"Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence."

“Opposition turns up almost anyplace something good has happened. It can happen when you are trying to get an education. It can hit you after your first month in your new mission field. It certainly happens in matters of love and marriage. … There are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been genuine illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. … Face your doubts. Master your fears. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence.’ Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence,” Brigham Young University devotional address, March 2, 1999

Who ever said God coudn't be a scientist?

After a couple of weeks (and a couple of weeks too many) of researching and discussing whether Evolution and Intelligent Design should be taught in public school science class, I am thoroughly fed up with anything controversial. Please don't attempt to discuss any of these matters with me for the rest of the month.

For the record, I am a stalwart believer that God created this earth and everything in it. Not only am I a believer, but I know this with every fiber of my being. How could I not believe without merely walking out my door each day, feeling the sun on my face and seeing how miraculous life actually is? As Alma eloquently states, "...All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44)

 That being said, the scientist in me is a proponent of not teaching Intelligent Design in science classes. Now before you call me a hypocrite, hear me out. Intelligent Design is not a theory based on scientific evidence and cannot be tested by quantitative means. It is merely an idea of how life came about, based on observations of "irreducible complexity" and backed by various religious beliefs. Based on the nature of science parameters, it is not a scientific theory and, therefore, doesn't have place in a science class. This does not mean that I don't think that is is a valuable concept to be taught, just in a different setting.

After watching videos and reading articles about the controversy and its issues of constitutionality, I cannot help but wonder how all of this blew up into such a big controversy in the first place. After all, we are a nation of free thought. Even God has given us the gift of agency, to act and choose for ourselves. When, as parents and teachers, do we allow our children to start thinking for themselves? When is it appropriate for us to quit spoon feeding them ideas and give them room to piece the puzzle together for themselves? I'm no expert on anything of this sort, but I'd like to think that we are raising individuals who can reason for themselves. I hate controversy. It makes my head hurt. Why can't we all just get along?

Midnight Musings

A month or so ago, as I was lying in my bed looking at my glow in the dark stars, a poem began to form in my mind. A welcome release it was, putting my emotions to words. Don't make fun, I'm still an amateur.

Separated

Lost and confused--

Torn from a life

I once knew.

Pieces

Of my heart are strewn

Tattered remnants

Waiting to be renewed.

Hope

There is yet a little left--

A constant light to guide

To places I could never guess.

Peace

A life to live must live on.

As a biology major, I was quite surprised to have this pop out of my head so easily. What a pleasant surprise it was. Lately I've been feeling frustrated with my brain though. Confusion has settled these past few days. I think it's the return of the Mono...ah the dreaded disease. Perhaps someday I won't feel its tired effects on my poor body. Until then, hope...there is yet a little left.