In a continual effort to explain why I believe in the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I would like to discuss how I feel that I have come to recognize truth concerning spiritual matters.
But first, allow me to provide a little context. Mormons teach that we are able to know the truth of all things through “the power of the Holy Ghost.” According to Mormon doctrine, the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, and is a distinct and separate individual from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He is a person of spirit; whereas the other two members of the Godhead have perfected and resurrected bodies.
The role of the Holy Ghost in Mormon theology is a very important one. He is responsible to reveal truth unto those who seek it. A commonly-shared scriptural passage which emphasizes this point is found in the Book of Moroni, in the very last chapter of the Book of Mormon.
“…[W]hen you shall receive these things,…ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4-5, emphasis added).
When I have shared this scripture with others, a common question is “how does this work?” In other words, how do we know truth?
It is my opinion that most human beings are aware of truth at all times. If we dig down to the source of what we know, we will find that it is rooted in something we all are constantly experiencing: our feelings.
Think about it in this way. Have you ever felt in a certain way, yet when you tried to explain it to somebody else, you couldn’t find the right words? My guess is anybody who has been involved in a romantic relationship has certainly experienced this all-to-common phenomenon.
Everything we say or do must first be premeditated in some way. Sometimes this premeditation takes place in the split second before the action occurs (hence I end up with my foot in my mouth from time to time). However, before we can say or do anything, we must allow it to in some way emerge in our consciousness through thought.
Likewise, before we can have a thought, no matter how complete it is, we must first have a certain feeling that leads to this type of thought. What we feel is one of the greatest indicators of who we are. It is more real to us than anything else. We may not be able to express our feelings clearly, even through thought. However, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we can recognize how we truly feel in any given situation.
The Holy Ghost communicates truth to us through our feelings. Mormon doctrine teaches that in addition to our physical bodies, we also have spiritual bodies, like that of the Holy Ghost. Our spirit body is the source of our feelings, and therefore the source of our knowledge of truth. The Holy Ghost, being a Spirit Himself, is able to communicate with us directly through our spirit. Therefore, when we discover something pertaining to our eternal existence (in other words, a doctrine), we can ask to find out if it is true. The Holy Ghost is able to communicate the truth of these things directly to our spirit through our feelings.
I won’t try to explain this process too much now, mainly because I am not sure I am able to adequately express it through words (it’s based on feeling, remember?). However, I can say with a surety that when the Holy Ghost manifests a truth to our spirit through our feelings, it is more powerful than any other witness we could possibly receive.
So, how do you feel about this?
4 comments:
First!
The funny thing about feelings is that they're not always something one can put their finger on.
Not only do different people feel differently than one another about a given topic, such as which religion is true, but even those who were once staunch believers one way might be open to change their feelings if the time is right.
To address all those who do not yet believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is not the one and only true and living church on the face of the earth, how can someone who read the Book of Mormon, then kneels in prayer and asks sincerely whether it is true NOT get a confirmation of the truth?
I think in the Mormon mind there are three possibilities: 1) that person who didn't get the warm fuzzy is clearly not one of His sheep, or 2) that person got the answer but refuses to recognize it, or 3) that person isn't spiritually mature enough to recognize what it feels like to have truth confirmed by the Holy Ghost. The possibility that the Book of Mormon is not true, and that the Holy Ghost wouldn't drop everything and run to your side and tickle your ribs just doesn't exist.
I think that in order to get to that state of feeling or state of mind (that the Book of Mormon is true) one has to accept such things as God, the Atonement, the Holy Ghost, prophets as God's mouthpiece, continuing revelation, and various other possibilities, before one can even be open to the idea. As doors were once open are now closed, and doors that were closed are now open, a person can become a believer of what he or she is willing to believe.
In other news, what has happened to all the comments that your posts used to get, Nils? Did the novelty wear off? Are your posts not controversial enough to stir up an opinion in others?
I, for one, am doing my part; just see my rather Sophist comment above.
I'm back finally. I remember when you explained this idea (or maybe feeling is more appropriate) to me in the MTC, or at very least your understanding of the connections between words-thoughts-and feelings. One thing I've always liked about this is how well it fits into King Benjamin's "...watch your thoughts, words, and deeds" Feelings then are the predecessors to our thoughts. You alluded to this, but I would extrapolate that our feelings are an extension of our true selves. Who we are influences our feelings, which influence thoughts, etc. I have more to say about this, but I will have to later because I have to take off right now.
tobyo-
Great question about all the comments that we used to get. I guess maybe I am no longer any good at writing? Or perhaps you are right, people only like controversy? Or maybe everybody is still hibernating from the holidays? Whatever the reason, I say unto all you former comment-makers: "Please, come back!" Wow, now I sound like a home-teacher.
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