Sea Urchin eggs immediately after fertilization
I’ve been wrestling with evolution. I thought I had settled the issue years ago when I encountered it in various biology classes. I did my research, talked to my teachers and peers, and settled it enough that I felt comfortable enough becoming a biologist and teaching it to others. In recent months I found myself facing the supposed paradox of faith and evolution once again. I went through another very painful evaluation of the topic. I ended at the same place I started: God doesn’t mind (and neither does the church officially (although certain members of the church do)) if I believe in evolution or study it so long as I remember that he had a role to play in creation and the theories of biology are yet a work in progress. I have been unable to receive a spiritual confirmation that evolution is “true” or “false”. I think this is because it’s more complicated than a simple statement like that. Some of the conclusions derived by some scientists from evolution are false. They undermine the role of the creator and the agency of man just as did the great early opponent to God (Moses 4). But the basic principles of evolution: that gene frequencies shift through time, are clearly correct as they have repeatedly been demonstrated. It seems evolution is a lens for understanding the world, and like many paradigms its value varies depending on how it is used.
Toad eggs several days into development
In this process I stumbled across something cool. In evolution the great key, the great measure of success, is children. Evolution doesn’t have a goal to make things diverse or cool or strong or fast or poisonous or any of those things. Evolution isn’t premeditated, it has only one criteria. Evolution selects for life. Whatever traits produce more offspring win. If you can pass on your genes you are “winning” the game of evolution. Every organism on the planet is here because it was able to reproduce.
Robin eggs and hatchlings no more than a few days old
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is a little different from other faiths. Individual salvation is certainly a valuable and obvious part of the gospel. But it’s only round 1. The end goal of the gospel is for a family to be happy in their home, sealed in the temple, and linked to their generations (see Packer 1994). In an eternal perspective home means back with our Father-God as exalted beings. Exaltation means inheriting all that he has (D&C 84). His powers, dominions, knowledge, and attributes. The chief godly attribute being; parenthood. God has children. When we “win” at the restored gospel of Jesus Christ we gain the ability to have children eternally. How does a perfect God increase in glory? (hint, you can’t become more perfect if you are already perfect). By having children and teaching them perfection.
The family unit
Baby killdeer being watched after by a parent (both parents were present).
I don’t know much about other religions, but how many of them lead to a conclusion that endless posterity is the activity of the eternities? As long as they believe that marriages end at death how could they believe in postmortem parenting? What philosophies celebrate reproduction as the pinnacle of success? The restored gospel of Jesus Christ…and evolution. Now obviously both are far more complex than I’ve stated here but I wanted to add some linguistic evidence to this thought.
A newly metamorphosed toad meets an older sibling from last year’s brood.
God is omnipotent meaning he is all-powerful. Potent means “powerful”, omni means “all”. They come from a Latin root (which also leads to the Spanish word for power: poder). Satan is described as impotent, meaning “powerless”. Because compared to God Satan has no power. But impotent has another meaning. It also refers to males who cannot have children. Satan cannot have children. Part of his fall was to become eternally single, alone, unembodied, without the godly power of creation. The father of lies is really the father of none. The omnipotent God is the Father-God, the one with all of the children. To receive God’s power is to have the power of parenthood, the very power of creation. A power that, incidentally, has already been given to all living things (at the species level).
Zebra parenting
An extended family photo of Naucoridae including three closely related species.
We live in a world and time where the roles of men and women in families are being defined by a creature who has no children and who never will. He is an evolutionary failure. The end of his genes, a rebellion against God and nature. In biology we would call him maladapted (linguistically “suited for/by evil”). Why would we let him tell us how to have families, or when to get married, or how to act in our familiar roles?
A typical Rackliffe family meal. At Glacier NP.
No. Far better to listen to the all-Father, the one with posterity endless as the stars, El Senor omnipotente.
Author with some inclusive fitness
(a niece).
Riley, that was some fantastic insight. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Well said Riley!
I am absolutely certain that the church is true.
I also believe in evolution.
While many church leaders have held different opinions on the issue, the church has never had a definitive stance. I tend to agree with the opinion of James E. Talmage (author of Jesus the Christ and apostle in the early 1900’s).
Said Talmage in 1931:
“Geologists say that these very simple forms of plant and animal bodies were succeeded by others more complicated; and in the indestructible record of the rocks they read the story of advancing life from the simple to the more complex, from the single-celled protozoan to the highest animals… What a fascinating story is inscribed upon the stony pages of the earth’s crust!… we have also a vast and ever-increasing volume of knowledge concerning man… Let us not try to wrest the scriptures in an attempt to explain away what we cannot explain. The opening chapters of Genesis, and scriptures related thereto, were never intended as a textbook of geology, archaeology, earth-science or man-science… We do not show reverence for the scriptures when we misapply them through faulty interpretation.” -James Talmage, spoken as an Apostle on 9 August 1931, and later published by the church. (LDS Leader: September 21, 1862 – July 27, 1933)
For those who have trouble reconciling scripture with science, I believe the problem lies primarily in the understanding of the cultural context of scripture. The more I study the Old Testament and Hebrew culture, the more I see how the theory of evolution and God’s methods of creation are not necessarily opposed at all. (If you would like to know more about my opinion, I’d be happy to discuss the issue)
I think the theory of evolution–creation through a process that proceeds one step at a time–is much more consistent with how God works today than the theory of an instantaneous creation. For example, when God creates trees, they grow from seeds. God creates saints from sinners. God creates His church one relationship at a time. When God created a Savior, He created a baby that had to grow. God is patient, He creates through process. The theory of evolution has only enhanced my understanding and love of the gospel.
(The history of the debate between evolution and creationism within the LDS church is an interesting read. For more information: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/635188399/No-definitive-LDS-stance-on-evolution-study-finds.html )