"…you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (Doctrine & Covenants 9:8)
Mormons believe this to be how a person feels after he receives revelation from God. It is hard for those who have experienced this sensation to describe with words. This feeling has been likened to burning in one's thorax. It is accompanied with peace. Mormons claim that the occurrence of this sensation is divine confirmation of a message. They commonly cite James 1:5 to give credence to this notion.
Genesis 8:21 records God Himself as saying that man is wicked from the days of his youth. He does not have to be made that way because that is his default position. He finds pleasure in rebelling against his own Creator. Man has to be taught how to act righteously, which implies that our passions are not a good standard for accepting truth.
Proverbs 14:12 says that the way of death appeals to our senses. That flatly contradicts any idea of trusting a burning sensation which makes us feel comfortable. Just because something seems good to us, does not mean that it really is. It can actually have harmful consequences.
Proverbs 28:26 describes those who trust in themselves as being foolish. Thus, it is not an earmark of walking the path of wisdom. That would suggest our current emotional state does not confirm whether we have heard from God. Relying on our own feelings to know what is right will only lead us away from God, from which true wisdom flows.
Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as being thoroughly evil. The effects of sin on the human heart cover his whole being. Our emotions or feelings are not a reliable guide in discerning truth from error, which undercuts any idea of burning in the bosom.
Ecclesiastes 9:3 characterizes human life in this world as being filled with evil and madness. Our hearts lead us down this destructive path. The burning of the bosom sensation upheld by Mormons is of no avail to us in seeking out the truth of a matter.
As for James 1:5, that is concerned with praying to God for wisdom, not trusting in one-self for some internal confirmation about a religious text. Further, it is doubtful that Mormons would do the same for the Bible or the sacred book of any other religion. Finally, this sort of appeal is useless, since the Book of Mormon does not even teach most of Mormon theology.
The so-called "burning" is probably just acid indigestion caused by the stress of being told you're unsaved if you don't have the burning!
ReplyDeleteWell, that is a colorful way of putting things.
Delete