“For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; … For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.” (2 Nephi 29:11-12)
In this world of ever flowing information and the transparency movement, we have more exposure to different belief systems and different cultures than ever before. Having grown up in the church and often hearing testimonies of the “one true church” sometimes I can find myself stuck in that mindset which makes it difficult to see things from other perspectives. What I have come to learn through careful study is that, while we have a lot of pure truth that has been restored to us through the power of the Priesthood, we do not have a monopoly on truth.
The Book of Mormon is pure and unadulterated, unlike other books of scripture. The Bible has gone through many translations and councils where men sat in rooms and decided what to include and what to leave out. But “we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” (Articles of Faith, 8). There is truth and words of God in all books of scripture because God has spoken to all of his tribes; Jews, Nephites AND OTHERS. The Quran, The Bhagavad Gita…Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Islam—there are kernels of truth everywhere. We can find them. We can find common ground with those who believe differently—who only have parts of the truth but who are trying their hardest to be good people. Good people who love God as best they can in whatever form they understand. We can learn from them just as much as we can teach them. The Holy Ghost will testify of all truth and all truth will lead us to God.
Meditation and Journaling Prompt: What do you know about the beliefs of other faiths? How can you take the good things from that faith and apply it to the truths you know now?
