Learning - D&C 88:118

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

With the advent of the Dead Sea Scrolls and similar discoveries, a common question is - Can we add these new discoveries to our cannon of scripture? The problem is, how do we know which of the writings are inspired and which are the aberrations of men? In fact, this is not just a problem with the discovery of ancient writings, but in all aspects of our lives. It is about which philosophies to take in and which to reject.

The task of weighing, sorting and applying new evidence is one which we will do throughout our lives. It underscores the heinousness of telling a lie. Doing so distorts others' ability to weigh evidence properly.

As the topic scripture suggests, we should teach wisdom amongst ourselves, and seek wisdom out of the best books. I take this by extension to mean that we should expose ourselves to as much wholesome learning as we can and apply and share our knowledge with others.

We would do well to remember that this life is not just about the "management of the creature", in other words keeping ourselves alive, comfortable and well entertained. It is about "becoming something". Becoming what?:

Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. (3 Nephi 27:27)

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:48)

I submit that this is the purpose of our existence - to progress and become like God Himself. Now, I'm not saying that it can happen overnight, or even that it is possible by the end of our lives. What I am saying is that it is our goal and our ideal. The old saying "shoot for the stars" comes to mind. The meaning of the saying is that we should set our goals high, no matter how unrealistic they may seem, we'll end up in a lot better place than if we set our goals for something mediocre.

I believe that there are two very important parts to this quest to be like Him. Learning and doing. The topic scripture is about the learning part of the equation. All truth is in the realm of God's knowledge. Thus the study of most any topic is beneficial - anthropology, mathematics, astrophysics, nutrition, art, history, etc. God obviously knows the infinite details on all of these subjects. In secular learning, we also have this admonition:

Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18,19)

We have to ask ourselves; Why would God send us here in the first place? What's the point? I mentioned earlier that the purpose of our existence is to become like God -- Couldn't that happen without us having to come here and have this experience? I have to assume the answer is no. Apparently this experience is absolutely vital in our progression. I believe that this life is a time of accelerated learning. This life is the perfect scenario for us to learn and grow. We live amongst daily temptation and various forms of adversity. Why would He put us in such a situation except for our own benefit? It is imperative to have these experiences so that we can learn and grow and increase.

Thus the pursuit of the "easy life" is counter productive to the purpose of our existence. We should use as much of our time as possible to improve ourselves, our mind and talents; and to help others do the same. But taking this course of action requires faith -- if, as some have suggested, this life ends in oblivion, why should we seek to build character? Why do we feel so strongly about being good; we judge each other daily and we like to immortalize great people with statues and paintings. Why would we feel to call attention to people of principle and character if oblivion is the end? It is because our "end" is only a stepping stone to eternity. We all have an innate knowledge of good, and whether we seek it or not, we admire the qualities and attributes of God.

Seeing that this is how it is, we must remember to keep things well-rounded. Secular learning should be an important part of our lives, however we cannot be overzealous in the area or we will become lop-sided. We must pursue spiritual learning at the same time. We must also put into practice the principles of our learning or they will fade and become unlearned. We must practice all of the Christian virtues. We must perform meaningful service. We must nourish all of our relationships, those of family, friends, etc. We must also take care of ourselves, eat well, exercise, avoid debauchery. We must also take leisure and replenish ourselves. And we have to work and perform our functions in society.

Life is a delicate balancing act. We have to spread our focus out to many things to have a balanced life. And though doing all of these things perfectly is actually impossible, it is important to keep it as our ideal -- otherwise we begin to head down the wrong path. If you keep up something hard for long enough, eventually you become good at it. This is the only way I can think about striving for perfection.  A final important point is; You aren't expected to do it alone. He is there to help, and share the burden:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Signs Follow Those That Believe - D&C 63:7-11

And he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation. Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning; But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe. Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God. Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation.

Remember Jesus' enigmatic saying "the wind bloweth where it listeth" (John 3:8)? To me this is a perfect metaphor for the Spirit of God. Seeking signs or trying to force the hand of God is like trying to control the wind. It is impossible.

This again brings me around to the point of ascertaining the will of God before presuming to have faith in it. No mighty works, signs or miracles will ever occur unless in accordance with the will of God. Now, I am not saying that we can't pray for something when we don't know if it is His will. Jesus taught the parable of the unjust judge, in which the judge eventually gave in to the persistent widow's petitions because her petitions were so abundant and wearying. I believe there is nothing wrong praying with hope if the thing we desire is good, regardless of whether we have an assurance of God's will. Only that we must always pray with deference to His divine will. "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "take this cup from me, nevertheless, thy will be done."

Some have stumbled at the concept of evil being allowed by God. If he allows men to commit evil acts, how can He be good? And the simple answer is that He has given us our agency - it is a gift. If He were to enforce righteousness, the gift would be destroyed, as well as righteousness. How could righteousness or wickedness exist if choosing either of them were not an option?

What about natural disasters? Aren't these proof that God allows evil? I say it depends on our perspective. We must always remember that His perspective is eternal and that our salvation is always more important than our survival. A tragedy to Him is when we corrupt ourselves, accept depravity and incorrect principles. This is one of the major problems with sign-seeking. Seeing a sign does not produce the desire or determination to change. Thus if He were to show a sign to an individual who is not repentant at heart, He would be causing them to enter into deeper damnation.

And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? (Alma 32:19)

On the flip side, if we desire and pray for good, when His will requires it, He can and does intervene on behalf of those who use their agency to exercise faith in Him. These occasions are what we commonly call miracles. I often compare this to a ship without a rudder. When we don't pray, it is like rejecting God from our life, and like a ship without a rudder, we will be tossed wherever the wind and waves take us. However, when we pray, it is like having a rudder. When we pray, we are using our will to ask God to be a part of our life. And when we do this, He always responds (according to His will) and provides direction so that it is possible to harness the wind and waves to our benefit.