And now we turn to a story about the conflict between religious belief and science, and how one man’s quest to prove his religion to be true cost him his beliefs.

Much of the Book of Mormon takes place in the ancient Americas, where two warring tribes lived and fought — including the Nephites, who the book says sailed from Israel around 600 B.C. and landed somewhere in the Americas. The belief goes Jesus appeared to these people after his resurrection.

Well, centuries later, a Mormon lawyer became interested in finding exactly where this happened. The Book of Mormon gave scattered clues, describing a narrow isthmus and a river called Sidon. But, debates have raged over where exactly this took place.

So, Thomas Stuart Ferguson embarked on a journey to find out. Lizzie Wade documented his quest in Science magazine recently, and how it ultimately caused him to lose his faith. I spoke with her about it recently via Skype.