Genesis 1-2

I've managed to get through the the first four chapters of Genesis and it's been pretty interesting, but I've read a lot of things that I want to mention so this will just cover through Gen 1-2.

Starting with Gen 1:1-2 the LDS don't believe in creatio ex nihlo.  One question I have for those who do believe in creatio ex nihlo is; "Why, if God created everything from nothing, why did He first create chaos?  Why didn't He just go directly to the finished product?"  The BKC admits that there is a problem.  They said that some people think that there might be a "gap" between the first two verses which would allow Satan to fall and create the chaos.  The authors of the book say "The chapter would then be accounting for the Creation of the universe as man knows it, not the beginning of everything, and verses 1-2 would provide the introduction to it.  The fall of Satan and entrance of sin into God's original Creation would precede this."  I find this solution less convincing.

The LDS think that matter exists eternally and that God organized matter for this Earth.  We are also taught that God only give humans an account of this Earth, not an account of all creation (Moses 1:35) because God's creations are infinite and man cannot comprehend all them. 

Of course when we reach vs 26 the BKC states that man being created in the "image" of God is "figurative."  They have to say that because it's possible to read it literally, just the way that it's written, because if they don't say that it's figurative then the entire theology of the Trinity falls apart.

Verse 2:4 is the first tol'dot "the generations of the heavens and the earth."  BKC doesn't mention that this is a different account of creation than was recounted in in Gen 1:1-2:3.  In the first account humans are the culmination of creation.  In this account Adam is created before there are shrubs or plants.  This seems to be a problem for many people because the accounts are different.  However, BKC does point out that this account uses Jehovah for the name of the Lord, instead of Elohim as the first account did.  I never new that.  The LDS believe that the first account of creation was a spiritual creation, and the plan was made by Elohim, and that the second account "the generation of the heavens and the earth" is the actual physical creation which was carried out by Jehovah, or Jesus, executing Elohim's plan.

The BKC points out that God said that it was "not good" for man to be alone.  This is the only time in the creation that the product is not pronounced "good."  It wasn't "good" or I suppose finished, until the man and women were married and made one flesh.  The BKC does say that they are married, but they don't mention that when they were married they were still eternal beings so God must have meant for them to be married forever.

Another interesting tidbit that the BKC points out is that the word that translated "suitable helper" in the NIV or "help meet" in the KJV is the same word that is used for the Lord in is Pss 33:20, 70:5, 115:9.  That's pretty cool and I think that really reinforces the womans role.