Have you received a "burning bosom" regarding the validity of the LDS church, the LDS prophets, and/or the LDS scriptures?
The survey then allowed for members to rate how much their testimony depended on that feeling based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high. Of the people I surveyed, numbers from 8 to 10 were selected, with an average value of 9.18. This tells me that Mormons rely heavily on this burning bosom experience. Meaning, had they not received this burning in their bosom they might not be members of the LDS church today. But what exactly is a burning bosom? Furthermore, should anyone rely so heavily upon it?
"But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings..." -Doctrine and Covenants 9:8-9a
LDS Missionaries tell investigators all the time to pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon is true, for instance. They say that the Bible states, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5). Coupled with the scripture from D&C Section 9, Mormons claim that if one were to ask God earnestly about something - say the validity of the Book of Mormon - He would answer them with a "burning bosom." From what I understand and was taught, a burning bosom refers to the warming in your soul, a peace in your gut, and/or a strong feeling that you get when asking God a question. And, as I said earlier, this burning bosom experience plays a crucial role in solidifying a Mormon's faith. And, even though my survey was taken from a small sample group, I would be willing to bet that if you were to ask an LDS member the same question, you would get a very similar response. Try it yourself the next time you are with your friends and comment what they respond below. I'd love to hear your findings.
Believe it or not, I actually had a burning bosom experience when I was younger and it changed my world completely. I was around 13 years old and I was really struggling with a personal matter. I was broken hearted, beaten down, guilt ridden, and seeking advice. I dropped to my knees and prayed for forgiveness and answers. I begged and pleaded with God to guide me in my life and provide me some answers. After my tear filled prayer, I picked up my Book of Mormon and turned it to no specific page and started to read. Amazingly, what I needed to hear was right there in front of me. Unfortunately, being so long ago I don't remember exactly what I read, but I do remember knowing that I had just received exactly what I prayed for. I knew God had answered my prayer! This not only proved to me His existence but also the validity of the Book of Mormon as well. That experience completely strengthened my faith. From that day on, no matter what life threw at me, I knew God loved me and that Mormonism was true.
However, as you can tell by this blog, my book, the church I go to, and basically everything that I now stand for that my burning bosom testimony didn't last. It was when I started researching Mormonism and really objectively looking at the facts, the realities of Mormonism and their doctrine that my burning bosom was soothed. I believe this happened because, as the Bible says, you cannot trust your heart.
The truth is we are all too often deceived by our hearts. Remember when you were a teenager and you had a crush on that special someone? I do. I couldn't stop thinking about her. I was head over heels in love with her and nothing else seemed to matter. Every time I saw her, my heart fluttered, my palms got sweaty, and I knew that she was the one for me and even thought about future marriage plans. However, now being older and wiser I recognize that it wasn't love, it was infatuation. My heart blinded me to the truth. Had I acted on that urge, that testimony of undying love, my life would not be where it is today and for that I'm grateful.
Still not sure the heart is untrustworthy? Think back to when you were in school, taking a multiple choice test. Do you remember getting to a question that you absolutely had no idea which answer was correct so you just went with your gut feeling? I did this several times throughout my high school and college careers. You want to know what I learned? My gut is not as smart as I would like it to be. Even if I felt like a certain answer made the most sense, or got a good feeling about it, the reality was it was never always correct.
Still need more convincing to question your heart? Well, lets talk about relativism. Relativism is the idea that what is right for you is correct, and what is right for me is correct. Yours and my truths may not coincide with one another, but they still both remain completely true. People use this all the time when talking about religion. "You believe in God, and that's fine for you. Go for it! As for me, I don't believe God exists. But, that's my truth. You have yours and I have mine." These people feel in their hearts that as long as a person is at peace with their path, then it is the right one. When pressed about this subject, they say, "It just feels right." Truth for these people are relative and not at all absolute.
But real "truth" doesn't work like that. Real truth is not about a feeling, or about my opinion, or about your desires. It is about hard evidence; it's about facts. That is partly why I enjoy mathematics so much. Truth, or a solution, or the correct answer, is set in stone. 2 + 2 = 4 no matter how you cut it (unless of course you are not using base 10, or if using modular math...but I digress). Gravity always pulls you towards it. Real truth is not based on a feeling, nor is it defined by the heart. As such, basing your faith solely on a burning bosom experience is dangerous.
One of the problems with the Burning Bosom Theory is that it is inconclusive. Countless Mormons have told me that if I would follow the advice of the Apostle James and pray on whether or not the Book of Mormon is true, then God would grant me an answer. They say that they did it and received a burning sensation that proved to them beyond a shadow of a doubt that book is indeed true. But, I have prayed about it...several times. And I can honestly say that I absolutely know that the Book of Mormon is a lie, preaches false doctrine, and is heretical in nature. So, if Person A gets one answer from God and Person B does the same thing and receives the complete opposite answer, then the method cannot be completely trusted. (Let me be clear on something. I am not saying that the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted. I know it sounds like I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth on this one but I am not. We can trust an answer from God, but we cannot always trust that every answer we get is from God. We need to be smart about who we are listening to.) Mormons, of course, have an answer to this conundrum. "You obviously didn't pray about it the right way." They say if I did do it right then I wouldn't have gotten the wrong number. The problem must lie with me because the right answer wasn't given to me. But wait a second! It's only right if I get your answer? Seems a bit sketchy to me.
To this I have two comments: 1) Who are you to say that my heart wasn't in the right place? If I tell you that I honestly prayed about it and got a different answer, who are you to tell me otherwise? 2) How do you know that the answer you received was the right one in the first place? If it is a possibility that my heart was in the wrong place (i.e. - I already decided that Mormonism was false) then by that same standard couldn't your heart also be in the wrong place as well (i.e. - already deciding or wanting Mormonism to be true)? I think that some people really want the LDS church to be true, whether for family reasons, a girl they are seeing, a boy they like, a social benefit, a yearning to belong somewhere, etc. Some can get emotionally involved and euphorically come to the conclusion that what they are reading, or what they are doing, or what they believe is true. This is not a good way to do it.
Furthermore, it is absolutely possible to make yourself feel good about doing something wrong if you really want it to be right. Men who commit adultery have convinced themselves that their spouse is wrong and that they deserve to be happy. People rationalize that doing drugs makes them feel good, so it can't be bad. So, if this is all possible, isn't it then plausible that a person could really want to believe a certain religion is true and then give themselves a burning bosom, or at least think they've received it? I think it is. But as we've just learned, a feeling is not always a good barometer for truth. All I'm trying to say is that the burning of the bosom should not be the foundation of a person's faith. It should be coupled with study, prayer, and intellectual findings. I fear that most Mormons' faith depend solely or greatly on that feeling.
Friends, God can, will, and does give you answers. God can testify to your soul. God can and will answer you when you ask Him. Our God is so relationally focused that He wants to provide you with answers so that you can better honor, serve, and love Him. The thing is, He also gave us a fully functional brain that He expects us to use. I fully believe that God wants us to think, study, test, and research everything for ourselves. The truth is out there, and He is more than willing to guide our steps. Do we need to pray for answers? Yes. Do we need to submit our lives to His guidance? Absolutely! I am not at all saying to not include God in this matter. I'm not even saying that God cannot give you a peace about something true. Far from it! However, my faith is not solely based on a feeling I got when I needed help. That may be part of it, but not all of it. It is true that my beliefs are founded upon a relationship with an unseen God. Though I have witnessed His hand in my life and felt His presence, I have not literally seen Him and so a bit of faith is required. But I have also researched and discovered axioms that solidify my faith. Along with my 'gut' I have logical conclusions, historical documents, archaeological finds, moral understandings, and even mathematical equations that give me a well rounded, solid faith that God is absolutely real and that Jesus is my savior.
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