Science and the Church of Jesus Christ/Determining truth

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Mormonism and the determination of truth

Jump to Subtopic:

• Are Mormonism and science compatible?
• The "burning in the bosom" in Mormonism as a method of determining truth

Are Mormonism and science compatible?

Jump to details:

• Question: Do Mormons believe that faith and scientific knowledge are incompatible?
• Henry Eyring: "Is there any conflict between science and religion? There is no conflict in the mind of God, but often there is conflict in the minds of men"
• Brigham Young (1871): "whether the Lord...made it in six days or in as many millions of years, is and will remain a matter of speculation in the minds of men"
• Question: Do Mormons believe that faith and science are mutually exclusive?
• Question: Do Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect?
• Oaks: "We are supposed to learn by both reason and revelation, and that does not happen when we compartmentalize science and religion"

The "burning in the bosom" in Mormonism as a method of determining truth

Jump to details:

• Question: Is a "burning in the bosom" simply a subjective, emotion-based, unreliable way to practice self-deception?
• Dallin H. Oaks (1997): "Surely, the word “burning” in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. That is the witness many receive. That is the way revelation works."
• Question: Why do critics of Mormonism who belong to other religions discount spiritual experiences?
• Question: Can a person "feel the spirit" while watching movies?
• Dr. Wendy Ulrich (2005): "How do the goosebumps and tearfulness I experience when someone speaks in a testimony meeting differ from the goosebumps and tearfulness I experience when the 4:00 parade begins at Disneyland?"
• Question: Can someone feel the spirit when listening to stories of apostasy?
• "Recognizing the Voice of the Spirit" (Podcast): "How can I come to know that spiritual experience is not just a product of chemical processes in the brain?"
• Question: Will our manifestation of truth from the Holy Ghost be a "spectacular" witness?
• Question: How can you know if an answer to prayer, a personal revelation, is true?
• Question: Why might someone not be able to see their spiritual impressions come to successful, obvious, and/or beautiful fruition?
• Question: Can spiritual experiences be simply willed to reality?
• Question: Can one simply decide when one feels and doesn't feel the Spirit?