Conquering Doubt with the Shield of Faith

dna.gov

I had an experience the other day that reminded me of something important.  I was sitting in genetics class.  The night before had been a late one, and by 4:20 pm I was struggling to stay awake.  The teacher was talking about some people who tried to discredit the Book of Mormon on the grounds that genetic studies prove that the American Indians are not of Hebrew descent.  I was awake for just enough to be bothered by the argument, but not catch the counter argument. 

As I read the Book of Mormon the next morning it kept bothering me.  Rather than let it eat away at me and freak me out, I stopped, prayed, and found some great sources online defending against the genetic anti-Mormon argument.  One of the defenders was John M. Butler, an LDS geneticist who is highly respected in the scientific community for his work in genetics.

As a missionary, you will hear all kinds of attacks on the Book of Mormon.  Side note: DO NOT SEEK THEM OUT!  If you search out or look into anti-Mormon literature to “see what the other side is thinking so that you can argue against antis,” then you will get in trouble.  The best way to be prepared to deal with antis is to thoroughly know the truth.  Trust me, you will come across plenty of crazy attacks without seeking them out.

When you come across these things, sometimes they are unsettling and confusing.  They’re purposefully designed to be that way.  The important thing is to not panic.  Satan will tempt you to freak out, question your testimony and look for intellectual evidence of the Book of Mormon instead of spiritual.  He will tempt you and your investigators to put the Book of Mormon aside until you figure it out logically for yourself.  In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes people make when they have doubts is that they stop doing what they’re supposed to (praying, studying scriptures, going to church) until they resolve their concerns/doubts.  You can’t do that!  When you have doubts and concerns is when you need to be reading and praying the most!  When people stop doing the small things, they become more out of tune with the Spirit, and their doubts consume them. 

gnbm.org

So don’t panic.  Grab the shield of faith!  Keep going even though you don’t understand everything yet (1 Ne 11:17).  Remember Moroni’s promise: “By the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).  I know that the Lord will help you and your investigators find peace and conquer doubt if you continue your study with a sincere desire to know the truth, believing that the Lord will reveal it to you.  It just makes sense that the Lord wants you to know the truth.  Even if your doubts loom over you like Goliath, the Lord will fight for you! (Exodus 14:14).