From the book “Spiritual Lightening” —‘The Veil of Unbelief’, M. Catherine Thomas shared:
“Come unto me, O ye Gentiles,” the Lord has said, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. . . . Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief. . . .” (Ether 4:13,15.)
The answers to our problems often lie just beyond the veils or our unbelief, as was the case when Ammon was teaching Lamoni the plan of redemption. When Ammon had finished, the Lamanite king cried out in prayer and fell to the earth as if dead. But Ammon, undismayed, knew “that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that . . . he was carried away in God.” (Alma 19:6).
When the dark veil of unbelief was cast away from Lamoni’s mind, he was infused with spiritual light and joy. The king’s experience serves as a pattern for each Latter-day Saint. It need not be as dramatic and compressed as Lamoni’s to be very potent. Here is a more gradual description of the process: “And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word [the doctrine of Christ] in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of His Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will.” (Alma 33:23)
Having burdens lightened through the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ requires planting in the soul a spiritual knowledge of things as they really are (see Jacob 4:13). Much of the heaviness that we bear develops from a faith that is not sufficiently informed. The danger of having and undernourished faith is that one is vulnerable to false ideas that darken the veil and increase one’s burdens.
Nephi, looking down the ages, saw the dangers the Saints face in the latter days and put us on alert: “There shall be many which shall teach . . . false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts. . . . They have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. . . . Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!. . . Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 28:9,14,26,31.) ~ Catherine Thomas, Spiritual Lightening (Deseret Book/Bookcraft, inc, 1996) p.1-2 . . . .continued
