“Change and decay in all around I see”

Evidence of dramatic climate change:

“Archaeologists find 300,000-year-old stone tools in Saudi Arabia: At the time, the Arabian Peninsula was a grassland dotted with lakes.”

A chilling prediction, if it’s accurate:

“We are heading for a New Cretaceous, not for a new normal”

But it’s not merely on Earth that things age and corrupt and perish:

“Astronomers witness slow death of nearby galaxy”

***

One of the greatest of Latter-day Saint scientists, beyond any reasonable question, is Henry Eyring (1901-1981), the father of the current apostle and second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of the same name.  Herewith, a few quotations from the elder Henry Eyring, who was not only a leading scientist but a thoughtful man of faith:

“Apparent contradictions between religion and science often have been the basis of bitter controversy. Such differences are to be expected as long as human understanding remains provisional and fragmentary.”

“Our understanding, great as it sometimes seems, can be nothing but the wide-eyed wonder of the child when measured against omniscience.”

“I perceive myself as rather uninhibited, with a certain mathematical facility and more interest in the broad aspect of a problem than the delicate nuances. I am more interested in discovering what is over the next rise than in assiduously cultivating the beautiful garden close at hand.”

“For one who feels compelled, as I do, to accept the existence of the Master Architect, it is important to examine his handiwork for the light it throws on him and on his program for his children. For me, there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion.”

“The more I try to unravel the mysteries of the world in which we live, the more I come to the conception of a single overruling power — God.”

“I believe that what is really important is that God can speak to us. If we have the humility to approach him in prayer with the right attitude, he can speak to our intelligence directly.”

“I would write a scientific paper with the devil, if it was on high temperatures. The fellow’s probably an authority.”

“Some people conclude that the injustices existing in the world prove there is no God. On the contrary, I conclude that God, being both just and merciful, will and can rectify all inequities in a life after death.”

“I have trouble understanding why people drift away from the Church. . . .  There are all kinds of contradictions that I don’’t understand, but I find the same kind of contradictions in science, and I haven’’t decided to apostatize from science.”