-William George Jordan, “The Supreme Charity of the World,” The Kingship of Self-Control
“We do not need to judge nearly so much as we think we do. This is the age of snap judgments. … [We need] the courage to say, ‘I don’t know. I am waiting further evidence. I must hear both sides of the question.'”
-William George Jordan, “The Supreme Charity of the World,” The Kingship of Self-Control
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Recently I read an article where a person was defending his choice of religion. He wrote a phrase that seemed to capture the position many take when scientific thought appears to contradict religious belief:
"I do not think that any Christian faith can be accepted as true if it requires us not to believe something very established science shows to be true." This is an unfortunately common belief among people of faith. It is incorrect because it puts the understanding of men above faith in God. Early in His ministry, Christ asked an uneducated Peter who He was, and Peter replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." All the secular and philosophical leaders of his time denied that claim, and even tried to use their logic to show that Jesus was a fraud. Jesus taught Peter "Blessed art thou... for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven." Peter had a Source of knowledge far greater than his own reason or the simple understanding of other men. The doubting Thomas was reprimanded for requiring visual evidence before he would believe in Christ's resurrection: "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Our time is no different. A worldwide epidemic of pride has caused us to greatly overestimate our own understanding. The distance between the collective understanding of all men and the understanding of our all-knowing God is indescribably great. Why then would we toss aside His teachings in favor of worldly logic? As a loving Father, God wants me to reason for myself. But like a worthy child, when God tells me what is true, I must be willing to act against even my own reason when necessary, because I trust my Father's wisdom more than my own. God saved Abraham from being sacrificed on an altar by his own father. He later commanded Abraham to sacrifice his own son on an altar. If we believe our own logic should trump faith in God, we will never have the faith that Abraham had. "It was as if I had been looking out as far as I could see toward the horizon, and had been quite satisfied that I could see everything that there was to see. When I undertook to read the Book of Mormon in that manner, however, I discovered that so much more beauty and truth about who we are and what God has in store for us, lies beyond that old horizon. I did not know what I did not know."
-Why I Belong and Why I Believe, Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Professor (emphasis added) Many desire "proof" of God's existence, his teachings, and His plan for our happiness. They summarily reject God and His Gospel because they say it is not provable.
What kind of proof do they desire? Perhaps they desire a scientific proof, such as a mathematical derivation. But mathematical proofs are regularly found to be flawed and are based only on the limited logic of men. Perhaps more people would be convinced by empirical evidence. But this too is subject to interpretation and argument. Even some of the most "proven" scientific theories are regularly questioned, reconsidered, and reworked. In spite of all the evidence, scientific theories are just that--they are theories and are limited by the intellect of the men and women who create and subscribe to them. All "proof" is simply evidence that men in their limited minds consider very strong. These days, scientific knowledge and human logic seem to be considered very strong "proof." Heavenly Father does offer proof of His words. But His proof does not come in the form of mathematical derivations or scientific evaluations. God is not a scientist. He already knows everything. He could personally tell a scientist or any individual what He knows, but would the person be convinced, or would they endlessly question the knowledge they receive? He could personally appear to someone, but would the memory of that experience be enough to convince them of its reality, or would alternate explanations be considered? He could move a mountain or bring someone back from the dead, but neither of these things in and of themselves are enough to completely convince someone. Mountains could be moved by extreme plate tectonics; people rising from the dead were perhaps not completely dead anyway, or perhaps a live person was subtly switched with the dead person, or perhaps there is simply some unknown alternate explanation for what we see. God could miraculously heal the sick, calm ocean storms, or change water into wine before our very eyes, yet many would remain unconvinced. He demonstrated this during His sojourn on earth. What then is Heavenly Father's proof? What possible proof can He give us that we will believe? Put simply, His proof is the realization of the promises He makes, together with a heavenly assurance. He tells us plainly that we will know whether what He says is true "If any man will do His will, he shall know" whether His teachings are true or made up. In order to see whether Newton's Laws would work, we had to try them out. Similarly, if we do what God asks of us, we will see the promised blessings, however unlikely those blessings may seem at the time. Also, by submitting to God's will, we build a relationship with Him that allows Him to communicate with us heart-to-heart, and this new means of communication allows us to receive a direct injection of knowledge--we can feel something of what He feels, and experience a reflection of what He knows. This personal connection with God Himself is more convincing than any lecture by an expert in theoretical physics. It is stronger proof than decades of empirical evaluation. To look into the heart and mind of One who knows all things is a priceless venture, and it does not require an academic degree. What it does require is a willingness to try--faith to live as God would have me live. As I give my heart to Him, He opens His heart to me. Countless millions have experienced personal proof of His promises. Though the proof comes in a different form than some desire or expect, it is stronger and more reliable than any proof of a worldly nature. Faith implies that you don't have a perfect knowledge of something. While so many in the world today insist on fully understanding every point of doctrine before they will accept it, the Lord's way is different. Jesus Christ told Peter: "Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." |
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