Sunday, October 25, 2009

The "New Atheism" in Ancient America


The Book of Mormon was written for our day. Each sacred word was given to convince us of the reality of the Savior Jesus Christ. The prophet Mormon took from the many sacred writings of the Nephites to compile the record we have today.
He didn't just randomly select different stories, but it was revealed to him what should be included. Mormon didn't know what would be relevant to us today, but God did.
One example of this is the inclusion of the story of Korihor which can be found in the 30th chapter of Alma (You can read it here).
We are introduced to a man named Korihor who could easily be mistaken for Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, or Christopher Hitchens.
The difference is that Korihor came long before these men. Unfortunately, we can see that the ideas of the New Atheism are not new at all.
Here are a few of the tenants of the new atheism with the words to Korihor in the Book of Mormon presented with them to show that the ideas are the same:

❄ There is something called "Faith" which can be defined as unjustified belief held in the teeth of the evidence. Faith is primarily a matter of false propositional belief.
"O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come."
❄ Darwinism is the best explanation of how we got here.
...every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.
❄ Science is the opposite of religion, and will lead people into the clear sunlit uplands of reason.
"I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to thy words."
❄ Those who persist in believing what science gives evidence against, are deluded or deranged.
16 Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.
❄ Religion exists. It is essentially something like American fundamentalist protestantism, or Islam. More moderate forms are false and treacherous: if anything even more dangerous, because they conceal the raging, homicidal lunacy that is religion's true nature.
14 Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.

Did Dawkins and the others actually read the Book of Mormon? Did they make Korihor the Anti-Christ their hero? Probably not. But I do believe that these ideas that are being regurgitated by the New Atheists come from the came place that Korihor got them: Satan.

There I said it. I must be a delusional, deranged, cop-out to believe such a thing. I wear it like a badge of honor.

I believe that God has given us plenty of evidence that He lives. But it's interesting that the same things I consider as evidence for God, the atheists consider evidence against God. In the chapter which deals with Korihor, the prophet Alma confronts him:

37 And then Alma said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?
38 And he answered, Nay.
39 Now Alma said unto him: Will ye deny again that there is a God, and also deny the Christ? For behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come.
40 And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.41 But, behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? Believest thou that these things are true?
42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God.
43 And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all theplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.
45 And yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses? And he said: Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign.
46 And now it came to pass that Alma said unto him: Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart, yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed.
47 But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.
48 Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.
49 Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.
50 Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.


The moral of the story? If you want to find God, look for Him in the way that God set up for you to find Him. If you look for a sign, it will most likely lead to a very bad situation for you. God will grant it to you, but it won't be for your salvation but rather your damnation. So how has God said we SHOULD seek Him? A great passage is found two chapters later in the Book of Mormon:

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a bseed may be planted in your cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by yourdunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to eenlighten my funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own alikeness.
32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
34 And now, behold, is your aknowledge bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your dmind doth begin to expand.
35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is alight; and whatsoever is light, is bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your aground is bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the atree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree bspringing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
There is a fool-proof way to find out if God is real. But it requires faith. If you reject the principle of faith, you will never find God, until it's too late. You can search the universe high and low and never find what you are looking for. But if you will seek God in the way He has said to seek Him, you WILL find Him, I guarantee it.

Not in just some metaphorical way, but in a way that speaks to all of your senses, both spiritual and physical. God loves you and wants you to come to Him. The way is through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
If you do these things, He will reveal himself to you.
1. Jn. 3: 2
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Testimony from my wife Jessica




"There are many things that I don't know. Many brilliant scholars of the world could confound me with their knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. But there is something that no one, educated or uneducated, can tell me all about. And that something is my testimony. It is personal, it is tailored to my needs and it thrives regardless of the opinions of others.

I know God lives. I know His son is Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that Jesus died for the sins of the world, that he died for my sins and that He has obtained mercy and forgiveness for me. Nothing I can do can possibly repay him for that. What I have to give in return is a contrite heart, a desire to try to live according to His teachings and a prayer that through my life, and the testimony I share, other people will want to know Him and be brought into His fold.

I have read the Book of Mormon over and over again and I know that it is a book of God. It testifies of Christ and the lessons that are found in it are applicable to our time. Through prayer and the gift of the Holy Ghost I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was chosen to bring forth the Book of Mormon and translate it so that the world could be blessed by it.

I know that the priesthood is the power of God on the earth and that the greatest blessings we can receive are made available to us through it. These blessings include to be baptized, given the gift of the Holy Ghost, receive our endowment and be sealed in the temple to our spouse and children for all eternity. I know that these ordinances can only be performed by those with proper authority.

I know that revelation continues and that there is a prophet on the earth today. President Monson is that man. I have been blessed in my life by listening to and obeying the counsel of our living prophet.

I know that our prayers are heard and answered. I have had prayers answered in many ways. Sometimes the answer to my prayers comes almost immediately. But many times my prayers are answered over time and in ways I wouldn't have thought to ask for.

I know that my testimony continues to thrive as I nurture it....by studying the scriptures, living the commandments, praying, repenting, remaining faithful to the covenants I've made and by sharing this testimony. I love the Lord, I love my family and I am eternally grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord that sustain me in the challenges, trials and hardships this life brings.

I have learned how the Holy Ghost speaks to me and I know how to recognize his promptings and influence. This allows me to have the truth confirmed to my soul. It allows me to say more than I believe. I can say I know the things I've born testimony of.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" (Jessica)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Gardening, Repentance, and Consistency




I grew up in a small but vibrant town in Southern Utah called Kanab. We lived in three different houses in Kanab, but the one where I did most of my growing up was on 400 south. Our house was surrounded by gardens.

To the left of us, the Buttons had a large garden and a corral behind their house where they kept horses and sometimes a few beef cows. I would help take care of these animals when they were out of town.

To the right of us was Lester and Ruth Johnson. They kept a meticulous yard and large garden with just about every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine surrounding their property.

Right behind us was Thayne Smith. He also had a large garden area with a big green house and a chicken coop. He owned a nursery in town.

Our yard had a pear tree, an apple tree, a grape vine hanging over the fence from the Johnsons, and, you guessed it, a large garden area. (We also had a basketball court which was awesome.)

When you contrasted the red cliffs with the green gardens surrounding us it was a small paradise. But I did have to learn to work hard. My dad was incredible with his gardening skills. He was also very competitive and wouldn't be outdone by the gardens surrounding our home.

He would meticulously prepare the ground and make sure the rows he plowed were straight and even. He would cultivate the perfect soil to make sure each area of the garden would produce and yield the greatest amount of harvest.

My job was to make sure the garden was irrigated (every 4 days) and that all weeds and pests were kept out.

When my Dad was around, I worked hard because I knew I would be in trouble if I didn't. But work was hard to find in Kanab so my Dad would take jobs out of state in California for sometimes months at a time. He would go and work construction for my uncle Bud's company who did government contracts.

When he left, I would sigh with relief because I thought I could get away with letting the weeds go for a while and not have to check the garden every day. One instance in particular sticks out in my mind. My Dad left and I then proceeded to let the weeds get out of control.

They started to take over the whole garden. Then one day my mom told me that my Dad would be coming home the following day. I looked out at the garden and fear swept over me. I knew that if my Dad came home and saw the yard and garden in this shape, I would be in deep trouble.

So I begged my Mom to let me stay home from school so I could work to get the yard and garden back in shape before my Dad came home. My mother agreed, knowing how frustrated my Dad would be and wanting him to be happy when he got home.

I ran out to the garden and started to hoe down the weeds as fast as I could. As I was doing this my neighbor Lester Johnson leaned over the fence and with a big smile on his face said "Your Dad's coming home isn't he?"

I said yes and he let out a big chuckle and went back to his work. Gratefully, I was able to get the garden and yard in good condition before my Dad came home.

However there were some vegetables lost and the harvest that year wasn't as great as it would have been.

My Dad told me that the key to gardening is to check everyday for weeds and then if you are consistent with that, it will only take a few minutes everyday to keep the garden weed free. But if you let it go, the job just gets bigger and bigger, and can threaten the entire garden.

Years later I have realized that the principle is the same when it comes to our individual sins. Sin, like little weeds, can sprout up daily in our lives. But if we are quick to repent, we can stay clean. Eventually, we can even eradicate the sins from our lives with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This requires a daily examining of ourselves, and daily fervent prayer. If we let this go, the sins like weeds will grow and grow and eventually compromise our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Sin like a weed steals the nutrients from the good plants or the good inside of us. Weeds wrap their roots around the root structure of the good plants and choke them enough to keep them from getting access to the water, then they die.

Sin does the same to our souls. The more we are entangled in sin, the harder it is to access the living water that comes from Jesus Christ. But if we repent, the Master gardener will clear our lives from sin and provide the living water we need to grow.

In the end, because of Jesus, we will yield a bountiful harvest. The key is consistent daily repentance, prayer and scripture study. Then when we face our Heavenly Father again, we will be pleased with how we have taken care of the stewardships He has entrusted us with.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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