"The Spirit of God, like a fire is burning . . ."

Liam asks:

Have you experienced the infamous "Burning in the Bosom?"


For those who may not know, this is the catch phrase for feeling the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. The names are interchangeable. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the godhead and he has no physical body (god and Jesus do.) He can be many places at once and isn't bound by laws of physics. It is his job to testify of truth to your soul. He also warns of danger. Everyone can access the Holy Ghost--you know the Jiminy Cricket conscience we are all familiar with? That's the holy ghost. Or so the LDS church claims. When a person is baptised, they are them confirmed members of the church and given the gift of the holy ghost, so that they will always have that "still small voice" in the back of their heads telling them what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is bad. 


For most this happens at the age of eight, and for me, it was very easy to visualize that conscience as a literal being whispering in my ear. Of course I also thought if i spun around in circles enough times I actually -would- turn into Wonder Woman. 8 year old brains are very impressionable. 


Now the main job of the holy spirit is to testify of truth, and this comes as a burning in the bosom. and Yes, I have felt it. So have you. It's a warm fuzzy, appropriated by the church doctrine, just like the concept of the conscience was, and accredited to the Spirit. 


I have felt that in spiritual moments, when I felt a great connection to the universe, the divine, the people around me. Girls camp was practically a Warm Fuzzy high! There was just so much love and estrogen! and Youth Conference too. 300 young people all pressed together and feeling such community and love. Yes. I felt the burning in my bosom. and I did attribute it to the Holy Spirit. 


But I also felt it when I graduated College. and there have been a handful of kisses that left me walking on air! And the day I adopted my baby. and the day I bought my house. And I felt it a few weeks ago as I knelt outside on a sunday weeding my garden and wearing a sleeveless shirt and drinking coffee. I've felt it when reading John Donne's poetry. And when listening to good Jazz music. I have felt it when marveling at historical sites and touching things that people built 3000 years ago. 


That the church appropriates and exploits this warm fuzzy phenomenon is really pure advertising. 




I was asked why I left the church if I felt this . . . 


because an emotional response like that is not enough to hold up next to facts, and reality. 
It simply isn't. No more than the warm flush of happiness after a first kiss means it's love and it will last forever. 


Faith is not Knowlege and it turns out for me, faith simply wasnt enough. 








Do you have a question? Send it my way at askanexmormon@gmail.com