Things in the News

A week or so ago I was listening to the radio and a guest came on to talk about his new book. An anthropologist, the man has interviewed people from around the world and belonging to different religions to find out why they believe in their god or gods. His book lists those reasons and then shows why there is reason to doubt each one. I am not an anthropologist or scientist of any kind, but this man was speaking to me, to the believer. That is why I feel I can respond.  The author sounds like a nice and reasonable man, without animosity. He simply said that all people should question their beliefs. 

I want to say here that I have never doubted that my God is real. Even as a little girl and even in my darkest hour, I have felt the Savior's love and prayed to my Father in Heaven.  But for some reason this time I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to entertain the possibility that I might be wrong. I like to be right. If I am wrong, I want someone to tell me why so I can be right again. To me, the search for truth is more important than my pride and I think Guy Harrison is probably the same way. Anyways, this doubt remained in the back of my mind for a few days. I gave it credence. Then I opened my scriptures to the Book of Mormon. I remembered. Heavenly Father is merciful to me in my weakness and it did not take long for the spirit to reaffirm the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

I remembered how the spirit had born witness to me time and time again, in my mind and in my heart, sometimes in powerful ways, that what I read in the scriptures and hear from the mouths of his servants regarding Jesus Christ is true. I'm not sure if "the Holy Ghost has testified to me that my God is real and my religion is true" is a chapter in his book. But if it is, nothing he could say would convince me otherwise. The spirit transcends logic and is more powerful than sight and any other physical sense. It speaks truth to the mind and to the heart. I have felt it. It's something I can't deny.

I think the author of this book wants someone to convince him that there is a God to hope in. He is open-minded and seems like a good person. So, I hope someday he can read this and tell me what he thinks:

 "What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6) The apostle James said, "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Moroni promises in the Book of Mormon: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you." He continues later, "Wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is by the power of the Holy Ghost." So, (he might say), you have to first believe and then you will receive this witness? It's true, you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. But listen to this: Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon states: "Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto me a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it." He later defines faith as "hope for things which are not seen, which are true." One more scripture to tie it all together. In Alma 32 it says: 

 26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

  27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than ^adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Faith is power. Faith is the power by which God created the earth, faith is the SUBSTANCE of things not seen. It is material, though unseen to the human eye. We are here on earth to develop our faith so that we can become LIKE God. I could go on. But I really hope Mr. Harrison reads this and tells me what he thinks so I can in turn be enlightened. I think these debates are important.