PERSONAL NOTE

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="043005a0dwnjzk.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EDWARD WATSONS WEBWORLD"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>EDWARD WATS</B><B>ON'S WEBWORLD</B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="INTRO"><U><B>INTRO</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="KNOWING TRUTH"><U><B>KNOWING TRUTH</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WHY MORMONS?"><U><B>WHY MORMONS?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="INTELLECTUAL APPEAL"><U><B>INTELLECTUAL APPEAL</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PURPOSE AND USAGE"><U><B>PURPOSE AND USAGE</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ADAPTABILITY"><U><B>ADAPTABILITY</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id125.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WHAT IS MORMONISM?"><U><B>WHAT IS MORMONISM?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST"><U><B>THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BIBLICAL EXPERTS"><U><B>BIBLICAL EXPERTS</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="IS MORMONISM A CULT?"><U><B>IS MORMONISM A CULT?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HISTORICAL REFUTATION VS SCRIPTURAL REFU"><U><B>HISTORICAL REFUTATION VS SCRIPTURAL REFUTATION</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CREDENTIALS"><U><B>CREDENTIALS</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BIBLICAL VIEW"><U><B>BIBLICAL VIEW</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>PERSONAL NOTE</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOOK OF MORMON"><U><B>BOOK OF MORMON</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBREVIATIONS"><U><B>ABBREVIATIONS</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> PERSONAL NOTE</div> <div> <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="INTRO"><U><B>Introduction</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="KNOWING TRUTH"><U><B>The best way to know the Truth</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WHY MORMONS?"><U><B>Why are we called “Mormons”? </B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="INTELLECTUAL APPEAL"><U><B>The intellectual appeal of Mormonism</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PURPOSE AND USAGE"><U><B>What these books are for and how to use them</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ADAPTABILITY"><U><B>The adaptability of Mormonism</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id125.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WHAT IS MORMONISM?"><U><B>What is Mormonism?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST"><U><B>The Church is the Bride of Christ!</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BIBLICAL EXPERTS"><U><B>The four types of biblical experts</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="IS MORMONISM A CULT?"><U><B>Is  Mormonism a Cult?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HISTORICAL REFUTATION VS SCRIPTURAL REFU"><U><B>Historical refutation vs Scriptural refutation</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CREDENTIALS"><U><B>The issue of credentials </B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BIBLICAL VIEW"><U><B>My view of the Bible</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PERSONAL NOTE"><U><B>A personal note</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOOK OF MORMON"><U><B>Coming back to the Book of Mormon</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>[MORMONISM. The Faith of the Twenty-first Century. Volume 1. Edward K. Watson. (Liahona Publications. Copyright © 1998 Edward K. Watson.) pp. lxxxvii-lxxxviii. MORMONISM: Series Introduction. All rights reserved.]</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A personal note</B></div> <bR> <div>      When I was a new member, I was bombarded with anti-Mormon paraphernalia from people who were dismayed I joined the LDS church. I became confused intellectually. I wasn't knowledgeable at all during that time when it came to the Bible. I've read it for years but wasn't familiar with its contents. In fact, I was so ignorant; I didn't even know where the book of Daniel was! Through it all, my testimony of the church and especially the Book of Mormon remained strong, and sustained me during the years of my plodding through anti-Mormon paraphernalia. It wasn't until I went on a mission that the Lord decided to flood my mind with knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. It was also on my mission that I had numerous “encounters” with different religious instructors. Opposition can either make you or break you. In my case, I always came away enriched because it gave me an idea of what other churches believe and why they believe it. Also, upon examination of the passages they quoted in context, and in comparison to the ones we use to support our view, I invariably came on the side of the church not because of personal bias (although this is naturally present because of specific answered prayers, most especially the Book of Mormon and  Ezra Taft Benson as being authentic), but because they made more sense. I initially received a <B>spiritual testimony </B>of the Book of Mormon from the Holy Ghost due to sincere prayer and it wasn't until years later I received an <B>intellectual testimony</B><I> </I>of the legitimacy of the church due to constant examination of the validity of the anti-Mormon arguments based upon logic and biblical research. <B>My intellectual witness backed up my spiritual witness. </B></div> <div>      I know many will receive similar witnesses in the reverse order I did. </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT><B>All who are sincere seekers of </B> <B>Truth, who take the time to carefully examine the issues discussed in these books and their references, will receive intellectual confirmation that Mormonism is true based upon logic and the Bible</B>.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >1</FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>      They will subsequently receive a spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true after reading, studying and praying in all sincerity about it. For them, their spiritual witness backs up their intellectual witness.</div> <div>      I have gained tremendous appreciation for Mormon doctrine and its clarity based on the Scriptures during the time of my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many doctrines are highly controversial and upon first hearing them strikes a person as completely unorthodox in comparison to Traditional Christianity. However, close scrutiny shows the doctrines and principles of the Mormon church are completely biblical in nature.</div> <bR> <div> 1.This supports my contention that it is impossible to study oneself out of the church, only into it, regardless of claims to the otherwise by various apostates. I find it very sad that many apostates I've encountered who claimed to study themselves out of the church are terrified to re-examine the issues.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca"><U>e-mail me!</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>