Russel M. Nelson comments on big bang theory and evolution

[_Nightlion]

I am glad to know that a dictionary is exactly like a living organism.

Me too. I'm also glad to know that an explosion at a printing shop is analogous to 3.5 billion years of gradual change.

What's time got to do with it? Pixie dust for every scientific notion.

[_Stormy Waters]

The apologetics have already begun.

I don't think he mocked the big bang or evolution.

I think he mocked an uncaused and purposeless big bang, and undirected evolution.

He implied that an explosion in a print shop couldn't produce a dictionary, which seems to be the same argument for intelligent design that's used by David, Paul, and in the Book of Mormon (by Alma I think.)

(If his remarks turn out to be an embarrassment, I think they will only be an embarrassment to the individual interpretations of Mormon doctrine that deny any ontological ground of being.)

[_sock puppet]

Did you guys really expect anything but Creationism to be taught in a religious forum? I don't care if you were listening to a Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon sermon, the Creation would be taught as truth.

I, for one, do not think that anything but creationism would be taught in a religious forum, if the issue comes up of how did the universe, world and us come to be.

On the other hand, it seems silly for those engaged in a religious forum to bring up such a sore topic for religions. It would have been much better to have skirted the issue. It seems evidence of rather poor judgment by a man with a Doctor of Medicine degree and a pretty basic understanding of the scientific method, to make a facile wise-crack like that and get the assembled Mormons giggling on national TV about the most rational explanation yet (Big Bang and evolution).

Imagine how that comes across to those alert non-Mormons who might have been tuning in because Mitt Romney is a Mormon? It probably looks as hokey to such onlookers as the women and young teenage girls in those solid, pastel color dresses scuttling outside of Warren Jeff's Texas temple.

[_bcspace]

Nelson just said this,
"Some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? The likelihood is most remote. But if so it could never heal it's own torn pages or reproduce it's own newer editions."

Which doesn't apply to evolution as evolution does not preclude God in any way. It certainly could apply to atheists who unscientifically try to use evolution this way. Now if he were talking about black holes and the works of Proust, that would be another thing entirely.

[_Tarski]

Nelson just said this,
"Some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? The likelihood is most remote. But if so it could never heal it's own torn pages or reproduce it's own newer editions."

An so we have a clear cut instance of mind numbing falsehood being taught by a general authority in conference.

Nelson is willing to pontificate about complexity and natural selection without being aware of the the precise claims or mechanisms. He has perpetuated scientific misunderstanding and closed the minds of thousands by his careless folksy wisdom (merely copied over from protestant creationist literature).

Yes Mr. Nelson, the science of natural selection (an naturally occuring algorithm) can rationally account for both the complexity of life and the way in which complex species reproduce. We know quite a few of the details by now.
The analogy given is specious and in more than one way! Shame on you Elder Nelson.

And you call this a true church BCSpace? No. Rather it is clearly a force for darkness.

[_bcspace]

And you call this a true church BCSpace? No.

Yes it's true. Even Nelson is learning that he can't get around the established doctrine. No matter how hard he tries, he can't debunk evolution. Those in the Church who use his arguments will learn the same lesson. It always works out.

Rather it is clearly a force for darkness.

You must not be watching the current speaker who is actually elucidating on the principles I refer to above though he is applying it to his soccer playing daughter.

[_huckelberry]

i suppose the simple way to look at the printshop exposion and the dictionary is to observe that the elements of the universe do not combine in random fashion like a pile of metal chips each with a letter on it. Instead they all combine in an orderly fashion from which living things are some of the natural results.

So the universe is orderly and that order is a harmony with living things. No disruption of natural law is needed to produce life.

[_bcspace]

No disruption of natural law is needed to produce life.

I would agree though I'm sure my definition of natural law is different than yours; God's hand is in it and part of it.

[_huckelberry]

No disruption of natural law is needed to produce life.

I would agree though I'm sure my definition of natural law is different than yours; God's hand is in it and part of it.

Might not be all that far apart. I see the order and harmony to be the very image of God which smiles upon us each morning as we awake.

[_MCB]

I see the order and harmony to be the very image of God which smiles upon us each morning as we awake.

His hand guided it, and maintains it. We know that the first chapters of Genesis are not literal history, but they mean a great deal. So sad that LDS do not understand it.