Denniey

MRI results

2011-08-17T08:56:00.006-06:00

Remember this?

Okay I admit it was a long time ago, or at least what feels like a long time ago. Well I finally had an MRI, my first since my head met the safe deposit boxes at the bank. You see I've been having these migraines more and more consistently for the last 3 years and it had reached the point that I was having a migraine for about 20 of 30 days. Not very fun, and it was making it really difficult to go to school. The imatrex that they gave me at the doctors really didn't work, and it caused my throat to swell up. Daily doses of caffeine and alieve would decrease the pain only a minuscule amount. So finally BYU health center sent me to the neurologist.

For those of you who don't know much what about the BYU Health Center's polocy, I would liken it to what Obamacare is going to be. They do the bare minimum to treat, and only after they have exhausted every other option will they send you somewhere. If you have something that needs an antibiotic they give you the weakest antibiotic. When your infection doesn't clear up, or comes back they give you the next strongest, and continune to do this until they finally get yo the one that will fix the problem. There is no hit it hard and fast.

Well the neurologist thought my symptoms sounded like what he called micro-seizures and decided to do an MRI. What did it show? It showed two areas of damage. One old, and the other being caused by the older one. In the Orbitofrontal cortex, (image from wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbitofrontal_cortex)

that's the highlighted green area I had damage. Because of the initial damage caused when I hit my head it was causing seizure like activity in that location. That is the first point of damage. The second point of damage is the surrounding tissue in the prefrontal cortex. Evertime I get one of these migraines it means I've got electrical activity going off in the green area, and it causes kind of an electric shock to the surrounding tissue. It's kind of like if you have a grain of sand in a clam, it gets bigger and bigger over time idea.

So far the damage hasn't affected any of my test scores, and as long as they can prevent me from having any more migraines (micro seizures) then they can keep it from getting worse. They are even hoping that if they can keep me from having migraines that there is a chance that some of the damage can heal. If the area is kept from having migraines long enough I guess there is a chance that the micro-seizures will quit happening, but the initial damage done at the point of impact is unlikely to ever heal. They are just hoping the secondary damage will heal. So I am on a new pill for epilepsy, and I have to get another MRI next summer to see if their theory is accurate, and if they have kept the damage from happening again. The secondary damage has so far been limited to the language area of the prefrontal cortex. If (IF) it did get significantly worse I would have a hard time putting my thoughts into words, but it wouldn't affect my IQ or ability to do things.

Okay now you all know the MRI results, this means I don't have to keep sharing them with everyone. I feel fine, I still scored in the top 99% in both tests they gave me, and my IQ test was still just over 140, so no worries I'm still smart. Also since I started the epilepsy medicine and it reached 75 mg I've only had two migraines in roughly 60 days

We are actually on the countdown to school starting. 12 days until school starts. I don't have an insane schedule, my first class is around 10. I am looking forward to starting classes, but I always miss the freedom of just hanging out that summer gives us. Buddy and I spend lots of time together, and when I have to go back to school that time is cut down a bit. Of course he plays with Henry during the day anyway, which means I pretty much get ignored, but I enjoy being around watching him. Currently Buddy is sleeping on the couch and the prior un-holdable Henry is curled up on my lap purring (mind you I can only do this with him because he KNOWS Buddy is like a foot away to protect him).

Well I guess that is all for today. I have to go to work this afternoon and get paid double time. Oh wait. . . did I say have to? I meant I get to get paid double time for 5 hours today. That plus what I've already done this week means more than 20 hours this week. As Stitch would say, "Bwahahahaha!"

Happy Birthday Buddy

2011-08-02T13:07:00.006-06:00

So last week was Buddy's 9th Birthday. I've had that cat now for 9 years. Hard to believe that the little ball of fluff grew up to be such a good cat.

Of course he hasn't figured out that he is a grown up cat yet. He plays all day and has killed many good catnip mice in the last week. For his birthday he got to have shrimp, which is his favourite food. It didn't take him long to finish them off either. Then he had a rather distended belly for the rest of the day.

Yes, as you can see it didn't take him long to take off the the cute bow tie that he had on earlier in the day. He isn't stupid. He knows how to take off most of his collars if he wants to. . . And open doors that aren't locked .

Other than his birthday not much is really going on here. I've been working almost every day, wishing I was sleeping until at least 5am, but living with 4 am. Yesterday we had great fun while waiting for the Animal Control Officers to come and catch the skunk that was running loose on the property. It showed up sometime around 3 am and with all the animals up here it sprayed shortly after it did and then holed up in the back yard. The ACO didn't get here until the afternoon which meant that we all had to smell the stink ALL morning. It was awful and very strong. One of the downsides to having a backyard that is a national park and a front yard filled with lots of trees and wilderness like terrain. Of course the benefits usually make it more than worth it, but it smelled pretty bad.

Back to work now for me. 26 days until school starts. Already ordered my books (saved a LOT of money by getting them from Amazon-over $100).

Getting ready to go to bed. . .

2011-07-20T21:05:00.004-06:00

And figured I better do an update of my life since it's been over a week and I did say I was trying to start to do better at this whole thing.

So what is new with me? It is Attack of the Killer Mosquito's here. I'm not joking. They are everywhere and they are huge. I wake up in the middle of the night to see them clinging to my bedroom walls. I think I have finally gotten a handle of them though, so hopefully the bites will go down in number.

This picture isn't mine, but you walk outside and sweep your hands in front of you and make a fist. . . when you open your fist it looks a lot like this. Really gross. I haven't been enjoying it at all. For those of you who don't know, when I get bit I swell quiet beautifully. Seriously, I've been given prednisone in the past because the doctor has been afraid the swelling would get into my joints and cause damage. I have been sent home from piano lessons as a kid, and work as an adult because the swelling has been so bad that it freaks people out. Unfortunately Buddy has no desire whatsoever to actually catch these things when they get into the house. I honestly think he just doesn't see them so doesn't even think to catch them (he loves to catch anything that moves). The mosquito's have been such a problem because we never really have warmed up significantly this summer. It was like winter winter winter, spring spring, two weeks of summer, and now monsoonal rains which usually signals the oncoming of fall around here.

The only other exciting thing that has been going on is I kept Buddy up for a full day. That's right no, naps for the Kitty Cat. He was keeping me up every night and was way off on what used to be a fairly synced sleep schedule so I kept him up from 4 am until 8 pm. It wasn't easy either. By the end of it he was a very grumpy little boy. He was howling, and growling, and all together very unpleasant, but he slept through the night, and did so again last night. And since he is now pestering me I guess I better sign off now and put him to bed. I gotta get up and work in the morning tomorrow anyway. Yes yes, lucky me. Sit and translate all day. My German isn't bad, and I'm getting better at Spanish, who knows maybe I'll be able to speak more and more languages as the years go on. Hope ya'll have a good week.

Onion Allergy

2010-03-24T11:18:00.002-06:00

Somehow an onions slipped into my Subway the other day. My reaction was not fun. The usual symptoms people with onion allergies have is:

Breaking out of skin in hives (Only if I handle)
Itching all over the body (OIIH)
Bloating (ehh, some)
Gas (not so much)
Nausea (awful)
Diarrhea (sigh)
Headaches and migraines (how many days does this last?)

Though possible, it is rare for onion allergy to become fatal. Some people who have a severe allergy to onions may go into an anaphylactic shock and should therefore be extra careful while eating these. (I've only had to use an epi-pen once, but it wasn't fun).

Usually, those who claim to have an allergy to onions, are simply intolerant to onions. They may experience cramping and bloating in their abdomen which is because the body is unable to process and digest raw onions. This is usually manifested in the form of indigestion and therefore can be differentiated from an actual allergic reaction. (Info from http://www.instah.com/allergies/onion-allergy/).

I still have the migraine, and some nausea. I admit that I too like some onion flavor in a few things, but never again. My ex-roommate who I will not be naming because she no longer exists to me, cooked with so many that now I don't have just the mild intolerance reaction, but full blown misery. I really suspect that my head is going to explode.

I discovered a new TV show, "Mcleod's Daughters" you should look into it, well the girls should. I don't suspect that it would be real popular with guys. I found it from Netflix and I love the first season so much that I would like to purchase it. Well I am going to go shower now praying the pain goes away. I have a volunteer to drive me to class today and back again. That means that I have to be available during that person's lunch break, so shower now, then caffeine.

Remember the Forgotten Man

2010-03-15T17:59:00.003-06:00

Okay, I found it. It does have French Subtitles, but that's what you get when you use something off of YouTube. I hope you enjoy it, and rememebr the spirit of the time. It was filmed in 1933, but the time period of the story is the Great Depression.

My Thanksgiving Prayer!

2009-11-26T10:55:00.001-07:00

May your hearts be filled with joy this day, and your souls be replenished from their sorrows. Let your gratitude flow forth & a thankful spirit come over you.

Thoughts on Evolution 2

2008-12-01T22:27:00.001-07:00

Awhile back I wrote Thoughts on Evolution. Today my Biology proffessor gave us BYU's stance on it. So here you go. Hope it makes sense.

NOTE WELL: This first page is NOT part of the official BYU Evolution Packet. It was preparedunder the auspices of the BYU administration, however, to explain the packet's origin andpurpose. The actual packet itself begins with the next page: Evolution and the Origin of Man.Evolution packet definedBYU Daily Universe Nov. 12, 1992 p.3In the interest of clarifying the background and purpose of the library packet on evolution and the origin of man, which was announced in The Daily Universe on Thursday, Oct. 29. I provide the following information about the development of this packet and the motivation for it. As appropriate at any university, the subject of organic evolution and the origin of man comes up in BYU courses in several departments. In these courses, students naturally wish to know the official position of the LDS Church on this subject. Some faculty members in the sciences and inReligious Education have gathered material on these topics to distribute to their students.Students might receive one set of statements by Church leaders from one professor and adifferent set from another professor.Several faculty members and administrators felt the diversity of materials on these subjects, which were often selected to emphasize the views of the professor, tended to create confusion in the minds of the students and accentuate the potential for controversy about the Church's position. In 1991, in response to questions from students about the Church position on evolution, President Rex E. Lee authorized that one of these packets be placed in the HBLLReserve Library as a source for information about the Church's position on evolution andthe origin of man.Purpose of packetBecause of my experience in preparing the evolution article for the "Encyclopedia of Mormonism," I was asked by Provost Bruce Hafen to consider a packet that could be made available to students as the official and fundamental Church position on this subject. It was immediately clear thatthe selection of material for such a packet could not depend on the content of the statements. The goal is not to achieve some kind of "balance" among the views that have been expressed, but to give students the full range of official views so that they can judge the different positions they encounter. The full range of official views should provide the basis for the evaluation of other views that have been expressed but that do not have the status of official Church positions.In line with this philosophical stance, I prepared an initial draft of the packet, which contained the First Presidency statements and all published statements made by presidents of the Church during the time they held that office. It also included the speech given in 1931 by Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve, which was reviewed and approved by the First Presidency and officially published by the Church. Finally, this draft packet included the "Encyclopedia of Mormonism" article because of the excerpt from the First Presidency Minutes in 1931 about the Church's stance toward scientific studies of evolution and the origin of man. This packet was made entirely of materials with official status and included all of the statements published by or with the authorization of the First Presidency. The draft packet's contents were discussed amicably with Dean Robert Millet of Religious, Education and Provost Hafen.After considerable discussion, we agreed that the official university packet should contain only those items that represent the official position of the Church, i.e. statements from the First Presidency. The encyclopedia article was kept because of the First Presidency Minutes item included in it, which is not otherwise available to the public. The final packet was then reviewed by BYU's Board of Trustees-consisting of The First Presidency, many members of theQuorum of the Twelve and other general authorities and officers. They approved the packet.Balance not the issue Again, I emphasize that balance was not the issue. The issue was providing only those materials that could clearly be said to be the official, declared position of theChurch.None of us involved in preparing this packet for Board review anticipate that professors will be limited from distributing other materials to their students. It is only requested that BYU faculty members refer students to the materials in this specific packet along with the other items they may choose to distribute. When other items are distributed, they should be clearly separated and given as a supplement to this material and include a fair sampling of the diverseviewpoints among LDS leaders. For example, if one included statements by LDS apostles in a handout on evolution, the range of views would include some statements against evolution, some sympathetic toevolution and several shades of opinion in between. We want to avoid the implication that a greater sense of unanimity or resolution of this topic exists than is actually the case, and we are eager to avoid contention. The university has alsosuggested that faculty members limit supplemental LDS material on the subject ofevolution and the origin of man to published documents, avoiding private letters or otherprivate material.The process was one of constructive and harmonious effort to provide materials from which students could see clearly the foundation of LDS doctrine on this subject and distinguish it from the wide variety of opinions encountered in LDS literature.by William E. EvensonDean, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences professor of Physics October, 1992
EVOLUTION AND THE ORIGIN OF MANThis packet contains, as far as could be found, all statements issued by theFirst Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the subjectof evolution and the origin of man, and a statement on the Church's attitudetoward science. The earliest First Presidency statement, "The Origin of Man," wasissued during the administration of President Joseph F. Smith in 1909. This wasfollowed by a First Presidency Message in 19 10 that included brief commentsrelated to the study of these topics. The second statement, "Mormon View ofEvolution," was issued during the administration of President Heber J. Grant in1925. Although there has never been a formal declaration from the FirstPresidency addressing the general matter of organic evolution as a process fordevelopment of biological species, these documents make clear the officialposition of the Church regarding the origin of man.This packet also contains the article on evolution from the Encyclopediaof Mormonism, published in 1992. The current First Presidency authorizedinclusion of the excerpt from the First Presidency minutes of 1931 in the 1992Encyclopedia article.Various views have been expressed by other Church leaders on thissubject over many decades; however, formal statements by the First Presidencyare the definitive source of official Church positions. It is hoped that thesematerials will provide a firm foundation for individual study in a context of faithin the restored gospel.Approved by the BYU Board of TrusteesJune, 1992IMPROVEMENT ERA.Vol. XIII. NOVEMBER, 1909. No. 1.Editor's Table.____The Origin of Man.BY THE FIRST PRESIDENCY OF THE CHURCH.______"God created man in his own image."Inquiries arise from time to time respecting the attitude of the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upon questions which, though not vital from adoctrinal standpoint, are closely connected with the fundamental principles ofsalvation. The latest inquiry of this kind that has reached us is in relation to theorigin of man. It is believed that a statement of the position held by the Churchupon this important subject will be timely and productive of good.In presenting the statement that follows we are not conscious of puttingforth anything essentially new; neither is it our desire so to do. Truth is what wewish to present, and truth---eternal truth-is fundamentally old. A restatement ofthe original attitude of the Church relative to this matter is all that will beattempted here. To tell the truth as God has revealed it, and commend it to theacceptance of those who need to conform their opinions thereto, is the solepurpose of this presentation."God created man in his own image, in the image of-God created he him;male and female created he them." In these plain and pointed words the inspiredauthor of the book of Genesis made known to the world the truth concerning theorigin of the human family. Moses, the prophet historian, "learned," as we aretold, "in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," when making this importantannouncement, was not voicing a mere opinion, a theory derived from hisresearches into the occult lore of that ancient people. He was speaking as themouthpiece of God, and his solemn declaration was for all time and for all people.No subsequent revelator of the truth has contradicted the great leader and lawgiverof Israel. All who have since spoken by divine authority upon this themehave confirmed his simple and sublime proclamation. Nor could it be otherwise.Truth has but one source, and all revelations from heaven are harmonious witheach other. The omnipotent Creator, the maker of heaven and earth-had shownunto Moses everything pertaining to this planet, including the facts relating toman's origin, and the authoritative pronouncement of that mighty prophet and seerto the house of Israel, and through Israel to the whole world, is couched in thesimple, clause: "God created man in his own image" (Genesis 1: 27; Pearl ofGreat Price-Book of Moses, 1: 27-41.)The creation was two-fold-firstly spiritual, secondly temporal. This truth,also, Moses plainly taught-much more plainly than it has come down to us in theimperfect translations of the Bible that are now in use. Therein the fact of aspiritual creation, antedating the temporal creation, is strongly implied, but theproof of it is not so clear and conclusive as in other records held by the Latter-daySaints to be of equal authority with the Jewish scriptures. The partial obscurity ofthe latter upon the point in question is owing, no doubt, to the loss of those "plainand precious" parts of sacred writ, which, as the Book of Mormon informs us,have been taken away from the Bible during its passage down the centuries (INephi 13: 24-29). Some of these missing parts the Prophet Joseph Smithundertook to restore when he revised those scriptures by the spirit of revelation,the result being that more complete account of the creation which is found in thebook of Moses, previously cited. Note the following passages:And now, behold I say unto you, that these are the generations of theheaven and the earth, when they were created in the day that 1, the Lord God,made the heaven and the earth,And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb ofthe field before itFor 1, the Lord God, created all things of which I have spoken, spiritually,before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For 1, the Lord God, had notcaused it to rain upon the face of the earth.And 1, the Lord God, had created all the children of men, and not yet aman to till the ground; for in heaven created I them, and there was not yet fleshupon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air.But 1, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, andwatered the whole face of the ground.And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, andbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the firstflesh upon the earth, the first man also.Nevertheless, all things were before created, but spiritually were theycreated and made, according to my word. (Pearl of Great Price-Book of Moses, 3:4-7. See also chapters 1 and 2, and compare with Genesis I and 2).These two points being established, namely, the creation of man in theimage of God and the two-fold character of the creation, let us now inquire: Whatwas the form of man, in the spirit and in the body, as originally created? In ageneral way the answer is given in the words chosen as the text of this treatise."God created man in his own image. It is more explicitly rendered in the Book ofMormon thus: "All men were created in the beginning after mine own image(Ether 3: 15). It is the Father who is speaking. If, therefore, we can ascertain theform of the "Father of spirits," "The God of the spirits of all flesh," we shall beable to discover the form of the original man.Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is "the express image" of His Father's person(Hebrews 1: 3). He walked the earth as a human being, as a perfect man, and said,in answer to a question put to Him: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"(John 14: 9). This alone ought to solve the problem to the satisfaction of everythoughtful, reverent mind. The conclusion is irresistible, that if the Son of God bethe express image (that is, likeness) of His Father's person, then His Father is inthe form of man; for that was the form of the Son of God, not only during Hismortal life, but before His mortal birth, and after His resurrection. It was in thisform that the Father and the Son, as two personages, appeared to Joseph Smith,when, as a boy of fourteen years, he received his first vision. Then if God mademan-the first man-in His own image and likeness, he must have made him likeunto Christ, and consequently like unto men of Christ's time and of the presentday. That man was made in the image of Christ, is positively stated in the Book ofMoses: "And 1, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from thebeginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. * * ** And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine OnlyBegotten created I him, male and female created I them" (2: 26, 27).The Father of Jesus is our Father also. Jesus Himself taught this truth,when He instructed His disciples how to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven,"etc. Jesus, however, is the first born among all the sons of God-the first begottenin the spirit, and the only begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother, and we,like Him, are in the image of God. All men and women are in the similitude of theuniversal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity."God created man in His own image." This is just as true of the spirit as itis of the body, which is only the clothing of the spirit, its complement; the twotogether constituting the soul. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and thespirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taughtby the Prophet Joseph Smith (Doctrine and Covenants, 77: 2).Here is further evidence of the fact. More than seven hundred years beforeMoses was shown the things pertaining to this earth, another great prophet, knownto us as the brother of Jared, was similarly favored by the Lord. He was evenpermitted to behold the spirit-body of the foreordained Savior, prior to Hisincarnation; and so like the body of a man was His spirit in form and appearance,that the prophet thought he was gazing upon a being of flesh and blood. He firstsaw the finger and then the entire body of the Lord-all in the spirit. The Book ofMormon says of this wonderful manifestation:And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words,behold, the Lord stretched forth His hand and touched the stones one by one withHis finger; and the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and hesaw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh andblood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck withfear.And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and theLord said unto him, Arise, why hast thou fallen?And he saith unto the Lord, I saw the finger of the Lord, and feared lest heshould smite me for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.And the Lord said unto him, Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shalltake upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with suchexceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so, ye could not have seen my finger.Sawest thou more than this?And he answered, Nay, Lord, show thyself unto me.And the Lord said unto him, Believest thou the works which I Shallspeak?And he answered, Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thouart a God of truth and canst not lie.And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself untohim, and said, Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall;therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.Behold, I am He who was prepared from the foundation of the world toredeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, I am the Father and the Son. In meshall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on myname; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for neverhath man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mineown image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine ownimage.Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit, and manhave I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be inthe spirit, will I appear unto my people in the flesh" (Ether, 3: 6-16).What more is needed to convince us that man, both in spirit and in body, isthe image and likeness of God, and that God Himself is in the form of man?When the divine Being whose spirit-body the brother of Jared beheld, tookupon Him flesh and blood, He appeared as a man, having "body, parts andpassions," like other men, though vastly superior to all others, because He wasGod, even the Son of God, the Word made flesh: in Him "dwelt the fulness of theGodhead bodily." And why should He not appear as a man? That was the form ofHis spirit, and it must needs have an appropriate covering, a suitable tabernacle.He came into the world as He had promised to come (111 Nephi, 1: 13), taking aninfant tabernacle, and developing it gradually to the fulness of His spirit stature.He came as man had been coming for ages, and as man has continued to comeever since. Jesus, however, as shown, was the only begotten of God in the flesh.Adam our great progenitor, "the first man," was, like Christ, a pre-existentspirit, and like Christ he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man,and so became a "living soul." The doctrine of the pre-existence, --revealed soplainly, particularly in latter days, pours a wonderful flood of light upon theotherwise mysterious problem of man's origin. It shows that man, as a spirit, wasbegotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternalmansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body toundergo an experience in mortality. It teaches that all men existed in the spiritbefore any man existed in the flesh, and that all who have inhabited the earthsince Adam have taken bodies and become souls in like manner.It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, andthat the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animalcreation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declaresthat Adam was "the first man of all men" (Moses 1: 34), and we are therefore induty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to thebrother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God;and whether we take this to mean the spirit or the body, or both, it commits us tothe same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of ourheavenly Father.True it is that the body of man enters upon its career as a tiny germ orembryo, which becomes an infant, quickened at a certain stage by the spirit whosetabernacle it is, and the child, after being born, develops into a man. There isnothing in this, however, to indicate that the original man, the first of our race,began life as anything less than a man, or less than the human germ or embryothat becomes a man.Man, by searching, cannot find out God. Never, unaided, will he discoverthe truth about the beginning of human life. The Lord must reveal Himself, orremain unrevealed; and the same is true of the facts relating to the origin ofAdam's race--God alone can reveal them. Some of these facts, however, arealready known, and what has been made known it is our duty to receive andretain.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divinerevelation, ancient and modem, proclaims man to be the direct and linealoffspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, andsupreme. By His almighty power He organized the earth, and all that it contains,from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with Himself. He formed everyplant that grows, and every animal that breathes, each after its own kind,spiritually and temporally-" that which is spiritual being in the likeness of thatwhich is temporal, and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which isspiritual." He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant; but He didnot make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason andintelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected andperpetuated in the Hereafter, each class in its "distinct order or sphere," and willenjoy "eternal felicity." That fact has been made plain in this dispensation(Doctrine and Covenants 77: 3).Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed withdivine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother iscapable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestialparentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into aGod.JOSEPH F. SMITH,JOHN R. WINDER,ANTHON H. LUND,First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.WORDS IN SEASON FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENCYDeseret Evening News December 17, 1910, part 1, p. 3In this Christmas message, the First Presidency devoted several sentencesto the Church's position with regard to questions-raised by science:Diversity of opinion does not necessitate intolerance of spirit, nor should itembitter or set rational beings against each other. The Christ taught kindness,patience, and charity.Our religion is not hostile to real science. That which is demonstrated, weaccept with joy; but vain philosophy, human theory and mere speculations ofmen, we do not accept nor do we adopt anything contrary to divine revelation orto good common sense. But everything that tends to right conduct, thatharmonizes with sound morality and increases faith in Deity, finds favor with usno matter where it may be found.IMPROVEMENT ERA.Vol. XXVIII. SEPTEMBER, 1925. No. 11.Editors Table"Mormon View of Evolution"A Statement by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;male and female created he them."In these plain and pointed words the inspired author of the book ofGenesis made known to the world the truth concerning the origin of the humanfamily. Moses, the prophet-historian, who was "learned" we are told, "in all thewisdom of the Egyptians," when making this important announcement, was notvoicing a mere opinion. He was speaking as the mouthpiece of God, and hissolemn declaration was for all time and for all people. No subsequent revelator ofthe truth has contradicted the great leader and law-giver of Israel. All who havesince spoken by divine authority upon this theme have confirmed his simple andsublime proclamation. Nor could it be otherwise. Truth has but one source, and allrevelations from heaven are harmonious one with the other.Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is "the express image" of his Father's person(Hebrews 1:3). He walked the earth as a human being, as a perfect man, and said,in answer to a question put to him: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"(John 14:9). This alone ought to solve the problem to the satisfaction of everythoughtful, reverent mind. It was in this form that the Father and the Son, as twodistinct personages, appeared to Joseph Smith, when, as a boy of fourteen years,he received his first vision.The Father of Jesus Christ is our Father also. Jesus himself taught thistruth, when he instructed his disciples how to pray: "Our Father which art inheaven," etc. Jesus, however, is the first born among all the sons of God-the firstbegotten in the spirit, and the only begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother,and we, like him, are in the image of God. All men and women are in thesimilitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally sons and daughtersof Deity.Adam, our great progenitor, "the first man," was, like Christ, a pre-existentspirit, and, like Christ, he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man,and so became a "living soul." The doctrine of pre-existence pours wonderfulflood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man's origin. It showsthat man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared tomaturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in atemporal body to undergo an experience in mortality.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divinerevelation, ancient and modem, proclaims man to be the direct and linealoffspring of Deity. By his Almighty power God organized the earth, and all that itcontains, from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with himself.Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed withdivine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother iscapable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestialparentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into aGod.HEBER J. GRANT,ANTHONY W. WINS,CHARLES W. NIBLEY,First Presidency.ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MORMONISMEVOLUTIONThe position of the Church on the origin of man was published by the FirstPresidency in 1909 and stated again by a different First Presidency in 1925:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its beliefon divine revelation, ancient and modem, declares man to be the direct andlineal offspring of Deity.... Man is the child of God, formed in the divineimage and endowed with divine attributes (see Appendix, "DoctrinalExpositions of the First Presidency").The scriptures tell why man was created, but they do not tell how, thoughthe Lord has promised that he will tell that when he comes again (D&C 101:32-33). In 1931, when there was intense discussion on the issue of organic evolution,the First Presidency of the Church, then consisting of Presidents Heber J. Grant,Anthony W. Ivins, and Charles W. Nibley, addressed all of the GeneralAuthorities of the Church on the matter, and concluded,Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed.Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world.Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one of whichhas to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research,while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church....Upon one thing we should all be able to agree, namely, thatPresidents Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund wereright when they said: "Adam is the primal parent of our race" [FirstPresidency Minutes, Apr. 7, 1931].WILLIAM E. EVENSON(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 2)