A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend and the subject of God and faith came up. My friend said he didn't believe in God, but only believed in science and in things that could be proven. I shared my belief that "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). He then said he hoped he was wrong, because he thought that there was something "greater out there."

I also believe in science, but I believe science is faith. The discovery of scientific things is based on an act of faith. Before a scientific truth is proven it starts as a theory because someone believed in something they couldn't see, which was true, and worked to prove it- to discover and understand it.

For example, before the discovery of electricity, people did not "know" it existed, or more accurately they didn't understand the manifestations of it (lightning, etc). But Benjamin Franklin acted (with faith) upon his hope of something "not seen, which [is] true" to prove it- to understand it- and through time and experiments people began to learn the truth about electricity.

Electricity has always been around, it has always existed. People understood the powerful effect of lightning (to burn, start fires, and to kill), but they didn't understand the power of electricity, or how to harness it and use it, until its natural laws were discovered and understood.
"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6).
Faith in God is the same. One must act in faith (believing in that which is true but can't be seen) to be able to know and understand God's true nature. As one acts in faith (such as praying to God with sincerity and real intent) the Holy Ghost will witness to the truth of all things.
"Now, as I said concerning faith--that it was not a perfect knowledge--even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:26-27).
In my previous blog entry I wrote how "All Things Denote There Is a God," but to understand God's true nature a man must come unto Him in faith and "experiment upon the word" to know for himself that God exists.

How have you "experimented upon the word"? Continue reading Alma chapter 32 to learn how the prophet Alma compares faith (and his words) to a seed.

Science is Faith originally appeared on About.com Latter-day Saints on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 21:09:34.

Permalink | Comment | Email this


Continue reading at the original source →