Three Pillars of Eternity

Mormon 9:12-"he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man."

As Elder Bruce R McConkie so elegantly taught, the three pillars of eternity are: the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement.  I believe this verse very eloquently connects these pillars.  The Creation of man was essential to his Fall which not only allowed Christ to come to this earth but also caused the need for an Atonement.  I would like to discuss each a little more in depth in my next few posts.  This post will give a brief summary of each and a deeper look at the Creation.

In brief, the Creation is the first pillar because it is evidence that God exists.  The Fall is the second pillar of eternity because it is evidence that our existence here on earth is part of God's plan.  Lastly, the Atonement is the third pillar of eternity because it is evidence that God has devised a way for us to be saved and to become like Him.

Alma 18:36-"he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam"

One might ask, why is the Creation one of the three pillars?  In doctrinal depth it seems to lack the profoundness of the Fall and the Atonement.  Books and books have been written about each of those.  The LDS viewpoint of each is very transcending and has sparked great conversations.  It almost seems like the Creation can be taught most extensively with a simple picture book. Why then is the Creation story repeated on several different accounts, namely: Genesis, Moses, Abraham, & the Temple Endowment.  My first counselor shed new light on this question that I had never seen before.  We were talking about all the Big Bang Theory and Evolutionist people and how some of them try to disprove the existence of God.  It was then that it hit me that if you can discredit the whole concept of a divine creator, LDS Christianity (and just about every religion for that matter) ceases to matter.  It is so crucial that our members actually believe in the creation and are reminded of its actuality often enough that they aren't deceived.  In other words, just like many other fundamentals of Mormonism (such as the Book of Mormon, the First Vision, the Restoration of the Priesthood, etc) if the Creation (or organization as we know it to be) never occurred, we have no religion.  This is one possible reason for why it is the first pillar of eternity (Bruce R McConkie gives many additional reasons).