Every now and then, someone will say to me: "Mel -- you're a science guy, and a smart one at that. Why do you believe in Jesus Christ?" So, today, I'd like to get personal and take on this question.
I'll start at the beginning. Both of my parents belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My father was from the west, and my mother was from the east. They met at a dance in South Carolina, and the rest is history.
While my mother rarely deviated from the Church, my father struggled somewhat. So much so, in my early years, I hardly saw the inside of any church. Instead, my father instilled me with critical thinking at a young age. By 4, I was able to play chess and do predicate calculus (truth tables, logical operators, set theory, etc.) while my neighbor friends were learning Kumbaya. Throw in piano and a tinge of composition, many called me a prodigy, and my father never held back showing me off.
In this environment, I picked up most of my early knowledge of Jesus from my Grandma -- when we visited her, or she came to see us. She was always talking about Jesus -- his stories, and she'd assign me scripture verses to read, mostly from the Bible. My mother would encourage this, but my father -- not so much.
When I was around 9, my mother seemed to win the influence war, and we children were sent to church. On the most part, it was kind of boring -- not like all that science, math, and logic I loved. But I nevertheless learned the main concepts.
I remember one particular Sunday School lesson when I was around 14. The teacher was explaining how to get to the highest level of heaven, and I said, "I'm not going to go there, so why try?" And he said, "Why not?" and it set me on the path I'm on now. I decided to get more serious and learn about my heritage and all that. One thing was certain ... my Grandma was the nicest person I knew at the time, so it was worth exploring more.
Around the same time, my father left our family, and then my mother could have full influence. On visitation days, my father would still explain all the things that were wrong with "Mormonism" and how Joseph Smith was a scam artist -- and so, I was able to learn both paradigms at the same time.
The skeptical side of me -- the one that loved science, math, and logic, could totally see how all religions might be wrong. How could they all be right? And would a just God punish someone just for being in the wrong religion?
But at the same time, I was fully aware of the limits of science, math, and logic. Yeah -- my father taught me very well. Critical thinking is good, but wisdom is also valuable. I knew that no one person could know every single thing there was to know, so in a way, all of us must rely on a good amount of faith. Faith in people who already have experience. Faith in those who study certain subjects. Faith in those who are just good at certain things. And so on. So, why not faith in some unseen power over everything?
Plus, I could see which people were happy all the time, and they all had the one thing in common -- faith.
So yeah -- in my early years, I received a hefty dose of about -- everything. But why Christ? Why not some other religious figure such as Mohammed or Buddha? Because -- well -- everything clicks. Science, math, logic, religion, Jesus -- they all fit together.
The one thing that my faith in Christ gives me is the proper perspective on just about everything. And when that perspective is in place, everything else just fits in and makes sense. As such, I've been able to enjoy much happiness and success. As Alma 32 teaches, I've tried out Faith, and that seed has been good, and I can tell by the fruits that I went down the right paths. I tried Jesus, and it has worked out well. I've seen miracles, and I've been able to share happiness and joy with others.
Pure logic dictates that we just can't know these things, so yeah -- there is always that shadow of a doubt. When it comes down to it, with logic alone, there's no way to prove the existence of God, nor the sacrifice of Jesus that has saved us all. If I had to, I could explain why we should all be atheists -- I've learned it all, but even there, atheists also can't prove or disprove these things with logic alone.
But luckily, I don't have to prove it -- not when I can just live it today.
And yes -- I still get to keep my science, math, and logic. They're all very good tools in the areas that they were built for. But in my interactions with others -- Christ is always there, and He will always be there. For without Him, it all falls apart -- perspective gone -- purpose gone -- we are then nothing but random fluctuations of quantum fields.
So yes -- I love what Jesus has done for us, so we can return back to heaven and be with God again. I love the potential that He has helped me to unlock in my own life, and He gives me hope to keep pushing forward and excel. And He helps me to find the wisdom when science, logic, and math fail, and the wisdom to see how it all fits together.
As I may have mentioned before, I could write an entire book on this topic and explain so many different aspects with great detail -- and perhaps I'll get back to it shortly -- but I've given you the quick version, and I hope you've enjoyed it. Having faith in Christ is a life's journey, and the journey has been a blessing.
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