What do Mormons Believe They Know

I was asked once by a friend how I knew that my wife loved me?

I answered that I really didn't know, but I believed she did.  He went on to tell me how humans don't know everything and sometimes we act on faith alone.

So am I acting purely on faith on assuming that my wife indeed loves me?  Of course not!  I can say my wife loves with a certain amount of certainty based on evidence I've collected over the years by living with her.  She has repeatedly displayed certain behaviors towards me that we as humans recognize as affection, respect, care, love, etc.  So I can say my belief that she loves me is pretty high, but I don't really know, do I? She may have been harboring some murdering feelings towards me over all these years and is just waiting for my 401k to reach a respectable number to do me in.  But we don't really know someone's feelings and thoughts.  We base our assumptions on a collection of factual instances.

However, for the short while I was attending the Mormon church, I noticed these two words, "belief" and "knowledge" being used without much consideration to their true meanings.  During testimony meetings, Mormons will state knowledge over their beliefs just with as much certainty as one would state that it is indeed raining outside right now.

So Mormons don't believe, they know... or claim to know about things that no one else knows or can know.  Like the existence of different worlds after this life; or the existence of God's wife; or even the existence of a God for that matter.

When a proposition is put forth, for example, I am 8 feet tall, most of you reading this can choose to believe me or not, but none of you has the right to claim knowledge of the truth of this statement unless you have some sort of evidence that confirms this to a reasonable level of certainty.  If you were genuinely concerned in finding out the truth, you would move to acquire such evidence and not just take my word for it.

Why is it not like that with religion?  The more absurd a claim might be, the least interested people seem to pursue its validity.  Some Mormons will tell you that they don't really know if coffee is really that punishable of an offense, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one who doesn't "know" that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

I know this along with all other churches.  It is easy to see if you are willing to shed the vail of blind-belief and start looking at the evidence.

Churches and religions have been created and destroyed under the blanket of politics and control for many, many years.  It continues to do so.  New ones are created and old ones are forgotten or subdued.  People in need of comfort and guidance fall prey to false prophets (a bit redundant) and ambitious leaders who claim a hold on morality and eternal salvation.

We don't KNOW what happens after we die.  I live comfortably with that understanding.  I live my life to the fullest by seeking my own happiness and of those around me.  I aim to better my community and my country and this planet by lawful means and strive to find balance in my life.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" - claiming knowledge over unknown things is the nemesis of humility.