Things As They Really Are

Things as they Really Are and our Personal Quest

			Why does any of this matter? If we assume that man's goal is only bound by this earth, then any current definition of reality is sufficient. Our scientific reality is so powerful, that we are tempted to believe that it is really all we need. However, our current science does not include the explicit presence of God, or of His plans for us. If we function only on the basis of scientific reality, we are shut off from the opportunities available to us if we understand that God is the definition of Eternal Reality. Just like the precursors of Columbus were limited in their horizons by a perceived reality, so we could be limited in our horizons by a reality uniquely defined by current science. Does this mean that we toss out all science and presume it to be antithetical to the interests of God? Clearly not. Where science does explain the Really Real, it is in full harmony with God. It is just as great a folly to dismiss science as it is to dismiss God. Our goal should be to comprehend the Really Real, and to live and act according to that reality. We must approach that goal from both perspectives. The Doctrine and Covenants defines truth as "knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come" (D&C 93:24). For God, truth is that reality which transcends our temporal state. Truth and eternal reality are defined by measures not consistently applied by men here on earth. Any truth found in our constructed realities is only an approximation of the eternal reality. The only way to know of things as they really are is for God to reveal it. Even then, we seldom comprehend it. The gospel is our revelation of eternal reality as it applies to the progress of our souls. Science is the elucidation of reality as our minds discover it. In order to function in both our sacred and secular societies, we must each individually construct our own personal reality within which we can function. To do so, we should be open to all of the best indicators of that reality. What science understands, we must understand. What God reveals, we must internalize. From each source we receive glimpses of things as they really are, and really will be.
			by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998