Establishing One's Own Testimony

In my last post I discussed the importance of developing a personal testimony of the Gospel, I would like to expand on that point a bit more.  Currently, I am at home on Christmas break.  On Christmas Eve, I attended a Episcopalian midnight church service with my parents.  It was a very nice service as always, and one part of the pastor's sermon really stuck with me.  He spoke to the congregation telling them they needed to find God and His word on their own; they have to read the Gospel for themselves.  Too many rely on their belief which is simply built on tradition or on what church leaders or authorities tell them, not from finding or developing a belief, or testimony, of their own.  I was surprised he was 'calling-out' the congregation in this manner, but I agreed completely, and so does much of the Church of Jesus Christ I believe.  The Church encourages members to find and develop their own testimony of the validity of the Church and the Gospel as a whole.

Often in talks one may hear a member speak of a time when they relied on the testimony of their parents, before they developed their own.  I think this problem is all too common for many people, whether of this Church or of another, one cannot rely on others to find the truth; they must discover it on their own and have it confirmed by the Holy Ghost.  One cannot know or understand the Gospel, or God for that matter, unless they discover and confirm it themselves.  This may sound like a lot of work, and perhaps for some finding a testimony is, but it really is a blessing that we have the freedom to choose to follow the Gospel.  This blessing is our agency.

Agency is our freedom of choice.  It is an essential part of the Plan of Salvation.  We choose to find a testimony or not, but whatever our choice may be it is our own and we must take full personal responsibility.  The concept of agency does not refute or attempt to falsify God's all-powerful or all-knowing nature, in fact, agency is really a testament of Heavenly Father's love for His children.  He still knows what we will choose, and He does indeed have the power to force us to do things, but because of His love, for us, He allows us to make that decision on our own.  One, whether man or deity, cannot establish a testimony for you, that would infringe on the freedom of choice we all have.  Agency is essential, and is why one must develop a testimony on his or her own.  

This agency must also be used in gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Now it is up to the individual whether to test it or not, but if they do decide to seek out its validity, they need to test it themselves through the Holy Ghost, not rely on others beliefs or feelings.

I stumbled upon a page on Catholic.com that is entitled "Problems with the Book of Mormon", well after a title like that I just had to read on.  And I have to say the title was perhaps not best suited for the actual contents of the article.  It talked mostly of ways of 'not getting fooled by the Book of Mormon' and really only two claims of invalidity (I actually might do a post on this article later, just because I like it so much, but for the sake of not getting completely off track, I should move on).  At the end of the article it states, 

Tell the Mormon missionaries: "Look, it is foolish to pray about things you know are not God’s will. It would be wrong of me to pray about whether adultery is right, when the Bible clearly says it is not. Similarly, it would be wrong of me to pray about the Book of Mormon when one can so easily demonstrate that it is not the word of God."

Well firstly one could still pray about adultery if he or she really desired I guess, but the reason we probably don't need to is because it is blatantly commanded that it is a sin.  As for the Book of Mormon part, I don't remember the commandment about God saying scripture is wrong...  Jesus however did warn us "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves," (Matthew 7:15) therefore we should test all things by means of the Holy Ghost if they are indeed true and good.  Without that confirmation we are lost and cannot know the truth.

I urge everyone to read the Book of Mormon earnestly and to truly pray of its validity and if one truly does so I know they will find a testimony of its truth.  And not only is this true for the Book of Mormon but in all things, "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" (James 1:5).  I can truly testify this is the only way one may find truth, and I testify of this in Christ's name. Amen.

What is Faith?

So yeah, I haven't updated in a long time... I mean a long time... Sorry about that; I wish I had a good excuse but... yeah.

Anyway a while back someone posted a comment on my entry entitled "Heeding the Voice of the Prophets".  Their comment addressed "faith", through the use of an extended metaphor about driving.  While I feel his or her point was a little jumbled in the mix, the part about faith hit me hard.  He or she stated,

When you drive your car on city streets, you have "faith" that others will obey the laws, be vigilent and kind. Without this "faith" you would not dare to drive. 

When you see someone injured or killed on the highway, your faith is "challenged." You realize the connection between what preserves you in faith is your own imagination or construct of the world.

People are always saying "I have faith in God and faith in religion and I want everyone to have the feeling of peace I have in religion," but this missionary zeal is just the dissimination of opiates, just as telling yourself everyone will obey traffic laws enables the feeling of security while driving.

This is where I think we must define faith. Paul stated "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  We see faith is an "assurance", it is a confirmation, it is a truth.  I believe the "faith" defined by Paul and the "faith" that is talked about in the quote above are very different.  I believe "hope" not "faith" might be a better word.

I, personally, hope others will obey the law, be vigilant, and kind.  I hope for a safe journey.  That is all I can really do, because what the author wrote above is absolutely correct I cannot control what other drivers do or what ultimately happens.  And this is the key distinction between hope and faith.  In faith, I know, "Faith is the assurance".  Hope is simply a desire.  Hope is an aspect of faith, as Paul stated, but I also believe the two are very distinct.  

When trying to see if something is true one must first have a hope of its validity, a confirmation of its validity, and finally knowledge of its validity may be obtained.  The basic "Scientific Method" if you will.  Well the same is true for the Gospel.  Whether it be a question of "Am I doing what is right?", "Is this the correct church?" "Is there a god?" or even a tiny prayer, one must first have a hope that what they are asking will be answered, will be true, or will come to pass.  Once this "hope" is established, one must recieve a confirmation that this hope is true.  I had a hope, or a desire, to know if the Book of Mormon was true, so I prayed and recieved a confirmation through the Holy Ghost; this confirmation then lead me to know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I believe it is only through this confirmation of the Holy Ghost may we obtain true faith.  (By confirmation, I am not saying every answer will be yes, it can easily be no, or not even be able to be answered in simple "yes or no", "true or false" terms).  Through the Holy Ghost we establish faith.  This faith is as true as any fact or truth established by empirical evidence.  

Now as for the last part of the quote.  I do indeed "want everyone to have the feeling of peace [love, happiness, knowledge, assurance, etc (my additions)] I have in religion."  Now I do have faith that if one truly looks at the Church of Jesus Christ, and genuinely and wholeheartedly ask God if it is indeed the true church of Christ he or she will recieve confirmation from the Holy Ghost that it is.  Again the key of obtaining true faith is through the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, but this process is indiviual.  My faith cannot act in place of someone else's.  Faith must be found on one's own, only through personal confirmation.  I can bear my testimony all day but it will not give one faith, it may strengthen one's faith, but to obtain faith first hope must be wrought, then confirmation of its truth, and ultimately the assurance of faith will be given.