After you have received the first evidence that what you have heard is true, one continues to believe. One believes in principles like “not easily provoked” and overcomes impatience and anger. One believes in “kindness and easiness to be entreated” and, through God’s grace, backbiting and gossiping disappear. And as you do this, you receive one wonder after another further evidencing or witnessing to your soul that God is pleased. He inspires you. He comforts you. He guides you. These evidences make your faith unshakable to the point that you truly believe you can do all things (Jacob 4:6, 1 Nephi 17:50).
Non-evidenced faith is stagnant. It doesn’t grow or grows very slowly. If signs, wonders and miracles are not occurring in our lives, something is wrong. If an atheist were to ask me to proof to him that there is a God, I would say, that I have received evidence after evidence that there is a God. In fact, all things proof that there is a God (DNA, the planets, the goodness of people, etc.). I would then ask the atheist to show me his proofs that there isn’t any God. He would then turn it back on me and say, your spiritual evidences are false and they are just figments of my imagination. I would then say, that I know the wonders and miracles that have happened to me and testify that they are true. But, what about you? What are you evidences? And we would end. He would get all upset and start calling me names or just walk away.
Talking to an atheist with evidenced based testimony should be the easiest thing to do – not the most fearsome. Just recount all the evidences you have had in your life. If that doesn’t work bear your testimony (that God is real based on all the evidences you have received). If he asks for a sign, do what Alma did and make him dumb for the rest of his life (just kidding).
Evidence based faith makes sense to me. I hope it does to you as well.
Scott
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