How Much Do We Believe?

Lately I have been thinking about talks I have had with athiests. They believe it is foolish to believe in God. But when I talk to them about prophets, or modern scriptures, they find these beliefs incomprehensible. I can understand how people who don't even believe in God would find these beliefs even more difficult to comprehend. But lately I have been thinking about those who are Christians, who also find these things incomprehensible.

To both groups of people I would say, if God is real, then He is what we believe Him to be. He is all knowing, all powerful, merciful, kind and just. If the God that we believe in exists, then He can do anything. If God is all powerful, the greatest of all imaginable miracles is possible. That includes the creation, and doing so in whatever time frame was needed. If God truly exists, His power cannot be quantified by science, nor even comprehended by man. While man's understanding of science and physics is governed by proof and theorems, His understanding of all of heaven and earth is unlimited. If God really exists, then anything is possible, and men in all their greatest learning cannot even come close to His knowledge.


Why is it easy to believe that God could bless Moses with power to part the Red Sea, but difficult to believe that He could bless a modern Prophet to be able to translate ancient records. Why is it easy to believe that God spoke to the young child Samuel in Old Testament times, but difficult to believe that He spoke to a 14 year old Joseph Smith in these modern days? Why is it so easy to believe that Noah was instructed to build an ark, but difficult to believe the Book of Mormon account of how God instructed Nephi to also build a boat to sail to the promised land? Why is it easy to believe that Jesus chose apostles to carry out His work in olden days, but so difficult to believe that He could choose apostles to carry out His work in these modern days? Why is it so easy to believe that Moses and Elias appeared unto the Savior and His apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, but so difficult to believe that Peter, James and John visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and gave him the keys of the Priesthood?

I say again that if God does exist, as we believe He does, none of these things are impossible. When Sarah laughed at the thought of being able to bear a child in her old age, the Lord said, "13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Genesis 18:13,14

For those who discount The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because we believe in continuing scripture, continuing revelation, modern prophets, restoration of priesthood keys, and more, I would ask, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" The question isn't whether or not He could bring these things to pass. The question is, how much do we believe?