BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)
Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.
Mormon Thoughts: Faith and Miracles
A Letter to a Friend
I learned a little bit about miracles this week as I was reading the scriptures. I was thinking about what you had said about knowing of spiritual truths before. I don’t really know what you your beliefs are now, but back then you declared yourself agnostic. You didn’t believe that anyone can know if God exists or not.
Well, reading in the Book of Mormon (a religious text for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”), I found that, in part, that is true.
In the book of Helaman chapter 9, a man named Nephi makes a prophecy which is very obviously supernatural. He declares that the leader of that nation was murdered before anyone else (other than the murderer, of course) knew. Some people went and checked and sure enough, the Chief Judge was dead. The reaction of the people is very interesting. They accuse Nephi of conspiring to kill the chief judge. The motive that they stick on him is that he wanted to convert them to his religion so he had the Chief Judge killed to show this miraculous event. Through a few more miraculous predictions down to the responses people will say, Nephi proves his innocence, but few are converted from this experience.
Although these people are decidedly wicked, I cannot blame them for their conclusion. Were I in their shoes, I would not believe a miracle like that. I too would make accusations. I don’t think that “miracles” will ever be evidence of divinity. Every miracle leaves reasonable doubt. There is no such thing as definitive proof of God. He has intended this to be so.
So, now I must explain that I am still very much a firm advocate of religion. I went out and taught people about God for two years, full-time, with no pay. My resolution that God lives is firm and unwavering. But this resolution did not come from seeing a pillar of fire or an ocean dried up. It came through hearing good teachings and trying them out for myself and seeing the results. To say I understand everything would simply be a lie. There was a point where I just didn’t believe in God. I, however, wanted to learn what the truth was. So I studied. I visited different churches. I read the Bible and the Book of Mormon and prayed as they suggested. I did as those churches suggested and I discovered that they were good and that my life was better with those teachings than without. I can’t explain it as a feeling or just an observation. It is something that you both feel and know.
How can you tell that it isn’t you just wanting to believe? I can’t say. That is what faith is. It isn’t knowing. I have faith. Perhaps I too am agnostic in a sense, but I choose to believe in God and let it affect my life. I know it works simply because I have seen others succeed with it. This is where I still stand. More firmly than ever. I love you man.
Kevin Gottfredson
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