Scientific Support for
Scriptural Stories
by R. Clayton Brough & Rodney D. Griffin
A product of HORIZON PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

Review

     Religious and scientific arguments about what constitutes truth have persisted for hundreds of years. These arguments and their extreme positions have often caused more confusion and conflict than understanding and agreement. Fortunately, many Latter-day Saint scientists believe that both revelation and science are sources of truth, and that any apparent discrepancies between the two will eventually be worked out when all is known or revealed. This book is an attempt to establish this philosophical position—that practicing religious scientists can make
statements that reconcile apparent conflicts between science and religion.
     Today, scientists and theologians still debate such issues as the age of the earth, the creation and development of life, and the relationship between prehistoric and modern life forms. These and other issues sometimes make it seem like there is no possible reconciliation between science and religion. However, the compilation of statements in this book will help the reader come to a better understanding of the common ground that exists between science and religion on these and other topics.
     Reading this book will give the reader a much better understanding of scientists, science, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it will open their understanding to many new concepts and recent
scientific discoveries.
     This is a unique book that fills a significant need. Its perspectives and evidences will strengthen the faith of many, as it helps them grow in knowledge of eternal truths.
 

 

Table of Contents

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

 

Order Information

Title:

Scientific Support for Scriptural Stories

Author:

R. Clayton Brough & Rodney D. Griffin

Retail Price:

$18.98

Available:

Now

ISBN:

0-88290-451-5

Order Number (SKU):

1066

Pages:

254

Size:

6” x 9”

Binding:

Hardbound with jacket

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