So much of what we “know” depends on what we have seen. I
can look at the sky and say that I know it is blue. But when you study the
science of color, you know that it is a reflection, perhaps an illusion. We
only see a small portion of all the light waves in the universe, and we
perceive them according to the cells in our eyes. The names and
number of colors we identify is a product of the culture we grew up in. Many optical
illusions can prove our eyes to be insufficient when we want to truly “know”
something.
Astronomers have found ways to use both visible and
invisible light to determine size, distance, and chemical composition. By these
methods, we can determine that our universe has existed in its current form
(with matter and energy) for about 13.8 billion years. We can calculate that
our Sun formed 4.6 billion years ago.
Geologists also use visible and chemical clues to determine
the age of rock layers and the organisms who lived in them. We know that the
earth is about 4.5 billion years old, just slightly younger than the Sun. There
is evidence of life on Earth 3.8 billion years ago, which slowly evolved into
more complex forms. These original life forms lived in water, until 4 or 500
million years ago, when animals, plants, and fungi colonized Earth’s land. Our species,
Homo Sapiens, appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago.
We know all this because of things we can see, touch, and
measure. Those numbers are our best approximations from the available data.
There is still much we do not know. We don’t know what the universe was like
before the Big Bang or what caused it. As usual, science cannot tell us what its purpose or meaning is. Our current
scientific explanations leave other gaps, such as the formation of complex DNA
molecules and the emergence of consciousness. Scientists may make guesses about
how these happened, just as we make predictions about the future of the
universe, but the details are still unclear.
More recent history, of course, leaves more evidence. About
12,000 years ago, humans began to raise crops and animals, and organized cities
appeared 4000 years later. Finally, in 3000 BC, large civilizations arose with
technologies like the wheel, bronze-working, sailing and written language. This
gave birth to Mediterranean empires, from the Sumerians and Akkadians to the
Greeks and Romans. There were civilizations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Though we do not have perfect records, we can learn about these cultures from
the artifacts they left behind.
Oral history, writing, and painting were the primary means
of documenting historical events. That is how we know that over 200 years ago,
North American colonists formed an independent government that gave more rights
to its people than any previous system. We can read about how these rights were
eventually given to all Americans and how liberal democracy has spread to many
nations throughout the world.
While we know the main events of history, there are gaps in
our understanding. The most famous ones are based on sensational stories: Amelia Earhart, King Arthur, Atlantis, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We may never know
enough to fill these holes. Even with accepted history, we add more
perspectives to our understanding as we encounter more evidence, which we
continually do to enhance our knowledge of the past.
Only in the late 19th century could we begin to use
photographs to document historical events. Technology eventually gave us
videos, but, like photographs, these could only be created by a small portion
of the population. Finally, in the 21st century, cameras and smartphones
became so prevalent that virtually anyone can record anything, anywhere.
Now it is easier to “know” what is happening than it has
ever been, but we must be careful not to put too much emphasis on visual
evidence. Even photographs can be altered or taken out of context, keeping us
from knowing the whole story. And if there are no pictures of something, that
does not mean that we can’t know if it happened. As I mentioned, we can analyze
evidence from the past and make accurate conjectures about historical events.
Additionally, the possibility
of discovering more does not invalidate our current understanding. Newton’s
laws of motion are still true, even though Einstein’s Relativity altered them
for more extreme cases. The electromagnetic formulas of Faraday and Maxwell are
true, even as Quantum Mechanics provides a more complicated explanation with
even more questions.
So, when I say, “I know,” what does that mean? It means that
I have looked at the available evidence and decided if it is credible enough to
accept as truth. It does not mean that I am the world’s leading expert or that
I cannot learn more. I may continue to ask questions, conduct experiments, and
investigate the research that others have done.. In the meantime, I can say
that “I know” it to be true because all available evidence has led me to that
belief.
Truth is not
relative, but knowledge of truth is. Because of this, I don’t think that
“believing” and “knowing” are all that different, nor does it make sense to say
you are “90% sure” that something is true. Either God exists, or he does not.
Either there is life after this, or there is not. Not believing in a real God
does not invalidate his existence, nor would believing in a life after this
make one appear where there wasn’t one.
With all my praying, studying, thinking, discussing, wrestling,
and wondering, I strongly believe in a Higher Power--a God who has infinite
understanding and infinite reach. This God created us for a purpose. He does
not fully reveal himself to us, but can speak to us through our thoughts and
feelings to guide us in the correct path. He has given us laws about moral
behavior. He has designed this world for our benefit and learning.
Reading the New Testament, I have had personal experiences
that have led to me to feel, more than anything I have ever felt, that Jesus
Christ suffered and died for my sins. He was the first to rise from death, and
because He lives, we will all live again. The Book of Mormon is a powerful
testament of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. It shows that God does
not just speak to one people, but that he welcomes all who will listen to his
voice.
I have studied the life of Joseph Smith. He was a good and
sincere man who was doing his best to follow God, trying much harder than most
of us do. With his background, I do not believe he could have written the Book
of Mormon or established a rapidly growing religion unless he had divine
assistance. By evaluating the fruits of his work, I can say that Joseph Smith
must have been a prophet of God. This belief is strengthened by his successors,
who currently lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are
also good men that God has called as witnesses of the Savior to the entire
world.
We, the messengers,
are imperfect, but the message is true. Those who choose to study the words
of the prophets and open their hearts to God can come to that same knowledge.
It may begin as a feeling and grow to a hope. It will require study, work, and
even difficult experiences before it becomes a set of beliefs and a knowledge
of the truth. That knowledge will never be complete in this life because, as
Dieter F. Uchtdorf profoundly proposed, “The
process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime.”
There are still questions that I am seeking answers to. I
would like to know how the scientific outline of evolution matches the
scriptural accounts of creation. I want to know more about the life to come as
well as our existence before our birth. There are things I do not understand in
the scriptures, in Church history, and in our modern culture. I will spend the
rest of my life studying these questions and seeking to know more. The fact
that my understanding is incomplete does not invalidate the beliefs I have
chosen and the knowledge I have gained. In fact, I am grateful for the
opportunity to continue to learn, to grow, and to enhance my understanding. I
find great hope in the promise found in Doctrine and Covenants, section 101:
Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—
Things
which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by
which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—
Things
most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that
are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.
And
all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they
are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all
this glory.
Wherefore,
fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me
your joy is full.
Therefore,
care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and
for the life of the soul.
And
seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls,
and ye shall have eternal life.
