The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormonism) and the religious implications of evolution.

Some words I never use because it's philosophy bullshit.

nihilism: the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.

moral relativism: Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others.

metaphysics: the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space.

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Is life meaningless? No, because we have chicken thighs.

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"The mission of Brigham Young University — founded, supported, and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. That assistance should provide a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued."
—BYU Mission Statement

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I know some Mormons. I like them. They're wealthy or on the way to being wealthy, and that's a good thing. Of course, their fantasies are ridiculous, especially the "eternal life" bullshit.

What about evolution? Not good. Most Mormons are science deniers. Human evolution makes them cry.

I found this at Which religious groups are Creationist? By Razib Khan | February 15, 2009.

In 1935 only 36 percent of the students at the Mormons’ Brigham Young University denied that humans had been “created in a process of evolution from lower forms.” By 1973 the figure had risen sharply to 81 percent.

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At the BYU student newspaper, this is what an anti-science god-soaked fucktard wrote. It's about the religious implications of evolution. To solve that problem he wants to throw out the science instead of throwing out his childish god-did-it fantasy.

Evolution and creation

Though it is admirable that BYU is attempting to reconcile religion and evolution in a way that students can effectively learn more about both, this attempt at reconciliation is, like all other attempts, ultimately doomed.

The theory of evolution is rooted in a purely naturalistic metaphysics. It assumes that all things can be reduced down to mere atoms bouncing against each other and that all aspects of life are nothing more than the result of random, meaningless chance. These assumptions ultimately imply a world where agency does not exist, choices are meaningless and there is no universal morality that we can ground ourselves in. It assumes there is no God.

On the other hand, the idea of creationism is rooted in an entirely different metaphysics. It makes its starting assumption that there is a God. It assumes that God created us, our world and the whole universe. It assumes that God is perfect, just, merciful, loving, and cares a great deal about our actions. It assumes we have agency to live morally and that life has meaning.

These two viewpoints, evolution and creationism, can never truly be reconciled because they are rooted in fundamentally opposed metaphysics. All attempts at reconciliation will fail because of this.

By all means, teach evolutionary theory in the classroom. But teach the assumptions and implications that go along with it. Teach how the theory of evolution, when really taken seriously, leads to determinism, nihilism, moral relativism and the death of God.

—Jacob Tubbs
Malad, Idaho