I See... Burying Your Testimony

The Mormon Third Eye attended a someone else’s fast and testimony meeting today, and heard one of the ward’s newest members, a freshly-baptized 8-year old boy, “bury” his testimony. It was very cute, and everyone knew what he really meant, but it caused the Mormon Third Eye to view testimonies from a different angle. How could one “bury” his testimony? How many of us are “bury”ing our testimonies? I don’t think it is a good thing.

One option is to “bury” your testimony- neatly packaging your belief in the existence of a divine, loving Father in Heaven who sent his Son to die for us that we may live forever, obtained through study and prayer, and placing it gently deep underneath your family, your profession, your hobbies, and your friends. Your testimony is now buried under at least four other very valuable influences.

Your second option would be to “berry”, or “pickle” your testimony. Just like a cucumber turns into a pickle when it is “berried” in another powerful liquid, a testimony can be immersed or pickled in powerful influences such as the arm of flesh, purely academic truths, or popular peer pressure. In this pickling process, surely a strong testimony can turn into something else lacking the faith rewarded with miracles; a mere logical knowledge of the apostasy and restoration, or perhaps the willpower to maintain moral purity purely because it is the cool thing to do: everyone in the ward is doing it.

The Mormon Third Eye recommends neither. “Bearing” your testimony, which involves a profession of belief from the pulpit, then “bearing” the burden of living it in as many aspects of your life as you can, is the preferred path. Don’t bury, or berry, but bear your testimony.