Thursday, August 25, 2022

Henry Eyring on Whether We Will Create Life

  

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)