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The Faith of a Scientist
Famed LDS scientist Henry Eyring discusses his convictions that science and religion, properly understood, are not two separate worlds but an interlocking unity.
196 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Henry Eyring
64 booksHenry Eyring (February 20, 1901 – December 26, 1981) was a Mexico-born United States theoretical chemist whose primary contribution was in the study of chemical reaction rates and intermediates. Eyring developed the Absolute Rate Theory or Transition state theory of chemical reactions, connecting the fields of chemistry and physics through atomic theory, quantum theory, and statistical mechanics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 23, 2009
Favorite quote, "I should like to say that true religion was never a narrow thing. True religion concerns man and the entire universe in which he lives. it concerns his relationships with himself and his fellow men, with his environment, and with God his Creator. It is therefore limitless, and as boundless as that eternity which it teaches lies ahead of every son of God."
I love this book. Henry Eyring was all-scientist in his approach to truth. He points out that the gospel encompasses all truth. One of my favorite quotes was when he said that we must be sure to stop teaching the world is flat when it is found to be round. I love his humor because it made his point obvious.
Of all the books I have read in the last month (and there have been quite a few), this is probably my most favorite. I need to point out that I am reading the 1967 edition.
I love this book. Henry Eyring was all-scientist in his approach to truth. He points out that the gospel encompasses all truth. One of my favorite quotes was when he said that we must be sure to stop teaching the world is flat when it is found to be round. I love his humor because it made his point obvious.
Of all the books I have read in the last month (and there have been quite a few), this is probably my most favorite. I need to point out that I am reading the 1967 edition.
August 6, 2011
This short book is a collection of essays dealing with the supposed conflict between science and religion. Though I myself, am not a scientist, I have always been fascinated by science and the discovery of the world around me. I have never felt that there was a conflict between science and religion but there are certainly those who do. This book wasn't necessarily written to refute those who see conflict, but rather to share some thoughts on science and religion from a man who believes strongly in both.
Here were a few of my favorite quotes:
"Here is the spirit of true religion, and honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth." - P.3
"Perhaps the believer never does more disservice to religion than to support the truth with bad arguments" - P.10
"Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion." - P.12
"There are two ways of drawing nearer to Him: first, through the intellectual contemplation of God's handiwork: second, through spiritual communion with the Creator in which we gain direct experience of His presence. The Latter-day Saint who lives up to his opportunities will do both." - P.16
"A prophet is wonderful because he sometimes speaks for the Lord. This occurs on certain occasions when the Lord wills it. On other occasions, he speaks for himself, and one of the wonderful doctrines of this Church is that we don't believe in the infallibility of any mortal....The Gospel is not the people in the Church. The Gospel is not even the people who direct it. The Gospel is the truth." - P.23
"The known radius of the universe in miles is even bigger than the national debt." - P.24 (This one just amused me considering the huge debt debate in Congress.)
"In a very real sense, then, the universe is like a clock which has been wound up If it is self-winding, it is unique in scientific experience." - P.29
"Some have asked me: '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. Through the eternities, we are going to get close and closer to understanding the mind of God, then the conflicts will disappear." .P.43-44
"God is so gentle, so dedicated to the principle that men should be taught correct principles and then govern themselves, that they should take responsibility for their own mistakes, that His children can actually question whether He exists." P.44
In the end, I would definitely recommend this book to those who see an apparent conflict between science and religion or for those who simply want to understand better how the two come together.
Here were a few of my favorite quotes:
"Here is the spirit of true religion, and honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth." - P.3
"Perhaps the believer never does more disservice to religion than to support the truth with bad arguments" - P.10
"Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion." - P.12
"There are two ways of drawing nearer to Him: first, through the intellectual contemplation of God's handiwork: second, through spiritual communion with the Creator in which we gain direct experience of His presence. The Latter-day Saint who lives up to his opportunities will do both." - P.16
"A prophet is wonderful because he sometimes speaks for the Lord. This occurs on certain occasions when the Lord wills it. On other occasions, he speaks for himself, and one of the wonderful doctrines of this Church is that we don't believe in the infallibility of any mortal....The Gospel is not the people in the Church. The Gospel is not even the people who direct it. The Gospel is the truth." - P.23
"The known radius of the universe in miles is even bigger than the national debt." - P.24 (This one just amused me considering the huge debt debate in Congress.)
"In a very real sense, then, the universe is like a clock which has been wound up If it is self-winding, it is unique in scientific experience." - P.29
"Some have asked me: '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. Through the eternities, we are going to get close and closer to understanding the mind of God, then the conflicts will disappear." .P.43-44
"God is so gentle, so dedicated to the principle that men should be taught correct principles and then govern themselves, that they should take responsibility for their own mistakes, that His children can actually question whether He exists." P.44
In the end, I would definitely recommend this book to those who see an apparent conflict between science and religion or for those who simply want to understand better how the two come together.
September 1, 2008
I really loved this book. It is small, only 54 pages. It was originally complied from a longer book by Dr. Eyring, and was published church-wide for the youth in the late 1960's. It is now out of print and difficult to find. Luckily, the Pleasant Grove library had a copy, I just had to wait a long while on the hold list. It's really thought provoking.
May 9, 2015
I finally read this book after a respected co-worker had recommended it to me a couple times in our long conversations about the relationship between scientific knowledge and religious belief. It was written by Dr. Henry Eyring in 1967, with the key goal of sharing his own ways of reconciling an esteemed career in the physical sciences with his LDS beliefs (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
First of all, Eyring has all the right credentials. His Mormon bona fides include being born in the Mexican Mormon diaspora in the early 20th century, and even marrying from the Romney family (George was a cousin). His son is Henry B. Eyring, who is First Counselor to Thomas S. Monson, the current President of the Mormon church. For those unfamiliar with Mormon hierarchy, this makes him the 10th most senior apostle in the church, and a prophet, seer and revelator. Returning to the father/author, Henry Eyring (Sr.) was an accomplished chemist, serving at a number of universities and winning many medals for his significant contributions to material sciences. The book is prefaced with a hagiographic compilation of his professional and personal accomplishments, awards, and admirable qualities.
Right off the bat, there are things I agree with. As the publisher's statement says in part: "...true science and true religion are and must always be in complete harmony; that this must be so because truth is consistent - no one truth can conflict with another truth..." That's right! However we arrive at truth, we shouldn't expect it to conflict with other things that are true. Eyring chastises some of his LDS cohorts for being too literal when it comes to certain parts of scripture. "...some theologians have unwittingly assisted in this rebellion by taking positions so dogmatic as to stifle the honest and thoughtful inquiries of youth when they needed help and sought it." He differentiates historical knowledge, especially religious history, from the repeatable laboratory experiments the hard sciences deal with. He also gives science credit for strengthening religion "by sifting the grain of truth from the chaff of imagined fable." I love this line: "Perhaps the believer never does more disservice to religion than to support the truth with bad arguments."
Interestingly, Eyring defines the LDS faith's core tenet as the embracing of truth, whatever its source. This sounds fantastic on the surface, but it struggles in application. On one hand, this stance allows him to accept the new findings of science with open arms and incorporate those truths into his life. This only gets weird when it conflicts with existing Mormon doctrine and ideas. For example, Joseph Smith claimed that there are people living on the moon (they're about six feet tall and dress like Quakers... Brigham Young said our sun is also inhabited). Eyring knows this to be false, and happily dismisses it. He says that perhaps Smith never truly said such things, or even if he did... that wasn't a moment of inspired revelation. There's no pause taken to consider that this might bespeak of some proclivity in Joseph Smith to... you know... be inventive. Elsewhere, Eyring points out the faulty description in the Old Testament of Pi (the number) being equal to 3. Oddly enough, he doesn't cite this as an error, but pats it on the back: "This gives correctly the first term of an endless series, namely Pi = 3." Eyring accepts the truth of the earth's age at 4.5 billion years, and the truth of evolution, but somehow still believes in a literal Adam and Eve - how do they fit in the scientific narrative? They don't.
Time and again throughout the book, Eyring is willing to disregard the errors of revelation, and simply replace them with new scientific knowledge as it becomes available. I'm all for embracing truth, but where's the accountability for previous false beliefs? He finds some way to see the errors as not being conflicting, either because they were misunderstood or simply because scriptures don't speak in scientific terms. It would have been interesting to see his reaction to Smith's forgery of the canonical "Book of Abraham" from a mistranslated Egyptian Book of the Dead, or the lack of any archaeological support for Jewish migration to South America, let alone missing massive populations of Lamanites and Nephites. Or, shooting forward in time, how he would feel about black men being allowed as members of the church in 1978 (after revelation had previously prohibited them). So much for eternal truths. The strategy for dealing with cognitive dissonance, in this case, seems to be ignoring that there is any conflict to begin with.
While Eyring is willing to admit that many LDS beliefs are not directly supported by science, his feeling is that they will be, eventually. This is an attitude I have seen in many other believers - science is trumpeted to the sky as true and wonderful when it is found to be consistent with a religious principle, but is considered "unresolved" or "tentative" when it presents a conflict. Excuse me - "apparent conflict". Apparent contradictions/conflicts are referenced a few times in the book. The flip-side behavior is to embrace new scientific ideas and press them into service as justification for ancient beliefs (or in the case of Mormonism, old beliefs). Eyring cites the uncertainty principle of quantum physics as a buttress for his understanding of free will/agency. The relationship between energy and matter is presented as evidence for our spiritual natures. These are both huge leaps of logic that the science doesn't justify.
Eyring relies heavily on this argument: X is a scientist, X is also a religious man (they are all men here), and therefore religious belief in a creator is important to the scientific enterprise. Isaac Newton, Max Planck, Louis Pasteur, and Albert Einstein (a shaky example at best) are all given their own small chapters. If the point is that religious persons can be competent and even brilliant scientists, then the point is amply made and accepted by me. However, one might also point out that pretty much everyone in the past was religious; it's not like there was a large trend of professed atheism in the 1600s, and many of the intellectual tools for informed disbelief were not developed until much more recently. The numbers Eyring cites have flipped just in the 40+ years in which he wrote his book: now some 93% of members of the National Academy of Sciences are atheists. Another point is that a skilled scientist can believe all sorts of strange and unsupported things outside the realm of his or her specialty. Linus Pauling promoted vitamin C panacea nonsense. Jane Goodall feels pretty strongly that Bigfoot is pacing the forests. Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell believes aliens have visited our planet. Even Newton wasted years pursuing alchemical means of turning lead to gold in addition to his obsessions with charting biblical history.
So while one lesson of this book may be that any committed scientist can also be a religious believer, another lesson should be that a committed scientist may believe in any sort of unsupported idea and find ingenious ways to make it live consistently with scientific knowledge, especially when he or she has been born into a community believing said unsupported ideas.
Dr. Eyring and I may disagree on many particular conclusions about how the universe operates, but I heartily recommend his book to anyone interested in the topic. His writing is clear, concise, dense with keen observation and insight, and I think makes the best case possible for reconciling religious belief with the provisional truths of science. It is worth reading, and I think might be particularly instructive for religious believers who do not accept the tenets of the Mormon restored gospel, as it might provide something of an external lens to their own beliefs. The book contains a number of fun scientific explanations, and freezes in time an interesting slice of history that immediately precedes the moon landings and the information age we now occupy. These are engaging reflections from a clearly brilliant and fascinating man.
First of all, Eyring has all the right credentials. His Mormon bona fides include being born in the Mexican Mormon diaspora in the early 20th century, and even marrying from the Romney family (George was a cousin). His son is Henry B. Eyring, who is First Counselor to Thomas S. Monson, the current President of the Mormon church. For those unfamiliar with Mormon hierarchy, this makes him the 10th most senior apostle in the church, and a prophet, seer and revelator. Returning to the father/author, Henry Eyring (Sr.) was an accomplished chemist, serving at a number of universities and winning many medals for his significant contributions to material sciences. The book is prefaced with a hagiographic compilation of his professional and personal accomplishments, awards, and admirable qualities.
Right off the bat, there are things I agree with. As the publisher's statement says in part: "...true science and true religion are and must always be in complete harmony; that this must be so because truth is consistent - no one truth can conflict with another truth..." That's right! However we arrive at truth, we shouldn't expect it to conflict with other things that are true. Eyring chastises some of his LDS cohorts for being too literal when it comes to certain parts of scripture. "...some theologians have unwittingly assisted in this rebellion by taking positions so dogmatic as to stifle the honest and thoughtful inquiries of youth when they needed help and sought it." He differentiates historical knowledge, especially religious history, from the repeatable laboratory experiments the hard sciences deal with. He also gives science credit for strengthening religion "by sifting the grain of truth from the chaff of imagined fable." I love this line: "Perhaps the believer never does more disservice to religion than to support the truth with bad arguments."
Interestingly, Eyring defines the LDS faith's core tenet as the embracing of truth, whatever its source. This sounds fantastic on the surface, but it struggles in application. On one hand, this stance allows him to accept the new findings of science with open arms and incorporate those truths into his life. This only gets weird when it conflicts with existing Mormon doctrine and ideas. For example, Joseph Smith claimed that there are people living on the moon (they're about six feet tall and dress like Quakers... Brigham Young said our sun is also inhabited). Eyring knows this to be false, and happily dismisses it. He says that perhaps Smith never truly said such things, or even if he did... that wasn't a moment of inspired revelation. There's no pause taken to consider that this might bespeak of some proclivity in Joseph Smith to... you know... be inventive. Elsewhere, Eyring points out the faulty description in the Old Testament of Pi (the number) being equal to 3. Oddly enough, he doesn't cite this as an error, but pats it on the back: "This gives correctly the first term of an endless series, namely Pi = 3." Eyring accepts the truth of the earth's age at 4.5 billion years, and the truth of evolution, but somehow still believes in a literal Adam and Eve - how do they fit in the scientific narrative? They don't.
Time and again throughout the book, Eyring is willing to disregard the errors of revelation, and simply replace them with new scientific knowledge as it becomes available. I'm all for embracing truth, but where's the accountability for previous false beliefs? He finds some way to see the errors as not being conflicting, either because they were misunderstood or simply because scriptures don't speak in scientific terms. It would have been interesting to see his reaction to Smith's forgery of the canonical "Book of Abraham" from a mistranslated Egyptian Book of the Dead, or the lack of any archaeological support for Jewish migration to South America, let alone missing massive populations of Lamanites and Nephites. Or, shooting forward in time, how he would feel about black men being allowed as members of the church in 1978 (after revelation had previously prohibited them). So much for eternal truths. The strategy for dealing with cognitive dissonance, in this case, seems to be ignoring that there is any conflict to begin with.
While Eyring is willing to admit that many LDS beliefs are not directly supported by science, his feeling is that they will be, eventually. This is an attitude I have seen in many other believers - science is trumpeted to the sky as true and wonderful when it is found to be consistent with a religious principle, but is considered "unresolved" or "tentative" when it presents a conflict. Excuse me - "apparent conflict". Apparent contradictions/conflicts are referenced a few times in the book. The flip-side behavior is to embrace new scientific ideas and press them into service as justification for ancient beliefs (or in the case of Mormonism, old beliefs). Eyring cites the uncertainty principle of quantum physics as a buttress for his understanding of free will/agency. The relationship between energy and matter is presented as evidence for our spiritual natures. These are both huge leaps of logic that the science doesn't justify.
Eyring relies heavily on this argument: X is a scientist, X is also a religious man (they are all men here), and therefore religious belief in a creator is important to the scientific enterprise. Isaac Newton, Max Planck, Louis Pasteur, and Albert Einstein (a shaky example at best) are all given their own small chapters. If the point is that religious persons can be competent and even brilliant scientists, then the point is amply made and accepted by me. However, one might also point out that pretty much everyone in the past was religious; it's not like there was a large trend of professed atheism in the 1600s, and many of the intellectual tools for informed disbelief were not developed until much more recently. The numbers Eyring cites have flipped just in the 40+ years in which he wrote his book: now some 93% of members of the National Academy of Sciences are atheists. Another point is that a skilled scientist can believe all sorts of strange and unsupported things outside the realm of his or her specialty. Linus Pauling promoted vitamin C panacea nonsense. Jane Goodall feels pretty strongly that Bigfoot is pacing the forests. Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell believes aliens have visited our planet. Even Newton wasted years pursuing alchemical means of turning lead to gold in addition to his obsessions with charting biblical history.
So while one lesson of this book may be that any committed scientist can also be a religious believer, another lesson should be that a committed scientist may believe in any sort of unsupported idea and find ingenious ways to make it live consistently with scientific knowledge, especially when he or she has been born into a community believing said unsupported ideas.
Dr. Eyring and I may disagree on many particular conclusions about how the universe operates, but I heartily recommend his book to anyone interested in the topic. His writing is clear, concise, dense with keen observation and insight, and I think makes the best case possible for reconciling religious belief with the provisional truths of science. It is worth reading, and I think might be particularly instructive for religious believers who do not accept the tenets of the Mormon restored gospel, as it might provide something of an external lens to their own beliefs. The book contains a number of fun scientific explanations, and freezes in time an interesting slice of history that immediately precedes the moon landings and the information age we now occupy. These are engaging reflections from a clearly brilliant and fascinating man.
December 14, 2019
Henry Erying was a remarkable man--a genius scientist with unshakable faith in God. His testimony of truth is powerful and persuasive. I enjoyed this book. It increased my desire to learn and find truth. It gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of spiritual guidance. It is so comforting to know that truth is truth and the universe is governed by eternal laws.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"For me there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion, for both are concerned with the eternal verities of the universe (p. 13)."
"There should and must be spiritual development along with intellectual achievement (p. 16)."
"Mathematics is a tool and not an end. The physical and chemical nature of the problem, or the answer, is never submerged in mathematical obscurity. To develop a suitable model, Eyring frequently asks: 'Now how would I act if I were an atom and found myself in this environment (p. 24)?'"
"Many of our young people have impoverished their lives by a thoughtless denial of all aspects of the faith of their fathers to their desire to be what they call scientific and objective (p. 31)."
"True religion concerns man and the entire universe in which he lives. It concerns his relationships with himself and his fellow men, with his environment, and with God his Creator (p. 32)."
"Here is the spirit of true religion, an honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth (p. 33)."
"'There are problems to whose solutions I would attach infinitely greater importance than those of mathematics; for example, touching ethics, or our relation to God, or concerning our destiny and our future (Gauss, p. 34).'"
"The scientific spirit is a spirit of inquiry, a spirit of reaching out for truth (p. 35)."
"'That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day (D&C 50:24, p. 36).'"
"God grant that in seeking the mysteries of His handiwork, we may also learn His great religious truths, which we have been prone to disregard, that our efforts might become a blessing unto us (p. 37)."
"Presiding over all is the Creator whom we worship. Holding everything together are the eternal laws which will require an eternity for us to master (p. 43)."
"The great measure of the Restored Gospel is that the Creator not only made the world but that He made it for His children and that He is still actively interested in a program (p. 45)."
"All of us are involved in this process of communication, and the well-being of society measures directly how well the job is being done (p. 46)."
"Too many of those who are blind and deaf to this flow of information foolishly deny the existence of the Creator (p. 48)."
"The Creator of the universe has implanted a message in every created thing (p. 48)."
"The cold person who simply propounds some logical position, however important and interesting it may be, cannot do for the Lord's children what is one by those who stir feelings and imagination and make men struggle toward perfection (p. 50)."
"I don't know whether he said men live on the moon or not. But whether he did or not troubles me not in the least. A prophet is wonderful because he sometimes speaks for the Lord (p. 52)."
"The Gospel is not the people in the Church. The Gospel is not even the people who direct it. The Gospel is the truth (p. 52)."
"This Church would have been perfect if the Lord had not let people into it... The Church is part of His wonderful plan to work with you and with me. Mankind is thus singled out because of man's divine origin and transcendent destiny (p. 53)."
"The Creator of the universe is great beyond anything imaginable (p. 54)."
"It is unthinkable that the Creator should be unaware of man's existence (p. 58)."
"Faith comes from living the Gospel (p. 59)."
"I am obliged, as a Latter-day Saint, to believe whatever is true, regardless of the source (p. 60)."
"I try to see what the Gospel really depends on. I try to keep from worrying about the kind of things I am not sure about (p. 51)."
"'You don't have to accept anything that isn't true to believe the Gospel. Learn all you can (p. 66).'"
"This is a wonderful world indeed for those who can see clearly or, lacking this, are able to walk by faith (p. 68)."
"The Gospel embraces all truth (p. 69)."
"Speculation is only harmful as we confuse fact and fancy (p. 72)."
"Scientific knowledge is piling up at such an impressive rate that any comprehensive interpretation of man's place in the universe requires a continuing review of the relevant facts (p. 77)."
"Man is in the image of God, destined to go on learning and perfecting himself throughout eternity (p. 98)."
.
"The more I try to unravel the mysteries of the world in which we live, the more I come to the conception of a single overruling power--God. One can come to this point of view by prayer and the testimony of the Holy Ghost or because there seems to be no other explanation of the unity and wonder of the universe or by the pragmatic method of science that the Savior suggested long ago--try it and you will know... The Gospel commits us only to the truth (p. 103)."
"If there is anyone else who is trying to teach anything else with authority, this Church is not the least worried about that question or any other kind of question, because the Church is committed only to the truth (p. 105)."
"Eternal progress is man's destiny (p. 107)."
"There is an urgency about the search for truth (p. 108)."
"Nothing of importance is ever accomplished by man except by obedience to correct principles. Obedience is, in very deed, the price of freedom (p. 114)."
"The Lord's Church can entrust the truth to lay teachers and to a lay clergy (p. 121.)."
"The Gospel is to be found not only in the scriptures but in every detail of the world if we can but read it (p. 126)."
"If I were you, I would resolve to live in such a way that I had nothing to hide. There is no surer way to have nothing to regret (p. 140)."
"There is apparently no end to learning and no end of things to learn (p. 157)."
"The best minds, like the humblest, when confronted with the problems of the ultimate meaning of things, must and do walk by faith (p. 161)."
"'The glory of God is intelligence or in other words light and truth (p. 166).'"
"'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind (p. 179).'"
"It is the great mission and opportunity of religion to teach men 'the way, the truth, the life,' that they might utilize the discoveries of the laboratory to their blessing and not to their destruction. There is need for added spirituality of the kind that leads to brotherhood, to go hand in hand with the scientific progress of our time (p. 186)."
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"For me there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion, for both are concerned with the eternal verities of the universe (p. 13)."
"There should and must be spiritual development along with intellectual achievement (p. 16)."
"Mathematics is a tool and not an end. The physical and chemical nature of the problem, or the answer, is never submerged in mathematical obscurity. To develop a suitable model, Eyring frequently asks: 'Now how would I act if I were an atom and found myself in this environment (p. 24)?'"
"Many of our young people have impoverished their lives by a thoughtless denial of all aspects of the faith of their fathers to their desire to be what they call scientific and objective (p. 31)."
"True religion concerns man and the entire universe in which he lives. It concerns his relationships with himself and his fellow men, with his environment, and with God his Creator (p. 32)."
"Here is the spirit of true religion, an honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth (p. 33)."
"'There are problems to whose solutions I would attach infinitely greater importance than those of mathematics; for example, touching ethics, or our relation to God, or concerning our destiny and our future (Gauss, p. 34).'"
"The scientific spirit is a spirit of inquiry, a spirit of reaching out for truth (p. 35)."
"'That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day (D&C 50:24, p. 36).'"
"God grant that in seeking the mysteries of His handiwork, we may also learn His great religious truths, which we have been prone to disregard, that our efforts might become a blessing unto us (p. 37)."
"Presiding over all is the Creator whom we worship. Holding everything together are the eternal laws which will require an eternity for us to master (p. 43)."
"The great measure of the Restored Gospel is that the Creator not only made the world but that He made it for His children and that He is still actively interested in a program (p. 45)."
"All of us are involved in this process of communication, and the well-being of society measures directly how well the job is being done (p. 46)."
"Too many of those who are blind and deaf to this flow of information foolishly deny the existence of the Creator (p. 48)."
"The Creator of the universe has implanted a message in every created thing (p. 48)."
"The cold person who simply propounds some logical position, however important and interesting it may be, cannot do for the Lord's children what is one by those who stir feelings and imagination and make men struggle toward perfection (p. 50)."
"I don't know whether he said men live on the moon or not. But whether he did or not troubles me not in the least. A prophet is wonderful because he sometimes speaks for the Lord (p. 52)."
"The Gospel is not the people in the Church. The Gospel is not even the people who direct it. The Gospel is the truth (p. 52)."
"This Church would have been perfect if the Lord had not let people into it... The Church is part of His wonderful plan to work with you and with me. Mankind is thus singled out because of man's divine origin and transcendent destiny (p. 53)."
"The Creator of the universe is great beyond anything imaginable (p. 54)."
"It is unthinkable that the Creator should be unaware of man's existence (p. 58)."
"Faith comes from living the Gospel (p. 59)."
"I am obliged, as a Latter-day Saint, to believe whatever is true, regardless of the source (p. 60)."
"I try to see what the Gospel really depends on. I try to keep from worrying about the kind of things I am not sure about (p. 51)."
"'You don't have to accept anything that isn't true to believe the Gospel. Learn all you can (p. 66).'"
"This is a wonderful world indeed for those who can see clearly or, lacking this, are able to walk by faith (p. 68)."
"The Gospel embraces all truth (p. 69)."
"Speculation is only harmful as we confuse fact and fancy (p. 72)."
"Scientific knowledge is piling up at such an impressive rate that any comprehensive interpretation of man's place in the universe requires a continuing review of the relevant facts (p. 77)."
"Man is in the image of God, destined to go on learning and perfecting himself throughout eternity (p. 98)."
.
"The more I try to unravel the mysteries of the world in which we live, the more I come to the conception of a single overruling power--God. One can come to this point of view by prayer and the testimony of the Holy Ghost or because there seems to be no other explanation of the unity and wonder of the universe or by the pragmatic method of science that the Savior suggested long ago--try it and you will know... The Gospel commits us only to the truth (p. 103)."
"If there is anyone else who is trying to teach anything else with authority, this Church is not the least worried about that question or any other kind of question, because the Church is committed only to the truth (p. 105)."
"Eternal progress is man's destiny (p. 107)."
"There is an urgency about the search for truth (p. 108)."
"Nothing of importance is ever accomplished by man except by obedience to correct principles. Obedience is, in very deed, the price of freedom (p. 114)."
"The Lord's Church can entrust the truth to lay teachers and to a lay clergy (p. 121.)."
"The Gospel is to be found not only in the scriptures but in every detail of the world if we can but read it (p. 126)."
"If I were you, I would resolve to live in such a way that I had nothing to hide. There is no surer way to have nothing to regret (p. 140)."
"There is apparently no end to learning and no end of things to learn (p. 157)."
"The best minds, like the humblest, when confronted with the problems of the ultimate meaning of things, must and do walk by faith (p. 161)."
"'The glory of God is intelligence or in other words light and truth (p. 166).'"
"'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind (p. 179).'"
"It is the great mission and opportunity of religion to teach men 'the way, the truth, the life,' that they might utilize the discoveries of the laboratory to their blessing and not to their destruction. There is need for added spirituality of the kind that leads to brotherhood, to go hand in hand with the scientific progress of our time (p. 186)."
February 18, 2023
I had been curious about this book. It was written before we had landed on the moon (a sentence had referred to the eminent launch)! I'm fascinated by scientist's (and such a world renown at that - he had discussions with Einstein!) ability to not lose faith in God or anything else that can't be measured or experienced by the senses. I really enjoyed hearing Eyring's perspective even though his basis for belief fell short throughout. The one thing I admired so much and really lines up with my personal belief is his humility. Here is a quote I took from the book that sums it up perfectly:
"No virtue is more becoming than humility, and in no way does humility shine more brightly than in the honest recognition of one's own limitations."
In terms of argument for faith and belief much of it was subject to the same fallacies/shortcomings (i.e. circular reasoning, non-sequiturs, false dichotomies, wishful thinking, etc) that you see in many other similar arguments but was surprised that many of them seemed more sophomoric. I really hate to say it but I was reminded of the Christian billboard that states boldly "There is evidence of miracles" and shows a (ostensibly self-explanatory) picture of a newborn baby. The following quote from the book is just one of such related examples:
"Is there a conflict between science and religion? not in the mind of God"
I would say the strongest arguments, (in my mind at least) came down to 2nd law of thermo / Heat Death. The Earth and potentially universe will eventually cease to exist as we know it when all the heat is used up. Makes you wonder who made the heat in the first place. I know there are purported answers from the Big Bank theory but I'm not fully convinced. The other aspect he points to often is the beauty of the law and order of the natural world. He points to a quote from Einstein:
"The most incomprehensible thing about the Universe is that it is comprehensible."
"No virtue is more becoming than humility, and in no way does humility shine more brightly than in the honest recognition of one's own limitations."
In terms of argument for faith and belief much of it was subject to the same fallacies/shortcomings (i.e. circular reasoning, non-sequiturs, false dichotomies, wishful thinking, etc) that you see in many other similar arguments but was surprised that many of them seemed more sophomoric. I really hate to say it but I was reminded of the Christian billboard that states boldly "There is evidence of miracles" and shows a (ostensibly self-explanatory) picture of a newborn baby. The following quote from the book is just one of such related examples:
"Is there a conflict between science and religion? not in the mind of God"
I would say the strongest arguments, (in my mind at least) came down to 2nd law of thermo / Heat Death. The Earth and potentially universe will eventually cease to exist as we know it when all the heat is used up. Makes you wonder who made the heat in the first place. I know there are purported answers from the Big Bank theory but I'm not fully convinced. The other aspect he points to often is the beauty of the law and order of the natural world. He points to a quote from Einstein:
"The most incomprehensible thing about the Universe is that it is comprehensible."
March 29, 2019
Beautiful! Enlightening! Interesting! Comforting!
Dr. Eyring has such command of the English language and an ability to take complex concepts and make them easy to comprehend. This was such a quick read and contains passages I will treasure for the rest of my life. 10 out of 10 recommend!
Dr. Eyring has such command of the English language and an ability to take complex concepts and make them easy to comprehend. This was such a quick read and contains passages I will treasure for the rest of my life. 10 out of 10 recommend!
February 6, 2017
I loved this book. Having studied much science in college, I have often been confronted by the question, how can science and religion co-exist? Henry Eyring does a wonderful job at portraying how his scientific discoveries, as well as the discoveries of world renowned scientists have strengthened his belief in a superior being. I loved this book, and would highly recommend to anyone interested in the debate on science and religion, written from the perspective of a Latter-Day Saint.
Favorite quote from the book is Eyring quoting the famous Louis Pasteur: "There are two men in each one of us: the scientist, he who starts with a clear field and desires to rise to the knowledge of Nature through observation, experimentation and reasoning, and the man of sentiment, the man of belief, the man who mourns his dead children, and who cannot, alas, prove that he will see them again, but who believes that he will, and lives in the hope--the man who will not die like a vibrio, but who feels that the force that is within him cannot die."
Favorite quote from the book is Eyring quoting the famous Louis Pasteur: "There are two men in each one of us: the scientist, he who starts with a clear field and desires to rise to the knowledge of Nature through observation, experimentation and reasoning, and the man of sentiment, the man of belief, the man who mourns his dead children, and who cannot, alas, prove that he will see them again, but who believes that he will, and lives in the hope--the man who will not die like a vibrio, but who feels that the force that is within him cannot die."
February 28, 2009
This was a very small book I had heard about and wanted to read for myself. Dr. Henry Eyring was a chemist and father of LDS Apostle Henry B. Eyring. The first chapter seems to be taken from a talk, but the rest are essays on various aspects of religion and science.
My favorite chapter was the one called 'The Six Worlds.' I really enjoyed the message. Eyring says we all live in 6 worlds - the subatomic world, the atomic world, the cellular world, the 'real world', the astronomical world, and the physical world. So we go from incredibly small to incredibly large, and every day, we are a part of each of these worlds. I liked the way that sort of put things into place for me.
This was a very quick read, but I recommend it for LDS readers or for those interested in the LDS view of science.
My favorite chapter was the one called 'The Six Worlds.' I really enjoyed the message. Eyring says we all live in 6 worlds - the subatomic world, the atomic world, the cellular world, the 'real world', the astronomical world, and the physical world. So we go from incredibly small to incredibly large, and every day, we are a part of each of these worlds. I liked the way that sort of put things into place for me.
This was a very quick read, but I recommend it for LDS readers or for those interested in the LDS view of science.
June 19, 2009
This is a short compilation from a larger book with the same title--certain chapters are taken from the larger book and included here as kind of a "sampler." There are a lot of really deep insights in this book that Dr. Eyring makes. I don't think I fully appreciated it however because I don't really understand all the science topics he discusses. This was nice because I got the gist of the larger volume without having to read the whole thing. ;)
October 7, 2011
I want to give a copy of this book to all my friends/cousins who are graduating from high school and going to college. It makes such sense and clears away clutter from misunderstandings about what to believe in school.
January 27, 2017
Great book if you can comprehend all the science. And it has an impressive amount of science.
Henry Eyring was a world renown chemist and pulls on his experience in chemistry and physics to demonstrate why he feels science proves there is a God, in his opinion. In simple terms, he explains the profound complexity and beauty of the world, as science currently (as of the 1960's) understands it. Eyring points out that for some reason people take the complexity, arguments, and lack of understanding found in religion as a sign that God is fake and religion false. Yet, compared to the physical world which is complex, confusing, and vastly not understood, it fits quite well. Why would we imagine religion should be simple and straightforward when nothing is in the rest of the world?
Eyring beautiful argues that science and religion are actually one. Science explains the how of the world. Religion explains the why. You need both to get the full picture. Someday we will see the two merge, when our understanding has greatly progressed.
I particularly loved the last section of the book where he looked at scientists such as Isaac Newton, Einstein (who Eyring personally knew and worked with) and told about their theories, gave a quick biography, and shared their quotes on god.
This is a great book! It is the religious answer to Cosmos, the latest Physics television series which is really fun and informative, but very anti-God.
Henry Eyring was a world renown chemist and pulls on his experience in chemistry and physics to demonstrate why he feels science proves there is a God, in his opinion. In simple terms, he explains the profound complexity and beauty of the world, as science currently (as of the 1960's) understands it. Eyring points out that for some reason people take the complexity, arguments, and lack of understanding found in religion as a sign that God is fake and religion false. Yet, compared to the physical world which is complex, confusing, and vastly not understood, it fits quite well. Why would we imagine religion should be simple and straightforward when nothing is in the rest of the world?
Eyring beautiful argues that science and religion are actually one. Science explains the how of the world. Religion explains the why. You need both to get the full picture. Someday we will see the two merge, when our understanding has greatly progressed.
I particularly loved the last section of the book where he looked at scientists such as Isaac Newton, Einstein (who Eyring personally knew and worked with) and told about their theories, gave a quick biography, and shared their quotes on god.
This is a great book! It is the religious answer to Cosmos, the latest Physics television series which is really fun and informative, but very anti-God.
March 22, 2017
In this collections of speeches and articles, world-reknown chemist, Henry Eyring beautifully argues that science and religion are actually one. He says science explains the how of the world and religion explains the why, that you need both to get the full truth, and that someday we will see the two merge, when our understanding has greatly progressed. Although many of the scientific examples he gives were more than a bit over my head, Eyring's premise rang true to me.
"Some have asked me: '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. Through the eternities, we are going to get close and closer to understanding the mind of God, then the conflicts will disappear."
"Here is the spirit of true religion, an honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth." -
"Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion."
"God is so gentle, so dedicated to the principle that men should be taught correct principles and then govern themselves, that they should take responsibility for their own mistakes, that His children can actually question whether He exists."
"There are two ways of drawing nearer to Him: first, through the intellectual contemplation of God's handiwork: second, through spiritual communion with the Creator in which we gain direct experience of His presence. The Latter-day Saint who lives up to his opportunities will do both."
"Some have asked me: '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. Through the eternities, we are going to get close and closer to understanding the mind of God, then the conflicts will disappear."
"Here is the spirit of true religion, an honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth." -
"Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion."
"God is so gentle, so dedicated to the principle that men should be taught correct principles and then govern themselves, that they should take responsibility for their own mistakes, that His children can actually question whether He exists."
"There are two ways of drawing nearer to Him: first, through the intellectual contemplation of God's handiwork: second, through spiritual communion with the Creator in which we gain direct experience of His presence. The Latter-day Saint who lives up to his opportunities will do both."
March 21, 2021
I think every member of the church should read this book. I think that while most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have given up the viewpoint that science and religion are at odds with one another (The 65+ members see that science gave us technology to do family history work speedy-like so now it isn't evil I guess, isn't that nice). However, I've still heard hot takes from members like, "God put dinosaur bones in the earth to test our faith!", and had institute teachers spend entire lessons talking about how evolution isn't real. Human beings don't understand any of the specifics concerning literally anything in the universe whether you take a scientific or religious viewpoint. Just because science makes a claim doesn't mean you need to exhaust yourself disproving it through religion. 99.9% of the time, it's blatantly unnecessary. There's just no way around it. So why should these two be opposed to one another? I think that Dr. Eyring did a wonderful job of explaining this 60 years ago in this short book. I happened upon it at a thrift store and I'm glad I did. To anyone wanting to learn more about the relationship between science and religion, this is an excellent resource.
August 3, 2020
In this wonderful book Dr. Eyring discusses the matter of faith and science; two fields that many people regard as "two wholly different spheres."
Dr. Eyring states, "For me there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion, for both are concerned with the eternal verities of the Universe. ... Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion."
I believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the study of science stand in perfect harmony. There is no inconsistency in being both believer and scientist. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."(Psalm 19:1)
Dr. Eyring states, "For me there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion, for both are concerned with the eternal verities of the Universe. ... Since the Gospel embraces all truth, there can never be any genuine contradictions between true science and true religion."
I believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the study of science stand in perfect harmony. There is no inconsistency in being both believer and scientist. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."(Psalm 19:1)
October 10, 2023
For a while I’ve been interested in the psychological processes behind belief and it’s caused me to be somewhat reflective of my own beliefs. I find Dr. Eyring’s approach and testimony to be quite inspiring, especially when contrasted with the more dogmatic approach of Joseph Fielding Smith.
Where Joseph Fielding Smith says that the theory of organic evolution is incompatible with the gospel, Eyring says the gospel doesn’t require you to believe anything that isn’t true.
Faith of a Scientist really highlights what I value about scientific thinking—being comfortable with ambiguity and being okay with not having all the answers…yet. It’s a confidence that the truth will prevail and a willingness to embrace all truth, whatever the source.
Where Joseph Fielding Smith says that the theory of organic evolution is incompatible with the gospel, Eyring says the gospel doesn’t require you to believe anything that isn’t true.
Faith of a Scientist really highlights what I value about scientific thinking—being comfortable with ambiguity and being okay with not having all the answers…yet. It’s a confidence that the truth will prevail and a willingness to embrace all truth, whatever the source.
October 12, 2018
It was very disjointed but full of a unique perspective on apparent contradictions between religion and science. It's short, to the point and definitely better than the watered down biography of Henry Eyring called Mormon Scientist.
June 20, 2020
The book is not exceptional writing, but it does have great insight on how to handle questions that seemingly contradict gospel truth.
June 21, 2020
Incredible book providing spiritual insights from a scientific mind.
October 5, 2021
I should have read this or another bio decades earlier. A truly remarkable, exemplary life.
April 20, 2022
I’m a big fan of the Eyrings. Like father, like son (wise and well-spoken)
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January 18, 2023I have read an excerpt of this book and I feel dispose to know and study more. I find the content fulfilling and edifying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2025
Interesting overview of basic physics, relating it to his beliefs. Some of his personal conversations with Einstein were fascinating.
October 19, 2025
The parts I liked were 5 stars but a lot of it was kind of repetitive, like lines that seemed copied and pasted into different parts so she gets a nice 4
November 29, 2019
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves both Christianity and Science, as well as anyone who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wish I had read it as a teenager when I was looking for books to combat the "falsehood" of evolution, etc. This book helped me reconcile my religious beliefs with my understanding of scientific fact.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"It is interesting to recall that in ages past, religious men felt that their faith hinged on the notion that the earth was flat. However, when it was found to be round, they discovered that their basic religious ideas had survived without perceptible damage. In fact, the great underlying principles of faith were brought into bolder relief when the clutter of false notions was removed from about them."
"God grant that in seeking the mysteries of His handiwork, we may also learn His great religious truths, which we have been prone to disregard, that our efforts might become a blessing unto us."
"Geologists search for the meaning to be read into the piled-up strata of the earth much as an historian might turn the pages of an ancient, damaged manuscript. The astronomer seeks the answer to his questions in the depths of space. Still other men concentrate on the scriptures alone. The wise man searches all these and other sources, knowing that all are communications from the same divine source and certain that, if followed far enough, all will guide him back to the divine Presence."
I gave it three stars because as a collection of essays or speeches, it does not read as smoothly as it would if it was written as a book. Several of the essays repeat the same ideas as well, so I found it a bit tedious to read. I highly recommend at least reading a couple of the essays if you can't finish the whole book. I wonder if perhaps "Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring" would be an easier read.
Note that Goodreads got the author wrong. The author is not Henry B. Eyring (currently in the First Presidency of the church), but Henry Eyring (1901-1981), an accomplished theoretical chemist and the father of Henry B. Eyring. A biography of Henry Eyring is included in the book.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"It is interesting to recall that in ages past, religious men felt that their faith hinged on the notion that the earth was flat. However, when it was found to be round, they discovered that their basic religious ideas had survived without perceptible damage. In fact, the great underlying principles of faith were brought into bolder relief when the clutter of false notions was removed from about them."
"God grant that in seeking the mysteries of His handiwork, we may also learn His great religious truths, which we have been prone to disregard, that our efforts might become a blessing unto us."
"Geologists search for the meaning to be read into the piled-up strata of the earth much as an historian might turn the pages of an ancient, damaged manuscript. The astronomer seeks the answer to his questions in the depths of space. Still other men concentrate on the scriptures alone. The wise man searches all these and other sources, knowing that all are communications from the same divine source and certain that, if followed far enough, all will guide him back to the divine Presence."
I gave it three stars because as a collection of essays or speeches, it does not read as smoothly as it would if it was written as a book. Several of the essays repeat the same ideas as well, so I found it a bit tedious to read. I highly recommend at least reading a couple of the essays if you can't finish the whole book. I wonder if perhaps "Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring" would be an easier read.
Note that Goodreads got the author wrong. The author is not Henry B. Eyring (currently in the First Presidency of the church), but Henry Eyring (1901-1981), an accomplished theoretical chemist and the father of Henry B. Eyring. A biography of Henry Eyring is included in the book.
April 4, 2014
All of a sudden all of my 12-14 year-old Sunday School students are super interested in the Theory of Evolution and where our bodies came from and the relationship between religion and science. I started researching by reading expert blog posts. Then I asked my dad. Then I pulled this out and read it. I've decided to just let my students borrow it; although I'll likely never see it again. I think it's the best resource I can share with them other than sharing my heartfelt belief that science and religion are different types of epystemologies that get at the same truth from different angles. And although some things may seem contradictory to us now, they can and do support one another. Dr. Henry Eyring states in his book, Reflections of a Scientist, "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."
April 10, 2011
This is the pamphlet version of what should have been 196 pages (this is a mere 53 pages... and is small. Look at the thumbnail picture. Now look at the book. Now back at the thumbnail. It's the same size.) The preface states that this is a selection of unabridged articles from the book of the same name.
My desire in reading this was to gain a greater understanding of Dr. Eyring's thoughts after having read his biography,Mormon Scientist. This is a quicker read (not much), but I lean now towards the biography which gives almost identical information, but with a glimpse into the man himself.
My desire in reading this was to gain a greater understanding of Dr. Eyring's thoughts after having read his biography,Mormon Scientist. This is a quicker read (not much), but I lean now towards the biography which gives almost identical information, but with a glimpse into the man himself.
July 14, 2009
Some very quotable material here by a distinguished scientist and faithful Mormon. The book is now forty years old, but the subject matter deals more with the relationship between faith and science generally than any particular scientific discovery, so it has aged well.
It's a good book, but fairly meandering. I wouldn't say there's much of a unifying theme to these writings other than that faith and science are compatible. I will treasure many of the individual insights Eyring offers, but the book as a whole is no more than the sum of its parts.
It's a good book, but fairly meandering. I wouldn't say there's much of a unifying theme to these writings other than that faith and science are compatible. I will treasure many of the individual insights Eyring offers, but the book as a whole is no more than the sum of its parts.
July 20, 2011
From a scientist's perspective I think its an excellent book that discusses the many facets of the universe that make so many scientists believe in God.
However, from a reader's perspective I thought it was quite boring. That's why it took me so long to finish. Every night when I picked it up I could only get through a few pages before falling asleep.
However, from a reader's perspective I thought it was quite boring. That's why it took me so long to finish. Every night when I picked it up I could only get through a few pages before falling asleep.
May 23, 2012
I loved this book. Eyring was a brilliant scientist as well as a man of deep faith. I have always felt that religion and science need not be enemies. He puts into words that sentiment and explains how it can be. I feel I have a more abiding faith in God and desire to seek all truths after reading this book.
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