Can we really “know” something is true?

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 19^th 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 21^st 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.