Day 110-The Absense of Evidence is Not Evidence of Absense-July 16, 2006
We also ended a sad little tale today. N called. We’d been planning to meet with him tonight and set him straight about the Jehovah’s Witnesses. We were too late. N told us that he had decided to study with them instead of us. He said that we are welcome to stop by any time, but we can not convince him that the J-dub’s are wrong. “No, don’t try to persuade me”, said N. “I’ve already made my decision.” I don’t know…maybe some day N will come around, but I won’t hold my breath.
We met with J again at Brother N’s home. I love member referrals. It makes me feel like us full-time missionaries aren’t doing the work alone. Last time we visited, we taught him the “cups” lesson (day 104). Since then, J has been on the computer looking up Anti. (sigh) He says it is from the perspective of finding the truth. He is trying to see both sides and meet somewhere in the middle. (sigh) Whatever. J told us that, “Christian Scientists and archaeologists have not been able to find evidence that proves the existence of the locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon.”
Now, in my opinion, if God did not want people to know something with a perfect knowledge, He’d be able to keep it from them. I mean, look at America. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Everyone said that he would sail off the edge of the world. Now if a whole continent can be hidden…no one knows about it…who’s to say that God could not keep us from finding sure fire evidence about the lands in the Book of Mormon times. I think that God wants the divinity of the Book of Mormon to be a test of faith. Alma 32:17-18,21 “Yea, there are many who do say if thou wilt show unto us a sign…then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe for he knoweth it…” “Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith, ye hope for things which are not seen which are true.” Ether 12:6 “…faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”
Brother N also said something that I thought was pretty good. “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Just because you can not find something does not mean that it’s not there or never was there.
We watched the Bruce R. McConkie farewell talk; the one about the Atonement. J really liked it. Brother N drove us home. He thanked us for being able to meet with J today. Brother N said he really felt the Spirit in that lesson.
So, yeah, today was a busy Sunday. Met with R; a discussion with Brother W involving the LOTR, losing N to the J-dubs; and meeting with J at Brother N’s home. Tomorrow is Monday and you know what that means…meetings. Elder Oram called Elder Pierce and asked him to give a lesson tomorrow. Not me, the other Elder Pierce.
We met with J again at Brother N’s home. I love member referrals. It makes me feel like us full-time missionaries aren’t doing the work alone. Last time we visited, we taught him the “cups” lesson (day 104). Since then, J has been on the computer looking up Anti. (sigh) He says it is from the perspective of finding the truth. He is trying to see both sides and meet somewhere in the middle. (sigh) Whatever. J told us that, “Christian Scientists and archaeologists have not been able to find evidence that proves the existence of the locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon.”
Now, in my opinion, if God did not want people to know something with a perfect knowledge, He’d be able to keep it from them. I mean, look at America. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Everyone said that he would sail off the edge of the world. Now if a whole continent can be hidden…no one knows about it…who’s to say that God could not keep us from finding sure fire evidence about the lands in the Book of Mormon times. I think that God wants the divinity of the Book of Mormon to be a test of faith. Alma 32:17-18,21 “Yea, there are many who do say if thou wilt show unto us a sign…then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe for he knoweth it…” “Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith, ye hope for things which are not seen which are true.” Ether 12:6 “…faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”
Brother N also said something that I thought was pretty good. “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Just because you can not find something does not mean that it’s not there or never was there.
We watched the Bruce R. McConkie farewell talk; the one about the Atonement. J really liked it. Brother N drove us home. He thanked us for being able to meet with J today. Brother N said he really felt the Spirit in that lesson.
So, yeah, today was a busy Sunday. Met with R; a discussion with Brother W involving the LOTR, losing N to the J-dubs; and meeting with J at Brother N’s home. Tomorrow is Monday and you know what that means…meetings. Elder Oram called Elder Pierce and asked him to give a lesson tomorrow. Not me, the other Elder Pierce.
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