Religion and science will connect during a new lecture series at Brigham Young University sponsored by a grant from the Hyrum B. Summerhays family.
Kimball Hansen, BYU professor emeritus of astronomy, will be the first speaker in the series, which begins on Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on the library's first level.
The lecture series, hosted by the Colleges of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Religious Education, is meant to give students, faculty and staff an opportunity to think about the relationship between science and religion.
"This lecture series speaks to the mission of BYU," said J. Ward Moody, professor of physics and astronomy. "I think BYU students have a more natural ability and desire to make science and religion connect."
The lecture series will include a speaker every six months for the next three years.
Each lecture will be given at the time of the equinox, which occurs in the spring and fall when the day has exactly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.
"There is obvious astronomical-religious significance to the equinox," Moody said. "In the time of the spring equinox, we have Christ's birth, and in the time of the autumnal equinox, Joseph Smith received the plates that would become the Book of Mormon."
To commence the series, Hansen will speak about some of the connections he has made in the two disciplines.
"He's had extensive research published on science and religion," Moody said about Hansen.
For more information on the lecture series, contact J. Ward Moody at (801) 422-4347.
Writer: Liesel Enke
