Our mainstream culture is increasingly dismissive of religious belief - especially the beliefs taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. To a certain extent, this mainstream dismissal thrusts Mormons into the counterculture: suddenly those who value so-called traditional moral norms are the odd ones out, attracting widespread criticism. Disagreement is suddenly hate, a different opinion is suddenly bigotry, and devotion is suddenly intolerance. The result is that, like fish swimming against the mainstream, the Church and its individual members are under significant pressure to relent and go with the flow.
For example, the coolest of the cool seem to consider some version of either atheism, agnosticism, and/or moral relativism as the only true trademark of intellect, imagination, and spirituality. From this perspective, organized religion - especially the LDS Church - is a refuge for the small-minded, small-souled, and unimaginative. This sensibility is reflected in the fact that the most common verbiage people use when they leave the LDS church is that they have outgrown it. As in, their minds, souls, and imaginations are too big now to fit into the Church’s smallness.
It is now routine for me to learn that people near me have deliberately left the Church (as opposed to just falling out of the habit of participating). This is always tragic news. My hope, however, along with that of anyone in the Church of whom I’m aware, is that those who have left will eventually find their way back. The door is always open. As the church’s recent Easter video reminded us: because of Him, we can start again, and again, and again.
I, however, am still a Mormon. I feel the pressure to leave - like most of us do. But I won’t - and I wanted to briefly explain some of the reasons why I’m a stayer.
First, I believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real people - and really are the force behind our life and existence. It is more reasonable to believe that our existence is part of some great plan than it is to believe that it is part of some great accident. The scientific study of how life and existence emerged does not explain why it happened - or who is responsible for it. There is every reason to keep learning more about the big bang and life’s emergence on earth - but it is wrong to conclude that the current scientific theories on those subjects requires the conclusion that God does not exist. The laws of nature govern the universe - and learning about them does not somehow disprove the existence of the God who wrote those laws.
Second, as demonstrated by my first reason, Mormons don’t care where truth comes from. All true knowledge is good and comes from God regardless of the medium by which it arrives - whether from a prophet or a scientist or an artist or a philosopher or even (gasp) a politician. As Brigham Young put it (in a couple different places): “[e]very art and science known and studied by the children of men is comprised within the Gospel...No matter who has it...There is no truth but what belongs to the Gospel.”
Not only do we believe that truth comes through all kinds of mediums, God has actually commanded us to search out truth wherever it is found. As President Uchtdorf said in October 2009, quoting a scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants: “education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn ‘of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.’” See DC 88:78-79.
I absolutely love that, for Mormons, searching out truth is synonymous with exercising faith in Jesus Christ. As Mormon (the prophet) taught, “there were divers ways that [God] did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ...and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.” See Moroni 7:19-24. In other words, the way we exercise faith in Jesus Christ is by finding anything that is good, and hanging on to it. To seek out truth, wherever it is found, is to become Christlike.
Another aspect of my second reason for staying is that we believe truth actually exists. God knows what it is, and He wants us to know what it is. It is fashionable to dismiss the concept of truth, entirely. Some speak of learning to live in the unknown, or live in the gray. This sensibility has become so rooted that the mainstream dismisses any claim to answers about life’s big questions as intellectual immaturity: “if only these religious people were courageous enough to grapple with the unknown like we do instead of claiming that they have the answers, then they, too, would grow out of their small minds.”
Jeffrey Holland subtly addressed this point in April 2003 when he declared that “a skeptical mind is not a higher manifestation of virtue than is a believing heart.” And he more directly addressed it with the following in April 2013: “Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not!...Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But...don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.” In short: being a cynic is not more virtuous, intellectually honest, or morally courageous than being a believer.
Third reason: Mormons don’t think that people who disagree with us will burn in hell. This sounds kind of stark, but it is a justified concern lots of people have with many organized religions. Instead, thanks to modern prophets, we have a much, much broader conception of God’s plan for His children. There is not enough room for the all the details of the plan in this post, but these are the principles that stand out to me: (1) everyone - even the worst among us - will come back to life and receive a perfect body that is immune from physical/emotional/mental ailments; (2) no one will be judged on information they did not receive; (3) everyone will have a complete and full opportunity to embrace everything God has to offer - whether that opportunity comes in this life or later on; (4) virtually everyone will eventually inherit some kind of glorious salvation; and (5) we are genuinely in control of our own destiny - God will impose nothing on us against our will.
This wider view of God’s plan enables us to more fully understand God and His children. God is much, much more merciful and patient than any of us would ever be. The love reflected in His plan enables me to see that I must view and treat those around me just as generously as He does. Otherwise, how could I possibly feel comfortable living with Him?
The fourth reason I’m still a Mormon is the Book of Mormon. Even though the Book of Mormon is the keystone to our theological claims - in particular our claim to authority - one of my favorite things about it is that I can fully embrace it without rejecting any of the truth and goodness found anywhere else. This is the very thing the Book of Mormon teaches. As I explained above, we want truth - whoever has it - and we exercise faith in Christ by laying hold of truth and goodness when we find it. Since the Book of Mormon teaches to do good, it comes from God. And since the Book of Mormon comes from God, it validates the LDS Church’s theological claims. It really is that simple.
This is the logic Nephi hoped future readers would grasp. In 2 Nephi 33, Nephi saw that in the future, many would “esteem” the Book of Mormon as a “thing of naught.” But he hoped that others would recognize that his words in the book really do come from Christ because they “persuadeth [people] to do good” and “teach all men they they should do good.” For, as Mormon confirmed nearly 1,000 thousand years later in Moroni 7: “every thing which inviteth to do good...is of God.” But the devil “persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one.”
Ultimately, I am still a Mormon because the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is taught in its fullness only in the LDS Church, enables me to see myself and those around me more clearly than any other system of belief - sacred or secular. The goodness of the Book of Mormon confirms the Church’s theological claims. And by believing the claims, I enjoy the benefits they provide. For example, a crystal-clear explanation for the existence of the earth and our purpose for living on it; clarification of my relationship with God and his other children; the proper perspective towards truth and my responsibility to find it wherever it is; and the guidance of living prophets who, like Moses in his time, can provide God’s guidance for us in our unique moment in history.
Basically, I’m not going anywhere. To join the mainstream, I would have to give up the deepest and most expansive explanation for our existence available, and deny the basic goodness of the Book of Mormon. Why would I do that, when I can stay in the Church and still embrace all of the goodness and truth the mainstream has to offer?
No comments:
Post a Comment