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Foreword, 5
Quoted Latter-day Saint Scientists, 13
Creation of the Earth, 15 Three General Opinions on the Age of the Earth, 16 The Church Has Not Taken a Stand on the Age of the Earth, 18 Physical Evidences of the Earth's Great Age, 18 "In the Beginning" Refers to This Earth, 20 Word "Beginning" Is Indefinite in Its Significance, 20 Term "Day" Means a Long Period of Time, 21 Earth Came Into Being by the Power of God, 21 Jesus Christ Created All Things in Heaven and in Earth, 21 Elements Were Organized Into an Earth, 22 The Two Creations Differ in Degree, Not Kind, 22 "Let There Be Light" Made the Invisible Visible, 23 Biblical Account of the Creation, 23 Similarities Between the Creation and Geologic Record, 24 Earth May Have Undergone Series of Organizations, 24 It's Unfair to Judge Biblical Writers on Their Limited Knowledge of Astronomy and Geography, 25 Earth Could Have Been Reorganized Millions of Times, 27 Too Many People Regard God As a Janitor, 27 We'll Learn More About the Creation in the Millennium, 28 Creation of Man and Woman, 30 Position of the Church on the Origin of Life and Evolution, 30 The Church Has Not Taken Sides on Evolution, 32 The Theory of Evolution and Latter-day Scriptures, 33 Evolutionary Changes Could Occur If Guided by the Lord, 35 Position of the Church on Prehistoric Man, 35 Five Hypotheses on the Possible Origin of Life, 36 Seven Hypotheses on the Creation of Life, 38 Prehistoric Man and the Dinosaurs, 38 Two Hypotheses on Prehistoric Life and Adam and Eve, 40 Evolution is a Principle of World-wide Existence, 41 To What Extent Should Evolution Be Accepted?, 42 Evolution is True When It Relates to Advancement, 42 Creation Is Moving Forward, and Evolving or Progressing, 43 Doctrine of Organic Evolution Is Subject to Change, 43 Modern Evolution Is a Theory, 44 Evolution is Likely But Chance Is Very Unlikely, 44 If Evolution, Then There Was Intelligent Purpose Behind It, 45 If Evolution Took Place, It Was Directed by God, 46 Belief in Evolution is Not An Excuse for Denying God, 46 Truth of the Gospel Does Not Hinge on Evolution, 47 Discussions on the Origin of Life Should Not Disturb Us, 47 It's Difficult to Understand Why Some Oppose Evolution, 48
Noah and the Flood, 49 The Depth and Extent of the Flood, 50 There Are Various Versions of the Flood Story, 52 The West, Not the East, is the Cradle of Nations, 53 Historical Accounts and Modern Hypotheses About the Flood, 54
The Rainbow Covenant, 61 The Rainbow is a Natural Phenomenon, 62
The Earth Divided in the Days of Peleg, 64 The Division of Pangaea and the Days of Peleg, 65
Tower of Babel and the Confounding of Languages, 69 Was There a Great Dispersion?, 70 The Tower of Babel and How Languages Change, 71
Sarah Bears Isaac, 74 Modern Accounts of Children Born to Older Men and Women, 74
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 77 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's Wife, 79
Moses Versus the Pharaoh, 81 The Plagues of Egypt Are Within Human Understanding, 84 Moses and the Testimony of Miracles, 84 Lessons From the Plagues of Moses, 85 The Ten Plagues of Moses, 86 Natural Explanations for the Plagues of Moses, 87
Moses Divides the Sea, 92 Different Hypotheses on How the Israelites Crossed the Sea, 93 Israelites May Have Passed Through Lake Ballah, 96
Manna from Heaven, 98 Historical Accounts of Manna-type Occurrences, 99 Erroneous Traditions Concerning Manna, 101 Where Manna Came From Isn't Significant, 101
Fasting for Forty Days and Forty Nights, 102 Scriptural and Modern Accounts of Extended Fasts, 102
Joshua Cuts Off the Waters of Jordan, 105 The Jordan River Has Been "Cut Off" a Number of Times, 106
Joshua and the Walls of Jericho, 108 Captain of the Lord's Host May Have Helped Joshua, 109 Mounting Evidence for the Walls of Jericho, 109
When the Sun and Moon Stood Still, 112 Refraction or Reflection of Light May Explain the Event, 112 Hypotheses on How the Sun and Moon Stood Still, 113
Samson and the Pillars, 115 How Samson May Have Caused the Building to Collapse, 115
Elijah and Baal's Prophets, 117 Elijah Versus the Prophets of Baal, 118 Natural Phenomena and the Fire of the Lord, 121
Elisha and the Floating Axe, 123 A Power Superior to Gravity Caused the Axe to Float, 123 The Floating of Elisha's Axe and Magnetism, 123 Elisha and the Floating Axe, 124
Nebuchadnezzar's Fiery Furnace, 126 The Construction and Temperature of the Fiery Fumace, 127
Jonah and the Great Fish, 130 Jonah in the Belly of the Fish, 131 Two Reasons Not to Dismiss the Account of Jonah, 131 Was the "Great Fish" a Giant Grouper?, 132 The Interesting Story of Seaman James Bartley, 133
New Star at Christ's Birth, 138 Balaam Predicted a New Star at Christ's Birth, 138 Characteristics of the "Star in the East", 139 Five Possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem, 139
Miracles Performed by Jesus Christ, 143 The Thirty-nine Miracles of Jesus Christ, 143 Miracles Operate Through Laws Not Understood or Recognized, 145 The Miracles of Jesus and the Laws of Nature, 145
Jesus Walks on the Sea of Galilee, 147 The Physical Geography of the Sea of Galilee, 147 "It is I; Be Not Afraid", 148 Christ's Control Over the Forces of Nature, 149 Gravity Was Superseded When Jesus Walked on the Water, 150 Creatures That Walk Upon Water, 150
Three Hours of Darkness During the Crucifixion, 152 Three Hours of Darkness Not Due to a Solar Eclipse, 152 Possible Explanations for Prolonged Periods of Darkness, 153 Weather Proverbs, 154
Voyage to the Promised Land, 158 The Possible Dimensions and Route of Nephi's Ship, 160 Nephi's Four Possible Sailing Routes, 161 The Possible Landing Site of Lehi's Party, 162 Possible Duration and Dangers of Lehi's Voyage, 163
Twenty-four Hours of Daylight at Christ's Birth, 167 A Night of No Darkness, 167 Luminosity at Night, 168
Three Hours of Destruction, Three Days of Darkness, 170 The Destruction and Darkness at Christ's Death, 172 Forces of Destruction are Familiar to Mesoamerica, 173 Volcanic Dust May Explain the Three Days of Darkness, 174 Volcanic Activity, Sinking Land and Dark Days, 175
The Barges of the Brother of Jared, 177 A Scriptural Review of the Jaredite Barges, 178 The Faith and Perseverance of the Jaredite People, 180
Brother of Jared and the Stones that Gave Light, 181 The Idea of Shining Stones Can Be Found in Ancient Records, 182 The Glowing Stones, 183
The Significance of April Sixth, 186 Why the Church Was Organized on April 6th, 186 Scholars Do Not Agree on When Christ Was Born, 187 Research Shows Christ Was Born on April 5-6, 1 B.C, 188
Religion and Science, 190 Secular Knowledge is Important, 190 Scientists Are Often Assisted by the Spirit of the Lord, 191 Science Has Strengthened Religion, 191 Scientific Facts Can Help Develop Religious Faith, 192 Don't Defend a Good Cause With Bad Arguments, 192 In the World of Things We Must Keep an Open Mind, 193 Scientists and Theologians Need to Keep An Open Mind, 194 An Open Mind Leads to Better Understanding and Truth, 195 Discuss Different Areas of Science, 195 There's Nothing Wrong in Learning About Hypotheses or Theories, 196
Word of Wisdom, 197 First Presidency Statements on the Word of Wisdom, 198 Scientific Facts Support the Word of Wisdom, 199 Statistics and Probabilities Related to the Word of Wisdom, 199 The Word of Wisdom is Not Vegetarianism, 200 The Consequences of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use, 201 Words of Wisdom Concerning Health, 202
The Earth is Full, and There Is Enough and to Spare, 207 The Relationships Between Hunger, Poverty and Population, 207 A Pragmatic Approach to World Population, 211
The Relative Nature of Time and Space, 215 Relativity of Time and Space, 215
Matter, Spirit and Elements, 219 The Eternal Constancy of Matter, Energy and Spirit, 219 An Equation Between Matter and Spirit, 219 The Entity of Intelligence or Spirit Element, 220 Spirit Differs From Matter in Degree Rather Than Kind, 222 We Cannot See An Atom, 223 Spirit and the Forces of Nature, 223 We Are Star Folk, 224
Worlds Without Number, 225 Worlds Without Number, 226 Our Universe May Contain 40 Billion Earth-like Planets, 227 The Universe Did Not Come Into Existence by Chance, 227 The Lord Guided Astronomers, 227 Kolob Is Near God's Throne, 229 The Possible Nature of Kolob, 230 The Possible Location of Kolob, 231
The Light of Heavenly Messengers, 233 The Nature of Light and Its Use by Heavenly Messengers, 234 If God Is Associated With Anything Physical, It Is Light, 236
Urim and Thummim, 237 The Revealed Nature of the Urim and Thummim, 238 Could the Urim and Thummim Be a Lens-like Device?, 239
Bibliography, 241 Index of Subjects, 246 Index of LDS Scientists, 252
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