Spiritual Creation

“Earth, water &c—all these had their existence in an elementary State from Eternity.”

"God has given this great variety of intelligence. He has also given this great variety of forms—that eternal variety which we see upon this earth, not only among human beings, but in every class of all the creations of God; and they are all designed to be preserved to all eternity. None of them were made to be destroyed, except those that do not abide the law given them. The earth will abide its creation, and will be counted worthy of receiving the blessings designed for it, and will ultimately roll back into the presence of God who formed it and established it mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. These will all be retained upon the earth, come forth in the resurrection, and abide for ever and for ever."

“Well, how many lives are there in this grain of corn? They are innumerable, and this same infinity is manifest through all the creations of God.”

"There is not one particle of element, which is not filled with life. . . . There is life in all matter, throughout the vast extent of all the eternities; it is in the rock, the sand, the dust, in water, and gases, and in short, in every description and organization of matter whether it be solid, liquid, or gaseous, particle operating within particle."

"The spirit constitutes the life of everything we see. Is there life in these rocks, and mountains? There is. Then there is a spirit peculiarly adapted to those rocks and mountains. . . . There is a spirit nicely adapted to the various productions of the vegetable kingdom.”

"Since all creatures and the plants and trees of the earth were created spiritually, we discover that not only man is entitled to the resurrection but every other living thing that suffered the fall through Adam's transgression. So we learn that this mortal earth, like all on its face, is growing old, and eventually shall die, be cleansed, and then come forth a celestial world and everything will be restored to life never to die again. This does not mean, however, that everything that has been on this earth in mortality will be assigned to remain on this earth when it is purified and has received the celestial glory and becomes a fit abode for celestial beings, human, animal, and plant, according to the divine decree."

"In the Pearl of Great Price also we read that the Lord created all things in the spirit before they were placed on the earth. All beings have been redeemed through the blood of Christ and shall come forth in their own order in the resurrection of the dead, to inherit salvation in that sphere to which they are designed. When we reach the 'next world' we will find there our friends the animals, but they are not the cousins of man! The great work of the Lord is not to save the beasts of the field, but to give to man immortal glory. However, man would not be contented to live in a world where no animals, plants or vegetables were found. They too live and pass through mortality according to the plan of the Great Designer, and not one mote shall be lost."

“Latter-day Saints, at least, do not take the view that animals have no reason, and cannot think. We have the divine knowledge that each possesses a spirit in the likeness of its body, and that each was created spiritually before it was naturally, or given a body on the earth. Naturally, then, there is some measure of intelligence in members of the animal kingdom.”

"The simple answer is that animals do have spirits and that through the redemption made by our Savior they will come forth in the resurrection to enjoy the blessing of immortal life. . . . As to where the beasts, birds, and fish, and all other creatures will go after the resurrection we can only express an opinion. John saw many of them in heaven in the presence of God. It is very probably that they, like mankind, will be distributed in the various kingdoms, celestial, terrestrial and telestial. We may well believe that in each of these kingdoms such creatures will be assigned."

"It is a very inconsistent notion which is held by some, that the resurrection will only come to human souls, that the animals and plants have no spirits and are therefore not redeemed by the sacrifice of the Son of God, and hence they are not entitled to the resurrection."

"While it is true that all things were created spiritually, or as spirits, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth, this creation, we are informed, was in heaven. This applies to animals of all descriptions and also to plant life, before there was flesh upon the earth, or in the water, or in the air (Moses 3:5, 9; Genesis 2:5, 9)."

"The idea prevails in general, I believe, in the religious world where the Gospel truth is misunderstood, that man is the only being on the earth that has what is called a 'soul' or a spirit. We know this is not the case, for the Lord has said that not only has man a spirit, and is thereby a living soul, but likewise the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, have spirits, and hence are living souls. But this does not make them kinsmen to the sons and daughters of God. They are our Father's creations, not his offspring, and that is the great difference between man and beast. It would be a very strange world where animals were not found. If, after the resurrection of the dead, we discovered that man was the only living creature with immortality, we would certainly consider it a very strange world. Yet the idea does prevail that man has a spirit and the animals have not, and this is the great thing that distinguished man from all other beings. The fish, the fowl, the beasts of the field, lived before they were placed naturally in this earth, and so did the plants that are upon the face of the earth. No doubt the spirits that possess the bodies of the animals are in the similitude of their bodies. In other words the bodies of animals conform to the spirits which possess them, and which existed before they were placed on the earth. The Lord has made nothing to be destroyed. He has not [built] to tear down, but what is done is done with the idea of permanency."

"Every creature had a spiritual existence. The spirits of men, beasts, and all animal life, existed before the foundation of the earth was laid, and are living entities (D&C 29:22-25; Moses 3:4-9)."

"Animals do have souls—that is to say, each animal is a spirit and a body, these together constituting the soul; and the same is true of the trees, plants and flowers. They were not formed for any merely temporary purpose, and are to be eternally perpetuated."

“[W]e are compelled to believe that every vegetable, whether great or small, has a living intelligent spirit capable of feeling, knowing, and rejoicing in its sphere.”

"Since both plant and animal life are living souls, they are capable of experiencing happiness as they fulfill the measure of their creation."

"Not only did God create a beautiful world of mountains, valleys, rivers, streams, seas, sunsets and sunrises, but He also adorned it with plant and animal life. According to LDS scripture, each form of plant and animal life has a spirit."

"As one of the presidents of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, taught, 'the Lord gave life to every creature…[and] commanded [them] to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. It was intended that all creatures should be happy in their several elements.'"

"This earth, all men, animals, fish, fowls, plants, all things—all lived first as spirit entities. Their home was heaven, and the earth was created to be the place where they could take upon themselves mortality."

And out of the ground I, the Lord God, formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and commanded that they should come unto Adam, to see what he would call them; and they were also living souls; for I, God, breathed into them the breath of life, and commanded that whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that should be the name thereof.

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;

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.

"We believe that a spiritual creation occurred prior to the physical creation. That, to my mind, implies some planning—some sort of divine forethought. Creation was not an accident, and we should not be mindlessly squandering anything God has put thought into."

"LDS scripture clearly teaches that animals are 'living souls' (Moses 3:19) who existed before this earthly life and will be resurrected after death; as such, they should be killed only in situations where human survival depends on it."

"To support his [Kimball's] view that animals do live a celestial life he referred to Elijah's vision of horses pulling war chariots. Asking, 'Where did they come from?' he answered his own question by referring to the doctrine of eternal existence for animal life and stated they were 'created before' in heaven. Concluding his remarks on animals, Kimball admonished all to 'let us be merciful to the brute creation.'"

"In a revelation given to Joseph Smith concerning the creation of animals, the phrase attributed to God is to 'let the earth bring forth the living creatures after his kind,' which indicated a previous existence of animals of this 'kind.'"

"Within these passages of section 77:2-3 of the Doctrine and Covenants is found the basis of Mormon zoophilia. Animals are given an eternal existence. In Latter-day Saint terminology, this means animals have always existed in the past as spiritual beings in heaven before their existence on earth and will continue to exist after this mortal life."

"The LDS concept of the preexistence promotes a heightened intimacy with and reverence for the creation of the earth. It emphasizes the need to understand the earth's importance in the plan of salvation. How can we despoil God's earthly creations over which we rejoiced in the the preexistence?"

"The concept of other forms of life experiencing joy coincides with the fact that all of God’s creation possess a spirit."

"While LDS theology stresses the spiritual creation preceding the physical creation, it does not explain how the physical creation took place other than the fact that the creation and all natural processes are governed by eternal laws."

"[A]ll God's creations—including animals, plants, even, it seems, the rocks themselves—have a spiritual existence and identity that can be loved and must be respected."

"These principles have been well developed in the literature and are only summarized briefly here. First, the earth and all creation belong to God; they witness, bear record of, and reflect his power and love for humankind. The earth’s resources are to be used not just to meet human needs but also to elevate the human spirit. All forms of life have intrinsic value. All are creations of God. All living things have a spiritual as well as an earthly dimension, and all were created spiritually before being placed on the earth physically (see Moses 3:5; D&C 59:18). Second, our use of resources should be guided by principles of equity, conservation, and minimal waste; consumption that meets our needs; and restraint that encourages spiritual values (D&C 49:19–20; 70:14; 104:14–17). Third, materialism and overconsumption are threats to environmental and spiritual well-being. The biblical injunction of Luke 12:15, 'Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth,' is repeated in Mormon scriptures where members are urged to seek first the kingdom of God and to trust not in the things of the world (see Jacob 2:18–19; D&C 121:35). Fourth, humans have a sacred stewardship to protect and preserve creation for themselves and for succeeding generations (D&C 104:11–17)."

"Joseph Smith used 'living soul' for both humans and non-humans (Moses 3:7, 9, 19), providing a curious synthesis between the ancient Hebrew and the Western concept of the soul and making explicit the Mormon doctrine of plant and animals souls."

"Within Mormonism, this vital primordial force is intelligence. Thus, the vitalistic tradition contains scriptures and teachings that elaborate on the nature of intelligence. It also includes teachings such as the eternal nature of matter and expands traditional Christian notions of spirit to nonhumans, including the earth itself, both of which join humans in possessing an eternal existence."

“The Earth is not a dead body, but is inhabited by a spirit that is its life and soul. All created things, minerals included, draw their strength from the earth spirit.”

“The earth I tread on is not a dead, inert mass; it is a body, has a spirit, is organic and fluid to the influence of the spirit.”

“[T]here can be nothing dead or mechanical in Nature. . . . [L]ife and feeling . . . must exist in everything. . . . [A] mountain, a tree, a river, the fish in the river, drops of water, rain, a plant, fire—each separately must possess a mind of its own.”

"The creation was two-fold, firstly spiritual, secondly temporal."

Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.

First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work—

For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal—