Articles AND Faith

Article by Aspen Wooley

Uniting spiritual and secular methods in the pursuit of knowledge leads to meaningful learning, said Dr. J. Scott Miller in his address at this semester’s Honors Distinguished Faculty Lecture. His title, “Articles AND Faith: The Complementarity of Scholarship and Belief,” underscores the power of faith in study.

A Lifelong Honors Student

Dr. Miller is a professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature at BYU and a previous Honors Program Director. Most recently he has served as Dean of the College of Humanities. Dr. Eric Dursteler, the current director, described him as a “renaissance disciple scholar,” one who demonstrates the mission of the Honors Program well. Dr. Miller focused his remarks on how the Spirit can aid us in learning, quoting D&C 88:118, which says, “… seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

He first expressed his love for the Honors Program, and the influence it has had on his life. As a student, he learned how to think differently and write better. He shared his continued love for learning and reading broadly that began here. His first Honors class opened his eyes to the possibilities available to him, including becoming a teacher. Dr. Miller shared, “Thanks in part to being an honors student, I became a teacher. And here I am today still a teacher, still approaching life like an honors student.” He has remained a lifelong learner, weaving belief and scholarship together.

Men of Faith and Study

During his remarks, Dr. Miller reminded us of Oliver Cowdery’s experience. Oliver was also a teacher, and worked as a scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. He had an opportunity to do the actual translating, but this gift was not continual -- in part because of his fear. Dr. Miller explained that this work required “using the whole soul, mind, and heart to sift through error to find truth.” Although chastened by the Lord, Oliver continued to play a key role. He had gained an education and was surrounded by remarkable work, something BYU students are all too familiar with. “Most of us gathered here at a university in hopes of edification are not unlike Oliver Cowdery… We may also at times be like [him] in partitioning off the mind from the heart, separating study from faith to such an extent that God cannot use us as effectively as he otherwise might.” Just like Oliver Cowdery, we need to be willing to overcome roadblocks to our learning and be open to guidance from God. Like Oliver, we must learn that greater knowledge exists beyond what our secular education affords us.

Combining study and faith allows us to know God’s mysteries and “operate at levels far beyond the limitations of our particular mortal incarnation.” By relying on more than just our own wisdom, we can achieve great things. Dr. Miller drew from the recent BYU devotional address given by President Dallin H. Oaks to emphasize the need for scientific and spiritual methods. President Oaks said, “Don’t ever let your secular learning limit your horizons.” Complete learning comes through both approaches, and they are not at odds with each other. Like Oliver, choosing one over the other is not where success ultimately is found.

Lessons of Spiritual and Academic Inquiry

Dr. Miller’s life shows his efforts at learning with both methods. He shared three experiences that have demonstrated the impact of seeking learning in this way. The first was a career-defining moment, as he discovered Japanese recordings that no one knew about. He had heard about sound recordings that Japanese storytellers made in 1903 and wanted to hear them. A British recording company had produced these records, and when Dr. Miller came to work for BYU, he received funding to go to England for Japanese studies. While there, he did research at the British National Sound Archives, including searching through microfilm. He found a collection of recordings of a Japanese theatrical troupe from the 1900s World Expo in Paris. As he talked to the recording company in Tokyo, he realized that no one had heard about this, making it a major cultural discovery. He credits this finding to his combination of study and faith in three ways. Number one, he served a mission and learned Japanese. Number two, he came to teach at BYU and was able to have support for this research. Number three, as he carried out his research, he felt the Spirit leading him to where he needed to be. “There was no doubt in my mind that this was a collaborative research project that brought with it the double joy of discovery and collaboration of the Spirit,” he reflected. God does care about things that are important to us and will lead us to further understanding as we follow Him.

The second experience was at a Japanese literature conference at Tufts University where he was invited to present. He took a “faith emergent approach to scholarship,” following the promptings of the Spirit about what to focus on. Feeling led to approach this with themes of mortality and immortality, he expounded on the writings of Shiga Naoya and Kajii Motojirô. These two Japanese writers were facing early death and had written about their contemplation of death. The conference audience received his presentation well, even though it was different than what others focused on. Dr. Miller felt the confirmation of the Spirit that he had chosen the right topic, emphasizing the importance of faith in study.

The third experience Dr. Miller shared was of the wrestle that arises from pursuing truth and understanding. He happened upon some writings that sounded like Kajii, but were actually from a Swiss author, Robert Walser. He studied both authors and has searched for connections between the two to explain their similarities, but has found no indication that one had read the other or had any connection. As he continues to work at this, he believes it will help him to learn “more about what makes us human and how the mystery of human literary expression manifests itself universally in all of God’s children.” This is a meaningful endeavor, and one that has taught him the significance of study and faith. Dr. Miller has “experienced the complementarity of scholarship and belief” throughout his career. As he approaches learning in these ways, “allowing the Spirit to foster…discovery,” he finds true success. Study and faith complement and magnify each other, providing an understanding of the world.

As a university community, especially an Honors Program community, seeking learning is not a new idea. But as Dr. Miller emphasized, combining scholarship with belief leads to greater discoveries and knowledge. In his final remarks, he shared, “I hope you will leave here tonight with a vision and the courage to find your gifts and ask to know the mysteries of God. And that through your mutual lifelong efforts we might all teach one another.”

Thank you, Dr. Miller, for such a wonderful evening!