Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding

Before I read this book my opinion of evolution was incomplete because my knowledge of church declarations and of evolutionary evidence was incomplete. This book has given me enough background to form an opinion. I agree with President Eyring that "God is behind it all whether we evolved or not". (Reflections, 62.) I accept the possibility that evolution is true but if it is true it was organized in the beginning to progress and come to fruition by producing mankind. I don't believe that the earth has to be young or that Adam and Eve had to be placed here or built on the spot, I accept the official statements of the church first in 1909, The Origin of Man; then in 1910, Origin of Man; and in 1925, `Mormon' View of Evolution. Just because we can observe natural processes which give an explanation for the origin of mankind doesn't mean that God wasn't involved. If we find ourselves doubting our faith then we need to reevaluate our knowledge and remove any improper assumptions which are not founded on doctrine. I find no revealed truth which rejects the theory of evolution. In fact, a closer look makes us acknowledge the foresight and intelligence of a God who has the power to set in motion events which would accomplish His will over millions of years. The authors made a point at the end of the book which I found very interesting. One of Darwin's postulates of evolution is that those who have the best physical characteristics survive to reproduce and get their genes into the next generation. The point that was made was that the plan of exaltation is quite similar. Those who have the best spiritual characteristics and obtain exaltation are the ones who are able to reproduce spiritually. I will wait until revelation gives the final say to solidify my opinion but until then I accept evolution as a divine process with the intent to produce mankind to give an opportunity for the direct and lineal offspring of God to be tested and experience physical life. The principles of the gospel in my opinion remain unchanged and undamaged by this statement. Ultimately knowledge of the origin of man is not essential for salvation or else it would have been revealed a long time ago.

The book provides a simple honest approach to understanding why so many in the LDS church are so prone to turn their nose to evolution. I grew up LDS and am very active with a strong testimony. I am also a Zoology major at school and have analyzed the overwelming evidnece for evolution. I, like many have heard leaders whom I greatly admire and respect speak out against evolution as Satan's greatest tool or the anti-Christ doctrine of our age. Its ok for them to be wrong and the church be true. Its ok for evolution to occuring. The book helps bring to light the internal conlfict we may have been given while growing up and then brings to light the discrepencies between doctrine and phylosiphy. Great Book!!

The book is written by two active members of the LDS church who are also established scientists. They answer many questions throughout the book, especially the big question: "Can I believe in evolution and God?" They discuss the official doctrines of the church on evolution, which says nothing about evolution being false. Their interpretations search to coincide with doctrine, but where the doctrine has not been cleared up, they give possible answers based on scientific evidence. They discuss the history of evolution by quoting directly from Darwin and providing evidence such as the fossil record. They even discuss the touchy subject of monkeys being the ancestors of humans. I really enjoyed this book. They answered many questions, and set to rest the rumor amongst many members that evolution is evil. In talking about that, Henry Eyring-one of Mormonism's best known scientists- said, "If we tell our pupils some outmoded model and nonessential notions that fail to hold water when the students get into their science classes at the university, we run grave risks. The solution is to avoid telling them that the earth is flat too long after it has been proved round. Don't defend a good cause with a bad argument." The "special creationist" idea is laid to rest, as well as the purely scientific explanations. "A uniqueness of animals from man is being searched for, but is not being found." When Galileo made his scientific discovery that the earth was not the center of the universe, it was a harsh blow to the church. It was assumed that because we are God`s children we have to be in the center of His creation. "When the smoke of battle cleared away and men looked at matters calmly, it became apparent that nothing essential had been lost. A lot of human philosophy disappeared, but it turned out to be unnecessary." Years later we approach a similar problem: "Does a close biological or physical relationship with these grand animals (monkeys) in anyway lessen our spiritual relationship with God or diminish our eternal potential?" Something I learned from the book is to be careful to not take church leaders' opinions as church doctrine. Joseph Smith said, "A prophet is only a prophet when one is acting as such." Not every statement they make is revelation from God. Therefore I rely on the spirit to help discern, and if there are any questions, I can ask and obtain the official, revealed doctrines. I am an active member of the LDS church and am pursuing a bachelor's degree in biology. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the same circumstances, or any member wanting to reconcile their faith with evolution. Before reading this book, I was neutral as far as believing in evolution, but I lacked a source to coincide my belief in God with the theory of evolution. Now, I believe in God and I also believe in evolution. We might not have all the answers from the side of religion, nor from the side of evolution, but they can come toge

I received my bachelor's degree in biology and studied lots of biochemistry and molecular biology on my way to becoming an MD. As a practicing physician, I am required to stay abreast of the developments in genetics. As a lifelong member of the church, I was brought up on the typically literalist, narrow interpretation of the scriptures that most members of the church have, as a result of the traditions they have inherited from society, prior religious experience, or their family. I was never taught that the earth was created in 6 24-hour days, but I was taught that Adam was the first human being on the earth (not taught in the scriptures, considering that 'man' is not necessarily synonymous with 'human' in religious terminology--ie, God is a man, but he is not truly human) and that fossils purported to represent more primitive ancestors of humans had been misinterpreted by unenlightened scientists. As these authors point out so well, the result of children being taught 'the philosophies of [Mormon] men mingled with scripture' is that when overwhelming scientific evidence documents the evolution of species (including our own), they may have a hard time separating the core truths found in the scriptures, and the erroneous interpretations well-meaning church members, including some general authorities, have put forth. Then the young church member may mistakenly and tragically believe that he or she must choose between science and faith, when they are truly compatible. It is obvious to me from the beginning of this book that the authors, being scientists and experts in fields related to the study of evolution, are wholly convinced that evolution is undeniable fact, and that the efforts of previous generations of church members to refute evolution were uninformed, misguided, unenlightened and totally unnecessary. But I am impressed with the skill and tact employed by the authors to not alienate the reader that comes to this book with a strong bias against evolution. They take a very gradual approach that uses reason, historical precedent, and words of the prophets to show that even prophets and apostles can have private opinions that are not necessarily based on revelation, and that almost all of the LDS literature out there that attempts to refute evolution was written before the flood of molecular research that convincingly proves the validity of geological, paleontological and anatomical evidence for evolution. The authors make it clear from the beginning that they believe in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and one of them has even served as a bishop. They are perfect examples of the fact, that may be new to some readers, that someone can have a strong religious testimony and a strong scientific conviction of evolution at the same time. The authors make a great comparison between the universal belief in an Earth-centered universe that existed until just a few hundred years ago, and the belief that humans were created separately from othe

Explanations of how the world and the human race came into existence are to be found in every religion to have left a written record of its beliefs. Some stories trace from oral traditions which were ultimately recorded into sacred scriptures such as the creation story found in the Old Testament's Book of Genesis. In "Evolution And Mormonism: A Quest For Understanding", Trent D. Stephens (Professor of Anatomy and Embryology, Idaho State University) teams up with D. Jeffrey Meldrum (Associate Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology, Idaho State University), and with the assistance of Forrest B. Peterson (a professional author and film producer) review the scientific data with respect to the issue of evolution and the origin of man. Their perspective is that of the Mormon faith, and draw from LDS sacred scriptures such as the revelatory writings in the 'Pear of Great Price' which the authors feel are compatible with information drawn from such diverse sources as molecular biology and paleontology. Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Evolution And Mormonism" is highly recommended reading, especially for those who seek to understanding evolution within the contextual framework of Mormon theology and doctrine.