Elder Oaks Reads My Blog

Or else great minds think alike. Some quotes from my favorite conference talk:

"Knowledge of outside temperature can be verified by scientific proof. Knowledge that we love our spouse is personal and subjective. While not capable of scientific proof, it is still important. The idea that all important knowledge is based on scientific evidence is simply untrue."

"When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired by different methods."

"We all act upon or give obedience to knowledge. Whether in science or religion, our obedience is not blind when we act upon knowledge suited to the subject of our action. A scientist receives and acts upon a trusted certification of the content or conditions of a particular experiment. In matters of religion, a believer’s source of knowledge is spiritual, but the principle is the same. In the case of Latter-day Saints, when the Holy Ghost gives our souls a witness of the truth of the restored gospel and the calling of a modern prophet, our choice to follow those teachings is not blind obedience."

Amen, Brother... err, I mean... Elder.

His entire talk can be found on lds.org.

Things I Don't Know

If I were ever to run for public office, this post is likely to ruin my campaign. "I don't know" is a seen as a weak position, especially in politics. Candidates often get criticized for daring to admit that they would consult with advisers on certain issues. But enough of politics. Cultural and religious discussion is often characterized by passionate discussion from all sides that claim to have a monopoly on the truth.

I, for one, love the position of "I don't know" (of course, only when I actually don't know). I feel it allows me room to grow in understanding.

So, lest anyone mistake me for a guru of all knowledge (I know you were beginning to wonder), here's a far-from-comprehensive list of some things I don't know, in no particular order:

• When human life begins



• How much global warming is caused by humans, whether it will result in catastrophe, and how much we can realistically do about it



• Whether doctor-assisted suicide should be legal in some cases



• Whether I'm pro-life or pro-choice (only because apparently the definitions vary depending on perspective)



• Whether Brigham Young knew beforehand about the plans for the Mountain Meadows Massacre



• Whether there was a global flood



• Whether I support embryonic stem-cell research



• What a fair, yet compassionate, solution to the illegal immigration problem would be



• Why gravity works



• Why God intervenes to prevent disasters in some cases, but not in others



• Whether Mitt Romney as president would be good or bad for the LDS Church



• How much you really need to know something before you can say that you know it

I may have some ideas about the things on this list, but that's just the short list of things where my knowledge falls short. I'm reminded of 1 Nephi 11:17:

"I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."

Well said, Nephi.