Mormon views on evolution

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) takes no official position on whether or not biological evolution has occurred, nor on the validity of the modern evolutionary synthesis as a scientific theory. In the twentieth century, the First Presidency of the LDS Church published doctrinal statements on the origin of man and creation. In addition, individual leaders of the church have expressed a variety of personal opinions on evolution, many of which have affected the beliefs and perceptions of Latter-day Saints.

There have been three public statements from the First Presidency (1909, 1910, 1925) and one private statement from the First Presidency (1931) about the LDS Church's view on evolution. The 1909 statement was a delayed response to the publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. In the statement, the First Presidency affirmed their doctrine that Adam is the direct, divine offspring of God. The statement declares evolution as "the theories of men", but does not directly qualify it as untrue or evil. In response to the 1911 Brigham Young University modernism controversy, the First Presidency issued an official statement in its 1910 Christmas message that the church members should be kind to everyone regardless of differences in opinion about evolution and that proven science is accepted by the church with joy. In 1925, in response to the Scopes Trial, the First Presidency published a statement, similar in content to the 1909 statement, but with "anti-science" language removed. A private memo written in 1931 by the First Presidency to church general authorities confirmed a neutral stance on the existence of pre-Adamites and "death before the fall." It further asserted that geology, biology, and other sciences were best left to scientists (and implicitly, not theologians), and were not central to the Gospel.

There are a variety of LDS Church publications that address evolution, often with neutral or opposing viewpoints. In order to address students' questions about the church's position on evolution in biology and related classes, Brigham Young University (BYU) released a library packet on evolution in 1992. This packet contains the first three official First Presidency statement as well as the "Evolution" section in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism to supplement normal course material. Statements from church presidents are mixed with some vehemently against evolution and the theories of Charles Darwin, and some willing to admit that the circumstances of earth's creation are unknown and that evolution could explain some aspects of creation. In the 1930s, church leaders Joseph Fielding Smith, B. H. Roberts, and James E. Talmage debated about the existence of pre-Adamites, eliciting a memo from the First Presidency in 1931 claiming a neutral stance on pre-Adamites.

Since the publication of On the Origin of Species, some Latter-day Saint scientists have published essays or speeches to try and reconcile science and Mormon doctrine. Many of these scientists subscribe to the idea that evolution is the natural process God used to create the Earth and its inhabitants and that there are commonalities between Mormon doctrine and foundations of evolutionary biology. Debate and questioning among members of the LDS Church continues concerning evolution, religion, and the reconciliation between the two. Although articles from publications like BYU Studies often represent neutral or pro-evolutionary stances, LDS-sponsored publications such as the Ensign tend to publish articles with anti-evolutionary views. Studies published since 2014 have found that the majority of Latter-day Saints do not believe humans evolved over time. A 2018 study in the Journal of Contemporary Religion found that very liberal or moderate members of the LDS Church were more likely to accept evolution as their education level increased, whereas very conservative members were less likely to accept evolution as their education level increased. Another 2018 study found that over time, Latter-day Saint undergraduate attitudes towards evolution have changed from antagonistic to accepting. The researchers attributed this attitude change to more primary school exposure to evolution and a reduction in the number of anti-evolution statements from the First Presidency.