I have struggled with understanding why there are discrepancies between the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I was raised being taught that the Bible had errors due to being translated multiple times and that the Book of Mormon filled in and clarified truths and doctrines that were lost from the Bible. I still believe that. I also believed that because the Book of Mormon is true that the Lord would help me defend it. I still believe that as well, however I did not realize that He would help me defend it as His word, but that didn’t mean that I would defend it by possessing and supplying all the answers to every doubter. Things became particularly difficult for me when I was serving my mission. I came across a lot of situations where I was able to answer people’s doubts and questions, but I also came across a lot of situations where I did not have a solid answer. That bothered me. What bothered me more was the fact that I was bothered. You see, I felt that unwavering faith meant that I had to be completely fine without having all the answers. And I wasn’t. It was hard to not have all the answers. I learned a lot about the importance of addressing the questions and the doubts that you have- even if the answer is, “I know, just trust Me.” I also found a very comforting concept in a talk one day. It suggested that the Lord intentionally left holes in our understanding of the gospel and the Book of Mormon. We don’t have all the facts. He does not give us a complete understanding because then we would have no need for faith. That begs the question, why does God care if we have faith? Isn’t it the same if we struggle and eventually find out the answer verses just knowing the answer to begin with? (Keeping in mind once again that the answer may be, “I know, just trust Me.”) Though the end result is similar, the means to get there is entirely different and crucial. God cares about growth, right? I mean, that’s literally why we’re here. God would not cheat us out of a growing experience. Ever. He loves us, so He makes us reach and stretch and grow. I am so grateful that we don’t have all the answers about the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The process that I go through the hash out my questions with God and through studying the scriptures is priceless. I would not trade it for anything. Not even for all the answers.
Alyssa
Minnesota