Editor’s note: The following is an adapted excerpt from Aaron D. Franklin’s book What is Truth? Navigating a World of Faith, Science, and Noise.
Open bars during receptions at scientific conferences … provide more opportunities to discuss my faith than almost any other setting. To socialize in these settings with a fizzy glass of Coca-Cola in your hand is like wearing a neon sign that says, “Ask me why I’m different!” As a naturally high-energy person, I once had a very engaging and animated group discussion at a conference reception. Afterward, a fellow professor told me I was “the most fun sober person” he’d ever met. I’ve since thought about memorializing that on a T-shirt.
During one conference reception, I was asked the expected question about why I don’t drink alcohol, and I provided the well-worn answer: “For religious reasons—I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” This seemed to stun the person for a moment. They remarked they had known several members of my church over the years and were curious about how I’m able to balance the scientific reality of things with my religious beliefs. This wasn’t the typical follow-up question I’d come to expect. In all the conference receptions and dinner events I’d been to over the years, the responses were either changing the topic or a few basic questions about the Church, whether I had served a mission, that sort of thing.
Despite the uniqueness of the question, my response came quickly. “It’s simple,” I said. “I don’t compartmentalize. Truth is truth. Some of it I discover following scientific methods in the lab with empirical evidence, while other truths I discover by exercising faith in my life with experiential evidence.”
Since that interaction, I’ve given more thought to the question I was asked amid a crowd of inebriated scientists. While my abstention from the free alcohol might have been the most obvious difference, there was something much deeper which set me apart from many of my peers—my view of truth. Over the years, I’ve learned that while many scientists do believe in God, blending the scientific and religious worlds can be seen as taboo to some. To me, however, they’re inseparable. …
Then-Elder Russell M. Nelson’s counsel on this topic, provided at the dedication of the Brigham Young University Life Sciences Building, sums this up well:
“All truth is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether truth comes from a scientific laboratory or by revelation from the Lord, it is compatible. ... There is no conflict between science and religion. Conflict only arises from an incomplete knowledge of either science or religion—or both.”
More articles for you:
▶ Do we over-say ‘I know’?
▶ What to do if your spouse questions the Church: One husband’s inspiring approach
▶ It’s time we stop limiting revelation to a ‘burning in the bosom’
