Understanding…
Empowered by
Modern Revelation
and Science Analysis

Faith is a belief in the super-natural power of God.
And yet, nature is also miraculous,
displaying sophistication beyond the understanding of science.
Science approaches the miraculous, first by understanding nature,

and then in application.

The Science/Faith interface is easier for Latter-day Saints. The clarity of teachings and revelations received by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which the Bible is authenticated, and expanded by the Book of Mormon, and the more complete writings of Moses, Abraham, and Enoch provided in the Pearl of Great Price, and the modern revelations given to Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets, have details of the physical universe consistent with modern science. LDS theology is not anti-science, and does not disconnect God from the physical world.

I am Gary Stradling
A scientist, a faithful Christian, a Latter-day Saint, a husband, a father.
The views expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the organizations I am currently or have been affiliated with–though they certainly have contributed to my knowledge and perspectives:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
DoD Secretary of Defense Organization
DoD Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Brigham Young University
The University of California – Davis

Much of the material I will post here was developed in conversations with the Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum. In saying that, I do not imply the agreement or endorsement by the LAF&S Forum. It’s membership are mostly “legacy-Christian”, coming through the (anti-scientific) neo-Platonist/Hellenic Catholic, and Protestant traditions. “Bible-literalists” are spoken of condescendingly. Many do not appear to believe the Biblical witnesses of miracles in God’s work. Certainly any belief of contemporary angelic visits, revelation, or miracles seems to cause alarm. However, some have confided to me that they receive inspiration from God.
They seemed to find my discussions unsettling, though not refutable.
Only occasionally did I receive any substantive engagement or answers.

I am willing to post LDS Faith and Science essays from other authors, and host a genuine LDS Faith and Science Forum here.

“There is no conflict between science and religion. Conflict only arises from an incomplete knowledge of either science or religion, or both”

Elder Russell M. Nelson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 9, 2015.

The process of science is observation
followed by building models.
Revelation seldom addresses science issues, but may provide clues (data).
I believe that God provides us knowledge through both channels, progressively, at the pace He desires.

We seldom have complete data, so our models are speculative, iterative, and capable of being informed by more data.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Testimony of a faithful scientist

Life on Earth

Why does God care? The big number problem.

With Earth one of trillions of planets, and humanity a short-lived species within a complex and impressive ecosystem, can science help us see why God might care about us.

The Complexity Paradox in Life

Living things are composed of systems magnitudes more complex and intricate than the challenges of living. How to understand that?

Origins of Life

Addressing the question of spontaneous abiogenesis

Evolution

Even if God created life initially, it is clear that life forms have incrementally developed, in concert with changes in their environments. Yet these advances include remarkable innovations. Is God involved?

Nature of living beings

Science cannot define life. Scripture says life comes from God. What else can we deduce?

Adam’s Origin and Purpose

Is there a way to harmonize the account of the creation of Adam and Eve, the Fall, and the Garden of Eden with paleontology?

Christian Religious Differences

God of the Bible vs neo-Platonic Trinitarian Philosophy

Legacy (Hellenistic) Christianity deviated from the Biblical description of God and the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. Science principles can help us correct this.

Science-based Authenticity of the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a complex book claiming divine origins and miraculous delivery. Serious scholars have criticized the book for anachronisms and other “obvious” faults. What does science say about the technical content of the book?

Legacy Christianity and the Restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Given the different antecedents of these different branches of Christianity, how should they approach each other?

Confidence and Uncertainty in Science and Religion

There are different approaches to validating knowledge. What it the best approach?

God’s Social Commandments

God’s commandments refine society

God’s commandments address God:human and human:human relationships. What is their purpose and effectiveness?

The Broader Universe

Questions from the Big Bang

The Big Bang model posits billions of times more fermions (neutrinos, etc. ) condensing out of the primal plasma before ordinary bosonic matter (protons, neutrons, etc. ) condensed. What can we deduce about the nature of the universe if this is so?

What about the Galactic expanse?

Astronomy says there are trillions of star systems. How could God care about our Earth? What is He doing across the cosmos?

Dark Matter in Science and unseen matter in religion

Why do we believe that there is dark matter? Does that have implications for Religion’s assertions of “spirits”?

What about Time?

Every element of the known universe is a clock!

God’s timeline for planetary development

Moses was given God’s creation account of our Earth. We are one of trillions of star systems. What is God doing across the cosmos?