Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw originally appeared in Science & Mormonism Series 1: Cosmos, Earth, and Man (2016).
Abstract: This chapter answers thirty-five questions on topics where science and scholarship meet the scriptures, such as the authorship of Genesis, the Creation, evolution of humankind, the Garden of Eden, the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, the Flood, the “division” of the earth in the days of Peleg, and the Tower of Babel.
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About the Interpreter Foundation Book Chapter Reprint Series
The purpose of this reprint series is to make individual chapters from books published by The Interpreter Foundation more accessible to readers. Chapters from large format books will be made available as pdf files, while chapters from smaller format books will appear within the Interpreter journal, making this content available in a form suitable for many popular digital readers.
Although in some instances the formatting and pagination may have been changed, the content of this chapter, like others in this reprint series, is identical to what appeared in its original book publication. It has not been updated to incorporate research that has appeared subsequently nor to reflect the current practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use the full name of the Church and to avoid terms such as “Mormon” and “LDS.”
I appreciate the hours of work, effort and preparation that went in to this document. It is well-thought out. There is much for me to learn here. I can tell that Mr. Bradshaw is trying to be thoughtful and intentional about his faith. I commend he and many others who attempt the difficult task of reconciling 2 competing narratives into one complete whole.
He quotes HW Hunter saying “scientifically inclined people of faith such as El. Talmage are not seeking to subordinate the claims of faith to the program of science but naturally desire to circumscribe their understanding of truth- the results of learning by ‘study and also by faith’ into one great whole.” This is an important observation. I add however, that unintended consequences are often as important as intended consequences. Although it is certainly not the intent of Mr. Bradshaw or the many other well-intentioned, like-minded latter-day saints to ‘subordinate the claims of faith to the program of science,’ it is, nonetheless, the effect of analyses like some of those presented in this paper. I will mention specifically, his question #23 in which he analyzes 2Ne 2:22-23. A plain reading of the text clearly states that Adam and Eve and all creation would not have died or been able to have children had they not fallen. To ask if “there are other ways of interpreting this verse of scripture”? is to ask that first Lehi (who taught it), then Nephi (who wrote it down…on metal plates I might add), then Joseph Smith (who translated it to English) employ modern legalistic verbosity to eliminate any and all possible alternative interpretations. This is not a reasonable request to make of the text. Politicians, lawyers by training, struggle to do this with our laws, with clerks, computers, printers, and an endless supply of paper at their disposal. It is unrealistic to expect Nephi, chiseling on his plates in the middle of the wilderness to be so precise. I can appreciate the difficulty we face, trying not to believe one thing on Sunday morning, and believe something else the rest of the week. I appreciate that there is substantial evidence for evolution, the age of the earth, death before the fall, etc. I think we must be so careful when we try to re-interpret scripture in light of current scientific understanding. As stated in the quote that opens this article, scientific opinion is never more than one discovery away from major reshaping.
Respectfully,