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Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding
Scientists discover more every day about how life developed on Earth. Details that stream in from the new field of molecular biology rival the ongoing findings of paleontologists as they fill in the missing pieces in the fossil record. Professors Stephens and Meldrum, aided by the perspective of a non-scientist, Forrest B. Peterson, review the data for a general Latter-day Saint audience. Their approach comes from a position of faith. They quote from the Creation account in the Pearl of Great ”And the Gods Let us prepare the waters to bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that have life. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed and that their plan was good.” In the authors’ view, the passage’s emphasis on process over end result is consistent with modern science. According to the LDS church, “Whether the mortal bodies of man evolved in natural processes to present perfection” or were formed by some other means is “not fully answered in the revealed word of God.” That God may have created the mechanism by which all life was formed—rather than each organism separately—is a concept that the authors find to be a satisfying and awe-inspiring possibility.
250 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 21, 2008
A while ago I was reading The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins, which essentially argues that because of the beautiful forces of evolution and the natural processes that create all life that there isn't a need for a God, and in fact, there is no God. To my scientific mind, his arguments were soundly reasoned. Like a scientific Korihor he ate at my faith, but my faith in God is stronger than my faith in Science, and I put the book down and didn't finish it. And so for a long time I didn't examine the discrepancies that exist between science and the commonly held beliefs that many Mormons hold about the creation and evolution. I just knew that the truth of it all would be consistent with my faith and with scientific fact, but that maybe it wasn't known yet, or I just didn't know it yet.
Stephens and Meldrum show that it is possible to retain one's faith in the face of science; that believing in what science can teach us doesn't mean not believing in God and what scripture can teach us. They nicely reconcile science and faith.
Stephens and Meldrum show that it is possible to retain one's faith in the face of science; that believing in what science can teach us doesn't mean not believing in God and what scripture can teach us. They nicely reconcile science and faith.
September 13, 2026
AN ATTEMPT TO RECONCILE EVOLUTIONARY THEORY WITH THE LDS DOCTRINE OF EXALTATION
The Foreword to this 2001 book states, “Ultimately religions can do only about three things with science. They can, of course, attack it, and many religious concepts now lie in the dust bin of history from that approach. They can ignore it---in which case they progressively become incapable of addressing modern and future problems. Or they can engage it and incorporate the demonstrated truths found thereby into a more productive view of their overall universe.” (Pg. ix)
It continues, “In April 1910… the First Presidency … identified three possible options for the origin of the human body, listing evolution by ‘natural processes… through the direction and power of God’ as one acceptable view. No First Presidency since then has ever clarified the details of this issue any further.” (Pg. xi)
It reports, “Trent Stephens and Jeff Meldrum are both established research scientists… After completion of their own doctorate training, both joined the faculty of a state university whose student body is largely composed of Latter-day Saints. These students’ predictable questions forced continued consideration of the issues by Trent and Jeff. Their active church involvement brought additional questions and insights to bear on the topic. One of their students… eventually convinced them that it was a worthy effort to share their thoughts with a broader LDS audience. Thus the present book was born. This work should not be seen as a final synthesis of Mormonism and science, much less of science and religion in general. We Latter-day Saints have fallen too far behind the discussion to envision any such synthesis; the first thing we need to do is a lot of catching up.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
“This book is a much-needed attempt to get us back on the road to pursuing that ideal… The present authors have at their command a century of the most spectacular advances in knowledge---DEMONSTRATED knowledge---ever to be possessed by the human race… it is God’s knowledge and is an integral part of our religion… Knowledge of the natural laws is essential to wise stewardship of God’s creations and creatures. We must bring ourselves into a position to deal with this massive outpouring of truth… Active, honest and rigorous engagement is the only response worthy of those who would uphold the ideals that fired the Restoration. The present book is a major step in that direction.” (Pg. xiv) The authors add in the Introduction, “We have written this book to resolve the apparent discrepancies between the theory of evolution and the concept of creation as taught in the LDS church.” (Pg. xvi)
They explain, “It is clear that the official declarations of the First Presidency on the origin of humankind, let alone on evolution generally, are extremely circumspect, limited primarily to the SPIRITUAL heritage of mankind and the authorship of Creation. Individual commentaries and expressions of opinion have varied considerably through the years… a formal solicitation for the official position of the church on the topic evoked a reference to the 1909 statement ... in the ‘Encyclopedia of Mormonism’ … which … ‘declares man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity.’ Some members continue to interpret this statement … in spite of the clarifying statement of 1910: ‘Whether the mortal bodies of man evolved in natural processes to present perfection, through the direction and power of God; whether the first parents… were transplanted from another sphere… whether they were born here in mortality… are questions not fully answered in the revealed word of God.’ … Furthermore, the First Presidency’s counsel in 1931 to ‘leave geology, biology, archaeology and anthropology … to scientific research'… is reiterated in the ‘Encyclopedia of Mormonism’s entry on ‘Evolution.’ It is with this admonition in mind that we proceed.” (Pg. 56-57)
They state, “2 Nephi 2:22 is the only scripture that we can identify as coming close to suggesting that there was an inherent, worldwide immortal condition before the Fall. We agree that [Bruce] McConkie’s is one possible interpretation, but find it less reasonable in light of the new scientific data. Nor has it received official sanction as a doctrine and it has no explicit foundation in scripture. Furthermore, it is inconsistent with the fossil record and other well-established scientific data indicating a very old earth in which natural processes (life and death) have been at work for billions of years. With the presentation of two alternative interpretations, should we not at least consider one that does not require us to ignore millions of individual pieces of evidence supporting it?” (Pg. 136)
They point out, “Galileo’s observations … caused a major clash between science and religion 400 years ago. For all his work, Galileo was threatened with expulsion from the Catholic church unless he retracted his interpretation. Only a handful of years ago, the Catholic church finally admitted that Galileo was right. What has happened to us over the past 400 years? Why does this part of Genesis not cause major conflicts between science and religion today? Unlike the people of Galileo’s time, we have had 400 years to live with his data and interpretations… No one today doubts that the moon is a solid sphere orbiting the earth, that the sun is a great ball of burning gas or that the stars are millions of light years away… we no longer accept the medieval interpretation of this scripture. With the greater knowledge we have today, we must admit that we do not know what this scripture was referring to. Perhaps it was simply figurative. Perhaps this was all the people of that time could understand.” (Pg. 170)
They summarize, “We are struck by the similarities between the plan of exaltation and natural selection. Natural selection preserves those organisms possessing traits that allow them to survive and reproduce under specific conditions. Those traits are passed on to the next generation, permitting them to ‘fulfill the measure of their creation.’ The plan of exaltation preserves those individuals possessing spiritual traits, such as faith, hope and charity. Those who develop the necessary attributes are endowed with eternal lives and can then pass on the ability to develop the same traits to their offspring.
“It is evident that WE, as individual entities, are on an eternal journey---an EVOLUTIONARY journey so to speak---of many different realms and states that may ultimately culminate in godhood. We know very little about the particulars of the pre- and postmortal conditions. During mortality we CAN learn much about our present realm… It is our obligation to understand as much as we can about all phases of our eternal journey, thereby gaining a deeper knowledge and appreciation of our father’s plan.” (Pg. 206-207)
This book is an excellent attempt to explain and reconcile evolutionary theory the LDS doctrine.
The Foreword to this 2001 book states, “Ultimately religions can do only about three things with science. They can, of course, attack it, and many religious concepts now lie in the dust bin of history from that approach. They can ignore it---in which case they progressively become incapable of addressing modern and future problems. Or they can engage it and incorporate the demonstrated truths found thereby into a more productive view of their overall universe.” (Pg. ix)
It continues, “In April 1910… the First Presidency … identified three possible options for the origin of the human body, listing evolution by ‘natural processes… through the direction and power of God’ as one acceptable view. No First Presidency since then has ever clarified the details of this issue any further.” (Pg. xi)
It reports, “Trent Stephens and Jeff Meldrum are both established research scientists… After completion of their own doctorate training, both joined the faculty of a state university whose student body is largely composed of Latter-day Saints. These students’ predictable questions forced continued consideration of the issues by Trent and Jeff. Their active church involvement brought additional questions and insights to bear on the topic. One of their students… eventually convinced them that it was a worthy effort to share their thoughts with a broader LDS audience. Thus the present book was born. This work should not be seen as a final synthesis of Mormonism and science, much less of science and religion in general. We Latter-day Saints have fallen too far behind the discussion to envision any such synthesis; the first thing we need to do is a lot of catching up.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
“This book is a much-needed attempt to get us back on the road to pursuing that ideal… The present authors have at their command a century of the most spectacular advances in knowledge---DEMONSTRATED knowledge---ever to be possessed by the human race… it is God’s knowledge and is an integral part of our religion… Knowledge of the natural laws is essential to wise stewardship of God’s creations and creatures. We must bring ourselves into a position to deal with this massive outpouring of truth… Active, honest and rigorous engagement is the only response worthy of those who would uphold the ideals that fired the Restoration. The present book is a major step in that direction.” (Pg. xiv) The authors add in the Introduction, “We have written this book to resolve the apparent discrepancies between the theory of evolution and the concept of creation as taught in the LDS church.” (Pg. xvi)
They explain, “It is clear that the official declarations of the First Presidency on the origin of humankind, let alone on evolution generally, are extremely circumspect, limited primarily to the SPIRITUAL heritage of mankind and the authorship of Creation. Individual commentaries and expressions of opinion have varied considerably through the years… a formal solicitation for the official position of the church on the topic evoked a reference to the 1909 statement ... in the ‘Encyclopedia of Mormonism’ … which … ‘declares man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity.’ Some members continue to interpret this statement … in spite of the clarifying statement of 1910: ‘Whether the mortal bodies of man evolved in natural processes to present perfection, through the direction and power of God; whether the first parents… were transplanted from another sphere… whether they were born here in mortality… are questions not fully answered in the revealed word of God.’ … Furthermore, the First Presidency’s counsel in 1931 to ‘leave geology, biology, archaeology and anthropology … to scientific research'… is reiterated in the ‘Encyclopedia of Mormonism’s entry on ‘Evolution.’ It is with this admonition in mind that we proceed.” (Pg. 56-57)
They state, “2 Nephi 2:22 is the only scripture that we can identify as coming close to suggesting that there was an inherent, worldwide immortal condition before the Fall. We agree that [Bruce] McConkie’s is one possible interpretation, but find it less reasonable in light of the new scientific data. Nor has it received official sanction as a doctrine and it has no explicit foundation in scripture. Furthermore, it is inconsistent with the fossil record and other well-established scientific data indicating a very old earth in which natural processes (life and death) have been at work for billions of years. With the presentation of two alternative interpretations, should we not at least consider one that does not require us to ignore millions of individual pieces of evidence supporting it?” (Pg. 136)
They point out, “Galileo’s observations … caused a major clash between science and religion 400 years ago. For all his work, Galileo was threatened with expulsion from the Catholic church unless he retracted his interpretation. Only a handful of years ago, the Catholic church finally admitted that Galileo was right. What has happened to us over the past 400 years? Why does this part of Genesis not cause major conflicts between science and religion today? Unlike the people of Galileo’s time, we have had 400 years to live with his data and interpretations… No one today doubts that the moon is a solid sphere orbiting the earth, that the sun is a great ball of burning gas or that the stars are millions of light years away… we no longer accept the medieval interpretation of this scripture. With the greater knowledge we have today, we must admit that we do not know what this scripture was referring to. Perhaps it was simply figurative. Perhaps this was all the people of that time could understand.” (Pg. 170)
They summarize, “We are struck by the similarities between the plan of exaltation and natural selection. Natural selection preserves those organisms possessing traits that allow them to survive and reproduce under specific conditions. Those traits are passed on to the next generation, permitting them to ‘fulfill the measure of their creation.’ The plan of exaltation preserves those individuals possessing spiritual traits, such as faith, hope and charity. Those who develop the necessary attributes are endowed with eternal lives and can then pass on the ability to develop the same traits to their offspring.
“It is evident that WE, as individual entities, are on an eternal journey---an EVOLUTIONARY journey so to speak---of many different realms and states that may ultimately culminate in godhood. We know very little about the particulars of the pre- and postmortal conditions. During mortality we CAN learn much about our present realm… It is our obligation to understand as much as we can about all phases of our eternal journey, thereby gaining a deeper knowledge and appreciation of our father’s plan.” (Pg. 206-207)
This book is an excellent attempt to explain and reconcile evolutionary theory the LDS doctrine.
October 30, 2007
I've run into the evolution question at many different stages of Church history and seemed to find conflicting answers at every turn. There's a reason for that: the answers really are conflicting.
Here, two LDS biologists make a good argument that Darwinian evolution is compatible with LDS theology. Most Mormons are familiar with the emphatic denunciation of Darwin by the likes of Joseph Fielding Smith and Boyd K. Packer. Perhaps it is not as commonly known that many Mormon leaders have accepted the basic tenets of evolution, including James E. Talmage, Henry Eyring Sr., John A. Widtsoe, and, in its most extreme form, by B.H. Roberts. Even David O. McKay privately admitted that he could accept Darwinism.
So why the confusion? Because the Church has no official doctrine on evolution. As the disagreement raged early in the 20th Century, the First Presidency instructed the brethren to cease teaching their positions, because the answer was not yet known. Unfortunately, the opponents to science within the quorum outlived the others, and their position has come to be understood as Church doctrine. In reality, the Church has still not taken a definitive position on the matter.
The authors also offer a compelling argument for ceasing to bash evolution from the pulpit. If we teach that evolution is incompatible with faith in God, then many will question their faith entirely when the mounting evidence for evolution presents itself to them. Is it worth threatening the faith of our young people over something that is not even doctrine? It's at least worth thinking about.
Here, two LDS biologists make a good argument that Darwinian evolution is compatible with LDS theology. Most Mormons are familiar with the emphatic denunciation of Darwin by the likes of Joseph Fielding Smith and Boyd K. Packer. Perhaps it is not as commonly known that many Mormon leaders have accepted the basic tenets of evolution, including James E. Talmage, Henry Eyring Sr., John A. Widtsoe, and, in its most extreme form, by B.H. Roberts. Even David O. McKay privately admitted that he could accept Darwinism.
So why the confusion? Because the Church has no official doctrine on evolution. As the disagreement raged early in the 20th Century, the First Presidency instructed the brethren to cease teaching their positions, because the answer was not yet known. Unfortunately, the opponents to science within the quorum outlived the others, and their position has come to be understood as Church doctrine. In reality, the Church has still not taken a definitive position on the matter.
The authors also offer a compelling argument for ceasing to bash evolution from the pulpit. If we teach that evolution is incompatible with faith in God, then many will question their faith entirely when the mounting evidence for evolution presents itself to them. Is it worth threatening the faith of our young people over something that is not even doctrine? It's at least worth thinking about.
August 18, 2011
These two Mormon scientists give a thorough argument on how evolution and official LDS doctrine are compatible. The first four chapters talk about doctrine and traditions in the Church. The next six chapters talk about the science of evolution and how it relates to doctrine. When they talk about the science, they do it in terms that I can understand. The next three chapters talk about the Genesis creation story, the predictability of evolution (it used to be thought of as totally random, but scientists are now realizing the rules that govern it), and what the authors dub "eternal evoltion." The appendix includes three official LDS statements on evolution.
I think the most important point they make in this book is taken from the first official statement from the First Presidency. The authors said, "We have heard many times that these issues are not critical to our salvation. This is correct. What is critical to our salvation is adhering to the first priniples of the gospel, obeying God, and enduring to the end," (pg. 13).
This is an excellent book for members of the LDS church who want to know more about evolution and how it relates to their church doctrine.
I think the most important point they make in this book is taken from the first official statement from the First Presidency. The authors said, "We have heard many times that these issues are not critical to our salvation. This is correct. What is critical to our salvation is adhering to the first priniples of the gospel, obeying God, and enduring to the end," (pg. 13).
This is an excellent book for members of the LDS church who want to know more about evolution and how it relates to their church doctrine.
February 20, 2014
I strongly recommend this book to anyone wondering how evolution and Mormon doctrine harmonize. It was very clearly and respectfully written and so refreshing to have a lot of "culturalisms" cleared up. So much of what LDS members THINK is doctrine often isn't, or what we THINK the interpretation of a certain scripture means really doesn't, or could have many different interpretations. So much of the evidence that supports, and proves, really, the theory of evolution has only come about in the last 20-30 years as advances in molecular biology have exploded. And most of what's been spoken of from church leaders regarding evolution was spoken of in the early 20th century. This is a really awesome book, written by LDS scientists, to help the average member like me make sense of both doctrine and science. Highly recommended!
March 29, 2011
A remarkably kind book to LDS people who begin the pursuit of discovering truth about evolution who are sure that it's mostly a fallacy. It handholds the novice all the way through the scriptures ancient and modern and spoon feeds the difficult terms for a clarity of evolution that strips all preconceived notions. Their collective experience totalling over 50 yrs, the reader feels confident in the technical biological evidence laid out. With official statements from the First Presidency, scriptures, as well as those ideas we've made up ourselves to fill in the blanks, the authors do a great job presenting truth, reality, and courage to accept it.
September 5, 2024
A great read for the LDS crowd about evolution from the perspective of two believing biologists. The book was written over 20 years ago so there is some dated scientific DNA things but it would just bolster their argument that there could be a divine creator conducting the beauty of evolution.
January 31, 2025
When you realize that Evolution and its denial has never been doctrine but tradition heavily influenced by the American Evangelical movement and their liberalization of scripture one becomes highly appreciative of the guidance of the Apostles and Prophets. To me, organic evolution is scientifically verifiable and beautiful. God is a Scientist. These Authors created a very nuanced book that'll bring understanding to those who question the Church's stance on evolution.
October 9, 2010
I definitely enjoyed learning about evolution from a Mormon perspective. I realize I was fairly ignorant on the subject. This book explains why it is so likely that we really did evolve from lower forms of life as well as giving some potential theories for how we can resolve this with many commonly held interpretations of scripture (which probably aren't exactly correct). One of the things that he suggests is that Adam and Eve (who had been created through the evolutionary process, with natural laws governing the process - and God "at the controls") were not mortal until they were actually placed in the Garden of Eden and were able to partake of the fruit of the tree of life which kept them immortal until they partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and then were cast out from the garden and no longer had access to the fruit of the tree of life. Interesting theory. They do say that this is just their own conjecture, and that the only way to fully understand scriptures is to study them out and receive our answers through personal revelation. Another thing I liked was how they compare our eternal progression to the evolutionary process. This was based on a quote put out by the First Presidency in 1910: "Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so that undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into God."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2008
In this book the authors (2 faithful Mormon scientists and 1 non-scientist) argue that Evolution and Mormonism are compatible. The book gives overviews of science's function, religion's function, the historic hostility between religion and science, Darwin's On the Origin of Species, evidence that supports Evolution, the Genesis Creation account (along with the accounts in The Pearl of Great Price), the Church's official position on Evolution, the compatibility of Evolution and Mormonism, etc. The authors argue that many of the beliefs that Mormons have regarding Adam and Eve are traditional "interpretations" of scripture, and they offer other plausible interpretations that are consistent with modern scientific knowledge. They point out that most of the stuff written by influential Mormons on the subject of Evolution (1) is opinion and (2) was written before 1970. This matters because since 1970 there has been an explosion of evidence supporting Evolution, specifically DNA evidence, of which these early writers were unaware. While the authors don't have an airtight case, they do help readers think critically about the issues involved. I thoroughly enjoyed this provocative book.
May 24, 2021
Okay, so I had to read it for school. Nonetheless, I found it a very good read. The authors were very knowledgeable about the science going on at the time, and what had been discovered so far, although much has progressed since. They were also very thorough in their research of what has been presented by the LDS Church about evolution. In contrast to the science, there is no new I formation from the Church regarding this topic.
While the authors mainly explain the resolution of faith and science from their own angle, they make sure to give as much information as possible and allow the reader to form their own opinions.
While the authors mainly explain the resolution of faith and science from their own angle, they make sure to give as much information as possible and allow the reader to form their own opinions.
May 6, 2009
Very important contribution to the Mormon conversation on the topic. These are faithful Latter-day Saints, including a bishop, who are deep and faithful believers and who see no inherent contradiction between evolution and LDS belief and doctrine. I love their perspective and their offering of a reasonable reconciliation of the scientific evidence with LDS scripture and doctrine.
May 28, 2009
ahhhhhh, a sigh of relief. It's NOT impossible to believe in science and God at the same time. Its tone is kind and easy to read, not the grumpy defensive tone I was scared it could possibly be. It's a must read for LDS members who study science.
August 22, 2010
the best book on evo. and moism and argues how the two can go together in one cognitive dissonance-inflicted mind.
June 16, 2011
Haven't finished yet but really like...
September 2, 2016
Read by 2014, likely much earlier.
May 16, 2009
A great read and with excellent writing for the non scientist.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews