Many years ago, I read a statement which made a great impact on my life. I've repeated it in talks several times. It goes as follows, "You say you know the gospel is true...but do you know the gospel?" I wonder if I'm correct in my belief that as ordinary members of the Church, we could know the gospel better. We stand many times and bear our testimonies and say we know the church is true. If anyone were to challenge our words, how would we defend our statement. Do we say it because we've heard others say it all our lives, and are we living on borrowed light? Could we defend out faith and beliefs from the scriptures? Many of us know parts of scriptures, but we maybe can't turn to them, or even know which standard work they are found, or even the context ii which they appear. Something I once thought of scripture turned out to be Shakespeare!

In the Church News Dec. 18, 1983, the 1st Presidency counseled members to help counter the spread of inaccurate and critical information about the Church, with positive information about the doctrine of the Church. They went on to say it was not necessary or appropriate to react to all criticism, nor to enter into arguments, but to respond in positive explanations of the doctrines and preachers of the Church.

Only a few years ago, a Twin Falls newspaper published a series of articles of very anti-Mormon propaganda. How many of us could or did respond? Two years ago, at Easter, an article expressing our beliefs of the Resurrection was published. Eighteen ministers of local churches responded by taking our advertising space denouncing our beliefs. If friends and neighbors had questioned us about this, could we have answered positively? Sorry to say, I did nothing to refute any of the false doctrine at the time. I did, however, put forth a pretty weak defense when that Twin Falls paper called by phone to ask for me to renew my subscription. I replied to the caller that I felt because the paper had felt free to publish those articles attacking LDS churches and members in the area, that I took that as an insult to good people practicing their beliefs, and I wouldn't support the paper in any way.

Have we ever prayed about a problem and felt our prayers weren't answered? Probably we all have. Listen to this quote by Joseph Fielding McConkie..."Many answers are already in the scriptures. We are expected to be serious students of the scriptures. Once the Lord has revealed a principal, it is hardly our right to seek to have him repeat it again and again for our gratification and convenience, and thus reinforce our spiritual indolence. Those who have little interest in, and pay virtually no attention to what god has already said, are certainly not in a position to seek further information from him. Of those who are slow to listen, the scriptures say the Lord will be slow to hear." By the way, Joseph Fielding McConkie is a son of Bruce R. McConkie and teaches at BYU. He happened to be serving in the Scottish Mission the same time I was serving there.

I have read that if we prayed for an angel to come to us to answer our prayers, he would only quote scripture to us, so we should be willing to search them ourselves. The Lord is not trifling with us when He gives us these things for "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much is required. Access to these things means responsibility for them. The Lord has commanded us to search and ponder the scriptures, and says, "And why call me Lord, lord and do not that which I say?"