Can Latter-day Saints Believe in Science? How Faith and Science Work Together
This article is a written summary of an episode of Church History Matters, hosted by Casey Griffiths and Scott Woodward, exploring one of the most important questions faced by believers today: Can science and religion be reconciled, or are they fundamentally in conflict? The discussion argues that for Latter-day Saints, the apparent war between scientific discovery and religious faith does not need to be a zero-sum game. Instead, science and religion can be understood as different but complementary tools for discovering truth, and the Restoration is uniquely positioned to embrace both.
TL;DR: Can Latter-day Saints Believe in Both Science and Religion?
Yes. The central message of this Church History Matters episode is that Latter-day Saints do not need to choose between serious scientific inquiry and serious religious faith. Science and religion use different methods and often answer different kinds of questions, but both can contribute to the search for truth. The hosts argue that the Restoration is especially well positioned to reconcile science and religion because it began after the Enlightenment, teaches believers to embrace all truth, encourages broad education, and includes revelations that command disciples to study the world around them. When science and faith appear to conflict, the answer is not panic or dogmatism, but humility, patience, and continued learning.
Watch the Church History Matters Episode on Science and Religion
Why the Science vs. Religion Debate Matters
The episode begins by acknowledging the familiar cultural narrative that science and religion are enemies.
On one side is the laboratory, the microscope, evidence, and the scientific method.
On the other side is the chapel, scripture, revelation, and faith.
People are often told that they have to choose one side or the other: if science is right, religion must be wrong, or if religion is right, scientific conclusions must be rejected.
The hosts challenge that assumption.
They ask whether the supposed battlefield between science and religion is truly unavoidable or whether it is sometimes a manufactured dilemma.
Their Latter-day Saint starting point is simple: truth is truth, regardless of where it is discovered.
Galileo and the Historical Conflict Between Science and Religion
The hosts do not pretend that tension between religion and science has never existed.
They begin with Galileo as the classic historical example.
Galileo defended heliocentrism, the idea that Earth moves around the sun rather than the sun revolving around Earth.
His scientific conclusions came into direct conflict with the position defended by Catholic authorities at the time.
According to the discussion, Galileo was prohibited from defending heliocentrism, later forced to recant, had his book banned, and spent the remainder of his life under house arrest.
The hosts openly acknowledge that Christian institutions have, at times, resisted scientific findings when those findings appeared to threaten established religious assumptions.
That history helps explain why many people still assume religion and science must inevitably be enemies.
Why Some Critics Say Science and Religion Cannot Coexist
The episode also looks at prominent critics of religion.
Robert Green Ingersoll, known as the “Great Agnostic,” argued that there was no harmony between religion and science.
Modern evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has gone even further, portraying religion not simply as unnecessary but as something that interferes with the search for genuine explanations.
The hosts do not dismiss these views without consideration.
Instead, they acknowledge that the conflict model has a long history and has been defended passionately by many intelligent people.
But they argue that it is not the only possible model.
Science and Religion Can Be Complementary Paths to Truth
The discussion then turns to thinkers who reject the idea that science and religion must always be in conflict.
The hosts quote Albert Einstein’s famous statement:
“Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.”
The idea is that science and religion contribute different kinds of understanding.
Science helps explain facts and processes in the natural world.
Religion addresses questions of meaning, value, purpose, morality, and humanity’s relationship with God.
The two do not have to perform the same function in order to be compatible.
Brigham Young on True Science and True Religion
The hosts connect Einstein’s idea with an earlier statement from Brigham Young.
Brigham Young rejected the assumption that Christ’s religion and science were fundamentally separate. He taught that true science and true religion ultimately belong together.
For the hosts, this captures the basic position of the episode:
Truth discovered through science and truth revealed by God cannot ultimately contradict each other if both are genuinely true.
Why the Restoration Is Uniquely Positioned to Embrace Science
The hosts identify three major reasons why they believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is particularly well positioned to reconcile faith and scientific inquiry.
These reasons are:
- The Restoration began after the Enlightenment.
- Latter-day Saint theology explicitly embraces all truth.
- Restoration scripture commands broad learning and intellectual inquiry.
1. The Restoration Began After the Enlightenment
The first major point is historical.
The Restoration began in the nineteenth century, after the scientific and philosophical upheavals associated with figures such as Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, and Enlightenment thinkers.
That matters because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not originate in medieval Christianity.
It entered history after heliocentrism had become widely accepted and during a period of rapid scientific and technological development.
The Church was born into a world shaped by:
- The printing press.
- Expanding literacy.
- Steam power.
- Railroads.
- Scientific experimentation.
- Rapid technological innovation.
The hosts argue that this allowed the Restoration to avoid some of the older conflicts that had burdened pre-Enlightenment Christian institutions.
The Church Quickly Used New Technology
The hosts note that Latter-day Saints often embraced new technology quickly.
Printing helped missionaries spread the gospel.
Railroads eventually made migration easier.
New communication technologies helped connect expanding Church communities.
The hosts acknowledge that Church leaders have not responded perfectly to every scientific development, but they argue that the overall pattern has been one of substantial openness to learning and innovation.
The Restoration Began in a Highly Documented Age
The episode also quotes author Jon Krakauer, who observed that the Latter-day Saint movement emerged in a literate society during the age of the printing press.
Because of this, the origins of the Restoration are unusually well documented compared with many ancient religious movements.
Letters, journals, newspapers, minutes, printed books, and firsthand accounts preserve the development of the early Church in remarkable detail.
The hosts see this as another feature of the Restoration’s relationship with modern intellectual inquiry.
2. Latter-day Saint Theology Embraces All Truth
The second major reason is theological.
The hosts emphasize Joseph Smith’s expansive understanding of truth.
Joseph taught that Latter-day Saints should be willing to accept “all and every item of truth without limitation” when it is clearly demonstrated.
For the hosts, that statement has enormous implications.
A genuine scientific truth should not threaten the restored gospel simply because it was discovered through chemistry, biology, physics, geology, astronomy, or another academic discipline.
If something is true, it belongs within the totality of God’s truth.
Knowledge Continues Into the Resurrection
The discussion also points to Restoration scripture teaching that whatever intelligence a person gains in this life rises with them in the resurrection.
Learning therefore has eternal significance.
Education is not merely preparation for employment.
Gaining knowledge is part of spiritual development.
Brigham Young Saw Science as Part of Religion
The hosts quote Brigham Young extensively to show how broadly he understood religion.
He taught that lectures on astronomy, chemistry, geology, language, agriculture, and business could all properly belong within religious life.
Anything true that improved the mind, elevated human feeling, or expanded human capability belonged within the gospel’s embrace.
This blurs the modern distinction between “religious” and “secular” knowledge.
For Brigham Young, truth itself was sacred.
Parley P. Pratt Called Theology a Science
The hosts then turn to Parley P. Pratt and his influential work Key to the Science of Theology.
Pratt described theology as a science involving communication between God, angels, spirits, and human beings through revelation, prophecy, visions, dreams, and inspiration.
He connected theology with many other branches of knowledge, including:
- Astronomy.
- History.
- Mathematics.
- Geography.
- Languages.
- Agriculture.
- Architecture.
- Mechanical arts.
- Navigation.
- Music.
The hosts do not argue that every modern reader has to accept Pratt’s exact classification of knowledge.
What matters to them is the lack of fear in his approach.
Pratt did not see God as threatened by scientific discovery.
He saw studying creation as one way of learning more about the Creator.
Early Latter-day Saint Leaders Embraced Scientific Learning
The episode gives several historical examples of Church leaders actively participating in intellectual and scientific life.
Orson Pratt established an observatory in Salt Lake City.
Wilford Woodruff helped encourage organizations designed to expose Latter-day Saints to new scientific and philosophical ideas.
By the early twentieth century, several apostles had substantial academic and scientific backgrounds.
The hosts mention:
- James E. Talmage, a geologist.
- John A. Widtsoe, an agronomist.
- Richard R. Lyman, a chemist.
- Joseph F. Merrill, a physicist.
These leaders served alongside Church authorities who preferred more literal interpretations of scripture.
The hosts acknowledge that disagreements occurred, but they see something significant in the fact that both perspectives could exist within senior Church leadership.
3. Restoration Scripture Commands Broad Learning
The third major argument comes from the Doctrine and Covenants.
The hosts focus especially on Doctrine and Covenants 88, where the Lord instructs the early elders to study broadly.
The curriculum includes knowledge of:
- Things in heaven.
- Things on Earth.
- Things under the Earth.
- Things that have happened.
- Things currently happening.
- Things that will happen.
- Countries and kingdoms.
- Wars and international affairs.
- Law and history.
The hosts observe that this sounds like a broad university curriculum rather than a narrow religious training program.
The Lord wants His servants to understand the world because that knowledge can help them fulfill their mission.
“All Things Unto Me Are Spiritual”
The discussion connects this with Doctrine and Covenants 29, where the Lord teaches that all things are spiritual unto Him.
Human beings often separate the world into sacred and secular categories.
The hosts suggest that God may not make that division in the same way.
Knowledge of science, history, politics, culture, and society can all become useful in building Zion and serving God’s children.
Doctrine and Covenants 101 and Knowledge in the Millennium
The hosts also highlight Doctrine and Covenants 101, where the Lord promises that hidden things will eventually be revealed.
The revelation includes knowledge about:
- Things that have happened in the past.
- Hidden things people have not known.
- The Earth and how it was made.
- Things above and beneath the Earth.
- Things in heaven.
The hosts humorously imagine what education might be like in the Millennium when the Creator Himself can answer questions about stars, geology, history, and creation.
The larger point is that Restoration scripture portrays knowledge about the natural world as worthwhile and spiritually relevant.
Education for Latter-day Saints Is a Commandment
The discussion cites Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s teaching that education for Latter-day Saints is not simply a good idea but a commandment.
This reinforces the hosts’ broader argument that believers should not fear serious learning.
The Restoration encourages disciples to expand their minds and pursue truth wherever it can be found.
Science and Religion Are Different Ways of Knowing
After establishing that science should not be feared, the hosts turn to an important distinction.
Science and religion are not identical.
They use different tools and gather different kinds of evidence.
The discussion draws heavily from BYU biology professor Dr. Jamie Jensen, who describes science and religion as “symbiotic paths to truth.”
How Scientific Knowledge Works
Scientific knowledge comes through gathering evidence from the natural world and using that evidence to create explanations for natural phenomena.
Science relies on observation, experimentation, measurement, prediction, and repeated testing.
How Religious Knowledge Works
Religious faith also involves a process of seeking evidence, but the evidence is different.
Religious knowledge comes through scripture study, prayer, revelation, experience, and the influence of the Holy Ghost.
These experiences may not be externally measurable in the same way as laboratory data, but the hosts argue that they can still constitute real evidence for the person experiencing them.
Moroni 10 as a Spiritual Experiment
The hosts use Moroni 10:3–5 as an example of spiritual testing.
Moroni invites readers to:
- Read the record.
- Remember God’s mercy.
- Ask God whether it is true.
- Ask with sincerity and faith in Jesus Christ.
- Receive confirmation through the Holy Ghost.
The hosts compare this with a basic hypothesis-and-test structure.
The spiritual evidence is not physical or measurable in a scientific sense, but the process still involves a claim, an experiment, and an expected result.
Alma 32 and “Experiment Upon the Word”
The hosts see an even stronger parallel in Alma 32.
Alma explicitly invites people to “experiment upon” the word.
The seed is planted and then observed.
Does it enlarge the soul?
Does it enlighten understanding?
Does it begin to feel good and spiritually nourishing?
Alma describes these inward effects as real and discernible.
The hosts acknowledge that a scientist would not classify those inward spiritual experiences as scientific evidence.
But they argue that spiritual truth can still be approached through its own legitimate method.
Science Is Not Atheistic—Science Is Agnostic
One of the most important ideas in the episode is Dr. Jensen’s statement that science is not atheistic and it is not theistic; science is agnostic.
Science does not begin by declaring that God exists.
It also does not begin by declaring that God does not exist.
Its purpose is to investigate natural phenomena.
Questions about God’s existence belong outside the limits of what scientific methodology is designed to establish directly.
Why This Distinction Matters for Evolution and Faith
The episode discusses research showing that many college students assume that accepting evolution requires rejecting belief in God.
The hosts argue that this assumption harms both science and religion.
Religious students may reject scientific evidence because they mistakenly believe accepting it automatically means accepting atheism.
But evolutionary science itself does not make a theological declaration about whether God exists.
It attempts to explain biological diversity through natural processes.
Science Cannot Prove or Disprove God’s Existence
The hosts emphasize that there is no scientific evidence that decisively proves or disproves God’s existence.
Science is designed to investigate the natural world.
The existence and purposes of God involve a different category of questions.
Therefore, saying “science proves there is no God” goes beyond what the scientific method can establish.
Likewise, claiming that science alone proves God exists would also move beyond science’s methodological limits.
Francis Collins and the Limits of Atheism
The discussion references scientist Francis Collins, who described his own journey toward belief.
Collins initially wanted to understand why intelligent people could believe in God.
He eventually concluded that atheism itself required making a philosophical claim that science could not prove—the universal negative that God does not exist.
The hosts use his experience to distinguish between scientific findings and philosophical interpretations of those findings.
Dogmatism Can Harm Both Science and Religion
The hosts then turn to one of the central practical lessons of the episode: avoid dogmatism.
If something in science seems to conflict with faith, do not immediately discard your faith.
If something seems to conflict with your current understanding of science, do not automatically refuse to examine it.
Instead:
- Be patient.
- Think slowly.
- Keep learning.
- Recognize the limits of current knowledge.
- Remain open to truth from both directions.
The hosts argue that some apparent conflicts disappear as knowledge increases.
President Russell M. Nelson on Science and Religion
The episode quotes President Russell M. Nelson, who taught:
“There is no conflict between science and religion. Conflict only arises from an incomplete knowledge of either science or religion or both.”
The hosts find this particularly compelling because President Nelson was both a renowned heart surgeon and an Apostle.
He had extensive experience in both scientific inquiry and religious faith.
The hosts also point out that everyone possesses incomplete knowledge.
Therefore, temporary tension between science and religion should not surprise us.
Humility Is the Antidote to Dogmatism
The hosts argue that humility is essential in both science and faith.
A responsible scientist recognizes that current models may be refined when new evidence appears.
A faithful believer can hold strong convictions while acknowledging that personal interpretations of scripture may not always be complete.
The hosts reference Adam Grant’s book Think Again and praise people who are willing to reconsider assumptions in light of better information.
Changing one’s understanding when new truth appears is not weakness.
It is intellectual humility.
How Should Latter-day Saints Read Genesis Alongside Science?
The hosts preview future episodes involving Genesis, creation, evolution, and other questions surrounding origins.
The opening chapters of Genesis have often become a battleground between believers and scientists.
Questions can include:
- How old is the Earth?
- How did life develop?
- What does creation mean?
- How should Adam and Eve be understood?
- How should scripture and scientific discovery interact?
The hosts encourage Latter-day Saints to approach these questions without assuming that every apparent tension must immediately be resolved.
Both scientific and religious understanding remain incomplete.
Science and Religion Answer Different Types of Questions
Near the end of the episode, the hosts offer one of their clearest frameworks.
Science and religion are tools.
Different tools are designed for different tasks.
A hammer is useful for driving a nail but useless for measuring liquid volume.
A measuring cup can measure volume but cannot efficiently tighten a screw.
Likewise, science and religion excel at different kinds of questions.
What Questions Does Science Answer?
Scientific inquiry is especially designed to investigate questions such as:
- What happened?
- How did it happen?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- What natural processes are involved?
What Questions Does Religion Answer?
Religion is particularly concerned with questions such as:
- Why does life exist?
- What is our purpose?
- What should we become?
- What is our relationship with God?
- What is morally right?
- What happens after death?
- Why did God create the Earth?
The hosts argue that many unnecessary conflicts arise when people try to force one tool to answer a question better suited to the other.
Why Genesis Should Not Be Treated Like a Modern Science Textbook
This distinction has major implications for scripture.
If someone wants to determine the physical age of the Earth, scientific methods such as geology and physics provide appropriate tools.
If someone wants to understand why God created the Earth or what humanity’s relationship with Him should be, scripture and revelation become essential.
The hosts therefore caution against forcing Genesis, Moses, or Abraham to function primarily as modern scientific textbooks.
These texts are deeply concerned with meaning, covenant, purpose, and humanity’s relationship with God.
Stephen L. Richards: Keep Your Mind and Heart Open
The episode concludes with counsel from Elder Stephen L. Richards written to college students in 1933.
He encouraged believers to keep both their minds and hearts open.
True science and true religion, he taught, both seek truth.
Their fields may be different, but their purposes can work together:
- To enlighten humanity.
- To give people power.
- To make people better.
- To bring joy.
He also warned students not to abandon something of proven value too quickly simply because a new idea appears.
The hosts see that counsel as a model for navigating difficult questions today.
Final Takeaway: Latter-day Saints Do Not Need to Choose Between Faith and Science
The central message of this Church History Matters episode is that Latter-day Saints do not need to choose between serious scientific inquiry and serious religious faith.
The Restoration provides unusual reasons to embrace both.
The Church began after the Enlightenment.
Joseph Smith taught believers to embrace every truth.
Brigham Young treated scientific knowledge as part of religion.
Early Church leaders included scientists, academics, and intellectuals.
The Doctrine and Covenants commands disciples to study broadly.
The Book of Mormon encourages people to experiment upon spiritual claims and seek personal evidence through the Holy Ghost.
Science and religion are not identical. They use different methods, gather different kinds of evidence, and often answer different questions.
But that does not make them enemies.
When scientific evidence and religious understanding appear to conflict, the hosts encourage believers to resist panic and premature conclusions.
Be patient.
Continue studying.
Question assumptions.
Remain humble.
Trust that genuine truth cannot ultimately contradict genuine truth.
For Latter-day Saints, learning about God’s creation can become part of discipleship itself. Scientific inquiry can help explain how the universe works, while revelation and faith help answer why creation matters and what God intends His children to become.
In that sense, science and religion can become what Dr. Jamie Jensen calls “symbiotic paths to truth”—different tools working together in the larger Latter-day Saint search for knowledge, faith, and eternal life.