Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Big Bang Theory and Mormonism

Some of the things these scientists come up with are so utterly ridiculous that they aren’t even worth mentioning but this so called Big Bang theory of creation seems to have thrown a lot of people off course such that a prophet of the Lord has finally decided to put his foot down and set the record straight once and for all. 

According to Wikipedia (with my comments in brackets) “The Big Bang is a well-tested scientific theory (how on earth they could go about testing an explosion that supposedly occurred billions of years ago is beyond me) which is widely accepted within the scientific community because it is the most accurate and comprehensive explanation for the full range of phenomena astronomers observe. Since its conception, abundant evidence has arisen to further validate the model.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

With such nonsense on the Internet leading people astray it is all the more important for our prophets to speak out and one has done so at a time when it will have the most impact, even at the Sunday morning session of the April 2012 General Conference. 

Apostle Elder Nelson in speaking about the wonders of the human body said the following:
* “Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere.”  And then he goes on to show how utterly ridiculous this line of thinking is by saying “Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!”

For the first time in my life I am going to have to admit that I honestly don’t think I could have said it better myself.  In fact from now on whenever someone says that they think our creation is a direct result of some explosion that occurred billions of years ago I will be using this precise example to prove them wrong.   

And once they realize (much to their embarrassment, I might add) just how wrong they are they will be open to learning the truth. And the plain and precious truth of the gospel always makes perfect sense such that even a child can comprehend.  So as a Stake President after teaching them the truths of the gospel I would look them in the eye and ask the following poignant question; "What sounds more plausible to you; that a big bang set in motion the events that led to our creation or that it was done by a glorified human being who according to the scriptural account in Abraham resides in the Kokaubeam right next to the ruling planet named Kolob?"




*http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes - am I ever glad you posted this as it shows just how inspired our leaders are on subjects like this.

After all, if the Universe did have a beginning then there was a point in time when nothing existed. - Which begs the question. Then how could a Glorified being have a physical body if there was no universe prior in order to obtain one?

oh right, we would be left with the God of the rest of the uninspired fallen world, one without parts or passion that is large enough to fill the immensity of space yet small enough to penetrate even a human heart. - and Joseph blew that idea right out of the water in the grove.

But then that brings up another question then Pres - If the universe is eternal (had no beginning) - and God has a body and he got this body from his Heavenly Father who got it from his Heavenly Father who got it from his Heavenly Father- etc all the way back into the eternal past, then who was the first Heavenly Father to start the whole thing in the first place?

Anonymous said...

Great post. This just goes to show you don't ask a theist questions about science because in their lack of understanding they resort to petty misguided ramblings of self gratification. Pick up a book thats not a bible and maybe you'll begin to understand the truth of life.
P.s. No one with half a brain thinks lightning hit a rock and poof life arose.

Unknown said...

It's Heavenly Fathers all the way down.

anditcametopass said...

I truly believe in The Big Bang. I watch it all the time. My favorite is Sheldon.

Anonymous said...

That was my favorite talk at conference too. I like how he skipped over the concept of evolution by natural selection and went all the way back to the big bang. I guess there is no reason discussing these "incomprehensible" theories as he explained in an interview:

Conservative denominations tend to have more trouble with Darwinian evolution. Does the church have an official position on this topic?
Elder Nelson: ... to think that man evolved from one species to another is, to me, incomprehensible.
Why is that?
Elder Nelson: Man has always been man. Dogs have always been dogs. Monkeys have always been monkeys. It's just the way genetics works.
2007 http://pewforum.org/PublicationPage.aspx?id=3838

Of course, in the same interview, Elder Wickman adeptly explained that if the Lord didn't explain it in the scriptures, there isn't time for the leaders of the church to think about it:

Wickman: The Scripture describing the Lord as the creator of all of these things says very little about how it was done. I don't know of anybody in the ranks of the First Presidency and the Twelve [Apostles] who has ever spent much time worrying about this matter of evolution.

I guess if I read my scriptures more I wouldn't have time to worry about it either.

Anonymous said...

The biggest bang was when I got conceeveded by my mom and by my dad who I guess did all the bangin and some other stuff to probably.

Anonymous said...

*** NOTE TO THE READER OF THIS BLOG ***

This is NOT a website sanctioned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nor is "President Paternoster" a stake president within the Church. Rather, this site is farce, and [usually] not good farce, at that.

Most of the posts here are written by quasi-apostates who mock those who are sincerely striving, albeit imperfectly, to follow Jesus.

Caveat utilitor.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe there is any mocking going on ... After all surely the people who live on the moon ... Just like their counterparts who live on the sun would most certainly agree ?! NO ?

Mahonri Kimball said...

To some, Elder Nelson's comments appear totally uninformed. If I did not know better, I would hide my head in shame (as a fellow physician), that one among our number could exhibit such apparent ignorance about scientific issues. The average 5th grader probably knows that the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, and the evolution of life on Earth are three completely separate questions with completely different relevant theories.

Sometimes the Lord tests us by having his mouthpiece on Earth make statements that appear ridiculous in light of present knowledge. This is done that we might increase out faith. Where there is knowledge, there is no need of faith. Faith is what lets us keep believing in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. We must generate greater faith as evidence against Mormon dogma accumulates. My faith has been greatly increased by Elder Nelsons comments.

The purpose of General Conference is to help us to increase our faith, NOT, to teach us about scientific principles.

I am thankful for this opportunity to increase my faith. Only by exercising great faith am I able to rationalize such uninformed comments by someone with a direct line to the mind and will of the Lord.
Even so, Amen

Guitar5986 said...

Well obviously anything that is beyond such a well informed, open minded, and educated individual such as yourself to understand must be false.

The sheer amount of ignorance and uninformed nonsense written here is utterly amazing. The theists who enjoy all of the benefits science makes to our everyday lives are the first to condemn hard evidence that infringes upon their dogmatic bronze-age myths. Elder Nelson has a very apparent lack of understanding for the subjects which he is preaching against. Religion waves the banner of stupidity and gullibility once again...

Anonymous said...

I am pretty sure Brother Brigham
was tutored on the Big Bang theory, after all he had 57 wives- what else could you call it.

Anonymous said...

Please read these scriptures Isaiah 42.5, 44:24, 45:12, 52:13.

I am of the opinion to be open minded and open hearted to truth wherever it comes from.

The main thing I love about science is that attempts to give evidence to its question.
If religion can provide a good explanation of how things came to be and provide evidence for it, great lets see it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. What a wonderful post. I've been trying to convince some fellow scientists that Mormons are scientifically illiterate and anti-science. They thought I was exaggerating -- until I showed them your post.

Anonymous said...

I am really glad you are not my stake president. You clearly are not led by the spirit in your writing or in your mission in maintaining such a blog. Shame on you for using your position in the church to push your own agenda and narrow ideas. Why don't you educate yourself by examining the church's stance on cosmology and listening to Elder Maxwell's wonderful talks and the recent talk by Elder Ballard in General Conference. And then while you are at it, please pick up a copy of Jesus the Christ and educate yourself more on the Savior. You may be amazed what a little praying and studying can do to open up such a narrow mind.

Anonymous said...

The Big bang Theory may be correct, although there also may be truth that a Supreme being controlled and created that Big Bang. So, both could be correct. Matter has always existed...as in, there never was a beginning of matter in and of itself. What form was it in? who knows? that is speculation. But, what I see around me everywhere on earth and in space is that no way could time and matter have begun just less than 15,000,000,000 years ago..how about this number (.......00000000000000000...............................On and on and on forever without end or beginning as taught in the scriptures (the Bible)(The Book of Mormon)(The Doctrine and Covenants)(The Pearl of Great Price)(Quran) and many other scriptures unseen or found yet....whether we believe or disbelieve there is a fact that our knowledge and understanding doesn't come from thin air and we just think it and know it..that knowledge and understanding came from somewhere...Someone else taught it to your brain...(The Holy Ghost)(God)(Jesus Christ)they are the creators of the Universe...or would I say the High Intelligences that created our universe we see...I know more and understand more and would like to teach it if you are willing to here what I have to teach...My knowledge is good and I receive my knowledge from learning...but not from thin air or a big bang..It was passed on to me by someone smarter than me...or someone who just had that knowledge to pass on to me...So, the big bang couldn't have started all by itself...Impossible..very Impossible...

James Allred said...

Alright I am 12 and I have the Arronic PriestHood. I have thought about this before. And I believe he uses science, math, etc and thats why he wants us all to learn those subjects, that and he wants us to be able to support a family. And I think that he has multiple deminsions or if not demenisions maybe look at it as universes, Moses Chapter 1 35 "But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I aknow them." And these other 'Universes' light hasn't reached us yet they are so far away. We could be alone in our universe. He could make as many universes as he wants imagine a river of water and each molicule of water is a universe and then that river connects into a endless ocean full of them. And to create all this matter to create our Earth, Stars, Moons, Dwarf Planets, Animals, Plants, Everything we know. Anyways this is just my theory it could be very wrong.

Josh said...

“The Big Bang is a well-tested scientific theory (how on earth they could go about testing an explosion that supposedly occurred billions of years ago is beyond me)

And this is exactly why you are unqualified to assess how feasible a big bang was. There are indeed ways to test whether is was feasible, and how likely it was. The only way the big bang could disprove God is if you let it. I prefer to think the big bang could have been constructed and executed by God, if that is what happened.

Unknown said...

Couldn't God have created the universe by using the Big Bang Theory. Religion and science can go together. We do not know exactly how God created the universe. It could have been similar to something like the Big Bang Theory.

Unknown said...

I totally agree with you. People choose to let science and religion clash rather than seeing how they can come together.

Unknown said...

Couldn't God have created the universe by using the Big Bang Theory. Religion and science can go together. We do not know exactly how God created the universe. It could have been similar to something like the Big Bang Theory.

Anonymous said...

"(how on earth they could go about testing an explosion that supposedly occurred billions of years ago is beyond me) "

I could write until my hands fell off about how ignorant this is. Because YOU do not understand something. That means it its not true. So with that logic God could not be true because I doubt you understand him. Or quantum mechanics for that matter.

Anonymous said...

Ignorance has been defined as the absolute rejection of something you don't understand. This is a two-way street - scientists not reading and pondering scriptures and religious people not reading and pondering scientific progress. Rather than putting his foot down, then Elder Nelson opened a can of worms that was best left closed. I believe he has caused more cognitive dissidence among our members than he can salvage even as our prophet.
By the way, the Big Bang was not an explosion, it was an expansion or inflation of space. Like I mentioned, ignorance is the absolute rejection of something you don't understand and it seems so prolific in the comments above.