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.
Mormonism: Is Seeing Really Believing?
Often times, we hear the catchphrase, “Seeing is believing.” Is that really true though? I mean true, often times seeing something will make you believe in it. But there are exceptions to every rule. For example, illusionists and magicians play on this and make people believe that they are doing supernatural things when really they are just using methods and practiced techniques to play tricks on the eyes. On the other hand, belief does not have to be tied to sight. Faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is the perfect example. More times than not, we will not get a miraculous revelation where angels minister or we see heavenly beings in order for us to believe that they exist. We must rely on faith first and believe that these things are true first, and then we will be more likely to receive such revelation. The Nephites did this very thing after Christ came to visit them in 3 Nephi 11 after his resurrection. They came forth and touched his hands and feet where the nails had pierced through on the cross. Then they went forth crying, “Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!” and worshiped Him. But did they worship Him and believe in Him after they physically saw Him and touched His wounds? No. They had already believed in Him and had faith in Him. How can we assume that seeing is the only way to build faith when in fact it would not even be faith? Joseph Smith was given a revelation that told us that those who ask for signs to ‘confirm’ their belief are adulterers. We have to grow our own testimony based on faith, and it is possible. Seeing is not always believing.
Yours,
Kristin
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