NOM

What is evolution? How do we observe it in the natural world? Understanding the Principles of Evolution is an exhibit which delves into the theory of evolution, the evidence for evolution, and how scientists use evolution to better understand life on Earth. Often misunderstood, evolution is a fascinating theory used by scientists to explain how life changes and adapts.

Regarding evolution, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have stated, “The Church has no official position on the theory of evolution. Organic evolution, or changes to species’ inherited traits over time, is a matter for scientific study. Nothing has been revealed concerning evolution. Though the details of what happened on earth before Adam and Eve, including how their bodies were created, have not been revealed, our teachings regarding man’s origin are clear and come from revelation.” (New Era Oct 2016)   

The exhibit Understanding the Principles of Evolution is an exploration of how scientists interpret the theory of evolution and does not establish the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Visitors are encouraged to consider how natural selection plays a part in nature to help animals, plants, and other life forms adapt.  We at the Bean Life Science Museum hope this exhibit will help to spark conversations among our guests as they ask, “What is evolution?”  

Click Below for more information about how BYU's Faculty are working to build bridges between religion and science.

BRM at BYU June 1 1980 - 'The Seven Deadly Heresies' wrote:Heresy number two. There are those who say that revealed religion and organic evolution can be harmonized. This is both false and devilish. Yes, all truth is in agreement and true religion and true science bear the same witness.
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Do not be deceived and be lead to believe that the famous document of the First Presidency, issued in the day of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled The Origin of Man, means anything except exactly what it says.
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Try as you may, you cannot harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death has always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time.

BRM 'Revised and enhance Seven Deadly Heresies' - date unknown wrote: Heresy two concerns itself with the relationship between organic evolution and revealed religion and asks the question whether they can be harmonized. There are those who believe that the theory of organic evolution runs counter to the plain and explicit principles set forth in the holy scriptures as these have been interpreted and taught by Joseph Smith and his associates. There are others who think that evolution is the system used by the Lord to form plant and animal life and to place man on earth.
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Should we accept the famous document of the First Presidency issued in the days of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled “The Origin of Man” as meaning exactly what it says?
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Can you harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death has always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time?

BYU 2019 wrote: Come and see our cool new evolution exhibit where we show how humans evolved from early primates over hundreds of thousands of years.

Linked wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:11 pm Wow! Thanks for sharing Oliblish. I may have to take my kids down to BYU tomorrow.

oliblish wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:51 am This sort of thing was an impossibility at BYU when I was there for several different reasons:

BYU 2019 wrote: Come and see our cool new evolution exhibit where we show how humans evolved from early primates over hundreds of thousands of years.

Russell M. Nelson, April 2012 wrote: Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!

Hagoth wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:59 am Question: does something like this have to be church approved? Pres. Nelson is famous for disparaging evolution as an impossible printing press explosions result. I can't imagine this would make him all thumbs-up smiley faced.