MANI - LDS missionaries ask investigators to
pray about the book of mormon to get a burning in the
bossom or an answer that it is "true".
What do you mean by "Pray to see if it is true"? Even
if one gains a feeling or answer through prayer that
its true, why do Mormons consider this enough evidence
to believe in anything and everything Mormon?
JOEL - Mormons do not consider that enough evidence. That is
not what I have learned in our Church. Prayer is only
one of the important ingredients. Our scriptures tell us:
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read
these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should
read them, that ye would remember how merciful the
Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the
creation of Adam even down until the time that ye
shall receive these things, and ponder it in your
hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort
you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the
name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if
ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of
it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the
truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)
First we need to inform ourselves of the truth by
reading the scriptures. Then we need to ponder, or
study about what we have read or learned, and think it
through in our minds. We also need to have faith in
Christ when we pray(James 1:5-6); and of course we
need to pray, expecting an answer through the Holy
Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the testifier of all truth
and we can't get His confirmation about the
truthfulness of something unless we pray about it.
"But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things
of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the
spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
(1 Cor 2:11-13)
We also must try to put into practice what we have
learned, to see if it is true doctrine.
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself." (John 7:17)
For example, the scriptures tell us that we should pay our tithing.
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it." (Mal. 3:10, See also Ether 12:6)
We will realize the truthfulness of the principle of
tithing after we do it and observe the blessings that
come from it.
This probably needs to be done with almost every commandment we
learn about before we can really know it is a true principle.
The Bible is one of our scriptures that we base our
doctrine on and so we believe everything that it tells
us about how to know the truth. Our missionaries teach
all these things to their investigators including the
importance of prayer. They may emphasize prayer a
little more because they know that the Holy Ghost is
the greatest and most important source of a witness
for the truth of something.
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