Today at church I bore my testimony on two evidences of the authenticity of the church. The first was in Alma 11. For the first time in the Book of Alma, the narrative shifts inexplicably into first person for a brief moment. Then at the end of the chapter, the narrative shifts back into third person with a strong editorial tone, summarizing the events of the upcoming chapters. A casual reader might view this as a slip of the charlatan Joseph Smith. I see it as evidence that Mormon was compiling a first person narrative that he had read before Joseph Smith had read it. For Joseph Smith to have concocted such perfectly thought out nuances while dictating his single draft manuscript on the fly, without any contradictions … would be superhuman.
The second evidence is the principle of fasting. From an early age I vowed that I would never let one thing happen to me: the changing of my metabolism. Then I got a real job. The 8 – 4 schedule did it to me, coupled with a padded income. I’m so addicted to food, constantly and needless bloating my belly around the clock, day after day after day. The law of the fast gives not only my spirit but my body the rest it needs. But who would consistently do such a hard thing without divine requirement? It’s too plain, yet, at the same time, too profound, to have been concocted by man. To me it’s evidence that my Heavenly Father love me.