| | It was a chilly November night in Bellingham, Washington. My glasses prescription was expired and my eyes were straining to see clearly with my current pair. I walked into the Wal-Mart to get the new prescription and didn't expect anything to really come from it, other than being able to see a little clearer. As I sat in the exam chair, the optometrist saw my black name tag and smiled slightly. As he turned to his equipment to start the exam he turned toward me and said, "So, Elder Wirig, you're Mormon?"
"I'm a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ, yeah."
"If you don't mind, I have a few questions for you after the exam," he said. "If you don't mind," adding quickly.
A sick feeling settled over me, but my mind was honed to teach at every available moment. So I agreed.
The exam went smoothly, and I got my prescription. Then the questions came.
"So do you believe that anyone who is not a Mormon will go to Hell?" What a way to start, eh?
"No, I don't. God is a lot more just than just sending people to Hell because they don't believe."
That threw him for a loop. Then came the next question: "There is mounds of evidence for the Bible. The city of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, not to mention a few others that have been found, and yet there is none for the Book of Mormon. Isn't that proof that it's false?"
This led to a 45 minute conversation on evidences. I pointed out evidences that were there (STELA 5, Quetzelcoatl, etc), but they were brushed off as "singular instances".
It seemed that this self-proclaimed "intellectual" thought that lack of evidence equaled total error. This was very frustrating and I probably would have dwelt more on it if I didn't come across Paul's words the next morning in 1 Cor. 3:19: "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." Whatever his education or "wisdom" may have been, the issues of faith cannot be debated on that kind of playing field. He refused to recognize truth because of the lack of physical evidence. The principles taught in a school classroom, while useful, are not enough to bring salvation or exaltation. While they may be valuable in this world, they are nothing compared to the aspects of all eternal knowledge.
Despite what many people outside of the LDS Church may think, the Bible sustains it and those who teach the principles it teaches. Wisdom alone will not suffice. Past wisdom in the medical fields suggested bleeding people to get rid of illnesses. Doctors would use arsenic and other perilous drugs to try to cure diseases. Past wisdom taught that anyone who was deaf was dumb and could be taught to hear and speak. While wisdom is essential in finding truth, the light of the Lord and the whisperings of the Still Small Voice declare and testify of the truth. Wise men dispute, debate, and argue variables of so-called "wisdom", but the Spirit will confirm all truth.
Taking issues of so-called physical evidence on whether or not the Bible or Book of Mormon is true is just like setting logical limits to God. We as mere mortals only have an inkling of the works, powers, and abilities of God. The issue of finding truth in religion can never rest with logical arguments. The answer can never be logical, because it is infinitely THEO-LOGICAL. We walk in faith in this life. We believe that in walking by that faith, gaining wisdom through the scriptures and the teachings of modern prophets. By the power and authority of the Holy Ghost, the truth will be manifest.
That eye doctor tried refuted the lack of evidences in trying to rebuke the Book of Mormon. I never saw him again. However, I've wondered how the conversation would go if I did. More than likely, I would point out that the Bible is the Word of God, but that through the ages, several teachings were either changed or deleted. As far as physical evidences, there is not one Roman or Greek government citation coming from Jerusalem dating back to AD 33 about the crucifixion of the Lord. Historical WISDOM shows us that those two cultures were meticulous record keepers, and yet they failed to record this event as well as the controversy surrounding the resurrection. There is not one shred of evidence of Noah and the flood. Biological WISDOM suggests that inbreeding causes birth defects, yet after the flood the Bible says that only eight people survived to repopulate the earth. Is that logical? The Lord Himself walked on water. The WISDOM of physics states that a person may be buoyant in water but a person's feet cannot displace enough water to to allow a full grown man to walk on it. In spite of many searches, there is no physical evidence of the exodus out of Egypt by the children of Israel. 40 years and many camps, yet no evidence can be found. How did Moses get water from a rock by hitting it? Geological WISDOM states that rocks do not produce water. How did manna fall from heaven and why has it not fallen since? Because WISDOM dictates that that these events could not occur, does that mean the Bible is wrong? Again, Paul said it best: "For the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."
Our finite minds cannot understand the miracles, power and works of God. I testify of the truthfulness of the Bible and the Book of Mormon as they testify that Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the entire world. That the teachings of Jesus are universal, and that He, being all powerful and knowledgeable, came to the Americas to teach the ancient inhabitants here. He loved all the people of the earth that He was willing to do this and have another record of His teachings to declare to everyone that He is the Risen Lord, the Only Begotten of the Father, and the Redeemer of all mankind. If anyone admits less than this, then they limit the Love and Power of God, and in fact deny biblical teachings. "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26) |
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