Now that I have the foundational scientific writings for this blog posted, I should also post some foundational religious writings too.
This is my testimony of God (in general) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (in particular). Much can and will be said on this topic, but I will keep it brief today.
Prerequisites: None.
Originally Written: June 2017.
Confidence Level: Core religious belief.
For all of human history, the overwhelming majority of people have been religious. This remarkable observation demands explanation. Doubtless many were religious out of respect for their family and tradition, to further their political, economic, or social ambitions, or simply because they could not conceive of an alternative. Even if we disregard these people, there are still millions of people who follow religion because they have personally had spiritual experiences. These people are sincere: they are willing to make tremendous sacrifices for their faith and many have even accepted martyrdom rather than deny their religion.
Even the most skeptical agnostics should not deny that there is something here worthy of exploration. The sacrifices of others may not be sufficient justification to devote your life to God. They do not tell you which of all the churches is right and which to join. But it should be enough to convince you that a thorough investigation is necessary.
This investigation cannot be done entirely on your own terms. The techniques of empiricism, whose marvelous triumphs should be recognized by all, may not be capable of discovering all available truths. Pursuing religion and living a life of faith can lead to the spiritual experiences that have been one of the preeminent motivators of humanity. Try an experiment of faith. Lay aside your disbelief for a while and see if you become a better person. If the experiment, done sincerely, fails, then there should be no harm in returning to a life of skepticism.
There remains the important question: Which religion should I pursue? Surely religions where people are more sincere should be prioritized, as should religions which lead people towards good deeds and away from evil. Yet we should remember that the results of the experiment of faith are not known before the experiment is begun. Ask until you receive a sincere religion, seek until you find your own spiritual experiences, knock until the doors of the Truth are opened unto you.[1]See also my post on The Parable of the Optimization Algorithm for more details.
The millions of people who have received spiritual experiences have gotten them in many different ways with many different beliefs. This multiplicity of spiritual experiences should concern the practitioners of exclusive religion as much as the existence of spiritual experiences should concern agnostics. We must reconcile this diversity with the God we worship.
The Gospel is the set of all truths needed for salvation. Very few, if any, people learn everything they need to know about God before they die. This does not mean that only a very few are saved. I believe that there is time between death and judgment where we can learn about God, repent of our remaining sins, and get ready for salvation, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Anyone who values the Truth more than they value what they believe to be true and is humble enough to accept it will become saved. This belief can explain why spiritual experiences are available along what appear to be so many distinct and contradictory paths to God. God works within many religious traditions to prepare people to receive the Truth, even if they won’t receive it until after they die. Some religions’ teachings are much closer to the Truth than others, but any set of beliefs could be preparatory to the Fullness of the Gospel.
I am a Mormon.[2]This was written before the current prophet discouraged us from using the name “Mormon” because it distracts from the actual name of the Church. I’m leaving this as it is, but have … Continue reading
Why? A cynic might say that it’s because I was raised Mormon. This argument is weakened because I have close family who are Calvinist and areligious. There is negligible familial pressure to keep me in Mormonism.
I am a Mormon because I have had spiritual experiences within Mormonism. Describing spiritual experiences is typically futile because they are not reducible to combinations of other sensations. If they are completely foreign to you, then I cannot hope to explain them anymore than I could explain what red looks like to someone who is colorblind. One spiritual experience which I have received is an experience of knowledge. This knowledge does not come from any clear epistemological foundation; it is knowledge directly obtained through the Spirit. This knowledge usually tells you what you should do or it tells you about God, so it is not feasible to independently verify the accuracy of the knowledge. I can only encourage you to seek for this experience for yourself.
It is through this spiritual knowledge that I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the mechanism by which people can be saved. We can repent of our sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can learn the Gospel line upon line through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can develop true love for each other through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can build communities of Zion through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Eventually, all humanity will be resurrected and given the gifts that they can bear through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can receive spiritual experiences to give us guidance for ourselves, for our families, and for everyone that we are called to serve. God has called a prophet to receive revelation to serve all of humanity.
I do not expect this argument to convert anyone directly. Apologetics doesn’t convert people. Spiritual experiences do. If spiritual experiences are foreign to you, then I hope I can give you a desire to seek them out. Even if you believe that faith is nothing more than mass delusion, try a sincere experiment to see if there is anything more there. Your relationship with God is the most important decision you will ever make. If you once had spiritual experiences, but all such things have ceased in your life, I would ask: “If you have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, can you feel so now?” You too should seek until you find once again a relationship with God. If you are satisfied with your ongoing spiritual experiences, Excellent ! My only word of caution is to not let your love of what you believe to be true eclipse your love of the Truth. Although some may be closer to the Truth than others, we all have much to learn and improve before we become saved.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
References
| ↑1 | See also my post on The Parable of the Optimization Algorithm for more details. |
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| ↑2 | This was written before the current prophet discouraged us from using the name “Mormon” because it distracts from the actual name of the Church. I’m leaving this as it is, but have added the new symbol of the Church. |
How to deal with the problem that getting religious-spiritual experiences is a very highly heritable trait, at least in modern western societies? I suppose there may be some environmental variables that could make the variance caused by environment higher, e.g. in a society where half of the population uses LSD or some other useful drug, the heritability would be lower due to higher variance caused by environment, right. But still, there are people who’ll never have a spiritual religious experience even on LSD. There’s no hope for them (I mean, us), is there?
I did not know that spiritual experiences are highly heritable in modern western societies. Can you link some evidence?
I do not believe that God would condemn someone for something that they are not responsible for. Anyone without the opportunity to experience God in this life will get a chance to experience Him between death and judgement and then decide to accept or reject Him.