CloudGate

Thank you all for your responses. I think they've helped especially the analogy about love. I hope any other members of this forum didn't overlook this thread when the LDS.net servers went down. If you have any thoughts please add them. I would appreciate it very much.

I've been kind of stuggling in trying to find out if the church is true. I've read the BoM, prayed, and I think I might have felt the Holy Ghost. I know the basic definition of a testimony, a personal conviction that the church is true given by the Holy Ghost, faith, study, and prayer, but i feel kind of stuck. Maybe the good members of this forum can help me out. What is a testimony to you? Most importantly, how do you know it's true? Many people beleive with all their heart, might, mind, and soul in untrue causes, groups, and faiths. Even though many of these may have a only a portion of the truth, it seems to me people's testimonies can be just as strong about other things outside the church as in the church itself. How do you know you haven't just convinced yourself the church is true and given yourself a strong conviction through strong desire for it to be so, repetition, group belonging, and reinforcement? Maybe I have the completely wrong idea about this. I think when most people say they know the church is true, they mean they "feel" the church is true. I've throughout my life been very keen on facts, and I know you can't "feel" the church is true through facts alone. Maybe I'm just one of those people a testimony won't come easily for. Do you have any insights, advice, or a different perspective? I'd be very glad to hear it. Thank you.