An LDS Case Study: How Science Denial Fuels Racism in the Mormon Church
Major
Anthropology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2026
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The conflict between science and religion is present within the spheres of race and the Latter-day doctrine. This presentation dives into the origin of humans and races, as explained by scientific observation and religious forces. Through a scientific lens, the development of human races is explained through evolution and adaptation to environmental factors. In contrast, the founding texts and teachings of the LDS church explain this with a divine creator making a conscious choice. By diving deep into these differing explanations, this presentation will explore how the denial of science creates room for racial prejudice in the Mormon church.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Hans Svebakken
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
An LDS Case Study: How Science Denial Fuels Racism in the Mormon Church
The conflict between science and religion is present within the spheres of race and the Latter-day doctrine. This presentation dives into the origin of humans and races, as explained by scientific observation and religious forces. Through a scientific lens, the development of human races is explained through evolution and adaptation to environmental factors. In contrast, the founding texts and teachings of the LDS church explain this with a divine creator making a conscious choice. By diving deep into these differing explanations, this presentation will explore how the denial of science creates room for racial prejudice in the Mormon church.