Personal experience, where it is available, is bound to be by far the most persuasive influence in established belief. Thus, you will find it confidently stated in just about every commentary on the origins of the paranormal mind-set that most people who believe in the paranormal cite personal experience as their primary reason for doing so. True believers in the paranormal almost always report having had a confirmatory incident at some point in their lives, “Thou knowest greatness of God,” reports 2 Nephi 2.2. From one’s own experience, exposure to miraculous phenomena can be effective in changing people’s minds where nothing else is. Because in many cases, only if you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. Much like a jury in a trial, when they pass judgment on a crime they did not witness, can never be sure their verdict is the right one. Only an eye-witness could know (in some cases that is even not a sure bet because of perception bias). Still, the only way of acquiring knowledge of the World is to do it entirely by oneself. We are full of spiritual power, and this is surely noted in Heaven, as our covenant is with God, and our action is recorded in the book of life. There is no campaigning, no debates, no posturing for position, no dissension, distrust, confusion, nor commotion for the power of Heaven is with us and encircling each individual with the undeniable approval from the Lord. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6

In general, only facts about the World we can ever know absolutely and for sure are those we have observed with our own bodily sense. Those who believe without seeing may be blessed. Is this blind faith? No, it is not. We each have a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of gospel. By our own will and choice, we raised our hand this morning, declaring our desire to sustain the Lord’s prophet with our confidence, faith, and prayers and to follow his counsel. And we presumably ought to place greatest faith in our own observations. In modern times people’s insistence on the superiority of direct sensory knowledge has if anything grown stronger, and they have correspondingly become more and more demanding of it. Miracles are still necessary because we have not learned to live forever. Anchoring our souls to the Lord requires a distinction to be made between witnessing an event ourselves and being informed about it. Some experiences are obviously more unique than other, and we presumably ought to place greatest faith in our own observations, as we live in a World of reason, debate, conversation, logic, and explanation. In Western culture, the cult of personal experience has come to seem ever more natural and reasonable, even virtuous. Our age wishes to have actual experience in psychic life. It wants to experience for itself, and not to make assumptions based on the experience of other ages. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6

In so many aspects of our lives, allowing the power of our intellect to guide a multitude of choices and decisions we face, makes us not want to make assumptions based on the experience of other ages. It is, however, undoubtedly true that is and when people do see signs and wonders they very often will believe—especially if they themselves are the subject of the sign or wonder. Even if in reality seeing is not a necessary condition for believing, it is certainly sometimes a sufficient one. The Lord’s voice often comes without explanation. Beyond relying on the intellect alone, we treasure the gift of the Holy Ghost. It asks, spoken kindly, for us to change, to repent, and to return to the Lord. When correction is needed, let us not delay. Down the ages people have repeatedly testified that it was indeed a particular events, of which they themselves were either the subject or a first-hand witness, that converted them to a belief in the reality of paranormal powers: a voice from the clouds, a visitation by a ghost, a remarkable example of precognition, an oceanic feeling of unity with all of nature, a demonstration before their very eyes of a physically impossible feat, a coincidence so meaningful yet so outrageous as to defy chance explanation. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6

Let us note the frequency with which extraordinary, miraculous, mystical, or born-again type experiences have played a pivotal role in our beliefs. Everyone pays homage to the psychological persuasiveness and epistemic priority of first-person experience. Sometimes we might feel as if the whole framework with which we view the World has been suddenly destroyed. We may seem very naked and vulnerable, surrounded by a hostile and incomprehensible Universe. And it may be days before we are able to come to terms with it. However, these are moments of learning, of humility, when we go to our knees in prayer. We walk forward in faith, trusting in God, knowing that with time we will receive more spiritual clarity from our Heavenly Father. The mysterious allure is strengthened by our desire to build our faith, the change of our actions to righteousness, and the sense of accomplishment we feel for repenting. The surrender of our will to God’s will is, in fact, not surrender at all but the beginning of a glorious victory. There is an uninhibited display of gleeful humor, as we are grounded in the higher realm of divinity. When we realize that the spiritual purity of human beings is not contained by something as artificial nor arbitrary as mere geographical boundary, it is unnecessary to be dismayed or distraught. Here, humor, wisdom, and holiness achieve a kind of balance, which strikes us as very beautiful. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6

The smile of reason may seem to betray a certain incomprehension of the deeper human emotions, but it does not preclude some strongly held beliefs—belief in natural law, belief in justice, belief in toleration. Not bad. In the future day, looking back on our mortality, we will rejoice that we walked the Earth at the time we are living. We hold in balance regal splendor, poise, grace, and simplicity. Having peace, freedom, and love is more important than the gorgeous Cullinan Diamond or the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, and the Star of Africa Diamond combined. The Almighty has sent down his wisdom so that we may live sweetly. God breaks the bands of death. However, when the infant or the adult suffers from an unconscious sense of being rejected, not wanted, needed, nor loved, the individual unconsciously receives the impression that there must be something wrong with oneself. Without the objective faculties being aware of it, one argues with oneself somewhat after this manner: “Nobody likes me, no one wants me around; I am in everyone’s way. There must be something wrong with me or this would not happen.” Thereafter an individual develops an unconscious sense of guilt and self-condemnation. And out of this sense of rejection, guilt, and insecurity, a feeling of stress is generated. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6

Talking to people can easily prove that your fear of self-doubt and rejection are true. It does not get rid of tensions, for inward conflicts as they are the result of the manifestation of the desire for self-expressions which has been crowded back upon itself through repression. However, it takes faith to believe that the Lord is watching over the daily details of his Kingdom and that he is quietly working out your situation. It takes faith to believe that God calls imperfect people into positions of trust. It takes faith to believe that God knows the people he calls perfectly, both their capacities and their potential and so makes no mistakes in his calls. We are all on this Earth for a reason and each and every person is desired by the Lord or he would have not created you. Even those who do not spend much time on the planet serve some purpose, but they just did not require as long as a journey as others before returning to Heaven with God. Have the capacity to receive revelation and to act on it fearlessly. It takes faith to do so. It takes even greater faith to believe that the Lord has called you to inspire you and others. Allow confidence and peace to flow in your lives. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6