Rodney J. Brown, who is the current dean of the College of Life Sciences at BYU, wrote the following addressing the question as to whether (macro) evolution should be studied:
Should we study evolution?
We should study every scientific theory, including evolution, and many other subjects.
“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
“Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms” (D&C 88:78-79)
A prominent scientist at Brigham Young University addressed this topic as follows:
“To me evolution is simply the scientific study of the underlying mechanics of the creative process. It studies the patterns of creation and seeks to define the processes which gave rise to these patterns. It does not preclude the existence of God, nor does it challenge His role in the creation. I ask, ‘What does the creative process teach me about the nature of the Creator?’ My studies lead me to believe that not only did the Lord create the earth, but that He did so in a supremely intelligent fashion.
“I believe the Lord set certain laws which resulted in a world filled with diversity, beauty, form; each species interacting with every other, tied together in a glorious whole. I do not understand what all these laws are, which is why I study the things I do.
“So what do we do when some ideas in evolutionary theory seem to contradict the doctrines of the Church, or when people around us seem unsettled by ideas they find hard to reconcile?
“Let me suggest that we should be humble.
“Let’s not insist that we must have all the answers and have them now. Let’s not demand that the Lord reveal it now or that the scientists stop studying it now. Let’s stop thinking that we know more than we do. The Lord has not yet revealed the mechanics of creation. And scientists are still probing around in the dark, the best we can do, to try and understand even the basics of the creative process. In the meantime, let’s be humble and grateful to live in a world which inspires such deep contemplation” (“The Genetic Tree of Lie: Some Assembly Required,” BYU BioAg Magazine [Fall 2005]: 8-9) (Rodney J. Brown, Mormons and Science: Setting the Record Straight [Orem, Utah: Millennial Press, 2008], 32-34)
“Let’s not insist that we must have all the answers and have them now. Let’s not demand that the Lord reveal it now or that the scientists stop studying it now. Let’s stop thinking that we know more than we do. The Lord has not yet revealed the mechanics of creation. And scientists are still probing around in the dark, the best we can do, to try and understand even the basics of the creative process. In the meantime, let’s be humble and grateful to live in a world which inspires such deep contemplation” (“The Genetic Tree of Lie: Some Assembly Required,” BYU BioAg Magazine [Fall 2005]: 8-9) (Rodney J. Brown, Mormons and Science: Setting the Record Straight [Orem, Utah: Millennial Press, 2008], 32-34)
