Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, by Elder Robert D. Hales
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


I have wonderful colleagues. Despite our theological and lifestyle differences, we are great friends, and I have never felt threatened because of my beliefs, or the way I observe my faith. Nevertheless, I am aware that, like Elder Hales observed, "belief in God is widely questioned and even attacked in the name of political, social, and even religious causes."

I'm not sure why this skepticism, or even "militant atheism" (recall Elder Pearson's address last conference? link) has largely passed me by—perhaps my co-workers are just amazing—but I can understand why the beliefs that some hold come into question.

Many are the times I've heard deity referred to as mysterious, unknowable, unapproachable, and other nebulous and downright-confusing terms. I enjoyed the comforting reminders of truths of our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ from the scriptures, which Elder Hales expounds on. His review includes the following magnificent truths:

• They have a physical presence.
• They stand in one place at one time.
• The Father and the Son have voices.
• They have faces, They stand, and They converse.
• They have bodies, in form and parts like ours.
• The Father and the Son have feelings for us.
• God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are immortal, glorified, and perfected beings.

Appropriately, I was reminded of these facts, and others, yesterday during the sacrament. A young couple sitting behind my family were quietly asking their small son what the meanings of the tokens of the sacrament meant. This reminded me of the absolute necessity we all have of God. I was reminded of this again as I reviewed Elder Hales words:

Without God, life would end at the grave and our mortal experiences would have no purpose. Growth and progress would be temporary, accomplishment without value, challenges without meaning. There would be no ultimate right and wrong and no moral responsibility to care for one another as fellow children of God. Indeed, without God, there would be no mortal or eternal life.

I'm grateful that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are public , knowable, and approachable. I'm grateful for the familiarity and respect that we can have for them as we come to know more about them, and to truly know them, too (see John 17:3).