wondering out loud while watching NOVA program about space & 'outer space' research... origin of planets, etc. etc.


What do Mormons (know-it-alls about the creation, reasons we're here, etc)


think about (all the $ spent on) Space & outer space research?

Waste of $ ? interesting but won't change ANYTHING in eternal context, ????

Highly subjective I know, but any thoughts on this?

As a child who largely grew up during the Space Age (my Dad was a design engineer on medical monitoring equipment for astronauts), this is an interesting question.

The replies ought to be fun.

Thanks for this, GNPE!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2019 01:12AM by Tevai.

I think the church itself is largely disinterested in such things. But then it’s disinterested in most things unless it can label it as sinful. I doubt we’ll ever know how it officially stands on evolution or space travel, or anything else that is interesting. Whatever they say will be debunked by science later, so they’re not completely stupid, god just decides not to comment on things that are fundamentally important, apparently.

There have been mormons who are very interested in space, this is evidenced by their contribution to the sci-fi genre. Orson Scott Card wrote Enders Game (now a movie with Harrison Ford); mormons wrote Battlestar Galactica and apparently there were mormon themes throughout but I was too interested in the series itself to notice or care. As a note of interest, mormons are actually featured in the newer series The Expanse building the first/best long range spaceship just so they can reach kolob. The main characters steal the ship for something far more important to basically save humanity, and in doing so destroy the mormons’ planned exodus to kolob. I seem to remember one character complaining that now they were stuck with the mormons permanently but I might have imagined that part (makes me wonder if the writers were ex-mos). I thoroughly enjoyed that show.

Mormons in general in my experience tend to be all or nothing with their interest and thoughts on it. But the ‘all’ are careful, as they are with everything. I remember being disappointed as an investigator/new member when I was told that long distance space travel would never happen, because it isn’t destined to be in gods plan and the second coming will happen first. Maybe this is true of what mormon belief is on the subject, and hence the general disinterest. Perhaps someone else knows? If that’s true, and if (when) space travel (as in beyond the moon and other ‘short’ distance trips) does become an actual thing they will surely have to once again adjust their teachings. And if humans ever leave permanently for another planet I expect such religions won’t survive that, assuming mormonism is still around which i find hard to imagine.
Officially they will always say they support scientific research, blah blah blah. But I don’t think they care that much about it for the most part.

Being a mormon was SO BORING.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2019 07:00AM by LJ12.

This is from the mormon official website

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1971/04/people-on-other-worlds?lang=eng

Apparently aliens on other worlds MUST be humans, because god only created intelligent life in his image. Forgot that one. Imagine how disappointing that’s gonna be then. And aliens have been visiting us for the past 6000 years since the world began *cough* But it seems mormons are confused between angels and aliens.
Already I’m seeing some holes in the mormon interpretation of science. LOL. And yet this article claims that mormons know more about outer space than any other humans on the earth. *Laughing with tears emoji*

Science is fine in the Morg Inc world as long as the critical thinking skills don't overflow.

They (Mormons) are probably wondering why NOVA (show creators) and scientists just don't ask the church for the answers to, well everything.

After all, science will someday find out the church was right. Someday science will catch up with what the church knows!

Also, they manage to spin everything as needed to correlate to their current vague thinking. If that doesn't work, there is always cognitive dissonance.

When you believe a prophet is talking to god, all the space stuff is for the lesser-informed folks who don't have the inside scoop. :-)

I don't recall ever having any in-depth conversations with Utah Mormons about scientific space exploration, or astronomy, geology, evolution, paleontology, stem cell research, psychiatry, ecology, physics, nutrition.... Nope.... It might be because I'm a woman....

They certainly aren't interested in global warming, the environment, saving endangered species (most like to hunt), rescuing pets, donating money to the Red Cross or hospitals, etc.

As an example of how out-of-touch the Mormon church is--it's the only group I've heard of that goes into impoverished countries to ask them for money! LOL!