The first reason that we can believe what the Bible says, it would seem, is because the Bible tells us we can believe what the Bible says. Even though this was not an LDS pamphlet, I immediately thought of Moroni's Promise.
The way that we can know that the Book of Mormon is true is by following the Book of Mormon's own instructions for learning of its veracity. If you're wondering if someone is lying to you, asking him if he is won't help. If he was lying, he can just lie again. But if you talk to someone else who knows him well, maybe that person will have some insight that can help you make an informed decision.
The fewer resources you use in your quest for truth, the more likely it is that you'll be fooled. And with something so important as your eternal welfare supposedly at stake, it should be a priority to avoid being fooled.
This is exactly why Packer's teaching that a testimony is gained in the bearing of it is so horribly wrong. A person stands up and bears testimony of something they don't believe in hoping to gain confirmation that it's true. I call that lying. People in the congregation hear that testimony and believe in the words of the "liar." Think about. An apostle in the church encouraged people to lie in testimony meeting. How can you believe anything anyone says in that meeting?
ReplyDeleteOn that same topic, I heard Pres. Monson hasn't borne testimony of Joseph Smith or the restoration in general conference since becoming President of the church. I actually checked his recent talks over the last couple of years, and it's true that he hasn't during that time.
It's a weird separation of roles in the current church leadership. Oaks and Holland lay the smack down, Christofferson and Ballard and Cook tell the reassuring lies, and Monson is the grandfather figure delivering chicken soup for the soul speeches designed to endear Mormonism to mainstream Christianity. But that means he can't testify of any significantly unique stuff. His conference talks are sweet but totally uninspired. Some prophet, huh?
ReplyDeleteDo you think they actually believe non-members waste a perfectly good weekend twice a year watching conference? I think they believe people do, or else they want members to think that.
ReplyDeleteEither that or they want the press to watch so they'll write headlines like "Mormon leader says follow Christ" or something.
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