The Vision of the Lord Directing Abraham to Count the Stars , wood engraving, 1860, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Where Science Meets the Old Testament, for the Come Follow Me lesson January 12-18; Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5   The Babylonians, apparently, invented the base-seven week, along with a seven-day creation cycle, around 2,000 BC, not for mathematical reasons, but because of their astronomy and religion, and founded on the seven visible, “movable” celestial

Archangel Michael Defeating Satan, by Guido Reni (1575-1642) Where Science Meets the Old Testament, for the Come Follow Me lesson January 5-11; Moses 1   Genesis 1:1 states, “In the  beginning   God   created  the  heaven  and the  earth .” That’s it, no introduction, no preparatory statement even as to who might be writing those words. By contrast, Moses 2:1 states, “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I  reveal  unto you concerning this  heav

Ezra Reading the Law for the People, Nehemiah 8:5-6, Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours, 1866. This etching is a bit inaccurate as it suggests Ezra was reading from the stone tablets, which by then had been lost. Where Science Meets the Old Testament, for the Come Follow Me lesson December 29–January 4: Introduction to the Old Testament   The following is an excerpt from part of a chapter in my forthcoming book: Noah’s Flood and the Philosophies of Men

Statue of Christ, 1833, by Bertel Thorvaldsen, Vor Frue Kirke (Our Lady’s Church), Copenhagen; the inscription at the base reads “Kommer til mig” (“Come to me”). This is the original white  Carrara marble  statue; Wikimedia Commons Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Dec 22-28; Christmas   I cite here a portion of The Living Christ, The Testimony of the Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, January 1, 2000. 1  I h

History of the discovery of the “sex-determining region Y” (Sry) gene, located on the Y Chromosome (after Du and Taylor, 2015). 1   Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Dec 15-21; The Family: A Proclamation to the World   The Family: A Proclamation to the World , read by President Gordon B. Hinckley, September 23, 1995, states, “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter o

White Dwarf Star—the Future of Our Solar System Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Dec 8-14; The Articles of Faith  and  Official Declarations 1  and  2   The Articles of Faith , #10 states, “We believe in the literal  gathering  of Israel and in the restoration of the  Ten Tribes ; that  Zion  (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will  reign  personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will b

The   Death of a Good Old Man , illustrated by  William Blake , engraved by  Luigi Schiavonetti , 1813. From “The Grave”, a Poem by Robert Blair. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 17.3.2399, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917. Public domain. Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Dec 1-7; Doctrine and Covenants 137-138   Doctrine and Covenants section 138 was a vision given to President Joseph F. Smith in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 3, 1918

Percent of energy and matter in the known Universe. 1 Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Nov 24-30; Doctrine and Covenants 135-136   Doctrine and Covenants Section 136 was, “The word and will of the Lord, given through President Brigham Young at Winter Quarters, the camp of Israel, Omaha Nation, on the west bank of the Missouri River, near Council Bluffs, Iowa.”   Doctrine and Covenants 136:32-33 states, “Let him that is  ignorant l

Pangea map, with names of the continents. 1   Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Nov 17-23; Doctrine and Covenants 133-134   We are told in Doctrine and Covenants 133:23-24 and 26-27, that at Christ’s Second Coming, “He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the  islands  shall become one land; And the  land of Jerusalem  and the land of  Zion  shall be turned back into their own place

Statue of the Angel Moroni on the Bern Switzerland Temple 1   Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Nov 10-16; Doctrine and Covenants 129-132   Sections 129-131 of the Doctrine and Covenants are riddled with verses that are frequently quoted, many dealing with scientific topics. These sections contain some profound and fascinating teachings, and are one reason I decided to take on the subject of science and the scriptures in the first p

I will be doing a book signing for my new book: Science and the Old Testament , at the Walrus and Carpenter bookstore, 251 N. Main Street, in Pocatello, next Saturday, November 8, 3-5 pm. I hope to see you there. Please tell your friends and family. Trent Stephens

Baptisms for the Dead in the Mississippi River, October 27 th , 1840; a portion of page 3 (1) of 102 pages, FamilySearch. 1   Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Nov 3-9; Doctrine and Covenants 125-128   Doctrine and Covenants sections 127-128 were letters from Joseph Smith to the Saints in Nauvoo. Section 127, verse 1; dated September 1, 1842; says, in part, “Forasmuch as the Lord has revealed unto me that my enemies, both in Missour

The Unfinished Nauvoo House, by Trent Stephens, drawn from the original oil on canvas, by David Hyrum Smith, circa 1865. Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Oct 27-Nov 2; Doctrine and Covenants 124   It seems clear to me that Doctrine and Covenants section 124 is a good example of the notion that all scripture is not equal. Other examples are sections 127 and 128, which are epistles from Joseph Smith to the Latter-day Saints at Nauvoo

The galaxy distribution in computer simulation, the image represents the large-scale light distribution in the Universe. James Webb Telescope, NASA Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson Oct 20-26; Doctrine and Covenants 121-123   By March 20, 1839, Joseph Smith and his companions had already been in the Liberty Jail for nearly four months, while the Saints, who had been driven from Missouri, were trying to find refuge in Illinois. It is

Human carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) with bound Zinc and carbon dioxide. Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come...

Photograph of Thomas B Marsh, Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints, 1835 Where Science Meets the Doctrine and...

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas , Caravaggio , 1601-1602 Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me...

Woman with Water Jug , 1660–1662 by  Johannes Vermeer Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me...

John A. Widtsoe (1872–1952) Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson September 15-21; Doctrine and...

Saint Joseph and the Christ Child; Guido Reni (1575-1642)   Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me...