Truth in science and truth in religious teachings are, in fact, truth.  They do not negate each other, they complement each other, they support each other.  If they do not meld into one fact now, they may very well do so in the future.  It is up to us to use our minds and spiritual intuition to seek out the correct puzzle piece with which to complete the picture, moving forward in faith, and not settle for a piece that fits, mostly, and force it in.  In this article we may be on the path to just such a discovery.

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One morning, as I was listening to this episode one of my favorite podcasts called “Suspicious Observers”, I heard an astounding scientific fact – 97% of white dwarf stars, such as our sun will become, eventually morph into crystal globes.  These globes will eventually gather dust and matter on their surfaces, and it was speculated that perhaps our earth is one of these types of globes, with an old star as its crystalline core.

I did a little more research and found an article on the Space.com website entitled “The Sun Will Turn Into a Giant Crystal Ball After it Dies”.   The facts and information in the article totally astounded me and brought a lot of thoughts to mind.  The lead author of the study is Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay, a physicist at the University of Warwick in England. Here are a few quotes from the article and my thoughts on them:

• All white dwarfs will crystallize at some point in their evolution.
• This means that billions of white dwarfs in our galaxy have already completed the process and are essentially crystal spheres in the sky.
• The sun itself will become a crystal white dwarf in about 10 billion years. 

The author then goes on to explain the importance of oxygen and carbon in the crystallization process, which I found thought-provoking. To quote a section of the article:

“The result is likely a core composed of crystallized oxygen and a mantle dominated by carbon. ‘Not only do we have evidence of heat release upon solidification, but considerably more energy release is needed to explain the observations,” Tremblay said. “We believe this is due to the oxygen crystallizing first and then sinking to the core, a process similar to sedimentation on a riverbed on Earth. This will push the carbon upward, and that separation will release gravitational energy.” 

What this says to me is that the current model of the earth’s core being composed of iron may be fundamentally wrong.  The rest of this paragraph is pure speculation on my part. The oxygen-carbon cycle described may explain why space dust and matter particulates might adhere to such a star in it crystal stage, eventually creating a mantle and a crust.  The crystallization of the oxygen which pushes the carbon created by the heating of matter causes gravity on the planetary body.  It also creates the atmosphere we know today – 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.  The process by which the other gasses form would be a chemistry lesson for another day.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at a higher ratio in the past would have created the greenhouse effect so necessary for life to begin and to sustain that life in abundance, as evidenced by the fossil record.

All this reminded me of several scriptures, which I will share and comment on below:

• Speaking of the sphere upon which God dwells, John the Revelator says in Revelation 4:6 – “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto a crystal”. 

• Joseph Smith asked for the Lord for clarification of the meaning of the term “sea of glass”. The answer was given in Doctrine and Covenants 77: 1 – “It is the earth in its sanctified, immortal and eternal state.” 

• Doctrine and Covenants 88:18-19: “Therefore, [the Earth] must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father.” 

• 2 Peter 3:7 speaks of a “burning with fire” of the heavens and earth. Certainly our current sun going through the process of becoming a white dwarf would fit this imagery.  The concept of a cleansing by fire is also mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 64:24. 

• Perhaps in the process of our sun becoming a white dwarf in its own right, the earth is caught up in the fire of its expansion and is celestialized…”And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.” [Doctrine and Covenants 29:23] 

• “The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.” [Doctrine and Covenants 130:8-9] 

My commentary:  I believe it is possible that the star cycle of life goes something like this: a star like our sun burns out its energy becoming a white dwarf – which goes through a crystallization process – which then begins to accrue matter about its oxygenated-carbonated crystal core until a planet suitable for life is formed – after an time period allotted by God, this planet goes through a process of celestialization in which the properties of a Urim and Thummin are naturally imbued into the earth crystal itself.

In considering all of these things, I can more easily understand Moses when he says, “Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed” [Moses 1:10].  We seem so insignificant compared to the wonders of the Universe, yet we are so important that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” [John3:16].  We exist symbiotically with the Universe – we are of it and through in and in it.

I leave you with this thought from Max Erhmann’s “Desiderata”:

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.