3 Nephi 1

(May 20, 2014)
When I was much younger, I would read chapters like this and wonder how it was possible that someone could experience a day and a night and a day of no darkness (predicted by the prophets) and yet not believe.  Now, as I am older, I really understand it.  When you are not connected to the Truth, you can almost choose to believe whatever you want to believe and your mind will fill in the gaps.  Lying to yourself is a constant danger, and it is only by careful examination of yourself and frequent recourse to prayer that you are capable of knowing what is true and what is just what you want to be true.  I see it in atheists, who stubbornly retain a belief in atheism against all reason and logic – they want to be atheists, they need to be atheists, because if God exists that means there is a right and a wrong, and if there is a right and a wrong, then they may be wrong.  And that is intolerable.  And so they lie to themselves.  No sign would convince them otherwise.  The problem is that this same tendency exists in each of us unless we are careful to avoid it.