The Wonders of Eternity

We live in a world of opposition.  Such is the nature of the knowledge of good and evil. Without it there is no freedom, there is no choice.  This is what gives us the chance to determine who we will be, what we will pursue and eventually become.  Through forces more powerful than our own whims we will one day be held accountable for this freedom. What eternal destiny awaits us? I sometimes think of extreme examples as I sit and ponder about the ridiculousness of the contentions that exist in the world. Somehow we need to become aware of the position in space that we occupy and our insignificance as occupants of planet earth. What situation can demonstrate the silliness of not trying to get along as human beings?  Why have some opposed the importance of principles that create and nurture the life forces of our world? Next time you go to the beach, try to imagine a ping pong ball in the ocean floating away from you with the current. Now suppose that it is inh...

The obvious nature of our existence is that this creation in the infinite vastness of space favors our existence. This, our  habitation is sufficiently supplied so that nothing necessary to the survival of its occupants would ever lack except by the tyranny of evil or by our own foolish choices.  Mortals disagree over how this abundance of resources should be distributed or acquired. The self-evident law of the harvest clearly governs in spite of misguided man's attempted interference. Our planet is barely a speck on the known map of the cosmos yet it is sufficiently large to obscure the nature of its placement.  It is in and of itself a veil that dims the view into eternity and the infinite space around us. Those with vision, however, are offered a revelation if they will see it when the stars on a clear night sky come into view. Deeper dimension and understanding have been revealed by powerful telescopes and the view of an endless array of galaxies. If th...

One question about life that philosophers, theologians and thinking people, in general, have considered in all ages, has to do with the existence of suffering, injustice, and evil. If the world was created by a kind and loving God why does such an apparent contradiction exist? Some truth seekers want to know why suffering would be so ubiquitous in creation.  Some people simply acknowledge the perplexity of it and move on. Christian scholars may quote some scriptures and give a philosophical reason but still don't really have a complete answer.  They often claim it is simply a mystery, as even God is a mystery to them. If good and evil did not exist, what would there be in order for choices to exist? Why did God place of tree in Eden, calling it the knowledge of good and evil? We would simply be pawns in a random existence with no evident purpose if we didn't of choices and some over arching laws of the universe did not govern the nature of good or evil.  ...

When I first learned of the Latter-Day Saints I assumed they were just like other churches I had attended and that denominations didn't matter. I had heard some negative things about the Church but wasn't too interested in verfying them. My faith in God was established by my parents as we attended various Protestant churches, non-denominational, Congregational and Methodist. My understanding and faith in Jesus Christ came when I met some Latter-day Saints and learned what they believed. I was baptized and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1973.  Over these years I have studied the doctrines we teach and attended other churches and studied their doctrines to better understand them and debated with critics of the church about their cynicism. I went from being close-minded and mocking to deciding to listen, study their teachings and attend church. There was nothing strange about the Church or its beliefs. They were more biblical and talked about...