Being a biology major at BYU means that every year I have had to come to terms with science and religion. The religion building is probably less than twenty feet from the chemistry building, and many times I crossed that sidewalk and crossed a battlefield. The religion professors badmouth the science professors. The science professors criticize the religion professors, and I listen to them both, and sometimes wonder what should I think. This semester I am taking bioethics, to me, a surefire interesting class, to others, maybe not. Today I read an interesting article about science and Mormonism: Is science part of or apart from religion? Even members of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles have disagreed this issue:
President [Joseph Fielding] Smith felt that "Satan dominates the thinking of the world today" (p. 319). He saw that domination in several areas of science, but most of all in biology. Satan, he said, authored the theory of evolution, which is "the most pernicious doctrine ever entering the mind of man" (p. 133) and "Satan's chief weapon in this dispensation in his attempt to destroy the divine mission of Jesus Christ" (p. 184).
What does the theory of evolution have to do with the divine mission of Jesus Christ? There have also been many amazing scientists who have been church leaders:
"Organic evolution is the honest result of capable people trying to explain the evidence to the best of their ability. From my limited study of the subject I would say that the physical evidence supporting the theory is considerable from a scientific viewpoint" (Eyring 1983, 61).
So, how old is the earth? Did any creature die before Adam? Did the earth stop rotating for a day when Joshua was on the earth? Did Noah actually take two of every animal onto a boat for a year?
Many scientists have felt that their revolutionary discoveries have contributed to a higher and better understanding of God and His management of the universe. It isn't, or shouldn't be different today.
I have a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also belive that evolution happened. I am excited to be able to study a subject where God has inspired men for the benefit of His children.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/we-believe-in-evolution-and-god-.html
http://bioethics.byu.edu/science-mormonism.html
http://bioethics.byu.edu/open-letter.html
1 comment:
I think Henry Eyring's (Sr., not "Hal") short autobiography is a good primer for considering this sort of thing.
The History department gets some funny looks from the College of Religion's Church History professors some of the time, too, because of the differences between them. One of my courses, Mormonism in American History, was practically based on this problem. One of the very first topics was effectively "How can you study LDS history in an academically rigorous manner and historian and not go apostate and be excommunicated?" Fun times.
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