I kept coming across articles on-line today that felt like they were attacking my faith, both from the inside and outside. These things don't shake my testimony, but they are upsetting to me. It's hard seeing people (both members and non-members) misunderstand things that are so important to me.
Over lunch, then, I was reading through the BYU Alumni magazine (which I adore and which I highly recommend to all you BYU grads out there), and found this quote that was perfect for me this day. It's from Dr. Henry Eyring, a well-known LDS chemist in his day and also the father of President Henry B. Eyring, and was quoted in a devotional given by BYU professor Ross Spencer.
"So this, then, is sort of the picture that I would give you and end on the note that I can't see any difference between the kinds of arguments that you make to support religion and the arguments that you make to support science. I understand, of course, that there are contradictions of all kinds in science, and there are contradictions between science and religion, and there are contradictions between various parts of religion in every human mind (but not in God's mind; in a billion years you'll have all your problems solved, if you can wait)."
That summed up an aspect of my own beliefs so well. Yes, I understand there are contradictions everywhere we look in the world today; it seems that you can't read one scientific article without finding its opposite somewhere else (even on issues not as politicized as global warming!). And yes, I know that people-- Mormons and everyone else-- are far from perfect. But more importantly, I understand that none of us know all there is to know yet. And I trust that all problems can and will be solved and resolved some day. I think it will be wonderful when we can understand everything: how the earth works and the meaning of life in all its intricacies. But these things will be done according to God's timetable, and probably not a moment sooner. And that's enough for me for now.
4 comments:
What a powerful quote and lovely post--thank you for sharing, Alanna. I just love you!
Sometimes I'm concerned when I hear so many church members saying that we are the ones who are absolutely right, "someone has to be right, don't they?", and just generally forgetting that we supposedly believe that God has more to reveal. So it's a breath of fresh air to hear you say that you understand that "none of us know all there is to know yet".
Truth and knowledge can be found in so many places and through so many sources. And I've come to feel that when we accept that the likelihood of everything we think about God or life or the universe being 100% true or accurate is incredibly slim, then we'll make better progress in our search for truth and knowledge because we'll be more open to said truths when they cross our path.
Hey Alanna,
Interesting post. I've been thinking about this quote quite a bit: "I can't see any difference between the kinds of arguments that you make to support religion and the arguments that you make to support science."
I don't have the entire article, so I'm curious what the author meant exactly by this statement. Did he mean that religions are useful (ie: should be supported) for the same reasons science is useful (ie: supportable)? Or did he mean that, within religion, arguments for what is true are similar to arguments for truth within science? Or something else entirely? Help! :)
Erin and Juliana-- I'm glad you both liked this, too. I really respect both your opinions as Thinking Mormons, so that really means a lot!
And Elizabeth-- I think he means "support" as in, these are how we argue that these things are true. Keep in mind that this quote is probably at least thirty or forty years old, when I think you had a lot more people inclined to trump religion over science; I don't think this is the case any more (at least, not among educated people).
Before I published this post, I actually did a quick search for the article on-line and couldn't find it. So one of these days I'll have to explore more and find the entire thing. I think it would all be better in context!
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