Things as They Are

In his first message at this most recent general conference, President Nelson said this: “The adversary has other disturbing tactics. Among them are his efforts to blur the line between what is true and what is not true. The flood of information available at our fingertips, ironically, makes it increasingly difficult to determine what is true.” He continued, “Some would have us believe that truth is relative—that each person should determine for himself or herself what is true. Such a belief is but wishful thinking for those who mistakenly think they will not also be accountable to God. Dear brothers and sisters, God is the source of all truth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces all truth that God conveys to His children, whether learned in a scientific laboratory or received by direct revelation from Him.” One year ago in his opening message he also bore witness of the same principle, underscoring the importance of this principle for us: “Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth—eternal truth.” This reminds me of what Brigham Young said about truth: “’Mormonism,’ so-called, embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity. No matter who has it. If the infidel has got truth it belongs to ‘Mormonism.’ The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church. As for their morality, many of them are, morally, just as good as we are. All that is good, lovely, and praiseworthy belongs to this Church and Kingdom. ‘Mormonism’ includes all truth. There is no truth but what belongs to the Gospel. It is life, eternal life; it is bliss.” The Prophet Joseph Smith likewise declared, “Mormonism is truth; and every man who embraces it feels himself at liberty to embrace every truth:… Mormonism is truth, in other words the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints, is truth. … The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth.” We should seek after truth no matter where it is found and turn to the Lord who is its source. What President Nelson invited us to do in relation to the truths taught at conference surely applies to all things that we learn: “Prayerfully ask the Lord to confirm that what you have heard is true.”

                I remember attending a devotional at BYU where President Eyring mentioned a rather unique thing that He had learned from the Holy Ghost was true. He related, “I know from my own experience, for example, that the Holy Ghost knows some of the mathematical equations used to solve problems in thermodynamics, a branch of the sciences. I was a struggling physics student studying in a book that I still own. I keep it for historical and spiritual reasons. Halfway down a page (I could even show you where it is on the page), in the middle of some mathematics, I had a clear confirmation that what I was reading was true. It was exactly the feeling I had had come to me before as I pondered the Lord’s scriptures and that I have had many times since. So I knew that the Holy Ghost understood whatever was true in what I might be asked on an examination in thermodynamics.” I love this idea that we can turn to the Lord to confirm truth no matter what the subject, even thermodynamics and mathematics. In the Book of Mormon Jacob confirmed this principle: “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13). This is similar to the Lord’s declaration in our day: “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;… The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24, 26). The Holy Ghost will speak truth to us and can confirm the truths about all things as they really are and they really will be. So no matter what we are trying to learn, we should seek first the Holy Ghost to help us understand what is true, for God is the source of all truth. As the Savior declared to Thomas: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He is the embodiment of truth, and we should turn first to Him to understand all truth and He will send upon us the Holy Ghost by which power we can know “the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).