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{{Resource Title|Mormonism and science}}
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*It is claimed that Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect.
< <small>[[Main Page|<i>'''Back to FAIR Answers Index'''</i>]]</small>
*It is claimed that Mormonism reserves the right to identify scientific truth.
{{CriticalSources}}


== ==
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Latter-day Saints are not required to discard science in favor of religion. Many Latter-day Saints are heavily involved in scientific research without suffering a loss of faith. Not only do we believe that science is continually being updated, but that Gospel knowledge will be updated as well. As the 9th Article of Faith states:


:''We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.''
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We acknowledge that ''we do not understand everything'' regarding the manner in which God created the earth, but we have been assured through revelation that at some future time we will be allowed to understand these things. Neither religion nor science knows everything, but revelation provides us with sufficient knowledge to obtain salvation.  In religion, as in science, all should be constantly seeking for the "further light and knowledge" that comes from God.


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{{Epigraph|Is there any conflict between science and religion? There is no conflict in the mind of God, but often there is conflict in the minds of men.{{ref|eyring.2}}<br>
__NOTOC__
&mdash;Henry Eyring, developer of the Absolute Rate Theory of chemical reactions: One of the most important developments of 20th-century chemistry.}}
{{parabreak}}
{{Epigraph|In these respects we differ from the Christian world, for our religion will not clash with or contradict the facts of science in any particular...whether the Lord found the earth empty and void, whether he made it out of nothing or out of the rude elements; or whether he made it in six days or in as many millions of years, is and will remain a matter of speculation in the minds of men unless he give revelation on the subject. If we understood the process of creation there would be no mystery about it, it would be all reasonable and plain, for there is no mystery except to the ignorant.<br>
&mdash;{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=14|start=116|disc=16|date=May 14, 1871}} }}
{{parabreak}}
{{Epigraph|Latter-day Saints should strive to use both science and religion to extend knowledge and to build faith.  But those who do so must guard against the significant risk that efforts to end the separation between scientific scholarship and religious faith will only promote a substandard level of performance, where religion and science dilute one another instead of strengthening both.<br><br>For some, an attempt to mingle reason and faith can result in irrational scholarship or phony religion, either condition demonstrably worse than the described separation.<br>
&mdash;{{Book:Oaks:Life's Lessons Learned|pages=58-59}}}}
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== ==
{{Topics label}}
<onlyinclude>
===Determining truth===
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Are they compatible
|subject=Are Mormonism and science compatible?
|summary=Secular critics charge that Mormonism and science are incompatible, and that any Latter-day Saint who actually believes is "intellectually dishonest." In reality, however, Latter-day Saints in many ways have a more liberal view of science than some of their Christian brethren. We believe that God operates according to certain laws. If there are things that God can do which seem to contradict what we know through current science, we assume that there are scientific laws that are beyond our current understanding.
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Faith versus knowledge
|subject=Faith versus knowledge
|summary=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 the 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.
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Holy Ghost/Burning in the bosom
|subject=Burning in the bosom
|summary=Critics are known to mockingly refer to the LDS imagery of a "burning in the bosom." While the phrase is used in the LDS community to express the intense feelings of receiving spiritual witnesses, some claim it is simply the result of an electro-chemical process that occurs in the brain.
}}


===Latter-day Saint approaches to science===
{{SummaryItem
|link=Book of Mormon/Archaeology
|subject=Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
|summary=Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Evolution
|subject=Evolution
|summary=How does the Church reconcile the theory of evolution with the story of Adam?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Pre-Adamites
|subject=Pre-Adamites
|summary=There is scientific evidence of human habitation for many thousands of years. How do we reconcile this with the idea that Adam lived approximately 6,000 years ago?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Death before the Fall
|subject=Death before the Fall
|summary=Does LDS doctrine hold that there was no death before the Fall of Adam?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Procreation before the Fall
|subject=Procreation before the Fall
|summary=Did procreation exist before the Fall of Adam?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Global or local Flood
|subject=Global or local Flood
|summary=How do we deal with the fact that 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 of a few thousand years. Did the continents separate during the flood of Noah? Doctrine and Covenants 133:23&ndash;24 seems to imply that they did. How do we reconcile this to scientific fact? Didn't Brigham Young, John Taylor and Orson Pratt teach that the Flood was the baptism of the Earth?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Age of the Earth
|subject=Age of the Earth
|summary=Do Latter-day Saints believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old? Why does Doctrine and Covenants section 77 say that the history of the earth covers only seven thousand years?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Dinosaurs
|subject=Dinosaurs
|summary=How do dinosaurs fit into God's plan?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Book of Mormon/DNA evidence
|subject=Book of Mormon and DNA evidence
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Free will
|subject=Free will in Mormonism
|summary=Science demonstrates that all interactions of matter--including all events in the human brain--are sufficiently caused by previous events. If we know enough about the laws that govern these interactions and the current state of the universe, we would be able to exactly predict any future event. Does this mean that the doctrine of "agency" or "free will" is false, since all human choices are predetermined by the laws of physics?
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Mormonism and science/Alleged "discovery" of cold fusion by Utah researchers
|subject=Alleged "discovery" of cold fusion by Utah researchers
|summary=It is claimed that the mistaken "discovery" of cold fusion in Utah reflects on either LDS gullibility, inability to do science, or dishonesty.
}}


===Science and LDS scripture===
While doctrine is often the main focus of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, sometimes questions concerning how science affects and applies to the gospel arise. Below are links to multiple topics that address science in application to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
{{:Book of Abraham/Astronomy}}
<!-- *Cosmology
{{SummaryItem2
|link=Cosmology and Physics/Absolute beginning?
|subject=An absolute beginning?
|summary=
}} -->
* Book of Mormon
{{SummaryItem
|link=Book of Mormon archaeology
|subject=Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
|summary=
}}
{{SummaryItem2
|link=Book_of_Mormon_archaeology/Thomas_Stuart_Ferguson
|subject=Thomas Stuart Ferguson
|summary=
}}
{{SummaryItem
|link=Book of Mormon/DNA evidence
|subject=DNA evidence
|summary=DNA samples taken from modern Native Americans do not match the DNA of modern inhabitants of the Middle East. Critics argue that this means the Book of Mormon's claim that Native Americans are descended from Lehi must be false, and therefore the Book of Mormon is not an ancient record as Joseph Smith claimed.
}}


{{:Mormonism and science/Latter-day Saint attitude toward}}
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{{:Mormonism and science/Statements}}
</onlyinclude>


=={{Endnotes label}}==
<i><b> Approaching Science </i></b>
* [[:Mormonism and science/Determining truth]]
* [[:Mormonism and science/Latter-day Saint approaches]]


#{{note|eyring.2}} {{Book:Eyring:Reflections of a Scientist|pages=2}}
<i><b> Science Concerns and Topics </i></b>
* [[:Mormonism and science/Latter-day Saint attitude toward]]
* [[:Mormonism and science/Creation and related issues]]
* [[:Book of Mormon/Archaeology]]
* [[:Book of Mormon/DNA evidence]]
* [[:Mormonism and science/Latter-day Saint attitude toward]]
* [[:Mormonism and science/Nature of Flood]]
* [[:Intelligent life on other worlds]]


{{FurtherReading}}
{{Critical sources box:Mormonism and science/CriticalSources}}
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[[pt:Mormonismo e Ciências]]

Latest revision as of 00:54, 6 November 2026

< Back to FAIR Answers Index


Science and the Church of Jesus Christ




While doctrine is often the main focus of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, sometimes questions concerning how science affects and applies to the gospel arise. Below are links to multiple topics that address science in application to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Approaching Science

Science Concerns and Topics

Source(s) of the criticism
Critical sources
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