As a point of departure, this panel will refer to an article published in the fall 2007 issue of Dialogue, “On Balancing Faith in Mormonism with Traditional Biblical Stories: The Noachian Flood Story,” by BYU professors Clayton White and Mark Thomas (accessible at HTTP://WWW.DIALOGUEJOURNAL. COM.) This article argues that faithful Latter-day Saints may appropriately harmonize the biblical account of the Flood with the massive scientific evidence against an inundation of global dimensions by reinterpreting the biblical account as applying to a regional flood. It calls for mutual respect between Latter-day Saints who believe in a literal interpretation and those who interpret the account more figuratively. It argues that all Latter-day Saints should ally themselves with science by practicing an environmentally responsible stewardship of the earth.

LEVI PETERSON, OWEN CLARK, KATHLEEN PETTY