BOLD REASONING
Henry
didn’t stop at logical analysis of such fundamental doctrines as the existence
of God or His communicating through prophets and scripture. His reasoning
sometimes took him to the limits of imagination (and sometimes the limits of
official Church doctrine). For instance, based on a noted astronomer’s estimate
that the universe contains 100 million planets on which life might exist, Henry
reasoned,
It
is accordingly natural to conclude that the universe is flooded with intelligent
beings and, presumably, always has been. Any unfolding of intelligences that
may eventuate on this earth only repeats what has happened previously
elsewhere. (Eyring, Faith of a Scientist, 97)
To
the controversial question, “Are we going to create life?” he responded with
this reasoning:
You
know, it would be a pity if you could prove that it could not be done. It would
really be downright embarrassing, because I am already here. It must
have been done. Life has been created and I suspect, therefore, that it can be
done again. It is just a matter of knowing how. Some people think that they
would apostatize if somebody came out with a report that life was created—that
somehow it would violate some principle in the gospel. I wish that any of you who
feel that way would show me which one it is. We believe that the Lord did
create life. We believe that we are His children. We believe that if we learn
enough, someday we might be creative, too. However, do not worry about it.
Nobody has gotten a tub yet and mixed in some chemicals and had a man step out
of it. That is not here yet. (Eyring, “Science and Religion,” 3-4) (Henry J.
Eyring, Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book, 2007], 238-39)