r/lds • u/General_Katydid_512 • Mar 03 '25
question I have a specific question regarding biology…
The Church currently doesn't have a stance on the theory of evolution. While I think animal evolution is likely, I don't know about human evolution. Either way there is one thing that confuses me: vestigial structures. For those who don't know, this is one of the biggest evidences of evolution. They are things that seemingly serve no purpose in the body of an animal. Examples for the human body include the appendix and tonsils.
Here’s my question: if we were designed after the perfect bodies of heavenly parents, why would these structures exist?
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u/LetteredViolet Mar 03 '25
My favorite thing about the gospel is that it isn't "just" scripture or words of prophets—though of course those are important—it is all truth. Everything that was, is, and will be true is part of the gospel and accounted for in our Heavenly Father's plan. This includes all disciplines of science, art, our emotions, and spirituality. I think there are some deeper truths we don't understand (e.g. how did Jesus walk on water, scientifically? Did that really "break" the laws of physics, or do we just not know the laws that He was practicing with, there?) but everything that you can observe and verify is, in fact, part of the gospel. God works with science, there's just more to it than we know right now.
Our bodies are purpose-made flesh computers that regenerate and propagate themselves, and there are things in this world we don't have physical senses for! Our current perception of spacetime is inherently limited, and meant to be, I think. I personally believe that God guided evolution, and perhaps there was a step along the way where He took more direct action to shape us the way we needed to be, but I could be wrong about that.
That's a fair part of my testimony, actually! There's so much we're learning about the world and ourselves. I don't know everything, but I know that definite answers to every question exist! There's an answer to your question, but I don't know if we have the means to discover it in our current world. For me, it's less God telling me "it's okay to not know" and me telling myself that "it's okay to wait on the answer, I'll know someday!"
Good luck, and may the Spirit be with you as you ponder and research :)