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| Magic show I put on |
"A miracle is not something that violates the laws of nature, but rather its the excercise of higher laws which we don't understand to achieve a desired aim."-James E Talmage
Somehow, many make the assumption that believing in miracles excludes belief in the value of science and objective study. If anything, my belief in miracles through God's power drives me to take science more seriously.
"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." [D&C 88:118]In Sunday school, I find answers to questions that science or objective observation and experimentation could not possibly answer. Never could an experiment yield an answer to questions about our purpose or the reason we were created, things which "the heart of the righteous studieth to answer." [Proverbs 15:28] They may argue that we arose out of arbitrary natural laws, which my own experiences flatly denies.
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| Elementary Science Fair Project |
"And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people." [D&C 90:15]
Neither do the scriptures give a satisfactory answer regarding how we were created. They simply affirm that we were created by God in his physical likeness, without giving any details about how. I'm disappointed at the various ways many people respond to the lack of detail regarding the creation in the Holy Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, or the words of modern prophets. They respond by saying that these things are mysteries that we simply cannot comprehend and that there's nothing more to comprehend. They say that the lack of detail means there is no detail and everything stands as it was instantaneously created. Worst is when that say that we are not meant to understand them and that if God wanted us to ever know more, he'd have told us more. I believe that when God commanded a modern prophet to seek "out the best books," that didn't mean only the scriptures. From my parents and Sunday School classes I learned that one of our goals in this life is to become like our Creator.
"Knowledge is necessary to life and Godliness"
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| At a radiology clinic |
"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
• • •And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." [Luke 2:40,52]
Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Son of God, was an example of seeking both spiritual and secular knowledge. Both enlighten our lives when given proper weight. I hope after serving a mission to keep both secular and spiritual learning in balance. In two weeks I will be registering for classes to attend this fall in college to continue learning those natural laws which God controls. I also plan to continue participating in Church, Sunday school, and Institute of religion to continue learning of God more personally.
How do you balance secular and spiritual learning to become more well-rounded? Don't be selfish, discuss this in the comments below.
1 comment:
How do you balance secular and spiritual learning to become more well-rounded?
Galatians 5:25 teaches, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Alongside daily scripture study and prayer, while keeping covenants, we can live worthy to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost to direct, comfort, protect, and teach us of both secular and spiritual truths. Doctrine and Covenants 88:15 teaches, "The spirit and the body is the soul of man." It is a difficult thing for an individual when the body and the spirit is in opposition to each other. Thus, in Alma 38:12, we are counseled to 'bridle our passions'. When a horse is bridled, and with time, patience, and diligence, its rider can become one with the horse; and they together can do so much more. When we came to earth, we were blessed with a body to cover our spirits. The blessing of constant companionship of the Holy Ghost enables an individual's spirit and body to become one--one soul in purpose. Some effective ways we teach and learn is through analogies, parables, and metaphors. All three of these follow the pattern of extracting truth with physical experiences. To 'live' and to 'walk' in the Spirit is to faithfully dedicating every day’s secular learnings for the eternal purpose of applying spiritual truths and serving God and His children. To find proper balance between secular and spiritual is not to lack in one for the sake of the other; but rather, to discover spiritual truths in the secular and come to understanding the physical nature of eternity.
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