The Science and Religion of the Creation

I was reading MormonsAndScience.com, a blog that talks about...you guessed it, Mormons and Science. I'm sure this person it well meaning, but a recent post about evolution made me a bit steamed. I have a huge beef with a lot of the dialogue that goes on around the pursuit of science. The whole "science vs religion" rivalry that exists is so frustrating to me. During the first few years of my education as a student of the sciences, the cognitive dissonance drove me berserk. All of these things that professors were saying made so much sense, and yet it went against everything I was taught in seminary.

Then one day, I decided to Google what the Church's stand of evolution was. I think the FAIR Wiki has the best explanation of it (for those who don't know, FAIR is an organization of LDS apologists). So...the Church has never outright condemned the theory of evolution? The Church has never actually said that the Earth is only 6000 years old? Well I'll be...

So...I can believe that God created the Earth, AND that the current scientific theories? I've given myself the permission to do so, and I feel that my faith has become stronger because of it. It is the first time in my life that I have come face-to-face with a faith-challenging issue and resolved it. To help you, the reader, understand this topic a little bit more, I have broken down the Creation into 3 questions, each of which is really important in maintaining our faith in the face of apparently conflicting beliefs.



Question #1: Did God create the Earth and life thereon?

Answer: Yes, the prophets and scriptures testify of this, and we can receive a spiritual affirmation of this through pondering, prayer, and a personal witness from the Holy Ghost. We know that God created the heavens and the Earth, and that He created man in his own image purposefully.

Question #2: WHY did God create the Earth and life thereon?

Answer: God created the Earth for man to have a testing ground, and a place to have stewardship over. The Earth and all life on it is an essential part of His great plan of happiness. We are here because he loves us, and wants us to receive every blessing he could possibly give to us. We are here to learn and grow, to learn from our mistakes, to learn to love and support one another, and to draw near to our Saviour and, through His grace, be saved.

Question #3: HOW did God create the Earth and life thereon?

Answer: This answer is tricky. The Genesis and PoGP accounts both speak in very cryptic and vague terms about the creation. How did God create the heavens and the Earth? If we limit ourselves only to scripture, we end up with "he created them spiritually first, then physically." That still only explains what he did, not how he did it.

Science, however, can provide many possible explanations as to how God created the world, and how he managed to get life onto it. Evolution is just one of the many theories that has been sustained by hundreds and thousands of scientific studies. The same could be said for the larger picture of how God created the Earth, the Sun, etc. As an astronomy professor of mine explained, in order to discount the theories currently in place, you need to provide two things: 1) evidence that the current theory is false, and 2) an alternative that is able to encompass all of the research that backs up the current theory. Since the church doesn't talk about the "How" of the creation, I find that the theories are the best logical explanation. Sure, we can add our own Mormon twists to these theories. Instead of "Evolution Through Natural Selection" we can believe in "Evolution Through Divinely Guided Natural Selection." Instead of the "Big Bang Theory", we can speak of the "Devinely-Caused Big Bang Theory".

Then there's always the "Science is always changing" clause. Our understanding of how the world works is constantly changing. There are some that find this as grounds to dismiss science as a whole. I, on the other hand, find the pursuit of knowledge and truth using the scientific method fascinating. How fun is it to be able to figure out how the world works by asking the question "I wonder what happens if..." or "Maybe it works this way." Is it as straight-forward, neat, or clean as divine revelation? No, but until God explains to us exactly how He did it, the scientific method it the best way we have to gain a greater understanding of the world around us.

Admittedly, some people don't care how He did it. I'm perfectly okay with people who don't want to study astronomy, physics, biology, and chemistry. I can understand the desire to strictly focus on the spiritual side of the creation as manifested in Questions 1 & 2. Its less messy, less confusion, and "for the science people." If you do find yourself in that camp, however, don't assume that you can comment on the subject. In intentionally remaining uninformed about the science of creation, you give up your right to comment on the matter; you don't know the science, nor do you value it.

I don't mean to become so forceful and pushy about this topic, but the uneducated comments of people who don't understand the issues are destroying the testimonies of people who have a genuine interest in science. Youth who are being taught in seminary that the Earth is only 6000 years old are facing serious problems when faced with the things that science offers them. We shouldn't be teaching them that. We should be teaching them the simple truth that God doesn't explain everything to us, and that the scriptures don't hold the answer to every single question we could have. Sometimes, God uses more personal and sacred ways of helping us understand is ways. Sometimes, we need to be able to say "I don't know" about a certain issue, place that issue on the shelf, and allow the answer to come in His own way and in His own time.

I'm not saying that you have to believe in evolution; that would be silly. There are parts of the theory that I personally struggle with. What I am saying, however, is that people need to stop making statements that are backed by neither the Church, nor the scientific community. I am saying that we need to be open to the possibility that science and religion can be friends and talk together. If "all truth can be circumscribed into one great whole," why do some of us dismiss some of the facts (or make up our own)? The truth is true, regardless of our opinion on the matter. Science isn't trying to disprove religion, it is simply trying to understand the nature of reality. Religion is a much more personal and spiritual pursuit of the same goal.

I think Harold B. Lee said it best.

"Perhaps if we had the full story of the creation of the earth and man told to us in great detail, it would be more of a mystery than the simple few statements that we have contained in the Bible, because of our lack of ability to comprehend. Therefore, for reasons best known to the Lord, He has kept us in darkness. Wait until the Lord speaks, or wait until that day when He shall come, and when we shall be among the privileged either to come up out of our graves and be caught up into the clouds of heaven or shall be living upon the earth likewise to be so translated before Him. Then we shall know all things pertaining to this earth, how it was made, and all things that now as children we are groping for and trying to understand. 

Let's reserve judgment as to the facts concerning the Creation until we know these things for sure."