By Phil Shapley (White Wolf)

It has been obvious that there was much that I did not know. The religious, scientific and philosophical systems that I studied, were not all inclusive and had problems.

Fortunately, I have been open to new ideas and new knowledge. Along came Latter Day Saint and Native (American Indian) teachings that are more universal. I studied and practiced them, finding that they matched the reality they claimed. These teachings have been very satisfying, bringing happiness and peace of mind, and I have sufficient faith to see many miracles, such as gaining knowledge, observing healings, etc.. What happens in life is consistent with the teachings. I am impressed that they reflect the greater reality.

I am convinced that there is a wonderful, all wise and loving Creator. I am taught that our spirits, our awareness, existed before the Creator put them into physical bodies on Earth. I avoid questions such as how our spirits came into being or were we formed from nothing? Was there not a starting point for it all? These are unanswerable questions. We do exist! We must accept this and start at this point. We can learn how the Creation came about and whether there is a purpose in life-- there is, to learn how to obtain happiness.

To summarize, I have been successful in gaining true knowledge:

1) by keeping an open mind and not using just one approach for judging the validity of claims, such as the scientific method;

2) by actively seeking knowledge;

3) by testing to determine consistency of teachings with reality and for universality;

4) by ignoring unanswerable questions;

I have sought the greater reality with no preconceptions.

I have learned some wonderful truths:

1) There is a loving Creator who seeks our happiness by exposing us to the good and bad so that we can learn the difference in a deep way that affects our inner nature.

2) We learn through experience that ways other than the Creator's, don't bring deep happiness, and that Man's ways are inferior and often disastrous.

3) The Creation is a loving, caring organization of spirits, even down to atoms.

4) There are basic truths that exist independent of the Creator, such as, spirits or awarenesses  existed before they were sent to Earth. These spirits can be organized to work together to generate positive energy versus when they work at cross purposes.

5) The Creator is the Master Spirit with all wisdom and knowledge of basic truths.* He used this to organize everything in the Creation

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* A basic truth is something that exists regardless of what we do or create or think. We can't create or destroy it but can work with this knowledge to create things and situations. One truth is that as the spirits or awarenesses act or don't act, there are consequences, some positive, some negative. This is consistent with the theory of opposites and Yin and Yang. For instance, spirits or people can be organized to do negative or positive things, or not be organized at all, all which produce consequences. Latter Day Saint Scripture in Doctrine and Covenants Section 93:29, states: Intelligence or light of truth was not created or made, neither indeed can be. Also, in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2: 10-16.