Joseph Smith as Scientist: A Contribution to Mormon Philosophy

by John Andreas Widtsoe

The Prophet did not stop with the enunciation of these two fundamental doctrines. He declared that a refined medium, called the Holy Spirit, fills all space, whereby intelligence is conveyed from place to place. In the terms of Joseph Smith, the forces of nature, such as heat, light and electricity, are simply various manifestations of the intelligence of the Holy Spirit; in the terms of science, of the energy of the universal ether. The parallelism is complete. The Holy Spirit, in "Mormon" theology, corresponds with the ether of science. This doctrine, too, was enunciated many years before the corresponding doctrines were established among men of science.

[Sidenote: Cause and effect.]

The Prophet also taught the unchanging relation of cause and effect, which brings the whole universe under a reign of law, and overthrows the mysticisms of old. This doctrine was emphasized at a time when the world was just beginning to insist upon it. He further taught clearly the manner in which nature's laws may be discovered by man.

[Sidenote: Astronomy.]

The Prophet further taught that all the heavenly bodies are in motion; that the solar system is but a small part of a greater and grander whole, controlled by the same laws, and that some of these other worlds are inhabited. These doctrines, which now form the foundation of the new astronomy, was discovered and accepted by the world of science after the days of Joseph Smith.

[Sidenote: Geology.]

He also held clear and modern views regarding time limits in geology, or the prehistoric ages of the world, at a time when students were not agreed on the subject.

[Sidenote: The individual.]

Moreover, the "Mormon" prophet declared that the living beings found on earth were organized from the commonly occurring elements and forces of nature in such a manner that through them the force of intelligence might exert itself in the greatest degree. Hence the individual is only an organized intelligence. This, too, is in perfect harmony with the results of the latest scholarship.

[Sidenote: The laws for the individual.]