Religion makes certain claims—that the World is conditioned and dependent, that there is a providence, that there is a side other than that which appears to us. Religious World views often hold that people have a destiny, a predetermined purpose in life. These claims are not put forward as poetry but as truths. Reason may show that science does not conflict with these claims and even that science is unable to consider their truth value. Reason may also point out hints in nature which suggests that these claims are true; reason cannot, however, justify them. These truths differ in kind from those of science and common sense and have their own grounds—the heart and conscience, feeling and intuition. Correlation can be made between various feelings, on the one hand, and religious claims, on the other. Corresponding to the claim that the World is conditioned and dependent is the feeling of the dependence and conditionality of all things. The claim that there is a providence, or teleological order, in things implies that certain value judgments are true and these value judgments rest on feeling and intuition. Corresponding to the claim that there is a beyond is piety—a feeling and intuition, which is bound up with our experience of the beautiful and mysterious, that there is a reality behind appearances. And that makes sense because even on Earth there are life forms and light that we cannot view with our own eyes like ultra violet rays and bacteria, so what else could be here? #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

Many people who are religious very much rely on the technological advancements and medical interventions derived from science. They believe that there are metaphysical forces beyond science at work in the World. At the same time, they also believe that science and technology have limits and they therefore embrace the supernatural, religious qualities in the World. Self-control is at the core of our lifestyle. Psychologists have proposed that religious-inspired practices can benefit mental and physical healthy by helping people exercise self-control. Studies reveal that self-control promotes adaptive psychological functioning because it helps people regulate their emotions and behavior. Religious doctrines typically include prescriptions for taking care of one’s own body (your body is a temple), and support psychological traits that are associated with self-control, such as humility, patience, mindfulness, and compassion. In addition, religious doctrines offer behavioral techniques, including prayer, that can be people regulate their emotions and actions. When people are exposed to religious themes or call to mind their religious beliefs, they are better able to endure discomfort, delay gratification, and follow through on challenging tasks. Higher levels of self-control are associated with lower levels of aggression, and when people are angry and feel the urge to hurt others, their level of self-control determines whether or not they act on these urges. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

The psychological benefits of religion extend beyond self-control. Religions also helps people find a sense of meaning in life, the feeling that one’s existence has purpose and value. The idea of reality is the reign of purpose from the principle of the dignity of the person which underlies the concept of duty. People can derive meaning from life without religion, but psychological studies indicate that, for many, religion is a major source of meaning in life. Religion also helps people cope with tragedies and other stressors that threaten meaning. The meaning that religion inspires can be of great consequence because people who perceive their lives as meaningful tend to be healthier and live up to an average of four years longer.  The spirit has fundamentally different laws from those of the natural World. In effect, they are the prescriptive laws of logic and ethics rather than the descriptive laws of physics and psychology. Insofar as a spirit determines itself by prescriptive laws, it is free. Spirit is the source of concepts, principles, intuitions, and valuation which cannot be derived from sense experience. And although the spirit develops under the influence of external stimuli, it is something unique in its own right. Spirit cannot be explained by, nor can its occurrence be predicted on, the basis of a consideration of sense experience alone. Spirit and its operation emerge under certain conditions but are not explained by these conditions. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

The circle of civilization is soon to be completed and the commerce and science are supposed to combined to improve the World to the point where there will no longer exist a need to make war profit. A World in which all people have equal rights and in which leadership depends upon talent and wisdom is superior. We praise God for the regularity of the Universe, and the only suffering mostly comes is caused by social injustice. God grasps the whole-time process instantaneously; for him time and eternity is all one. Our knowledge catches eternity in the fleeting moment, which is both temporal and eternal. The nature of the human frame implies that it is God’s will for us to be happy in this life as well as in the next. Virtue is doing good to humankind, in obedience to the will of God and for the sake of everlasting happiness. Allegiance to God’s will and a desire for everlasting happiness are sufficient grounds for moral obligation. Moral obligation follows from the command of a superior, which is made persuasive by the prospect of a reward. We discover the will of God by consulting either Scripture or the light of nature, both which lead to the same conclusion. The will of God with regard to any action may be found by inquiring into its tendency to promote or diminish the general happiness. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Promoting the general happiness requires paying attention to the general consequences of our actions. The general consequence of any action may be estimated by asking what the consequences would be if the same sort of actions were generally permitted. No special faculty is required to enable us to have moral knowledge. Morality does not require a moral sense, nor an intuitive perception of right and wrong, nor any other innate nor instinctive capacity. All that is required for the foundation of morality is that each person have the wit to see that certain actions are beneficial to oneself. Then the sentiment of approbation that naturally arise when these actions benefit one will continue to accompany one’s perception of these actions when they benefit someone else. Thus the custom of approving certain actions is begun, and children, who learn everything by imitating their elders, carry it on. “And, we ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. And it is the faith which we have had on things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy. And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things,” reports Mosiah 5.3-4. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

Grant the possibility that God has destined his human creators for a future state and that the Lord will acquaint human beings with our destiny. “In one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal World, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one. For every person receives the wages of one whom the individual listened to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to truth,” reports Alma 3.36-27. If these possibilities are granted, then the need for miracles is clear, for they are the certification of revelation. The credibility of the Christian revelation hangs, therefore, on the issue of whether its miracles are genuine. Miracles on which Christianity is based (including those of the Old Testament) are genuine; and indeed the only genuine miracles are those of Christianity. A miracle must be exceptions to Universal experience or they would not be miracles. The real issue is whether there is a test for the reliability of the witnesses who reported an event that necessarily only they could have experienced. Such a test in our observation of whether the person who reports a miracle will cling to his or her report at the risk of one’s comfort, happiness, and even their mortality. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

The original witnesses of the Christian miracles pass this test, since they labored and suffered in attestation of the accounts which they delivered, and solely in consequence of their belief of those. Hospitality for miracles is not as broad as we think. The miraculous event must be in support of a revelation that is important to human happiness. Mere wonders are thus ruled out; we also hold out against any event that may be resolved into a false perception and against any report that is guilty of exaggeration. The distinguishing mark of a human being is self-consciousness, and the moral aim of life is self-realization, which is expressed in perpetual self-development. The driving force being this development is the individual’s sense of limitation. An important mode of moral action is self-sacrifice, which is a genuine diminishing of one’s possessions or powers. “The Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles,” reports 1 Nephi 17.51. Something real is being created in the ritual of keeping the covenants of God. The only abiding reality is God himself, and the Lord’s order comes to us moment by moment. We are continually in touch with the reality of God. The more a person knows of the inner life of God’s most mature saints, the more one sees what God’s purpose really is. If we are not stretching our faith, you are not accessing everything God has in store. We must realize God is infinite and through God anything is possible, and we will see God do extraordinary things. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7