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Robert Lawrence was once a free-range kid in Utah. He spent a couple years learning from wonderful people in Guatemala and later moved to Arizona where he spent a lot of time in the lab with viruses. He is now a science writer and research developer living in Binghamton, New York, with his wife and toddler. You can connect with him and find more of his work at: www.robertlawrencephd.com

BYU students are more accepting of Darwin’s ideas than they used to be, according to a new study.

“Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little.” According to prophets of old, this is how the process of spiritual development is administered by God’s careful hand. But does this divine formula also extend to the physical realm of creation over a period of, say, the last 4.6 billion years?

The answer to that question remains in doubt among the faithful. According to 2014 Pew data, 16% of Jews, 29% of Catholics, 30% of mainline Protestants, 52% of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and 74% of Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the concept of evolution on some level.

Although the bulk of Latter-day Saints are not overly fond of Mr. Darwin’s ideas, it appears that their attitudes may be shifting toward acceptance. This is according to a November 2018 peer-reviewed study published by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU). [1]

This study was based on survey data from the predominantly Latter-day Saint student population at BYU. Over the past few decades, introductory biology students at the institution were asked several questions designed to gauge their views on evolution. The students were non-biology majors, and the majority were freshmen. The study reported on survey data gathered from thousands of these students over a 10-year period (from 1987 to 1996) and compared it to data gathered from a smaller set of more recent students (from 2014 to 2016).

I’ve graphed the results from one portion of the study that surveyed students at the end of their semester in the biology course, which covered evolution in its curriculum.

The students were also surveyed on their views regarding the age of the earth. As one might expect, the scientific consensus of billions of years is gaining favor over shorter time frames that tend to be based on literal interpretations of scripture.

In conclusion, the study authors stated, “The data shown here reveal a shift toward acceptance by LDS youth of evolutionary theory as a valid explanation for current life on earth.”

They attributed this shift mostly to three things:

Improved K-12 science education The teaching of evolution in BYU’s religious-friendly environment Fewer negative messages regarding evolution from Church leaders

The third point here is most interesting, and it calls for some historic reflection.

In 1930 — five years after the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee cast evolution into the public spotlight — Latter-day Saint church authorities B.H. Roberts and James Talmage argued their support for Darwin’s theories to the Church’s twelve apostles. Among those twelve was Joseph Fielding Smith, who was particularly vocal in his opposition. This led to some vigorous back-and-forth discussions on the matter that were eventually dropped. Smith had an extensive tenure in church leadership and went on to strongly denounce evolution a couple decades later in his book Man, His Origin and Destiny. Accordingly, most church leaders have not been too keen on evolution.

A case in point was the lengthy 1988 address given by church apostle Boyd K. Packer at BYU that was mostly focused on this issue. Regarding the concept of evolution as far as it relates to man, Packer declared “It is false!” adding, “the so-called theistic evolution, the theory that God used an evolutionary process to prepare a physical body for the spirit of man, is equally false.”

Accordingly, BYU student survey data from the semester when Packer’s talk was given showed a sharp decrease in acceptance of evolution – thus illustrating the effect of such messages.

But this effect has worn off over time as such rebukes of Darwin and his ideas have subsided. While evolution was once the target of fiery sermons given from the pulpit of General Conference a century ago, in last few decades it has become scarcely mentioned. And in 2016, the church clarified its stance as officially having no official position on the matter.

While the Church as an institution may be neutral on evolution, church members and church leaders alike will continue to have their own, differing, personal views. In contrast to the views of Latter-day Saints who share Packer’s sentiment, study author and BYU biology professor Steven Peck has openly embraced evolution. (Steven Peck is also a BCC blogger and BCC Press author.)

Peck spoke broadly about how science and theology work together for him in an interview he gave on the podcast A Thoughtful Faith.

“In my own life, I find that they are meshed. I think they are the two ways I learn things.” Peck explained. “For me, evolution fits so perfectly in Mormonism. I think that we have doctrines and theology in place that make evolution make sense more than any other religious system that I know.”

In his books Evolving Faith and Science the Key to Theology, Peck has further articulated his message that pure religion and pure science need not be defiled by conflict, and can even support one another.

This is a refreshing reminder for Latter-day Saints that accepting natural selection as a mode of creation does not equate with a path to damnation for the natural man. For some, learning about the elegant and intricate processes that touch every twig and branch on the tree of life may even prompt wonder and awaken a more profound desire to commune with the Creator of it all.

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[1] The BYU study is titled, “A longitudinal study of attitudes toward evolution among undergraduates who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” and it was published in the highly regarded science journal PLoS One. The study included survey data on several other questions, including attitudes toward environmental conservatism. Check it out in full here, it’s worth a read.