Reason Alone? “When persons attempt to understand or undertake to criticize the gospel of Jesus Christ or the doctrines or practices of his church by the method of reason alone, the outcome is predetermined. No one can find God or understand his doctrines or ordinances without using the means he has prescribed for receiving the truths of his gospel. That is why gospel truths have been lost when their meaning has been left to the interpretation and their application has been left to the sponsorship of scholars who reject the revelations and lack the authority of God. I believe this is why the Lord has often called his spokesmen—his prophets—from among the unlettered, those who are unspoiled by the reasoning of men and therefore receptive to the revelations of God. President Spencer W. Kimball explained: ‘The Lord seems never to have placed a premium on ignorance and yet he has, in many cases, found his better-trained people unresponsive to the spiritual, and has had to use spiritual giants with less training to carry on his work. The apostle Paul explained this to the Corinthian Saints. He told them he was not going to preach the gospel ‘with wisdom of words,’ because ‘the preaching of the cross’ was ‘foolishness’ to the sophisticated. (1 Cor. 1:17-18) But the sophisticated would come to naught, for, it was written, the Lord ‘will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ (1 Cor. 1:19.) In contrast, those who placed their faith in what Paul dryly called ‘the foolishness of preaching’ would be saved (1 Cor. 1:21.) He explained: ‘Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence.’ (1 Cor. 1:25-29, also see 1 Cor. 18-20.)” Dallin H. Oaks, The Lord’s Way, 1991
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 21:55:00 +0000
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