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Q: Is there an official position of the Church with respect to evolution? A: No. There is considerable evidence that the Church has not taken an official position on the subject of evolution; statements by LDS authorities and members past and present reflect a wide diversity of viewpoints. There are several studies which document in detail the views of LDS leaders regarding evolution, to which the reader is referred (11). It may be useful, nevertheless, to offer here a very brief outline of the most relevant 20th century statements. In 1909 the First Presidency issued a statement entitled "The Origin of Man" (12). Written amidst the widespread discussion of evolution prompted by the centennial of Darwin's birth and the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species, this pronouncement is often cited as evidence of a formal anti-evolutionary LDS position. A more accurate appraisal, I believe, is that the document reaffirms fundamental theological principles (God created man in His own image, the reality of spiritual and physical creation, the Father and Son have bodies, and Adam is the parent of our race), and suggests that evolution will be in error if it repudiates these concepts. Shortly thereafter a remarkably liberal editorial (13), President Joseph F. Smith, Editor) left open [these "questions are not fully answered in the revealed word of God"] the possibilities that the bodies of Adam and Eve: a) "evolved in natural processes to present perfection", b) were "transplanted [to earth] from another sphere", or c) were "born here . . . as other mortals have been." In addition, President Smith later stated that "the Church itself has no philosophy about the modus operandi employed by the Lord in His creation of the world (14). Controversy over evolution was revived in 1925 during the famous Scopes trial in Tennessee. After the trail the First Presidency (Heber J. Grant) published "'Mormon' View of Evolution", a version of the 1909 document shortened by excluding the paragraphs with the strongest anti-evolutionary tone (15). It was in 1930, however, when a dispute over evolutionary concepts aroused between Joseph Fielding Smith and B.H. Roberts. After lengthy debate between the two and discussion with the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency, the latter announced that the Church had no doctrinal position one way or the other on "pre-Adamites" or whether there was death on the earth prior to Adam's fall. The brethren also declared a moratorium on further debate of these issues. When, in 1954, Joseph Fielding Smith published Man His Origin and Destiny, an unqualified denunciation of evolution, many assumed that he spoke for the Church. However, President David O. McKay, who had been an active, first hand participant in the events 25 years earlier, repeatedly wrote that the Church "has made no official statement nor taken an official position on the subject of evolution, and [Elder Smith's] book contains his personal views which are neither authorized nor published by the Church" (see appendix). It is significant, I believe, that whereas the Handbook of Instructions, which details principles and policies governing the Church, comments on a number of biologically-related sensitive matters (Abortion, artificial insemination, AIDS, etc.), it contains no statement whatever on evolution. In spite of the absence of a definitive, direct statement in an authorized organ proposing that the concepts of evolutionary biology might be in direct conflict with LDS theology or religious practice, a large fraction of the contemporary Church members perceive that this is the case. Consider the following response by 1907 students at BYU enrolled during the fall semester of 1988 in Biology 100. In your view, which statement below best represents the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints toward the principle of biological evolution? 41% A. The official position of the Church is that evolution is incorrect. The idea is not in harmony with statements of the scriptures and church leaders, and is harmful to the spiritual growth of church members. 3% B. The official position of the Church is that evolution is correct. It is scientifically sound and compatible with the principles of the gospel. 35% C. There is no official position of the Church concerning evolution. A wide difference of opinion exists among both church leaders and members on the subject. 21% D. None of the above. The anomolously large number who responded with option D, "None of the above," seems to reflect the general uncertainty and anxiety over this issue which persists among members of the Church. This is not surprising in view of the periodic comments of some Church leaders suggesting the doctrinal incompatibility of evolution (16). Less well known, it seems, are statements by others which reflect a spirit of openness or acceptance. For example: "The time of creation has ever been a subject of much comment and dispute. Yet I challenge anybody to produce from the Bible itself any finite limitation whatsoever of the periods of creation. By strained inferential references and interpretations men have sought to set the time in days or periods of a thousand year, but I feel that no justification of such limitations is warranted by the scriptures themselves. If the evolutionary hypothesis of the creation of life and matter in the universe is ultimately found to be correct, I shall neither be disappointed not displeased if it will turn out so to be. In my humble opinion the Biblical account is sufficiently comprehensive to include the whole of the process. . . . If you will take the counsel of one who loves science and reveres religion, permit me to admonish you: Never close your mind or your heart; ever keep them open to the reception of both knowledge and spiritual impressions. Both true science and true religion are the exponents of truth. their fields are different, their provinces are distinct, but their purposes are identical - to enlighten man, to give him power, to make him good and bring him joy." Stephen L. Richards "'And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him: male and female created I them.' (The story of the rib, of course, is figurative.) Man became a living soul - mankind, male and female. The creators breathed into their nostrils the breath of life and man and woman became living souls. We don't know exactly how their coming into the world happened, and when we're able to understand it the Lord will tell us." Spencer W. Kimball "'I don't think any of you teachers [faculty of Religion, BYU] know the age of the earth because I have asked four prophets and they said they don't know.' Statements on the age of the earth and other related areas given by many including the General Authorities are their personal opinions. Many have written the subject but it should not be construed as Church doctrine." Paul H. Dunn See also: Bertrand F. Harrison, "The Relatedness of Living Things", The Instructor, 100 (7), 272-276, July 1965; Morris S. Petersen, "Do we know how the earth's history as indicated from fossils fits with the earth's history as the scriptures present it," The Ensign, 17 (9), 28-29, Sept. 1987. |