FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Science and the Church of Jesus Christ: Difference between revisions
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===Faith versus knowledge=== | ===Faith versus knowledge=== | ||
It is important to keep in mind the difference in purpose between science and the Gospel. The purpose of science is to examine the characteristics of the world around us in order to more fully understand it. A main purpose of Gospel is to teach us to develop faith. Unfortunately, the acquisition of scientific knowledge is sometimes perceived to destroy faith. The purpose of faith is to help us understand spiritual things, just as science helps us to understand physical things. The exercise of faith sometimes seems to require a direct contradiction of what we "know" to to physically be true. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, said | It is important to keep in mind the difference in purpose between science and the Gospel. The purpose of science is to examine the characteristics of the world around us in order to more fully understand it. A main purpose of Gospel is to teach us to develop faith. Unfortunately, the acquisition of scientific knowledge is sometimes perceived to destroy faith. The purpose of faith is to help us understand spiritual things, just as science helps us to understand physical things. | ||
The exercise of faith sometimes seems to require a direct contradiction of what we "know" to to physically be true. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, expressed this issue well when he said: | |||
:Because they think of science as objectively testing its theories against evidence and because they suppose that knowledge and faith are somehow opposites, they regard faith as an attitude of clinging to theological beliefs in spite of any evidence which might be found: an attitude of closing one’s eyes to and stubbornly refusing to be swayed by the facts. Keep in mind that it is a misconception of science and knowledge that I am challenging, not science and knowledge themselves.{{ref|warner1}} | :Because they think of science as objectively testing its theories against evidence and because they suppose that knowledge and faith are somehow opposites, they regard faith as an attitude of clinging to theological beliefs in spite of any evidence which might be found: an attitude of closing one’s eyes to and stubbornly refusing to be swayed by the facts. Keep in mind that it is a misconception of science and knowledge that I am challenging, not science and knowledge themselves.{{ref|warner1}} | ||
Revision as of 12:52, 25 July 2008
This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
Criticism
- Critics claim that Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect.
- Critics claim that Mormonism reserves the right to identify scientific truth.
Source(s) of the criticism
- Simon Southerton, Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 2004) 135–136. ( Index of claims )
Response
Secular critics charge that Mormonism and science are incompatible. In fact, Dr. Simon Southerton, in his book Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church devotes a full 66 pages to a section titled "The Troubled Interface between Mormonism and Science." Critics point out that elements found in the scriptures are incompatible with current scientific beliefs.
Issues of a perceived incompatibility between science and religion are hardly unique to Mormonism: These issues are shared by all other Christian denominations. The result of a failure to resolve scientific and religious contradictions in one's mind can bring into doubt one's very belief that there is a God. Complicating the issue for Latter-day Saint is the fact that living prophets have sometimes expressed their own views on scientific matters, thus causing some to doubt whether or not they could truly be prophets.
Faith versus knowledge
It is important to keep in mind the difference in purpose between science and the Gospel. The purpose of science is to examine the characteristics of the world around us in order to more fully understand it. A main purpose of Gospel is to teach us to develop faith. Unfortunately, the acquisition of scientific knowledge is sometimes perceived to destroy faith. The purpose of faith is to help us understand spiritual things, just as science helps us to understand physical things.
The exercise of faith sometimes seems to require a direct contradiction of what we "know" to to physically be true. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, expressed this issue well when he said:
- Because they think of science as objectively testing its theories against evidence and because they suppose that knowledge and faith are somehow opposites, they regard faith as an attitude of clinging to theological beliefs in spite of any evidence which might be found: an attitude of closing one’s eyes to and stubbornly refusing to be swayed by the facts. Keep in mind that it is a misconception of science and knowledge that I am challenging, not science and knowledge themselves.[1]
Faith sometimes allows to to perform tasks that are beyond the scientific knowledge of our time.
Issues
Biodiversity versus the flood of Noah
Main article: Global or local Flood
Common questions:
- Why is there is no scientific evidence of a worldwide flood?
- How can the scriptures and prophets teach of a worldwide flood, when this contradicts the evidence?
- The biodiversity of plants and animals on the earth could not have occurred within the span a few thousand years. Even BYU professors teach this. How do they maintain their belief in God?
- Did the continents separate during the flood of Noah? The scriptures imply that they did. How do we reconcile this to scientific fact?
Age of the Earth
Common questions:
- Do Mormons believe that the Earth only 6000 years old?
Dinosaurs
Main article: Dinosaurs
Common questions:
- How do dinosaurs fit into Gods plan?
Evolution and the origin of Man
Main article: Evolution
Common questions:
- How does the Church reconcile the theory of evolution with the story of Adam?
- How did the diversity of humanity occur within the short span of 6000 years?
- Were there people other than Adam on the earth before the Fall?
Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
Main article: Book of Mormon archaeology
Predestination
Main article: Free will and science
Burning in the bosom
Main article: Burning in the bosom
Secular critics attempt to associate the "burning in the bosom" to chemical processes that occur in the brain.
Statements made by past prophets regarding science
Main article: Changing doctrine
Genetics
Main article: Book of Mormon and DNA evidence
Conclusion
Endnotes
- [note] C. Terry Warner, "An Open Letter to Students: On Having Faith and Thinking for Yourself," New Era (Nov. 1971), 14.
Further reading
- Henry Eyring, Reflections of a Scientist, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983)
FAIR wiki articles
This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
Criticism
- Critics claim that Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect.
- Critics claim that Mormonism reserves the right to identify scientific truth.
Source(s) of the criticism
- Simon Southerton, Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 2004) 135–136. ( Index of claims )
Response
Secular critics charge that Mormonism and science are incompatible. In fact, Dr. Simon Southerton, in his book Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church devotes a full 66 pages to a section titled "The Troubled Interface between Mormonism and Science." Critics point out that elements found in the scriptures are incompatible with current scientific beliefs.
Issues of a perceived incompatibility between science and religion are hardly unique to Mormonism: These issues are shared by all other Christian denominations. The result of a failure to resolve scientific and religious contradictions in one's mind can bring into doubt one's very belief that there is a God. Complicating the issue for Latter-day Saint is the fact that living prophets have sometimes expressed their own views on scientific matters, thus causing some to doubt whether or not they could truly be prophets.
Faith versus knowledge
It is important to keep in mind the difference in purpose between science and the Gospel. The purpose of science is to examine the characteristics of the world around us in order to more fully understand it. A main purpose of Gospel is to teach us to develop faith. Unfortunately, the acquisition of scientific knowledge is sometimes perceived to destroy faith. The purpose of faith is to help us understand spiritual things, just as science helps us to understand physical things.
The exercise of faith sometimes seems to require a direct contradiction of what we "know" to to physically be true. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, expressed this issue well when he said:
- Because they think of science as objectively testing its theories against evidence and because they suppose that knowledge and faith are somehow opposites, they regard faith as an attitude of clinging to theological beliefs in spite of any evidence which might be found: an attitude of closing one’s eyes to and stubbornly refusing to be swayed by the facts. Keep in mind that it is a misconception of science and knowledge that I am challenging, not science and knowledge themselves.[2]
Faith sometimes allows to to perform tasks that are beyond the scientific knowledge of our time.
Issues
Biodiversity versus the flood of Noah
Main article: Global or local Flood
Common questions:
- Why is there is no scientific evidence of a worldwide flood?
- How can the scriptures and prophets teach of a worldwide flood, when this contradicts the evidence?
- The biodiversity of plants and animals on the earth could not have occurred within the span a few thousand years. Even BYU professors teach this. How do they maintain their belief in God?
- Did the continents separate during the flood of Noah? The scriptures imply that they did. How do we reconcile this to scientific fact?
Age of the Earth
Common questions:
- Do Mormons believe that the Earth only 6000 years old?
Dinosaurs
Main article: Dinosaurs
Common questions:
- How do dinosaurs fit into Gods plan?
Evolution and the origin of Man
Main article: Evolution
Common questions:
- How does the Church reconcile the theory of evolution with the story of Adam?
- How did the diversity of humanity occur within the short span of 6000 years?
- Were there people other than Adam on the earth before the Fall?
Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
Main article: Book of Mormon archaeology
Predestination
Main article: Free will and science
Burning in the bosom
Main article: Burning in the bosom
Secular critics attempt to associate the "burning in the bosom" to chemical processes that occur in the brain.
Statements made by past prophets regarding science
Main article: Changing doctrine
Genetics
Main article: Book of Mormon and DNA evidence
Conclusion
Endnotes
- [note] C. Terry Warner, "An Open Letter to Students: On Having Faith and Thinking for Yourself," New Era (Nov. 1971), 14.
Further reading
- Henry Eyring, Reflections of a Scientist, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983)
FAIR wiki articles
Template loop detected: Template:ScienceWiki
FAIR web site
- FAIR Topical Guide:
External links
Printed material
FAIR web site
- FAIR Topical Guide: