I remember learning in my high school physics class that we actually don’t know WHY gravity exists.
There are quite a few theories out there, but no scientist has ever figured out how to prove that the law of gravity is 100% true 100% of the time.
But living daily life has shown everyone on earth that things fall toward the ground – they are being pulled downward by some sort of force. We’ve got an overwhelming body of evidence.
The scientific community has done many experiments, and gravity seems to always hold up.
But we still can’t see gravity. We can’t prove that it always happens or that it will always happen. We can’t explain exactly why it works.
You see where I’m going, right?
Alma is preaching to the poor and lowly amongst the Zoramites. They have an extremely toxic view of religion at this point, and need to learn how to grow their faith.
And so Alma gives the beautifully famous analogy comparing our faith to planting a seed and nourishing it.
But then he addresses the question that I think many of us have grappled with in our self-development:
How do we turn from FAITH to KNOWLEDGE?
Why do some people bear their testimony and say, “I KNOW…”?
How can we possibly KNOW while here on this earth?
Because we’ve planted the seed, given it a chance, and it’s brought forth good fruit.
And we’ve seen others plant the same seeds, given it nourishment and time, and it’s brought forth good fruit, too.
And eventually, we notice that this has happened so many times: people hearing about Christ, having a desire to believe, nourishing their faith, holding fast while the sun scorches, and then bringing forth beautiful lives filled with service and happiness…
It becomes like a law of nature to us.
We may not know WHY this happens, we may not have proof that would stand up to the scientific community.
It’s on a longer time frame. These experiments take months or even years to carry out, unlike gravity that can be displayed with the drop of a hat.
But we’ve seen it happen enough times to just KNOW that it will always continue to happen.
That’s how we move from faith to knowledge.
We run the experiment enough times. We see others have the same exact results.
And we know that the seed is good.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
In your study snippets last week, I really enjoyed the analogy of the kite string. That was brilliant! It was something that I had never thought about, and I have had many opportunities in teaching the gospel during my church callings. My wife and I discussed it on Sunday while studying last week’s lesson. (We have been asked to stay at home until the Covid-19 pandemic is over.) I really enjoy reading your snippets and how you think about the Gospel. Thanks for doing such a great job. They have helped me as I prepare our short Sunday lessons each week.
Isn’t that kite analogy awesome?! It’s one of my favorites to share. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed these snippets! Thank you, and stay healthy! <3