Mormonism's seer stone...
Used by Joseph Smith to translate the Golden Plates:
In a recent essay, the LDS Church explained how Smith, according to some accounts, used the seer stone. He peered into a hat, to block out exterior light, and "read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument."
"As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure," the essay said. "As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture."
Beliefs and faith continue to baffle me. Your posting is another example that adds to my bafflement.
ReplyDeleteR.T. as Frank and I have both told you -- it's not about understanding...faith is about...faith. (Kind of like subatomic physics about which Richard Feynman said (more or less) "If you think it makes sense, you don't get it." As to Mormonism, there is very...interesting historical material...but as the Pope said about gays, "Who am I to judge?"
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it seems to me that, insight of our limited cognitive abilities, for example, we are simply constrained by our brain size and the number of facts we can handle, it is perfectly understandable to realize that we can't understand the infinity of God. And Christian faith would have it we can't even look at the face of God...
I must learn to remain silent about such topics, and I consider myself reprimanded. Note that I no longer engage in speculations about faith; I simply offered here -- unwisely -- my observations about something that I consider more than odd. But I should have been more sensible than to offer such an observation. I retreat now into my silence, and I rededicate myself to non-controversial blogging efforts elsewhere.
DeleteWow. Have I offended you? I know not how -- I was simply trying to explain a basic tenet of faith, which I thought might help your questions. Understanding doesn't matter...just belief. And even belief is hard. "I believe O Lord but help my unbelief." and sometimes even the thought that God has failed "My Go, My God why have you forsaken me?" which God Himself asked on the Cross. But understanding doesn't matter... I am sorry if I offended you...(and by the way, any good religious discussion is an enthusiastic one.)
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