Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring

by Henry J. Eyring

Book Overview

SUB TITLE:The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590388542
• ISBN13: 9781590388549
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Deseret Book
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great book about faith and science

Mormon Scientist is a book about the life and faith of Dr. Henry Eyring. He was a renowned scientist and the father of Henry B. Eyring, who is one of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During his time, most people believed that science and religion were not consistent and would never get along together. Dr. Eyring was a very devoted believer of Jesus Christ. In this book, he shared his unique view of science, his religious beliefs, and the unity and harmony that anyone can find if we open our eyes and minds. In the book he says, "I have been announced as a student of science. But I also like to think of myself as one who loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For me there has been no serious difficulty in reconciling the principles of true science with the principles of true religion, for both are concerned with the eternal verities of the universe." His biggest desire was to find and discover more truth, and he believed that all truth comes from God. The strength of the book is that it is so easy and simple to read, but at the same time so rich with new ideas and wisdoms. However, as I read the book, I notice that in order to explain his characteristics and attributes, many pages are used to introduce his ancestors. This is not as interesting as Henry Eyring's life and contributions. Overall, this book is well written and will provide new ways of seeing things in your life. Dr. Henry Eyring was truly a man of diligence, humility, and love. In our life, it is so important to open our minds; however, as we gain more worldly recognitions and positions, it becomes harder to listen to others. Dr. Henry Eyring was a professor of Princeton University and still willing to learn from others and recognize his imperfection. There are many things that we can learn from his examples and his accomplishments. In this book, you will enjoy reading his love and passion to learn something new every day.

Brilliant mind, inspired spirit

Henry J. Eyring weaves stories of his grandfathers' (Henry Eyring) youth, education, and lifetime experiences with quotes by Henry Eyring himself, as well as colleagues, friends, and family to create a framework of the scientific and spiritual mind of this renowned scientist. Humorous, heartfelt, faith-promoting and motivating.

A great scientist who was able to reconcile science with religion

Henry Eyring was a hero of mine as a kid growing up in Utah. He was the greatest scientist Utah or Mormonism had ever produced, and he influenced my decision to go into science. In fact, I went to the University of Utah in the late 70's and early 80's and took many undergraduate chemistry classes in the then newly named Eyring building. I never met him personally, but heard a lot of stories about him. I was excited to read this book and was not disappointed. The true value of this book is the story of how he mixed his faith with science. This is a subject that I have spent a lot of time on recently - meeting with several fellow engineers of various religious persuasions discussing religion, science, and truth. The bottom line is that all truth is from God, and we are encouraged and free to discover it. Revealed religion tends to focus on the plan of salvation, and the scriptures are not meant to be a science textbook. The book was organized differently than a traditional biography. Part 1 is a summary of his legacy. Part 2 goes into his heritage. Part 3 discusses the many paradoxes in his life. Part 4 is a final testament to his life. The detail is not as great as many people would like to see for a biography, but I thought the format useful and taught me many important lessons from his life that I could apply to my own. It also gave me a desire to look into more of his writings. I highly recommend this book, especially for someone who wants a good example of one who successfully reconciled science with religion.

great gift

I got this for my husband's birthday (he's a Mormon physicist) and he's really enjoying it.

Fusing Faith & Science

Henry Eyring fused science and religion. He never felt that his faith and profession were at odds. On the contrary, he felt that science enhanced his faith, and vice versa. I was impressed not only with Dr. Eyring's profession of faith and science, but I was amazed at his level of active involvement in each of them. He led Mormon congregations and scientific organizations, gave faith-promoting talks and wrote ground-breaking scientific papers. The organization of the book is refreshing for a biography. As the author says in the Introduction, "Rather than proceeding chronologically through his life, we'll look first at the things he accomplished (his Legacy), then at the family experiences that shaped him (Heritage), and then at the unusual way he thought (Paradoxes). We will close with a section called Testament, in which Henry bears witness to those things of greatest importance." This book not only gives insight into the life and mind of a world-renonwned scientist, but proves that a person does not have to choose science or religion -- both "disciplines" can be embraced.