The research, announced yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, is just one of a set of recent findings that suggest the roster of potential life-harboring worlds is huge—even in our own solar system.

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Watching the evolution-religion discussion is particularly interesting due to the extremely strong reactions it produces from both sides. It truly is difficult to find objective, balanced discussions. Before I write about my own perspectives I offer two articles I recently came across on Newsvine that I think represent an honest exploration of the theory and the surrounding discussion of the topic. The second only strengthens my confidence in the integrity and unabashed honesty of Ron Paul. Enjoy.

The Metaphysics of Evolution

Ron Paul and Evolution

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He started by defining the “old paradigm of Biblical Archeology” which looks through the lens of ‘proving the biblical narrative.’  It was (and is) full of non-professionals with findings that are not published in professional journals.  The media fuels it all by continuing to give headlines to those who have “found direct evidence of the Flood” or the “exact location of Sodom and Gomorrah.”  He went through various forgeries and fakes including the shroud of Turin, the material carbon dated to no earlier than the 14th century, a pomegranate with inscription indicating it was in the temple and which a collector paid a half a million for turned out to be a fake and he had other examples. 

There has been a swing in the other direction, some wanting to change the name of the journal Biblical Archaeologist to “Syro-Palestinian” Archaeologist, and wanting everyone to put aside the Bible all together.  However a rational thinker would recognize that a collection of written words is perhaps the greatest archaeological find in understanding a people and culture.  

The new paradigm (hopefully it will catch on in the media as well–I doubt it) looks to archeology to understand the cultural world of the setting of the biblical narrative.  It is a paradigm in which research agendas are set by professional standards, not in the business of proving or disproving anything.  At the same time an honest archaeologist should not be ashamed to find connections with the text.  

Then he shared some recent finds including small fragments from a scroll which contains text from Leviticus and the first evidence of ancient beekeeping (which makes sense considering the common descriptions of Palestine being a land of milk and honey).  

I think the main impression I came away with from his presentation was the need for a lay observer (that would be me) to be cautious about the information consumed about Biblical archeology, to be slow to jump to conclusions, and to look for balanced voices.  

For an LDS perspective on the proper place of archeology I recommend Archeology and Our Religion by Hugh Nibley.

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