As they say, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”[i] And it rings true—someone had to pay for your lunch, even if it wasn’t you. Put another way, you don’t get something from nothing.
Not even God? What does the Bible say about that? Well, we
all know how it starts: “In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth” (Genesis 1:1). But what does that really mean? Did God make the
heavens and earth from nothing or from some kind of raw materials? Well, that depends
on our framework.
In the Classical Christian Framework, the most commonly held
view is creatio ex nihilo, a Latin
phrase literally meaning “creation out of nothing.” Another view that also fits
with the Classical Framework is that of creatio
ex deo, which is “creation out of God,” signifying that matter is created
from the substance of God. The second view is not necessarily contrary to the
first and can be held either jointly with or instead of the first view. In
either case, there initially was nothing, and then there was something.
By contrast, creation in Mormon Christianity is creatio ex materia, or “creation out of
matter.” This implies that matter was already existent before creation.[ii] In
this sense, rather than generating something from nothing, creation involves
organizing existing substances and forming them into something new.
Wait, can we just change the meaning of a word like that?
Doesn’t “creation” mean something from nothing?
Using the most basic definition, to create something means to bring it into existence. The thing is,
bringing something into existence doesn’t always mean something from nothing—in
fact, it almost never does. Judging from our own real world experience, nearly
every time we use the words “create” or “creation,” we are not talking about
getting something from nothing. Think about it. What things do you create? A
chocolate cake? A flower garden? A little league team? A home theater system?
Even if we move away from the tangible and start thinking of
intangible things that we create, it’s still not something from nothing. We can
create a musical masterpiece, a smart phone app, or even just a brilliant idea,
but it’s never from absolute nothing. We organize sound waves to compose that
masterpiece, programming code to develop that app, and thoughts and language to
generate that idea. Sure, we can call it our own creation, but what we mean is
that we organized preexisting substances, tangible or intangible, to form
something new.
So what then is created from absolute nothing? The Latin
phrase ex nihilo nihil fit endeavors
to answer this question. Literally translated, it means “out of nothing,
nothing comes.” You see, the only time that we ever use the word “create” to
denote getting something from nothing is when used to speak of God creating in
the philosophical context of creatio ex nihilo. It is purely a philosophical
concept—one that does not exist in the real world. So what is created from
nothing? Well, nothing.
Creating is Work
So who really cares if God made something from nothing or
from something that was already there?
Actually, the way in which God creates matters (no pun
intended). If God creates out of nothing, then presumably he does so just by
commanding it, merely by the words falling from his lips. After all, if God
starts creating but there’s no matter or anything at all to work with, then
there really isn’t another way to create but to utter things into existence.
But the Mormon conception of God creating is drastically
different. God does not only utter a word and it is done—God also puts forth
effort to create! Sure, he certainly does create through his word as the
biblical account clearly attests, but there is also effort involved. He may put
forth the effort himself, or he may command another to create.[iii]
Either way, with matter already in existence, someone or something must put
forth some measure of effort to do the creating. And God sure puts forth a lot
of effort to create us and our universe! He uses his mind and intellect to plan
his creations. He uses his skill and expertise to organize things in the best
and most efficient way. He even uses some good old-fashioned hard work to get
it done!
But does the notion of a God who works steal away his
dignity? Aren’t we just bringing him down to our level?
The idea of a God who works is only demeaning if we think
that work is demeaning. But as anyone who has ever faced the hardship of
unemployment will tell you, it is in fact work that grants dignity, not steals
it away.
We don’t imagine God as a field hand or manual laborer, slaving
away at the behest of his human creations. On the contrary, he is at the head
of creation, deeply involved in a labor of love for his children. He creates
because he loves us!
In this light, it is in fact the notion of a God who does
not work to create that lessens his dignity and tempers his divine love. And it
makes sense when you think about it. The perception of a God who doesn’t use
skill, talent, ability, or expertise would not increase, but reduce his splendor
and majesty. The idea of a God who does not use his intellect would not
glorify, but debase God. The belief in a God who puts forth little effort to
create would not enlarge, but diminish his capacity for love.
On the other hand, a God who puts forth effort to create can
express a fullness of love for his children in a way that a God who doesn’t
work can never do. A God who plans, organizes, and works is worthy of reverence
and admiration all the more. You see, God is not only transcendent and all
powerful, but also an expert craftsman and skilled builder. He is the most
brilliant physicist, the most imaginative biologist, and the greatest micro-
and macro-manager in the universe. A God who works hard to create is worthy of
a thousandfold the glory—if not more—of a God who creates with nothing more
than a word.
Just think—how impressive is it if he utters a command and
stars appear? Pretty impressive I guess. But how much more impressive is it if
he planned the formation of those stars, then put natural processes in place so
that over tens of millions of years, the vast clouds of gas and dust clump
together and heat up into protostars, and then as more and more matter flows
in, the outflow of energy from the nuclear fusion finally surpasses the
gravitational force, driving out all the excess gas and dust and finally
forming stars?[iv] Now
that’s impressive!
God uses his mind and intellect to work, not his word only.
Both the Classical and Mormon frameworks would agree that God has all
knowledge. He knows how to make stars. But, if God is creating ex nihilo, he
doesn’t actually need to put that knowledge to use. In fact, other than saying
a word, the Classical Framework doesn’t necessitate that he do anything to make
stars. He doesn’t have to—the clouds of gas and dust aren’t there to begin
with.
In the Mormon Framework, God not only knows how to do
everything, but he does it too. The matter is there, so God must organize it.
He lets others participate too. Jesus played a lead role in creation (see John
1:3), as did the Holy Spirit (see Genesis 1:2). But God wasn’t just on the
sidelines. In a sense, he was the like the general contractor of the project.
He was the team captain, the orchestra conductor, the CEO. As anyone who has
ever filled any of these roles (or any like them) would know, it is hard work.
So where did the idea of creatio ex nihilo originate?
Certainly most proponents would interpret the biblical creation account as
being creatio ex nihilo, but the case could be made for creatio ex materia just
as easily. So getting at the root of why creation must be from nothing, many
would say that this view simply ascribes more greatness to God, whereas a God
who must use materials to create is decidedly a lesser God.
This is an example of the Greatest God fallacy, which ascribes to God what we, in our limited
understanding, believe to be the greatest powers or attributes a being can
possess. While we certainly want to ascribe to God the greatest glory, honor,
and majesty, we must be careful to do so on his terms.
If we go beyond what God has said about himself, this is not
unlike a young boy who thinks so highly of his dad that he tells his friend,
“My dad can beat up your dad.” Should the father of this young boy be flattered
and take the compliment in stride? Maybe, but more likely, he would explain to
his son the other ways that he is a great dad, not just his ability (or lack
thereof) to beat up other dads.
Now of course there is no exact comparison here with God,
but the overall idea still applies. With our human understanding, we may want
to say things about God that he doesn’t even say about himself. In this case,
it may seem that creating something out of nothing would make God greater, so
we proclaim it as truth.
But on the other side of the same coin, we can say that a
God who creates out of materials utilizes wisdom, diligence, and skill to plan,
exert effort, and manage creation, thereby ascribing more greatness to the
Creator than a God who simply speaks a word. The idea of creatio ex materia
gives us a very different outlook on God. In a way, it helps us to appreciate
even more the thought and care and work that he put into creation. It helps us
to appreciate even more his infinite love for us.
Creatio ex materia also gives us a little more insight into
our own far-distant future. Just as God worked hard to create, we—as divine
beings made to create—will do the same. Essentially, God created in the same
way that we will create. And that brings us to the last “creatio” that we will
mention, and that is creatio continua—“continuing
creation.” In Mormon Christianity, creation continues throughout eternity not only
through God, but through each one of us.
[i]
The precise origin of this saying is unknown, although it appears to have
arisen in the first half of the 20th century.
[ii]
Matter, or whatever matter was formed from, was already existent. For example,
it is possible that only energy was present before creation, and God converted
that energy into matter using natural physical laws. Either way, the
constituent parts of creation were in existence before creation.
[iii]
God can utter words to can command Jesus, the Holy Spirit or any other
intelligent being to create should he so desire. The framework leaves open the
possibility that he can even command the elements themselves to organize
together to form whatever he desires to be created.
[iv]
Don’t worry if you didn’t quite catch all that. It’s a simplified outline of
how God creates stars. Fortunately for us, we’re not on the star creation
committee, but we should at least recognize that God puts forth effort to make
stars and give him the glory due.
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