Knowledge

Knowledge is something that we all seek, in some way. There's a difference between knowing of something, understanding something, and having knowledge of something.  Knowing of something is largely believing a rumor.  When I "know of" something, like events on the other side of the planet, I am accepting the claims and report of the information source. "Understanding" something is where you have looked into the report or claim.  You've checked some details, and if there's error in it, you are likely to tell the difference.  "Knowledge" is where, in addition to thorough fact-checking, you have confirmed as much as possible and have established in your mind the truth.

As a missionary, I talk with people about religion. I'm not anywhere near perfect, and simply put, nobody (with one exception) has been or will ever be perfect in all that they do while they are alive.  Our search for "knowledge" about truth, if it is to be 100% accurate, must not be based solely on human reasoning. Thankfully, we have access to a source that is never flawed and is 100% perfect.

That is source is God, our Heavenly Father.  The purpose of mortal life is, in a nutshell, to learn how to choose good even when options to choose bad seem appealing at the moment.  We do not learn everything there is to know all at once. (2 Nephi 28:30) This process of learning requires faith. Faith is trusting in an idea, concept, or person, with or without empirical evidence to back up your position. In religious terms, faith is trusting that God exists or that something truly is of God while not necessarily having physical evidence. (Alma 32:21) If you want something out of the New Testament, here's basically the same passage. (Hebrews 11:1) 

How does one gain faith, or in Mormon terms, how does one gain a testimony?  Remember that faith is not a perfect knowledge. Even with faith, there are things that you are not going to understand. First off, one must want to believe. God has given us our agency, the ability to live, or attempt to live, our life in the way that we want to.  He will not force us to do anything.  He encourages, prods, and points out the blessings, but He does not force.  He will not force! Our desire does not have to be huge.  In fact, we are encouraged to mainly keep an open mind, to run an experiment. (Alma 32:27)

Second, we must pay attention to our feelings.  That which is true, which is of God, will cause us to feel different.  The Book of Mormon describes those feelings as enlargening your soul. (Alma 32:28) There's a passage in the New Testament that describes the feelings more specifically. (Galatians 5:22-23)  We will never be able to fully understand these feelings, but, as Paul says, "the peace of God ... passeth all understanding." (Philippians 4:7) If a concept we are experimenting with results in us having such feelings, then you know that the idea, or word, is good.

As with all great things, one's faith requires regular maintenance.  Faith maintenance is like muscle maintenance.  In order for muscle to remain at the same strength, it must be used regularly. If we stop using the muscle, it weakens. Likewise, our faith must be used regularly just to maintain it's strength.  If we stop using our faith, it will weaken and, if not used for a long enough period of time, it will die completely.  The things that maintain and strengthen our faith are simple things.  Because they are simple, they can be ignored and forgotten, or they can be great habits.

Prayer, scripture study, and regular church attendance are the main things to maintain/strengthen our faith. In addition, our choice of entertainment affects our faith. Our minds are affected by what we see and experience. We are all exposed to things that we would rather avoid, and in many circumstances, such occurrences are unavoidable. Entertainment is completely our choice. If we go out of our way to view positive, uplifting things, we will have an easier time focusing on uplifting things.  Likewise, if most of what we view is trash, then our thoughts are more likely to be trashy.

Remember, learning is a lifelong process.  Each and every day provides at least one new thing to learn.  The day we close our minds to learning is the day life becomes dull and pointless.

If you've reached this point, you have a lot of patience, and thank you for reading. If you want some deeper thoughts on spiritual learning, check this out. It's by Truman G Madsen, someone whose thoughts inspire me greatly.  On How We Know