creation myths

a few nights ago, i caught the beginning of a simpsons episode where ned flanders and reverend lovejoy were confronting principle skinner about evolution being taught in the school.

flanders and lovejoy: the children should be taught an alternative to darwinian evolution!
skinner: you mean lamarckian evolution?

yeah, i thought it was pretty funny too.

the differing and sometimes evolving views of evolution (while lamarckian evolution has been discounted, there are also newer neo-darwinism and neo-lemarckism in the scene) had me thinking about the varying creation myths within mormonism (i use the word myths in the sense of religious narrative, and not necessarily to denote fantasy or supernatural). off the top of my head, i could come up with at least 6 different mormon creation myths.


the first two come from the genesis account and lay the foundations for all other accounts.

1. the priestly version is contained in genesis chapter 1 through the third verse of chapter 2. in this account, god (el/ohim) creates the heavens, earth, and life in seven days. humanity is created in god's image and then god considers the work done.
2. the yahwist account begins in the fourth verse of chapter 2. in this version no duration of time is given. god forms adam out of mud, breathes life into him, removes a rib from adam with which god creates eve, god then plants the garden of eden and places the naked couple in the garden. the whole garden story is a part of the yahwist account.

3. the mosaic version in the book of moses combines the priestly and yahwist versions, but tries to reconcile the two by making a distinction between spiritual creation and material creation. the serpent is directly identified as satan, though is still a serpent in form. after their banishment from the garden particulars about their lives, worship, and families are further elaborated on.
4. the abrahamic version in the book of abraham begins with a pre-creation account where the process is planned and discussed. the monotheism of the earlier accounts is replaced with a plurality of gods. like the mosaic account, both the priestly and yahwist accounts are both used. unlike the mosaic account, this time the priestly version is presented as the plan, while the yahwist account is the implementation. the garden myth is only briefly introduced.
5. the endowment version was first introduced by joseph smith. it combines the priestly and yahwist accounts but presents them both as material creations. the gods of the abrahamic account are given a hierarchical order, satan is now in the form of a human, and various endowment rituals are intermixed within the narrative. over the last century various charactersand storylines have come and gone.
6. the adam-god version was taught as revealed doctrine by brigham young and his counselors. some have attributed it to joseph smith. in this account, god the father takes on mortality and becomes adam. one of god's plural wives also takes on mortality and becomes eve.


while certain reconciliations or denials have been attempted, the differences seem to me to be too distinct and sometimes too drastic for reconciliation. instead each should be understood as a single and self-sufficient creation myth. the key to making sense of them is in the endowment and mosaic accounts where adam represents each individual human "which is many"(moses 1:34). each creation myth should not be understood in terms of modern science, but in terms of religious identification, myth, and understanding. they are true, not by correlation to any scientific method, but by correlation to human experience, purpose, and value. each rendition is provided to express a different divine understanding of humanity.