Testimony from the Stars

I’ve been enjoying having the scriptures read to me while driving from job to job; a neat way to make use of all that space on my iPod. A few weeks ago I accepted a challenge to read at least nine pages a day out of the Book of Mormon and I’ve been keeping up, having read 286 pages as I complete chapter 35 in Alma.

I was listening as Alma explained, after being confronted by Korihor, a man who professed to know that there was no such person or spirit as God, how all things testify of Him.

“. . .the scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” Alma 33:44

I then remembered having recently read one of John Pratt’s astronomy articles published in the Meridian Magazine. He called it, “Enoch's Constellations Testify of Christ” (linked via title bar) The idea of ancient people passing along a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel by sitting on a hillside and pointing to the constellations, each being familiar with the night sky, a permanent history for all to see. According to the article God used the stars arranged in the heavens as a means by which important concepts might be explained to a people without fancy libraries or without computers and internet.

There are those who will deny the existence of God today, not much has changed. The stars placed in the heavens at the time of creation are still there. They form the same constellations as they did thousands of years ago, testifying of the truthfulness of the Gospel for those willing to examine this ancient form of story telling. For those with faith it is one more witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ; for those without they are just stars randomly scattered in a night sky.

I enjoy sitting on the curb and looking into the night sky while walking the dogs with my grandson. I point out the various stars and planets to him as we both are in awe of the creation that was prepared for our benefit. I am grateful to have a better understanding of the workings of the vast universe, the perfect mathematics placed into motion, even if I haven’t a ghost of a chance of getting a handle on the sophisticated math involved, so that the Spirit might testify that the Gospel is true.

TMH Bacon Bits has “Open Line Friday” where folks can link articles.

http://www.tmhbaconbits.net/2006/08/25/bbop-122/