of worlds: and that He, holding the keys of the government of other worlds, could, in His administrations to them, select the translated people of Enoch's Zion, if He thought proper, to perform a mission to these various planets, and as death had not passed upon them, they could be prepared by Him and made use of through the medium of the Holy Priesthood to act as ambassadors, teachers, or messengers to those worlds over which Jesus holds the authority. . . .

Each kingdom, or planet, and the inhabitants thereof, were blessed with the visits and presence of their Creator, in their several times and seasons. (The Mediation and Atonement, pp. 76-77) TLDP:699

Elder John Taylor
Truly Jesus Christ created the worlds, and is Lord of Lords, and, as the Psalmist said, "judgeth among the Gods." (Psalm 82:1) Then Moses might have said with propriety, he is the "living God", and Christ, speaking of the flesh could say: I am the son of man; and Peter, enlightened by the Holy Ghost: Thou art the son of the living God—meaning our Father in Heaven, who is the Father of all spirits, and who, with Jesus Christ, his first begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one in power, one in dominion, and one in glory, constituting the first presidency of this system, and this eternity. But they are as much three distinct persons as the sun, moon, and earth are three different bodies. (Times and Seasons, Feb. 15, 1845, The Gospel Kingdom, pp. 28-29) TLDP:230