Still Small Voice

I had an interesting experience last Thursday. In my Political Philosophy, we were asked to give group presentations on a contemporary issue. My group did School Choice. The very last group compared the correlation between freedoms and population density. They compared Montana with the city of New York, and took a look at the laws in each place. For example, New York as very strict gun laws because there are a lot more people you could potentially hurt, versus Montana with almost no gun restrictions. Their basic idea was:

Higher population density = fewer freedoms

They also took a look at the rate of increase in our population, which started a HUGE class debate about policies on population controls and so forth. But the basic idea of the presentation was to just present an idea, not give out possible solutions.

I felt prompted to go tell them that I enjoyed their presentation. It was something I could have easily dismissed, seeing as how I had never spoken to these guys before. But I stuck around the room after class got out. I told them I liked their presentation, and 20 minutes later we were still in the classroom talking with our teacher. I decided it was time to go grab some lunch, so I excused myself and let, but the two guys came running up behind me outside. They said they wanted to talk some more and asked if I would grab lunch with them to discuss politics. I agreed, and for almost two hours we talked about the Constitution, families, how I'm expecting a baby, and my religious beliefs. I explained to them the church's view on the Constitution and liberty, and how it is very similar to our strong belief in agency. Each member is asked to gain their our individual testimony of the truth of the gospel. We don't simply just listen and follow along like blind sheep. We are to read, study, and pray to Heavenly Father to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I also explained that with politics, the church does not tell us who to vote for or which political party to join. We are asked to study and pray to make decisions, though we are asked to be active participants by voting.

It was an awesome opportunity, and I'm glad that I had this chance to share what I believe with two of my fellow students. And they were very sincere in all the questions they asked me, and I was able to ask them questions about their own religions beliefs.

The big take home for me was how I was prompted to tell them I liked their presentation. It was so simple, and yet I did struggle with it for a while.  It would have been so easy for me to just leave after class like I always do. But I believe I was given that little prompting for a reason, I had no idea that it would lead to a two hour conversation. But I'm glad I followed it. It was an awesome conversation, and I learned a lot from these two men.