Of all that I have ever read, the classic that has engaged me the most over a lifetime of learning is the Book of Mormon. Not only do I find the book inexhaustible, but through study and faith I continue to gain insights that are remarkable, even stunning. …[more]
If one is unaware of the depths of biology and/or our theology, it is easy to say that truth is truth so there should be no conflict. Well, there should be no conflict, but at the present state of our knowledge, there is plenty of conflict. …[more]
I have to work through doubt, come to the edge of the cliff and see the white water break on the rocks below. That’s when I can sometimes close my eyes and jump. When I most need God to catch me, He does. …[more]
As many decades have passed, I have had a few of life’s painful disappointments. Just living a long time allows more opportunity for us to experience some of the challenges of mortality, as well as the blessings that come from dealing with things we would not have chosen. …[more]
After the Second World War, my parents came from southern Steiermark (Styria) to Kärnten (Carinthia) and settled in a small village not far from the border. The area where they had previously resided fell in 1945 to Yugoslavia. …[more]
Mormons cling to the sweet notion that not only is there God but that He cares profoundly about humanity, deeply enough to respond personally to the pleadings of an American farm boy in 1820 and then set into motion a dazzling stream of revelation. …[more]
God, not man, is the measure of all things. God and His Word are the yardstick by which all things are to be measured, judged, and evaluated. Through His word God has given us our most accurate view of basic reality. …[more]
Religion needs to influence our lives on several planes: spiritual, mental, and social, with attention also to our physical well being. Adherence to religious beliefs should lift people beyond their selfish pursuits to unite in reaching higher common goals. …[more]
Whenever I’m asked about how the Latter-day Saint religion differs from another religion, I like to start by talking about their similarities. That way we start off with what we have in common. Too often a talk about religion starts off negatively. …[more]
As editor of the Book of Mormon critical text project and The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (Yale University Press, 2009), my task has been to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon to the extent scholarly and academic analysis will allow. …[more]
It was never intended that we should prove scientifically the existence of our Savior and our Father in Heaven. Nevertheless, there are numerous observations that certainly proclaim a divine creator. …[more]
I would rather read than do just about anything—I’d rather read than sleep or even eat, and I have on occasion. Some people climb mountains—my brain is always saying, “Yes, that’s very pretty. But, you know, you could be home reading.” …[more]
My need for and commitment to questioning and probing stem also in part from an experience my mother had with her great uncle, Heber J. Grant, then President of the Church. She asked him one day if he had ever doubted the truthfulness of the gospel. …[more]
I knew that the Book of Mormon and the Church were true. From that simple act of religious conscience, when I agreed to follow that special prompting from on high and become a Latter-day Saint, I have had much joy in the gospel. …[more]
I have an unwavering conviction that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and that it possesses the priesthood authority of God to provide the essential saving ordinances, including baptism, to all who will believe and repent. …[more]
As long as I can remember, I have had a belief in God, the mission of his Son, and the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony began as a child’s simple unquestioning belief that has matured into a view of eternity centered on a conviction of the gospel. …[more]
In my case “a testimony” was not something I had to acquire at a given moment as a response to “doubts.” As far as I can recall, there was never a time from my earliest years growing up in Smithfield that I did not have an assurance that the gospel was from God. …[more]
Faith is the basic operative principle of mortality and, as Alma’s definition points out, “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things” —thus confirming that mortality, by nature, requires that we must experience and learn to accommodate some measure of uncertainty. …[more]
My ability to explain concepts of faith in the world of scholarship may be limited, even limping, but God knows I do my best, and He can, if He chooses, make up the difference. He always has. …[more]
As Latter-day Saints, we invite others to come and add to the truth they already have, by learning of the restoration of the gospel. We may sometimes be less diligent in seeking the truths they can bring to us. …[more]
