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Testimony
Now, I know that there are some non-members out there who see that word
and immediately think "Court! Judge Judy! OJ Simpson!" That's how most
non-Mormons commonly see the word used: in a courtroom setting. You testify
against someone, and the court recorder recorder your testimony.
Well, as all Latter-Day Saints know, a testimony is ever so much more
than that. Here's what my American Heritage Dictionary has to say about
it:
Testimony. (tes'te-mo'nee) n. 1.
A declaration or affirmation of fact or truth, such as that given before
a court. 2. Any evidence in support of a fact or assertion; proof.
3. The collective written and spoken testimony offered in a legal
case. 4. A public declaration regarding a religious experience.
5. a.The law of Moses, inscribed on the tablets of stone. (Exodus
25:26) b. The ark containing these.
Numbers 2 and 3 are what we expect. So is number 1, but that doesn't say
it has to be a legal case. But take a look at #4. That's pretty
darn close to what a Latter-Day Saint testimony is. A combination of numbers
1 and 4 is probably a better definition. When we bear our testimonies
to you, whatever the subject, we are telling you about a religious experience
(number 4) that we know is true (number 1).
Now that we have all that settled, I'd like to share with you some of
my feelings about testimony and also my current testimony.
You know what my favorite Sunday of the month is? The very first
one, Fast Sunday. Some non-members think I'm kind of silly -"Why do
you like that so much? You're not allowed to eat anything?" Well, fasting
is not why, although I love fasting too. The first Sunday of the month
is testimony meeting! We start out all normal, with the hymns and sacrament.
The similarities to a regular Sunday end there. Anybody in the congregation
may get up and bear their testimony. You have such a wide range of people:
men and women from 3 years old to ninety-three years old, rich and poor.
Some give a long drawn-out story, others simply say, "I'd like to bear
my testimony. I know this Church is true. I know my Savior lives and
I love Him very much. In Jesus Christ's name, amen." Up until my parents
banned me from attending sacrament meetings at the end of August, I
had only missed one testimony meeting since I received my Book of Mormon
on January 18.
Of all the things I miss about attending the LDS church, the testimonies
are what I miss the most. No other religion says "I'd like to bear my
testimony to you..." but it happens in most every talk at a sacrement
meeting, conference, or Sunday School class. I think that maybe other
religions take the Bible and the Savior for granted. (Please note
- I'm not trying to bash other religions at all. I don't profess myself
to be an expert - I'm writing this off of personal experience. As I've
only been around for 17 years, my scope is a bit narrow, so please forgive
me.) Latter-Day Saints always go around bearing their testimony
that the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine & Covenants is the word
of the Lord, or that the Savior lives, or that God loves each and everyone
of us. They mention it, but they never bear their testimony.
Testimony can be such a powerful thing. You can preach day and night
to an unbeliever, but it's often the simple testimony from a humble
missionary or even a child that will crack the hard-hearted exterior.
If you listen to any
of the General Conference talks or read
them online, all of them or almost all of them conclude their talks
by bearing testimony. Effective missionary teaching usually means one
person teaching the lesson and the other testifying of its truthfulness.
By bearing testimony, both the speaker and the listener are edified.
I would like to bear my testimony now to you. I testify that the Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, died upon the cross to save us all from sin,
that He literally rose from the dead on the third day. It is by His
power that we shall all be resurrected. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints is His restored Church, and Joseph Smith was a true
prophet of the Lord. The Book of Mormon is true, and all the people
mentioned within were once flesh-and-blood people like you and me. I
testify that apostles and prophets walk the earth today as in olden
times, and the Spirit of God is with them. Gordon B. Hinckley is a true
prophet of the Lord. Most importantly, I testify that we are all sons
and daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us all very much. All
these things I write in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
All this material was written by Beth Siler on October 8, 1999. Please
do not use without permission.
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