Creation from Chaos
Traditional Christianity teaches that God created the universe ex nihilo, or "out of nothing." By contrast, Joseph Smith taught that God created the universe ex materia, or by organizing pre-existing materials, and this teaching is present in the Book of Abraham. The ancient cultures of Egypt, Syria-Canaan, and Mesopotamia also seem to envision creation as bringing order to a preexisting chaos.
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.
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