As such, religion has much to learn from science. The Doctrine and Covenants, a canonized compilation of latter-day revelation discusses how in all physical laws there are spiritual shadows. I’ve posted before about the spiritual implications of the laws of Gravity, inertia, thermodynamics, and entropy, and I have many other physical laws that I’m anxious to expound upon in discussing their spiritual shadows.

But by the same token, science can also learn from religion. Take for instance the Pearl of Great Price, or even as mentioned earlier, the Book of Mormon. An archeologist with the spiritual flexibility to allow himself to study, pray, and gain a testimony of it’s truthfulness on a spiritual level, would quickly find himself equipped with leads and clues that his peers are starved for.

The universal, sweeping nature of principles transcends all the various and specific fields of study, and all truth can be merged into one all-encompassing whole that describes the nature, existance, and laws of all things.

A couple years ago I got to tour the Galapagos Islands. I saw first hand the Darwinian Institute and the conclusions Darwin made. I saw amazing things there, like birds (the blue-footed booby, for instance) whose ancestors never had any large mammalian predators. They’re instincts taught them to build nests on the ground. They allowed humans to get within feet of them without getting frightened. I saw first-hand the difference in finches’ beaks and read the conclusions Darwin made. Very scientifically sound conclusions that ring true to any reasoning human.

My brother was with me on the trip. With this experience he supported his belief that religion is hogwash and science has disproved the existence of a divine being.

The evening of our discussion I had time to ponder and think about the things I learned. I was in solitude on the top deck of the cruise ship and watched the sun set. Brilliant colors filled the sky as the sun kissed the horizon. In response to my prayer, I heard the words, “I am behind all this.” I learned then and there the simple fact that my belief in God and what I learn scientifically can co-exist quite nicely.

Ryan

I don’t understand why this is posted under science? Not to be rude, but science stands in direct opposition to everything that the book of Mormon says, no?

Not in my experience, no. There have been some inroads into Mormonism by nonscience types in recent years, but Mormonism has a long tradition of support for science, and benefit from it. Think of the great chemist Henry Eyring. Think of the physicist Harvey Fletcher, and his son James Fletcher, who headed NASA. Think of Terrel Bell and his support for education of all things, especially science.

What do you find in the BoM that opposes science?