Mormon Scholars in the Humanities is an association that explores the relationship between religious and secular scholarship.  Last year their annual conference was held at Southern Virginia University.  This year’s conference will be held on May 8th and 9th at BYU Provo and Aspen Grove, Utah.

The theme of this year’s conference is Religions and Critical Practices: Prospects for Scholarship in the Humanities. I will be a presenter at this year’s conference.  The title of my presentation is From the Inspired Scientific Revolution, to the Spiritually Unenlightened Enlightenment, to Atheistic Secular Humanism in Science.

Here is a brief outline of what I'll have to say:

The 16th–17th century Scientific Revolution has long been recognized as the period that ended the scientific dark ages and ushered in an era of rapid discovery. Pioneers of the Scientific Revolution, scholars like Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton were instrumental in breaking the bands of apostate religious dogma that hung over people’s minds.  Some of their greatest contributions include encouraging free-thinking societies, preparing the earth for the Restoration, and laying the groundwork of modern science.  They were devout believers in God, yet notwithstanding their theism, they demonstrated that it is possible to accept and recognize deity while producing rigorous scientific work.  These pioneers would be uncomfortable with the atheistic secular humanism that arose during the 18th century Enlightenment and is now endemic in science today.  The commonly held belief that science must avoid any recognition of God is a grand deception.  By rejecting God, secular humanists are turning the blessings of modern science into a curse - as the apostle Paul prophesied, they are ever learning without coming to a knowledge of the truth. 

If you are looking for interesting presentations and engaging discussions on issues exploring the crossroads of LDS theology, philosophy, history, and science, I recommend attending this year’s conference.  If you wish to join the association, memberships are only $10 per year.

For a synopsis of presentations by Latter-day Saint scholars during previous conferences, visit here and then click on current newsletters.

Ciao!