How do I explain Neanderthals to an investigator?
Question
Gramps,
How do I explain the Neanderthals to an investigator? Â Â If you don’t know who they are, they were a species or subspecies of archaic human, in the genus Homo. Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000 years ago. They were closely related to modern humans, sharing 99.7% of DNA.
Adi
Answer
Dear Adi,
You could try saying the following:
“The Neanderthals were a species or subspecies of archaic human, in the genus Homo. Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000 years ago. They were closely related to modern humans, sharing 99.7% of DNA.
“But this has little to do with the restoration of the gospel. Let’s talk a little about the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
The truth of the matter is this is a scientific question that they want a religious answer to. Â This doesn’t make any sense to ask. Â That is why the Church’s official position is that we have no official position on evolution or the creation of the earth.
The scriptures tell why man was created, but they do not tell how, though the Lord has promised that he will tell that when he comes again (D&C 101:32-33). In 1931, when there was intense discussion on the issue of organic evolution, the First Presidency of the Church, then consisting of Presidents Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, and Charles W. Nibley, addressed all of the General Authorities of the Church on the matter, and concluded, Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world. Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, (not)Â one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church. Â William E Evanson;Â Mormonism and Evolution: Authoritative LDS Statements
The point of teaching the gospel is to bring salvation to the souls of men, not to explain, support, or refute scientific theory.  We have scientific method for that.  And it all has nothing to do with salvation.  When preaching the gospel, we have revelation.  That is how we learn about the things with regard to salvation.
Thanks,
Gramps
Neither cavemen nor dinosaurs cause problems for the gospel. Take a good look at the OT book of Job, specifically ch.40 starting at verse 15 . The Savior is clearly describing not only a dinosaur to Job, but a dinosaur that was alive at the time and within close enough proximity for the Lord to use them as examples to make his point, even describing their size, physical makeup, behavior, feeding habits, invincibility, habitat, etc. The Lord says that “only his maker can approach it”, which is clearly not an elephant since mankind easily tames and uses them as beasts of burden. It cannot be a rhino or hippo, for they do not have tails “as a cedar”. This is clearly an animal that is left alone and nobody wants to get anywhere near it, and is of large size. The point is that this appears to be a dinosaur that was alive at the time of Job, only a few thousand years ago. “Neanderthals”, likewise, could be just another lost race of mankind that was alive just as recently and science could have easily got it wrong too. “Science” says dinosaurs were extinct 57 million years ago. Job (and these creatures) were clearly alive only a few thousand years ago. Remember, “science” was punishing people for denying a flat earth only 500 years ago.
Great points. I have recently come across videos showing living flexible tissue and even blood cells of dinosaurs found in bones. Apparently when analyzing the internal vasculature of a bone it can be soaked in annindustry accepted and standard substance that dissolves the mineral(calcium) away exposing only the internal tissues and cells. This has been recently done on many non-fossilized dinosaur bones and they have video showing the tissues left behind.
When using a microscope they even can show blood cells still preserved in the veins and can push them back and forth with a probe on video. If left a while longer exposed to the air they begin to decay and rot as any carbon life form that dies would, making a bad smell.
This makes it impossible for these bones to be any older than 10k years at most. More likely not more than a few thousand years. In fact many ancient cultures known to be only thousands of years old have left behind paintings and moldings that have proven to be more anatomically correct and display the proper skin textures than what science previously thought and promoted as fact. Yet eventually a fossil that preserved the skin showed scales or feather etc that matched the ancient cultures descriptions as accurate. These artistic depictions also show the dinosaurs being hunted and battled against. Dinosaur is after a new name for what previously was simply called dragon. Brings new meaning the scripture that says there was giants in those days.
Carbon dating is apparently notoriously unreliable after the recorded time periods. Its dates swing wildly giving divergent results to the same exact sample from the same bone and same carcass. But apparently scientists method to deal with this is to pick the date that fits into the accepted timeframes and cast all other data, even if it’s 99% of the results that are outside the accepted timeframes, in favor of maintaining the status quo. That honestly amounts to arbitrarily picking a date.
It’s sobering to think how much trust we put in to science and accept with blind faith that they must be right and even throw prophets aside in favor of the wisdom of men just because enough fingers are pointing at us from the great and spacious building. Yet if you read the nephi account closely it is clear that only those who gave absolutely zero heed to the mockers or the taunts of the learned of the world maintained their place in the kingdom. All others eventually fell to the mocking and joined them.
It’s sad how when we begin to know a little about some things we begin to believe we know a lot about everything. I think this is why the warning from the prophets that revelation is a more dependable rod to lean upon rather than the wisdom of men, when there is a perceived conflict. Because true and accurate science will reveal the same truths we have access to via revelation according to our needs and the wisdom of the Lord.
The remains of Wooly Mammoths and Mastodons, once thought to be extinct some 20,000 years ago, have been found in glaciers, frozen, and have been carbon dated to only a few thousands years. There has been speculation that a very few may still exist in remote areas of Siberia, though, of course, none have been found.
All these questions come from a misunderstanding that the chronology described in Genesis, popularly attributed to an Anglican bishop named Usher as his ‘chronology’, gives the age of the Earth as about 6,000 years. However, many of the terms used are allegorical, and don’t commit to that timeline.
So-called “Neanderthals” would, if attired and groomed like us, be practically indistinguishable from so-called Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Indeed, it’s believed that they didn’t ‘die out’, they were merely subsumed into the larger human family.
Okay, but then what about the humans that lived between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago? The ones that would pre-date Adam and Eve’s history of leaving the garden?
How about this: With God there is no time. Time is only appointed to man. Who knows when time began for this earth? Who knows exactly how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and what went on outside the garden during that time? Who knows if the matter that God took to create this earth wasn’t “contaminated” with material from other earths that he had created before? Without revelation all of the above is pure speculation.
I highly recommend the book Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding, for those who struggle to reconcile evolution, neanderthals, and the scriptures.
Evolution is dependent on millions of years of creatures being born and dying and acquiring new mutations with each subsequent generation. But revelation says there no death until 6000ish years ago or so when the fall occurred. Seems more like a stark choice between revelation or the wisdom of men.
I have never had any gospel vs science problems. The Lord is more of a scientist than he is a magician. The idea that He waved His hands and an earth appeared is possibly less amazing than the idea that He created the earth using its natural processes. He is a God of order and laws, after all. This doesn’t just refer to the law of tithing.
If He evolved a chicken out of a dinosaur, that’s awesome! If He used those dinosaurs to create a reserve of fossil fuels that would power the type of technology and transportation needed to get the Gospel out to the entire world in the last days, that’s some serious planning!
Just say: “I don’t know. And the church’s officials don’t tell us, either because they don’t know or they are not allowed to pass it on. If you really want to know, ask God about it and he will certainly tell you and/or put your mind at ease. And while you are asking this, also ask him iwhether or not Joseph Smith was his prophet and whether or not you should join this, the Church of Jesus Christ.”