"(T)here was no death of any living creature before the fall of
Adam! Adam’s mission was to bring to pass the fall and it came
upon the earth and living things throughout all nature. Anything
contrary to this doctrine is diametrically opposed to the
doctrines revealed to the Church! [the money quote-->] IF there
was any creature increasing by propagation before the fall, then
throw away the Book of Mormon, deny your faith, the Book of
Abraham and the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants!"
-- Joseph Fielding Smith, "Answers to Gospel Questions" Vol. 5

News flash: There have been creatures increasing by propagation
on the earth for over a billion years.

Thanks baura, now that is some counsel from a church leader that I can get behind and fully support. In fact I already did those things long ago so I am in compliance with J.F.Smiths wise counsel.

Follow the prophet, he knows the way.

But..."he was speaking as a man, not a prophet," says every mormon unwilling to confront the false statements of their prophets...

If you can't believe everything he says, why should you believe anything he says?

I had a high school biology teacher (a real BYU yayhoo) who quoted JFS as saying you couldn't believe in evolution and the divine mission of Christ... I read Smith's "Man, His Origin and Destiny" the next year.

Christ lost, honest, and even though I have a faith in a "Higher Power" these days, I retain a keen interest in evolution and the ancestry of humankind that first appeared in Africa around a million or so years ago...

BTW, Smith's predecessor, David O. McKay, did believe in evolution...

"IF there was any creature increasing by propagation before the fall, then throw away the Book of Mormon, deny your faith, the Book of Abraham and the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants!"

Funny, he doesn't mention The Bible?

The Bible creation story is.....merely a story for people long past. Intelligent Christians can accept that it is not literal.

Okay, so can "Intelligent Christians" accept that the Resurrection is "not literal" either?

SLC
Whose "remnant Christianity" still causes him to lose sleep over that one

I have news for you, the whole family of Joseph Smith and his decedents threw away the Book of Abraham, never believed the D&Cs, and stated that the Book of Mormon is not even historical. So, who are you to believe????

To all naysayers who believe in any Old Earth theories (such as the radical idea that the earth could now be 6010 years old or older) I remind you that D&C does not stand for "Delusions & Crap" but for "Doctrine and Covenants" :) With that in mind I shall share a sacred Doctrine verse with you.

"We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence."

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/77.6

The Millenium is going to be 1000 years when Jesus reigns personally on the earth with world government headquarters in Zion in western Missouri. Well that day obviously hasn't started yet. Thus its safe to assume that the earth could be no older than at least 5998 years right now. Well if City Creek Mall was closed and Utah emptied out of the Saints then it could be possibly 5999 years old but no older :) The only possible way to suppose the earth is any older is to suppose that the Doctrine is false. But that's unthinkable because the beloved Correlation program has well-taught me to never allow Doubts to enter my mind so I got to keep a protective bubble over my mind at all times to shut out any doubting ideas.

Those poor pathetic exmormons who open themselves up to ideas like the earth being 6010 years or older. This is not a matter of speculation. Its doctrine. That's why its in the D&C :)

but if none of us remember back that far in time how can we be so sure that there has been procreation for a billion years?

So, those dinosaurs who fell in the tar pits didn't die?

Maybe those tar pits were only good for slathering on Joseph smith before rolling him in feathers.