From Deseret News archives:
No definitive LDS stance on evolution, study finds
William Evenson and Duane Jeffery told dozens of people gathered at Utah Valley State College on Tuesday that what definitely has evolved over time is the position taken by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the issue.
They came to that conclusion after dissecting the history of statements made by past LDS leaders at the request of former Brigham Young University president Rex Lee. In 1991, Lee asked Evenson then dean of physical and mathematical sciences at BYU to draft a document that could be given to students who routinely queried him on the church's position.
"There was a committee organized to put together a packet of materials. . . . The idea was to assemble those things that had some authority to represent the position of the LDS Church," Evenson said.
He and Jeffery collaborated, along with deans from other BYU departments, gathering and sifting through statements by church presidents, the LDS First Presidency and members of the church's Quorum of the Twelve.
In the end, they included four different statements as part of the BYU packet:
A 1909 First Presidency statement on "The Origin of Man," published the centennial year of Charles Darwin's birth and the 50th anniversary of his publication of "On the Origin of Species."
A 1910 First Presidency Christmas message that addressed the issue.
A 1925 statement, released during the highly -publicized Scopes trial regarding the teaching of evolution in public schools, called "Mormon View of Evolution."
And a 1992 entry from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, which includes an excerpt of minutes from a 1931 meeting of the First Presidency on the issue.
As Evenson and Jeffery examined the history, it became obvious there was vast disagreement among some former church leaders about whether evolution played a role in the origin of man, Jeffery said.
Comments
- D.A. retires, leaves mixed legacy 8:07 p.m.
- House bill would boost costs 8:06 p.m.
- $47B in suspect Medicare claims 8:05 p.m.
- Little things count in Cougar victory 8:04 p.m.
- Snowstorm hits Utah; 1 dead in crash 8:03 p.m.
- 2A title: Broncos' slippery win 7:33 p.m.
- 1A championship: Rich undefeated 7:29 p.m.
- Few call Venice home 7:27 p.m.
- Volunteers are needed 6:50 p.m.
- News seeks entries for contest 6:49 p.m.
- Apostle's wife felt comfort in attack
- Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
- Short-handed Jazz fly past Sixers
- D-Will home for daughter
- Bench proves fruitful for Y.
- Utes excited for 'dream' game
- Snowstorm hits Utah; 1 dead in crash
- Born of water and the spirit
- GameDay in Fort Worth
- No. 22 BYU holds off pesky Lobos
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
356 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
199 - Senators want food tax restored
164 - Will state consider gay rights law?
148 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
129 - No. 22 BYU holds off pesky Lobos
129 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
129 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
113 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
105
If you are looking for a bird on the cheap, the following specials from...
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
Hurricane is a team with a lot of heart. It's their time. They've worked so...
41-14 Wow - So this is what it feels like to be a Cougar fan.
I'm proud of our Hunter boys. What a great season, great lessons and much to...
How does Scammed know that DHS hasn't helped snare a dozen or more attack...
Nobody is going to give Utah State a chance against Boise, but I think we'll...
So what you are telling me is that we DO need a government to do all these...
This is really cool.
Jealous? Yeah, I'm jealous, I'd rather have a sloppy win from missed kicks...
From the tone of the comments, people in Utah are content to be uneducated...
Trains don't blow their horns to disturb the peace. It's federal law that...

You can be the first to comment on this story.