Good sources of truth will guide you safely through this life to the next.
Photo by Ramial-Zayat
Truth has become a slippery thing these days, hard to define and identify, especially since everyone seems to have their own version of it. In such confusing times, how can we discover what the truth really is? If you ask President Dallin H. Oaks, he’d tell you to pay attention to the sources we turn to every day to tell us what the truth is. Checking our sources becomes especially important in matters of spiritual truth.
In his talk entitled “Truth and the Plan,” President Oaks says, “We live in a time of greatly expanded and disseminated information. But not all of this information is true. We need to be cautious as we seek truth and choose sources for that search. We should not consider secular prominence or authority as qualified sources of truth.…Expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects.” We would probably think twice before consulting with a heart surgeon about fixing our car.
Likewise, we should carefully consider the sources we consult for answers to spiritual or eternal questions. As Elder Oaks states, “When we seek the truth about religion, we should use spiritual methods appropriate for that search: prayer, the witness of the Holy Ghost, and study of the scriptures and the words of modern prophets.”
President Oaks goes on to say, “We find true and enduring joy by coming to know and acting upon the truth about who we are, the meaning of mortal life, and where we are going when we die.”By turning to appropriate sources to learn about these important and eternal truths, we can understand what we need to do and be here on earth so that we may return to live with our Father in Heaven.
Learn more about how to find good sources of truth by reading the rest of President Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “Truth and the Plan.”
Source: General Conference
—Erin Nightingale, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY ROBIN WORALL
Find more insights
Read about some eternal truths in President Russell M. Nelson’s BYU Devotional address “The Love and Laws of God.”
Learn more about how to find truth by reading “What Is Truth?” by Lynn A. Mickelsen.