Parallel: Migrations to the Americas - Part 6

Previous parts to this post have concerned migrations to the American continents. In this part I discuss the DNA analysis of a migration to Europe and its parallel with the migration of the Lehites to the Americas as described in the Book of Mormon.

As explained in Earliest European Farmers Left Little Genetic Mark On Modern Europe, the first settlers in Europe are believed to have been Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who arrived about 40,000 years ago. About 7,500 years ago people migrated to Europe and brought farming to that area. The question thus arises, are modern Europeans descended from the hunter-gatherers, the farmers, or both?

DNA was obtained from skeletons of early farmers, and the DNA contained "genetic signatures that are extremely rare in modern European populations. Based on this discovery, the researchers conclude that early farmers did not leave much of a genetic mark on modern European populations." In fact, '"Our paper suggests that there is a good possibility that the contribution of early farmers could be close to zero," said Science author Peter Forster from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK.'

The situation given in the Science article is that of two migrations to an area, and the DNA of the later migration not occurring in the people presently living in that area. Since Europe, today, is an agricultural society, the early farmers in the later migration had a significant impact on that area, even though they left basically no genetic evidence of their existence. "It's interesting that a potentially minor migration of people into Central Europe had such a huge cultural impact," said Forster."

This is an interesting parallel with the Book of Mormon. Science tells us of early migrations to the Americas from Asia via the Bering Strait. The Book of Mormon tells of a later migration (the Lehites) from the Mediterranean area. However, DNA studies of modern Native Americans show that the Native Americans who were studied have no DNA markers from the Mediterranean area. Apologists for the Book of Mormon have explained that DNA markers from a group of people could die out and thus not be found in modern people (see, for example, Addressing Questions). We now have from science an example of DNA from a later migration not occurring among modern people currently living in that area.

Parallel: Seek learning by study and by faith

In Mormon Belief: Seek learning by study and by faith I gave a scripture in which the Lord said we should seek learning by both study and faith. Scientific research is one way we learn by study, and scripture study and prayer is one way we learn by faith. Both are important to our growth as individuals and societies.

Latter-day Saints have traditionally done well in school. As a group we have exceptionally high rates of completion of secondary and higher education. We have our share of prominent scholars. These achievements are, I believe, because LDS take the Lord seriously and literally when he said to seek learning by study and by faith.

Scientists are discovering that reading, completion of school, and similar activities have beneficial effects on our growth and development.

Parallel: Natural Disasters in the Last Days - Part 2

In Mormon Belief: Natural Disasters in the Last Days I present two scriptures that give the Christian belief there will be "famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" and "a desolating sickness shall cover the land" before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Those scriptures do not say there will be an increase in those tribulations, although I think there is a common belief that there will be an increase of those events.

In Parallel: Natural Disasters in the Last Days - Part 1 I list a number of tribulations that have occurred in recent centuries, and I briefly discuss them. The tribulations that I listed are those discussed in my posts from scientific publications.

In this post, I am listing additional tribulations that have been discussed in recent scientific literature. These events are the following.

• Additional research into the Avian (Bird) flu
• Nanotechnology
• Air pollution
• Ocean pollution
  
• Diseases spread via donated organs
• The defrosting of animal and human corpses via global warming
• Earthquakes
• Nuclear radiation
• The spread of drug-resistant bacteria
• Spread of species into new habitats (bioinvasion)
• Terrorist attacks
• Drug abuse
• Pollution from plastic containers
• Meat contamination
• DNA pollution

Not all of the categories that I've listed are considered to be pandemics, but I believe they have the potential to become such, and I think it wise that we monitor their occurances and the research into them.

For example, consider nanotechnology. Nanotechnology involves very small particles, particles small enough that they behave differently and propagate differently. A few months ago I listened to a radio interview of several scientists who are involved with nanotechnology. One of the scientists said that nanoparticles can bypass barriers that protect brain cells and can thus enter the brain. This is exciting to medical doctors, because they envision that nanoparticles could carry drugs directly into the brain. My concern is that if nanoparticles can carry drugs directly into the brain, they could also carry other particles into the brain, or other organs of the body, and the results of this would be unknown and potentially harmful. Anytime scientists change the way our bodies naturally behave, I am concerned. Scientists have already become concerned about water pollution that is occurring from silver nanoparticles that are being deposited into the sea. Silver is a natural antibacterial agent, and products containing silver nanoparticles are being introduced into our commercial markets. These silver nanoparticles are being ingested by aquatic organisms that live in the water. In addition nanoparticles are being introduced into food and food containers, and this concerns some scientists. If the use of nanoparticles becomes globally widespread, and if harmful side effects occur, nanoparticles could trigger a world-wide disaster.

Another example of a problem that has been discussed in the scientific literature and could develop into a world-wide disaster is the pollution of our oceans through drugs that are washed into the oceans. Coupled with this is the problem of "super bugs", drug-resistant bacteria. As bacteria mutate and become resistant to our drugs, we are forced to use stronger drugs that may have different effects on our bodies as well as causing an increased problem of ocean pollution.

Parallel: All Things are Governed by Law - Part 2

There is a traditional belief in Christianity that God is "all powerful" or omnipotent. According to this belief, God can speak, and instantly his words are obeyed. The common belief in Christianity that God created the cosmos out of nothing is based on this belief. However, Latter-day Saints do not believe that God can instantly create things out of nothing.

In Part 1 of this post, I established the fact that the cosmos was organized in an orderly way, and that an influence from Jesus Christ is the "law by which all things are governed". I commented that this is a religious way of saying that the Cosmos is governed by natural laws. In Mormon Belief: Eternal Elements I presented the belief that God created or organized the cosmos out of existing, eternal elements. The use of eternal elements implies that God used eternal laws to organize the elements. At least within Christianity, this belief that God followed natural laws in His creative work is, I believe, a belief that is unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In this post, I discuss the relationship between God, Himself, and the natural laws that govern our existence. To better understand how God used natural laws in his creations, we need to answer the question, What would happen if God went against or disobeyed natural laws?

The Book of Mormon answers that question. The prophet Alma perceived that his son, Corianton, had questions about his religious beliefs, and Alma answered the questions. One of the questions concerned the mercy and justice of God. Alma explained that Adam and Eve left the Garden and lived in mortality. He further explained that our mortal life is a probationary state, a time for us to prepare to return to God. Alma explained that mankind (and womankind) has committed sins, and because of the justice of God must pay the penalty of sin, which is to be separated from God. Then he made the following remarkable statement.

Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God. (Alma 42:11)

That is, if mercy provided by Jesus Christ were to overrule the justice of God, God would cease to be God! In verses 22 and 25, Alma repeated that mercy cannot "rob" justice, and if that were to happen, God would cease to be God. This means that justice is an eternal law that God must follow, and mercy is also an eternal law that God must follow, and the two laws must both be obeyed. This is the basis of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that Christ suffered for our sins, thus satisfying justice, and provided the mercy that we need to enable our return to God. And, this explains why, in our pre-earth life, that God did not, could not, accept the plan of Lucifer to force us all to be obedient to God. Lucifer's plan would have violated both the laws of justice and mercy, and God would have ceased to be God. We can only speculate on what would have happened after that.

The Book of Mormon establishes the fact that God can not violate the laws of justice and mercy, and this implies that God cannot violate any of the laws that involve His creative works. This means that all of the laws of nature that are being discovered by scientists are eternal laws that govern the cosmos, and that God obeys those laws in His work. In Part 1 of this post I discussed that the laws of the cosmos come from Jesus Christ. This does not mean that Christ originated those laws. It means that Christ used those laws in his creation of the cosmos under the direction of his Father.

I've brought out that God can not go against the natural laws of the cosmos. He can, of course, bring into play higher laws that might overshadow lower laws. A simple example of such hierarchies of natural laws is the law of gravity vs. the law of aerodynamic lift. An unorganized weight of several tons can not "fly" through the air. It just "sits" on the ground like the lump of matter that it is. However, if that matter if formed into particular shapes and given sufficient thrust, it can move through the air. The law of gravity is still in effect, but the law of "lift" has overshadowed gravity and causes the matter to leave the ground and fly. I believe that God's performing of miracles is such a use of higher laws to overrule lower laws.

I'm grateful that God follows natural laws and that those laws are absolute in their existence and influence. Were it not for this, our universe would be chaotic and inconsistent, and we would be unable to advance in our spiritual and scientific lives. We would always hiding in our houses, caves, or where ever, not knowing what would happen next.

Parallel: Evolution - Part 3

In Part 1 of this Parallel, I speculate how evolution could have been used by God in the creation of our mortal world even though the creation described in Genesis was of an immortal world. This is explained in more detail in my essay on the reconciliation of the Fall of Adam with evolution.

In Part 2 I give my reasons for believing that God's creation of the world in which plants and animals are to multiply "after their kind" is a necessary condition for evolution to exist.

In this Part, Part 3, I give scriptures that teach that the world was without death prior to the Fall of Adam, and I comment on a belief among some LDS that only the Garden of Eden was without death, the rest of the world being mortal.

First, the book of Genesis implies that the Garden of Eden was immortal. Of all the trees in the Garden, two trees are given special attention: the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve were told they could eat of all the trees except the Tree of Knowledge. It is significant that they could eat of the Tree of Life, a tree that would cause them to live forever. Hence, we understand that they were immortal and were already living forever. However, after they had eaten of the Tree of Knowledge, they were prevented from eating of the Tree of Life, else they “live for ever.” (Genesis 3:22) Thus, we realize they had changed from a condition of immortality to one of mortality.

Next, in the Book of Mormon, we have Lehi teaching his son, Jacob.

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. (2 Nephi 2:22)

From Alma we have

And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die. (Alma 12:23)

And, from the Book of Moses,

And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. (Moses 6:48)

Some people say the world, in general, was a mortal world, thus having death, and that God used evolution to create the animals that were later made immortal and placed in the Garden of Eden. If that happened, then Adam didn't bring death into the world. The world already had death, and Adam's "fall" was nothing more than Adam & Eve and the plants & animals leaving the immortal garden and going into the world of pre-existing death.

I think this belief that only the Garden of Eden was immortal is a poor way to reconcile evolution and the immortality of Adam and Eve prior to the Fall. It is more straight-forward to take the scriptures for what they imply, the world had no death until Adam and Eve choose to become mortal. At that point, the Lord created the mortal world, including the bodies of Adam and Eve, and they began their journey through mortality. From science we know that evolution was part of the creation of the mortal world. Evolution wasn't used to create the immortal world but was subsequently used to create the mortal world that was brought into existence via the Fall of Adam.

Parallel: The Lord's Law of Health - Part 2

In Mormon Belief: The Lord's Law of Health - Part 1 I presented the "Word of Wisdom", the basic health law given to Latter-day Saints by the Lord. This health law was discussed in Parallel: The Lord's Law of Health - Part 1. In Mormon Belief: The Lord's Law of Health - Part 2 I gave two additional points of the Lord's health law, and I discuss them in this post.

The first point to be discussed is that we shouldn't get more sleep than we need and that we should retire early and get up early, that is, sleep during the dark hours. When that revelation was given in 1832, it made sense to sleep during the dark hours and do the farm work or whatever during the daylight hours, since the only sources of light at night were lamps and fireplaces. In our society today we have excellent sources of artificial light, and it it is easy to rationalize that it is OK to do our vocational/family activities at night and sleep, partially at least, during the daylight hours. I do such rationalizations since I'm a night-owl. I love to stay up until 2 or 3 am working on my projects and then sleep-in to get my normal 7-8 hours. However, as I get older I'm finding that I'm not able to sleep in the morning like I could when I was younger. My internal clock seems to be reverting to the schedule outlined by the Lord. I'm curious to find out if there is scientific research about our internal clocks.

The second point is to avoid addiction to drugs. I think this counsel from our church leaders applies to both illegal drugs and legal drugs. Just because drugs are "legal", that doesn't mean that they can't be abused by those who want the effects or "highs" from the drugs. My own opinion, and it is nothing more than my opinion, is that I don't want to take any drugs unless I have to in an emergency. Because of this, my wife and I use homeopathic remedies instead of drugs.

Parallel: The Lord's Law of Health -- Part 1

In Mormon Belief: The Lord's Law of Health -- Part 1 I gave the 21 verses that comprise Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. That Section, known as the Word of Wisdom, consists of the Lord's Law of Health as given for this dispensation. One of the strongest parallels between science and Mormonism is the parallel between the Word of Wisdom and findings of scientists who are investigating our health.

When the Word of Wisdom was first given in 1833, it was not given as a commandment but was given as a statement declaring the will of God concerning our bodies. At a later time, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did make it a commandment. Today, in order to receive the full blessings of membership in the Church, one must live the Word of Wisdom by abstaining from the consumption and/or use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee. Section 89 does not mention tea or coffee but refers to "hot drinks". That phrase has been interpreted by the General Authorities to mean tea and coffee.

Some people ask about the use of soft drinks that contain caffeine. Section 89 does not mention caffeine, so we don't know if caffeine is the reason hot drinks are forbidden. In addition, Section 89 does not mention soft drinks. The lack of mention of caffeine and soft drinks in the Word of Wisdom means that we are free to make our own decisions about those things. In other words, Section 89 does not give a list of all things that would be harmful to our bodies. It gives examples of things that are harmful to us, and we, as Saints, are expected to make intelligent and wise decisions about other things that might be consumed or used. I am glad the Church does not use Section 89 as a list of all things that are harmful to us. First, it would be impossible to have a list of all harmful objects, since new chemicals are being invented or discovered that potentially could be harmful to us. A list of all things would always be in a state of expansion and would thus be difficult to canonize as scripture and to enforce as church law. Second, by expecting a list of all things, it is likely we would become like the Pharisees of old, following the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law.

The Word of Wisdom does not mention harmful and/or addictive drugs. The Church does not want us to not use such drugs, except as proscribed by competent physicians. Some members consider harmful/addictive drugs as part of the Word of Wisdom, while other members consider them as a separate law of the Lord. I'm in the latter group.

I would like to finish this post about the Word of Wisdom on a positive note by listing the blessings that will come to those who obey God in the care of their bodies.

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.

Parallel: Natural Disasters in the Last Days - Part 1

There is an interesting but horrible parallel between Mormonism, actually Christianity, and science: natural disasters that are preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ. In Mormon Belief: Natural Disasters in the Last Days I presented two scriptures that prophesy of natural disasters, especially illnesses, that will precede the coming of Christ. In subsequent posts I link to scientific reports about the following illnesses and genetic factors related to illnesses that have already occurred (search on the disasters category to access the posts).

• The Great Pandemic of 1918 - 1919
• The spread of the avian (Bird) flu
• The spread of HIV from Africa to other parts of the world
  
• The detection of MSRA, a new strain of a drug-resistant bacteria
• The detection of drug-resistant bacteria in the Arctic
  
• A discussion of how bacteria become resistant to drugs

In my mind, the thing that is most significant about these posts is that infections are becoming world-wide instead of being confined to a local area. Sickness is truly covering the land, as the Lord warned.

The scriptural prophecies of sickness covering the land don't say there will be increases in sickness, although many people probably interpret the prophecies that way. We have better communication today than in past centuries, and we hear of epidemics and other disasters that might have gone unnoticed by people not affected if those disasters had occurred in the past. I do believe that additional world-wide infections will occur. Bacteria seem to mutate very quickly and easily, and new strains will undoubtedly arise and cause new infections, and all strains will become more resistant to our drugs and other measures that are taken to counteract the infections. In addition scientists are learning how to manipulate the DNA and genes of organisms, and I am concerned that man-made bacteria and viruses my arise that will make past pandemics seem mild. Our bodies have had eons of time to adapt to natural causes of sicknesses, but man-made organisms may give new "ballgames" to our bodies, "ballgames" for which our bodies may have no defenses.

Parallel: Migrations to the Americas - Part 5

In Part 1 2, 3, and 4 of this Parallel, I list four points about the two migrations from the Book of Mormon that are important for our discussion.

• The approximate date when they began their migration
• Their method of travel to the Americas
• The ethnicity of the people who migrated
• The location they were living in when they began their migration

In this Part, I add a fifth point about the two migrations, the places in the Americas they reached at the conclusion of their migrations.

Book of Mormon Geography

Deciding precisely where the peoples of the Book of Mormon lived is a difficult if not an impossible task. The Book of Mormon gives geographic information about cities, rivers, mountains, relative distance between cities, etc., but the information is described in such general ways that it can not easily be correlated with the actual geography of the Americas. We are thus left to deciphering statements by Joseph Smith and other General Authorities of the Church, both before and after the exodus to the Great Basin, and to scholarly attempts to fit the Book of Mormon descriptions to actual geography.

Joseph Smith's first learned about the Book of Mormon when he was visited by the Angel Moroni on September 21, 1823. We don't have the exact words used by Moroni to describe the peoples of the Book of Mormon, but we do have the words written by Joseph Smith about 16 years later to describe the visit of Moroni.

He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; (Pearl of Great Price, History of Joseph Smith, 34)

A Hemispheric View of the Book of Mormon Geography

Joseph wrote that the peoples of the Book of Mormon were the "former inhabitants of this continent". That statement is ambiguous and doesn't say anything about how numerous the people were or where they lived, but the statement was interpreted to mean that the peoples of the Book of Mormon were the only former inhabitants of this land. It's obvious from sermons given by Joseph Smith and by other General Authorities of the Church, both before and after the exodus to the Great Basin, that they believed the peoples of the Book of Mormon were so numerous that they had scattered over North, Central, and South America, and that all American Indians were descended from those peoples. This view of the Book of Mormon geography was explained by Michael R. Ash in an article published by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR).

The Lord has never revealed the specific location of Book of Mormon events. Instead, we are left to our own speculations concerning Book of Mormon geography. Since the days of Joseph Smith most Saints believed that the Book of Mormon took place across the entire expanse of North and South America. This theory—referred to as the Hemispheric Geography Theory (HGT) posits that North America is the “land northward,” that South America is the “land southward,” and that present-day Panama is the “narrow neck” of land. This is a natural interpretation of Book of Mormon geography based on a cursory reading and superficial understanding to the Book of Mormon text.

I grew up with this understanding of the peoples of the Book of Mormon. This belief was apparently accepted by the members of the committee that approved the text of the Introduction to the 1981 version of the Book of Mormon. That Introduction refers to the Lamanites as the principal ancestors of the American Indians.

After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.

A Limited View of the Book of Mormon Geography

I don't know when the movement by scholars for a more restricted geography of the Book of Mormon began, but by the 1980s, the movement had a good foothold in the literature about the Book of Mormon. Michael R. Ash explained the restricted view as follows.

Currently, most LDS scholars (and some LDS leaders) reject the HGT in favor of a Limited Geography Theory (LGT) for the Book of Mormon. This theory posits that the Lehites arrived to a New World already inhabited. (I discuss this in a brochure entitled “Were the Lehites Alone in the Americas?”) According to this view, the Lehites would have not only engaged these natives, but they would have also become part of their society and culture. The LGT claims that Book of Mormon events would have taken place in a relatively small area of land and that this section of land is that of Mesoamerica (Central America) with the Isthmus of Teuhuantepec as the “narrow neck” of land.

Please refer to Ash's article for more information about the two views of Book of Mormon geography, including his explanation why Joseph Smith and subsequent Prophets accepted a Hemispheric Geography of the Book of Mormon.

My first exposure to the Limited Geography Theory was the book, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, published in 1985 by Dr. John L. Sorenson. Dr. Sorenson attempted to model the Book of Mormon geography by converting the Book of Mormon descriptions into miles. For example, if people traveled three days to reach a neighboring city, Dr. Sorenson would estimate how far those people might travel in a day and thus determine the approximate distance in miles to the adjacent city. His model of the Book of Mormon geography indicated that the people lived in a relatively small area, and the area of Mesoamerica provides a good fit to Sorenson's model. As I read the book, I realized that his approach to Book of Mormon geography made more sense than the ideas I had had as a youth.

LDS Beliefs About Book of Mormon Geography are Folklore

In Religious Truth: Revelation or Folklore? - Part 1 and Religious Truth: Revelation or Folklore? - Part 2 I discuss folklore vs. the scriptures in religious information. Since the Book of Mormon does not identify in terms of modern geography the locations of places in the book, and as far as we know the Lord hasn't revealed the precise location of those places, we must classify all statements about Book of Mormon geography and the size and locations of the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations as folklore. This includes statements by LDS Presidents, LDS Apostles, and scholars such as Sorenson. In recognizing that such statements are folklore, we also recognize that the statements might be true or they might be false.

Some Latter-day Saints object to the classification of statements by Joseph Smith and more recent living prophets as being folklore. I respect their views and sensitivity about statements made by living prophets, and I kindly remind them that I'm only referring to statements about Book of Mormon geography and the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations, not to statements about doctrine and scriptural interpretation.

The Book of Mormon doesn't say that the Nephites and Lamanites were so numerous that they covered the whole of North, Central, and South America. The Book of Mormon doesn't say that the Lamanites were the principal ancestors of the American Indians (the Introduction is not part of the canonized text of the Book of Mormon). In fact, as I discuss in Parallel: Migrations to the Americas - Part 3 the Church recently changed the wording of the Introduction to eliminate the word "principal".

After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians."

The change of the word "principal" to the word "among" was in apparent recognition by Church authorities that the common belief of Church leaders and members in the Hemispheric view of the Book of Mormon geography was not correct. This change does not imply that the Limited view that has been defined by LDS scholars is correct. This change only implies, I think, that the Hemispheric view is not correct.

The Parallel between Science and the Book of Mormon about Migration

As we look for parallels between the scientific view of migrations to the Americas and the Book of Mormon view of the migrations, let us realize that we are looking for parallels to the Book of Mormon view, not parallels to the LDS folklore about the Book of Mormon. In order for the scientific and religious views of those migrations to converge, we will likely need changes to both views. We have recently seen a change to the religious view that brings the two views closer to reconciliation. I am anxiously awaiting future changes in both views that will eventually bring the two views together.

Parallel: People Were Raised from the Dead (not a resurrection)

In Mormon Belief: People Were Raised from the Dead (not a resurrection) I discussed the LDS belief that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, that is, brought him back to life after he had died. Lazarus was not resurrected, only brought back to life. I also mentioned that Jesus gave the power to His disciples to raise others from the dead. In Darwin’s Surprise I linked to an article explaining that scientists have succeeded in activating extinct viruses. Because a virus is a simple entity while a person is a complex organism, scientists still have a long way to go before they might be able to restore life to a dead person. But, activating an extinct virus is an amazing feat!

I've been thinking about bringing a dead person back to life. I don't understand very well the differences between a living person and a dead person, but the scriptures do give a partial idea from the religious paradigm of what would have to happen to have a dead person brought back to life. First, in Mormon Belief: Two Creations of the Earth I explained that before the earth was created physically, it was created spiritually in Heaven. I think of the spiritual creati0n being a blueprint for the physical creation. Second, in Mormon Belief: Spirit Offspring of God I explained that from a religious viewpoint, the basic difference between a person and an animal is that the person is a combination of a physical body and a spirit body, the spirit body being an offspring of God, while an animal has no spirit offspring of God. These two requirements would have to be met to have a person raised from the dead.

The first requirement is automatically satisfied, I think, because the dead person was once a living person and thus has a spiritual counterpart or blueprint. The second part would be satisfied if God "assigned" or permitted His spirit offspring to re-enter the physical body in such a way that the combination was once again a living soul (see Mormon Belief: The Soul is the Combination of a Spirit & a Body).

Will scientists ever be able to bring people back from the dead. This is just a guess, but I would say "probably", if God allows His spirit offspring to reenter the body.

Parallel: Humans Have a Soul

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the human soul is quite different than the souls that are envisioned by other Christians. As I explained in Mormon Belief: The Soul is the Combination of a Spirit & a Body, LDS believe the soul is a combination of a spirit offspring of God and a physical body that acts as a tabernacle for the spirit.

I explained in Soul Search that a few scientists are conducting experiments to see if energy of some kind does leave our bodies at the time of death. So far, the experiments have been inconclusive. My interpretation of the scripture in Mormon Belief: The Soul is the Combination of a Spirit & a Body about spirit matter leads me to believe that that spirit matter is different than mortal matter and is governed by different laws than the mortal laws of nature. Because of this, I don't believe the instruments used by scientists in these experiments will detect the presence of spirit matter or spirit energy. However, I could be wrong about this.

Parallel: All Things are Governed by Law - Part 1

In Part 2 of this post, I discuss the relationship between God, Himself, and the natural laws that govern our existence.

In Parallel: The Earth was Created From Existing Matter I explained that LDS believe the earth was created from existing matter, and this implies that that matter was governed by existing laws. In Mormon Belief: All Things are Governed by Law I explained that from the viewpoint of the religious paradigm the Cosmos is governed by an influence from Jesus Christ and that influence is the "law by which all things are governed". This is a religious way of saying that the Cosmos is governed by natural laws.

The article Laws of Nature, Source Unknown explains that scientists accept natural laws as the basis of creation and organization of the Cosmos but that they aren't in agreement about the source of those laws.

If the laws of physics are to have any sticking power at all, to be real laws, one could argue, they have to be good anywhere and at any time, including the Big Bang, the putative Creation. Which gives them a kind of transcendent status outside of space and time.

On the other hand, many thinkers — all the way back to Augustine — suspect that space and time, being attributes of this existence, came into being along with the universe — in the Big Bang, in modern vernacular. So why not the laws themselves?

At the present time, the LDS version of the religious paradigm is in agreement with the scientific paradigm about the existence of natural laws but not about the source of those laws.

Parallel: The Dimension of Time

This is a fascinating parallel even though I don't understand it very well, and apparently scientists don't understand time very well either. The two aspects of time that I find interesting are that time seems to be unidirectional, and that time will disappear.

First, I'll comment on the direction of time. The scriptures don't directly discuss time itself. I searched the online scriptures at lds.org for various phrases containing the word "time" and only found the two scriptures I posted in Mormon Belief: Time pertains to Mortality. There are many uses of the word "time" in the scriptures, but those uses of the word "time" are in a different context. I think, though, the scriptures give a strong implication that time is unidirectional, always going forward. The scriptures have a strong focus on repentance, that we must change our behavior to become more in harmony with God's will. The context is always that we must repent, and then in the future become more like Christ. There is no implication that as we repent we can go back in time and relive our past.

In You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say I posted that some scientists say backwards travel is impossible (play the video) because it would violate the principle of causality and, in addition, would require unimaginable amounts of energy. This scientific view of negative time-travel being impossible is in agreement with the scriptural view of time. Other scientists, though, say that backwards travel is theoretically possible but is not practicable.

Next, concerning the disappearance of time, as I pointed out in my previous posts, we believe that when this world is recreated as an immortal world via the Atonement of Jesus Christ, time will cease, for in eternity there is no time. Because some scientists speculate there is no time, there is a form of a parallel between the religious and scientific views, although the religious view of no time pertains to an immortal world and the scientific view of no time pertains to a mortal world.

If science does discover how to travel in time, since from the scientific viewpoint time is a dimension, it will be interesting to see if humans in that distant future are able to travel bidirectionally or just unidirectionally.

Parallel: People will Live to an Old Age

I documented in Mormon Belief: People Will Live to an Old Age that during the Millennium all people will live to an old age, an age characterized as the age of a tree. The Lord did not reveal what that age is, although some LDS give a number such as 100 years.

Scientists are researching the aging process to learn ways to extend the life of humans. Even though the life expectancy of humans varies with the geographical area, it has been increasing due to improvements in diet, sanitation, disease control, and similar factors. According to Wikipedia, the average life expectancy in 1950 was approximately 53, and in 2002 it was approximately 65.

The recent announcement that manipulation of a gene has caused mouse skin to become like the skin of a young mouse gives hope that dramatic increases in life expectancy may occur. It is not known at this time if human skin can be made to become like younger tissue, and it is not known if such changes will be permanent and free of dangerous side effects. However, if science continues to make improvements in life expectancy, the Parallel of life expectancy may converge in the relatively near future. However, the scriptures also say that all people will live until they are old, and that Parallel will likely take longer to converge.

The scriptures also say that even with all children living to an old age, they will still die and be resurrected, for they are still mortal. The resurrection comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and it is through the resurrection that people, animals, and plants will become immortal. The scriptures do not say exactly how the resurrection will happen, and I do not speculate on it except to say that I believe it is a state-change, a major change in our existence, in the matter that makes up our bodies, and is not just a lengthening of our time in mortality.

Parallel: The Creation of Life - Part 2

In Part 1 of this Parallel, I discuss "traditional" methods of creating life, such as cloning and the mixing of laboratory chemicals to create artificial DNA and artificial cell containers. In this Part, I speculate that stem cells might be used to create human embryos.

The recent announcement that scientists have successfully turned skin cells into stem cells has created a lot of attention and interest from the scientific and religious communities. The use of skin cells instead of human embryos for the generation of stem cells would bypass the touchy question whether the use of embryonic stem cells, which results in the killing of the embryos, is murder.

In my book I discussed embryonic stem cells, and I said I opposed their use because I didn't know if the killing of the embryos was murder or not; If I were to err, I wanted the error to be on the side of saving lives. From the LDS view, a living person is the combination of a physical body and a spirit-offspring of God. This combination is the human soul. The scriptures don't say when the spirit enters the body, that is, when life begins. Our living prophets haven't answered that question, either. And, science hasn't defined when life begins. Even if science were to define the beginning of life, that definition would have no meaning in the religious view of life, since scientists have no knowledge or recognition of a "spirit" inhabiting our bodies. Any scientific definition of when life begins may or may not be when the spirit actually enters a body such that the combination becomes a living soul.

If stem cells derived from skin cells do behave as well as embryonic stem cells, their use could conceptually avoid the use of embryonic stem cells.

Now for a little speculation. I've been wondering if stem cells obtained from skin could be used to create human embryos and thus life. In a technical sense, those embryos wouldn't be new life, since the stem cells were living and brought the "spark of life" (what ever that means) from a living person. But, from another viewpoint, the embryos would be new persons if God allowed His spirit offspring to enter the bodies such that they became new souls.

Parallel: Many Worlds with Intelligent Life - Part 2

As explained in Mormon Belief: Other Worlds, the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that God has created other worlds besides our earth as homes for his spirit children. In Part 1 of this post, I discuss the parallel between this Mormon belief and the exoplanets that scientists are discovering in other solar systems. In this part, I discuss the parallel between this Mormon belief and other worlds that orbit this earth, specifically planets in our solar system, our moon, and space stations.

In January 2004, President George W. Bush gave his New Vision for Space Exploration Program in which he committed the United States to (a) complete the International Space Station, and (b) to "undertake extended human missions to the moon as early as 2015, with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended periods." Space stations and human habitation of the moon are two ways of extending life from earth to "other worlds" that orbit the earth.

As explained in Wikipedia, the first space station was the Russian Salyut 1 that was launched on April 19, 1971. Since then there have been eight additional space stations, the last of which, The International Space Station, is still in orbit. In addition to the space stations, astronauts and cosmonauts have orbited the earth on temporary missions.

Astronauts first visited the moon on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong landed the Apollo 11 lunar module and and said, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

In his statement, President Bush gave as one of the goals of the expanded space program the use of the moon as a "launching point for missions beyond." Not only will we have other worlds created by God in the vast Cosmos, we will have other worlds that are extensions of this world.

Parallel: Migrations to the Americas - Part 4

Because they are in different paradigms, the Book of Mormon and science present different views of the migrations to the Americas.

The Book of Mormon claims there were two migrations from the Mediterranean area to the Americas. The Jaredite migration occurred somewhere around 1500 BC, and the Lehite migration occurred in 600 BC. If (I say "if" not because of disbelief but for sake of discussion) the Book of Mormon claims are true, there should be scientific evidence of those migrations.

Scientists believe the original migrations to the Americas occurred approximately 20,000 - 10,000 years ago. The Vikings made settlements in North America before Columbus, but those settlements were not permanent. In addition to these dates, DNA testing of Native Americans indicates their ancestors came from Asia not from the Mid-East. I have not discussed whether any of the archaeological sites in North, Central, or South America could be Book of Mormon sites, and my comments should not be applied to that question.

Currently, there is no scientific evidence to support the Book of Mormon claims of migrations to the Americas. Doe