1.
Seeking the Truth
How does one come to a knowledge of the truth? Why it is not easier for the faithful to have
spiritual experiences, and why are not all men and women touched by the Spirit
led to the same set of truths? How it is
possible that so many faithful, and sincere, individuals can have such
different beliefs about the same doctrinal points? How can one explain the different concepts of
God, and the dramatically different types of worship, if God is the source of all
truth, is mindful of man, and has ordained certain forms of worship as proper, specially
designed to bring men into a closer relationship with God and to give them
greater comfort about their station in life?[1]
These are fair questions to put to
Mormons as adherents of a faith claiming to have the inspired word of God. But they are equally fair questions to put to
the believers of any faith—whether they be Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists,
Catholics, Protestants. All faiths should
supply answers to these questions or at least give guidance to their faithful
as to how men may approach God, seek to learn spiritual truths and, at the same
time, explain why others, not of their faith, may believe differently. These faiths should also provide explanations
as to how the life experiences of all men, wherever they may live, are
meaningful, and are a part of God’s design, and not just how God favors or
looks after the affairs of some preferred subset of His children.
Much time and energy, from scholars, the faithful,
missionaries, and others, have been devoted to these and related
questions. And while it would be foolish
to think I could provide easy, simple, answers to such core questions of faith troubling
many before me, I would like to share a few thoughts about why many Mormons are
comfortable with their faith or, in Mormon speak, have acquired a “testimony”—a
fervent belief in the rightness of Mormon doctrine, in the inspiration of
Mormon Church leaders, and in the power of the restored gospel to change lives. These thoughts will ring familiar to many in
the Mormon Church—I do not approach the subject of “getting a testimony” much differently
than many before me. Quite to the
contrary, at its core, many Mormons find great similarity between the
impressions and feelings they have felt when seeking spiritual insights with
those experienced by others in the Mormon Church—and this shared experience dramatically
enhances their ability to relate to one another, and strengthens their internal
convictions of the “rightness” of their beliefs.
For a number of years, I have thought that one key (indeed,
perhaps the critical key) to seeking spiritual truth is found in a short
episode in the life of Christ, recounted in John: “Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went
up into the temple, and taught. And the
Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never wanted? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
not mine, but his that sent me. If any
man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or
whether I speak of myself.” John 7:
14-17. One way to test the truthfulness
of any doctrine (at least any doctrine requiring men and women to behave in a
certain way)[2] is
embrace the doctrine by bring one’s life in line with the prescribed conduct,
and then testing to see if the fruits of that behavior are “good,” for by the
“fruits” ye shall know them.[3]
This concept of “doing his will” has
been expressed in different ways—as “exercising faith” and “repenting;” as “keeping
commitments;” as “submitting our will to the will of God.” It requires more that “words”—sometimes a
cheap commodity, easily offered, easily forgotten. If, for example, one wants to know whether
keeping the Sabbath really matters—whether spiritual truth can be obtained
through such an observance--it requires one to keep the Sabbath. It requires action, obedience, submission,
humility, more than an emotionally-charged expression of belief; it requires a
commitment for a sustained period, demonstrating an exercise of faith. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of
thistles? Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit…Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matt. 7:
15-17. It is fair to be guarded
about those who claim to have faith, but who lack “good” works. “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt. 7: 21-23.
What are the “good” works of which we speak? The Apostle Paul offers insight as to the
“good” works, when comparing the “fruits of the Spirit” with the “works of the
flesh.” “This I say then, Walk in the
Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh….Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murderers, drunkenness, revellings, and
such like:… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentlemen, goodness, faith.” Gal. 5:
19-22. The scriptures also speak of
“being born again,” “having no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually,” “having the pure love of Christ,” becoming “as a child,
submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all
things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth
submit to his father.” Mosiah 3:
19. Underlying each expression is a
change in heart—putting aside the “old man” and “becoming” new through faith in
Christ.
Mormon missionaries extend the same challenge to all
introduced to the Church—come join us, learn of the doctrine, change your life
by repenting and living more fully the commandments. The non-member is asked to live the law of
chastity, abide by the Ten Commandments, keep the Word of Wisdom, pay tithes
and offerings, to mention a few. This
amounts to bringing forth the fruits of repentance stemming from one’s growing
faith. The non-member is asked to
exercise as much faith as he/she can muster, to pray and then to ask God whether
the restored gospel’s message is not true.
The feelings of the heart are critical to the test—can one say that
his/her feelings can be described in these or similar terms. “And
that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. That which is of God is light; and he that
receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light
growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” D&C 88:23-24. “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 world
is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my
understanding, year, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” Alma 32: 28
It matters not how much light and knowledge one has before being
introduced to the restored gospel. All
that is required is a willing heart and a contrite spirit. The promises of enlightenment are expressed
in metaphorical terms, but somehow the lyrical language captures the essence of
the experience. It is although one’s
sight is perfected and refined, not the sight of the physical eyes, but the
sight of the spiritual eyes.[4]
Hence, obedience and faithfulness are
the keys to apprehending spiritual truth.
Because the Book of Mormon is central to the story of the
restoration, and to the claims made by the Prophet Joseph Smith, it is
frequently used as a means of introducing the Mormon Church. And missionaries use it as a tool by pointing
to the iconic promise in Moroni to aid non-members in testing the message 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, ty the power of the Holy Ghost, And by the
power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” Moro. 10: 4-5. I think of this promise as an example of the broader
principle of “doing the will of God,” with the attached promise of coming to
the truth. For new members of the Mormon
Church this is usually the first step, creating in them a desire to join the
Mormon Church, and starting them down the path.
What follows, or at least what one hopes that follows, is a life-time of
obedience, through which deepens the individual’s convictions of the
truthfulness of the principles introduced through the restored gospel.
The principle of “obedience” suggests that the universe of
human affairs is subject to a set, perhaps a complex set, of linkages—between
obedience and blessings—divinely ordained of God, immutable and fixed, upon
which men may, with confidence, rely.
And while this is likely the case, the world in which we live seems far
messier and less predictable, and rarely does it produce the neat set of
outcomes one might expect if human affairs were to run smoothly in line with
fixed, absolute linkages between behavior and consequences. There are at least six reasons why this
may be the case. But before considering
those reasons, I wish to stress one point lest it be lost from sight. Generally speaking, and without addressing any
specific commandment or linked blessing, there is certainly a linkage between
our efforts to obey generally God’s commandments and the overall quality of our
life—and perhaps more specifically with the feeling that we are “right” with
God. In my experience, when I am as
obedient as I can be to God’s commandments, knowing of course that I fall short
of doing all I should, my life is better; and when I find myself lax or casual,
my life is not as good. That does not
mean I don’t have trials, disappointments, struggles and the like—everyone is
subject to those. But each of the general
relationships exits, and I find both propositions—“feeling good” and “not
feeling good”—to reinforce my confidence in the proposition that “obedience”
(or perhaps expressed differently “righteousness”) leads to “happiness.”[5]
Given the dramatic and bold nature of the claims made by
Mormon missionaries, one might expect many to be willing to “test” the
doctrine, even if they naturally suspicious of their claims. The Mormon claims are startling, indeed
revolutionary, speaking of modern-day prophecy, the restoration of priesthood
keys, temple ordinances binding men and their families. And while many have been prepared to take the
message seriously, perhaps most shocking is how few do so.[6]
They have no interest to listening to
what the missionaries have to say, nor are they prepared to do anything to
inquire further. Literally millions of
Books of Mormon have been placed, most of which have never been opened or read,
beyond a handful of passages earmarked by the missionaries. One would think “reading” the Book of Mormon
would be a pretty good way of getting a handle on whether the Mormon message
has any credibility. Despite this, each day thousands of people, briefly
introduced to the Mormon Church, pass on the opportunity to do any real
investigation of the missionaries’ message.
Why is this the case? Many are
not interested in religion; others think they know the answers in advance; many
can’t be bothered. Some are fearful of
the new commitments they may be asked to make, knowing Mormons are extremely
busy with their church and make considerable sacrifices of time and money. Some don’t want to change their life styles
and suspect (correctly so) that they will be asked to stop doing what they
currently want to do, and instead to bring their lives in line with gospel
principles.[7]
[1]
Other questions might include: What are the common elements among various
faiths and, within Christianity, among various denominations, do those common
elements constitute a set of core beliefs that could be regarded as central and
generally acceptable to those of faith.
[2] At
least initially, I am speaking of any “doctrine” requiring action, such as
living the Word of Wisdom, paying tithes and offerings, staying chaste before
marriage, not committing adultery, honoring one’s parents, controlling
thoughts, being charitable. Whenever the
restored gospel posits a principle of moral conduct, that commandment can be
“tested” through personal observance.
But perhaps surprisingly, even “faith” in God is a doctrine requiring
action that can be put to the same test.
One can seek to exercise faith, even in the face of uncertainty, to
“test” whether faith itself, as a principle of action, is rewarding and
enlightening and in that sense yields good fruits. See, for example, Alma 32. There are, of course, other beliefs such as
the nature of the Godhead, belief in a premortal life, etc., which seem largely
immune to being “tested” through conduct.
How, for example, it is possible through conduct to get a read on
historical facts, such as the claim that Jesus was resurrected on the third
day. Instead such beliefs seem to be
accepted by the faithful “inferentially.”
See “Inferential Truths” below.
[3] Is
it “necessary” to try everything out? Or
can one test the “fruits” of a particular way of life by observing the conduct
of others? Observation is clearly
sufficient in many cases.
[4]
“But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual
eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and
died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I
was transfigured before him.” Moses 1:
11. See also Rev. 1: 10.
[5] “Do not suppose, because it has been spoken
concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was
happiness.” Alma 41:10. This scripture is often construed to signify
the opposite proposition—that righteousness “is” happiness.
[6] I
am not talking about the decision of individuals not to even engage any
discussion with the missionaries. I am
addressing the cases where the missionaries have had an opportunity to give a
brief introduction to the claims of the Mormon Church.
[7]
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light,
that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3: 19-21.
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