I'm going to start making a list of sad songs. It's good to listen to a sad song when you are sad but are having trouble really express it. A sad song can help you get through it.
I'll make a list of happy songs or cool songs or something later, but today is a sad day.
I say "sad songs" but these aren't all "songs." They are piano or other instrument.
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtS0D1xlHAI\
When Love Falls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVeD9b8cgow
Ashokan Farewell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kZASM8OX7s
Schindler's List, Violin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWrt0m-cOkU
An ultimately hopeful song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCPG5ze9YGg
God Be with You til We Meet Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQlv_xUYATg
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
Some Things I Love about the Book of Mormon. Part 1.
Some of the best parts of the Book of Mormon tell stories of love and friendship. Heroes of the Book often show how to courageously love their neighbors, even those who may want to hurt or even kill them.
In general, when the Nephites were most righteous, there were no divisions among the people. The love of God dwelt in their hearts and therefore there were no rich and poor. No Lamanites, Nephites or other tribes, no "-ites." The people were unified, not divided by class or ethnicity.
One of the biggest heroes in the Book of Mormon is the missionary Ammon. When Ammon and his brothers began their mission to the Lamanites, some Nephites told him that it was useless. The Lamanites were too savage and that the Nephites should just wage war against them and slaughter them. Ammon responded that the Lamanites were their brothers and they couldn't bear the thought of their brothers dying without the gospel.
Ammon, in humility, requested that a king of the Lamanites allow him to be his servant anto serve him, maybe the rest of his life. After converting thousands of Lamanites, the king and other converts loved Ammon and Ammon loved them.
So great was the love of these people, that when the Lamanites who were not converted came to war against them, they refused to defend themselves. A thousand were slaughtered rather than take the life of one of their brothers. In the Bible, Jesus said that no one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends.
Later in the Book of Mormon these Lamanites' sons would save the Nephites in a great war a generation later. One wonders if any of the Nephites who discouraged Ammon and his brethren were ever aware how they could have led to their country's downfall by their prejudice against the Lamanites.
A generation or two later, Jesus visits the Nephites and when He prays for the people and blesses their children, He tells them, with tears in His eyes, that His joy is full.
This is reminiscent of his prayer in John 17:3 where He prays that the world will experience "my joy."
A joint message from the Bible and the Book of Mormon is that God wants His children to be happy. To have His joy. And everything He asks of us is motivated by that desire.
In general, when the Nephites were most righteous, there were no divisions among the people. The love of God dwelt in their hearts and therefore there were no rich and poor. No Lamanites, Nephites or other tribes, no "-ites." The people were unified, not divided by class or ethnicity.
One of the biggest heroes in the Book of Mormon is the missionary Ammon. When Ammon and his brothers began their mission to the Lamanites, some Nephites told him that it was useless. The Lamanites were too savage and that the Nephites should just wage war against them and slaughter them. Ammon responded that the Lamanites were their brothers and they couldn't bear the thought of their brothers dying without the gospel.
Ammon, in humility, requested that a king of the Lamanites allow him to be his servant anto serve him, maybe the rest of his life. After converting thousands of Lamanites, the king and other converts loved Ammon and Ammon loved them.
So great was the love of these people, that when the Lamanites who were not converted came to war against them, they refused to defend themselves. A thousand were slaughtered rather than take the life of one of their brothers. In the Bible, Jesus said that no one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends.
Later in the Book of Mormon these Lamanites' sons would save the Nephites in a great war a generation later. One wonders if any of the Nephites who discouraged Ammon and his brethren were ever aware how they could have led to their country's downfall by their prejudice against the Lamanites.
A generation or two later, Jesus visits the Nephites and when He prays for the people and blesses their children, He tells them, with tears in His eyes, that His joy is full.
This is reminiscent of his prayer in John 17:3 where He prays that the world will experience "my joy."
A joint message from the Bible and the Book of Mormon is that God wants His children to be happy. To have His joy. And everything He asks of us is motivated by that desire.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Updated Running List of Book of Mormon Evidence.
This updated
running list of evidence for the historicity of the Book of Mormon is
now supplemented with some citations to sources. Further sources and
categories will hopefully be forthcoming.
I am certain that some of these sources will gain strength with time while others will wane. The reader can evaluate for herself/himself whether or not these evidences have any value. It's probably clear what my opinion is.
There is one large category of evidence that I have chosen not to include. It is persuasive in my opinion, but it is a source of division among members, so I'm leaving it alone. It's evidence for Nephite civilization in America. I think that there is quite a bit of that evidence, but there is a dispute about whether or not it is in MesoAmerica or North America. I have a strong opinion about that, but I'll leave it alone.
1. Three witnesses
a. Martin Harris.
b. Oliver Cowdery.
c. David Whitmer
https://www.amazon.com/Investigating-Mormon-Witnesses-Richard-Anderson/dp/0875792421/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492112545&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=reexamining+book+of+mormon+witnesses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBXYjkkcuBs
2. Eight witnesses
a. Hyrum Smith
b. others
(same sources as above)
3. Nahom, Shazer, Bountiful other geography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukKOh6COkeA4. Chiasmus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQeePG4-IeA
and
https://www.amazon.com/Chiasmus-Book-Mormon-Textual-Studies-ebook/dp/B008X6DSWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492114069&sr=1-1&keywords=chiasmus+mormon
5. Hebraisms.
https://www.amazon.com/Chiasmus-Book-Mormon-Textual-Studies-ebook/dp/B008X6DSWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492114069&sr=1-1&keywords=chiasmus+mormon
6. Internal consistency.
a. Alma's conversion
b. Geographical consistency.
c. Land of Moron and then the name of Moroni appears after Mulekites discovered.
d. In general: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4
7. Uto-aztecan connections to Hebrew and Egyptian (Brian Stubb's work). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALRqRdo0mfM
8. Hebrew patterns (like covenant renewal in King Benjamin's speech).
9. Margaret Barker's scholarship on expulsion of messianic cult around 600 BC.
a. Mary, Asherah and the Tree.
b. other Barker scholarship. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=margaret+barker+temple+theology&sprefix=margaret+barker+%2Caps%2C391&crid=U7TRXBBJM92K
10. Names correlating to Egyptian and Hebrew (Pahoran for example) http://en.fairmormonevidence.org/Category:Pahoran
11. Words correlating to old world plus internal logic (money).
12. Jacob Chapter 5 and olive culture.
13. Mulek, Son of Zedekiah (Malkiyahu) artifact. http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/12/2/S00008-50be69aad59c87Chadwick.pdf
14. Miraculous experiences of individuals when reading the Book of Mormon.
a. I will only cite to the Ensign which will periodically include these stories. They are sacred, so I'm not going to give them out in a casual way for public mockery. But the interested reader will sometimes find them in the Ensign. https://www.lds.org/ensign?lang=eng
15. Joseph Smith's characteristics and testimony of those around him
a. Emma says he was almost illiterate
b. had no manuscript,
c. start up where he left off
d. translation speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4 (same as# 6 above).
16. The existence of the gold plates and lesser witnesses.
a. Emma feeling them under cloth.
b. Charles Anthon.
c. Parley Pratt.
17.Literary excellence
a. Poetic structures, parallelisms, metaphors and allegories.
b. complex symbolism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4 (same as in # 6 above) 18. Stylometry (John Hilton's research on Wordprints). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4wm7Owc7RE&t=13s
19. The trend of evidence.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMjNCFcG4-o&list=PL0BC8D118C74ED3DA&index=35
I am certain that some of these sources will gain strength with time while others will wane. The reader can evaluate for herself/himself whether or not these evidences have any value. It's probably clear what my opinion is.
There is one large category of evidence that I have chosen not to include. It is persuasive in my opinion, but it is a source of division among members, so I'm leaving it alone. It's evidence for Nephite civilization in America. I think that there is quite a bit of that evidence, but there is a dispute about whether or not it is in MesoAmerica or North America. I have a strong opinion about that, but I'll leave it alone.
1. Three witnesses
a. Martin Harris.
b. Oliver Cowdery.
c. David Whitmer
https://www.amazon.com/Investigating-Mormon-Witnesses-Richard-Anderson/dp/0875792421/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492112545&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=reexamining+book+of+mormon+witnesses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBXYjkkcuBs
2. Eight witnesses
a. Hyrum Smith
b. others
(same sources as above)
3. Nahom, Shazer, Bountiful other geography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukKOh6COkeA4. Chiasmus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQeePG4-IeA
and
https://www.amazon.com/Chiasmus-Book-Mormon-Textual-Studies-ebook/dp/B008X6DSWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492114069&sr=1-1&keywords=chiasmus+mormon
5. Hebraisms.
https://www.amazon.com/Chiasmus-Book-Mormon-Textual-Studies-ebook/dp/B008X6DSWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492114069&sr=1-1&keywords=chiasmus+mormon
6. Internal consistency.
a. Alma's conversion
b. Geographical consistency.
c. Land of Moron and then the name of Moroni appears after Mulekites discovered.
d. In general: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4
7. Uto-aztecan connections to Hebrew and Egyptian (Brian Stubb's work). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALRqRdo0mfM
8. Hebrew patterns (like covenant renewal in King Benjamin's speech).
9. Margaret Barker's scholarship on expulsion of messianic cult around 600 BC.
a. Mary, Asherah and the Tree.
b. other Barker scholarship. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=margaret+barker+temple+theology&sprefix=margaret+barker+%2Caps%2C391&crid=U7TRXBBJM92K
10. Names correlating to Egyptian and Hebrew (Pahoran for example) http://en.fairmormonevidence.org/Category:Pahoran
11. Words correlating to old world plus internal logic (money).
12. Jacob Chapter 5 and olive culture.
13. Mulek, Son of Zedekiah (Malkiyahu) artifact. http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/12/2/S00008-50be69aad59c87Chadwick.pdf
14. Miraculous experiences of individuals when reading the Book of Mormon.
a. I will only cite to the Ensign which will periodically include these stories. They are sacred, so I'm not going to give them out in a casual way for public mockery. But the interested reader will sometimes find them in the Ensign. https://www.lds.org/ensign?lang=eng
15. Joseph Smith's characteristics and testimony of those around him
a. Emma says he was almost illiterate
b. had no manuscript,
c. start up where he left off
d. translation speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4 (same as# 6 above).
16. The existence of the gold plates and lesser witnesses.
a. Emma feeling them under cloth.
b. Charles Anthon.
c. Parley Pratt.
17.Literary excellence
a. Poetic structures, parallelisms, metaphors and allegories.
b. complex symbolism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatZtV4cfH4 (same as in # 6 above) 18. Stylometry (John Hilton's research on Wordprints). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4wm7Owc7RE&t=13s
19. The trend of evidence.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMjNCFcG4-o&list=PL0BC8D118C74ED3DA&index=35
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Why Do We Do What We Do?
My first post generated quite a bit of negative reaction from several individuals who I respect and looking back on it I can see why, especially with the aid of their perspective.
I had talked about the "real" reason for people leaving the church, rather than, say, their stated reason. That "real" reason, that I was suggesting, was the praise they got from leaving.
I don't think that's generally the reason people leave.
Usually it's because they stop believing in its truth claims, often because they think the church is not as virtuous as they once thought it was and/or because of their understanding of the evidence against, for example, the Book of Mormon or Joseph's role as a prophet.
But I also think that people don't usually know what all their motivations are. In my experience, and in my education (I have a B.S. in psychology), people often behave in certain ways due (in part) to social cues that they are given that they may not be fully aware of. And praise and shame are strong motivating factors and can influence people much more than they realize.
It affects me as much as anyone else. I'm not exempting myself from this, so if you want to say, "You stay in the church because you get praise and because you'd get shame for leaving" well... I have to admit you're right. Or, at least that's part of the reason. Indeed, I'm motivated in the same degree you are for your choices.
So I sometimes ponder about what motivates people to leave or to stay or to hold an unpopular belief or to abandon a belief, whether it's popular or not. In my opinion, it is rarely unaffected by motivations that bear little relation to the rationality of the belief. It is sometimes due to the perceived rationality of the belief that our peers hold.
So I cannot believe that public praise and shame have nothing to do with why people leave. Every person is different, but I would be surprised if embarrassment over particular mormon beliefs, history or practices did not play a role in motivating leaving.
Consider this: have you ever told someone you are mormon and felt anxiety about it? Have you ever felt like you have to explain that you are not a polygamist, that you don't hate gays, that you don't think that you're getting a planet after you die or some other weird belief? Have you ever felt motivated to say "I'm mormon, but not like those mormons?" Have you ever perceived that someone's opinion of you lessened when they found out you are mormon?
If yes... then maybe that was a part of your motivation for leaving.
On the other hand, praise and shame work to keep people from leaving too. Pressure to stay by family and friends and habits is real. Maybe it's always harder to leave than to stay and therefore those who leave are courageous by definition.
In the end, Lehi is right when he says that there is opposition in all things.
I had talked about the "real" reason for people leaving the church, rather than, say, their stated reason. That "real" reason, that I was suggesting, was the praise they got from leaving.
I don't think that's generally the reason people leave.
Usually it's because they stop believing in its truth claims, often because they think the church is not as virtuous as they once thought it was and/or because of their understanding of the evidence against, for example, the Book of Mormon or Joseph's role as a prophet.
But I also think that people don't usually know what all their motivations are. In my experience, and in my education (I have a B.S. in psychology), people often behave in certain ways due (in part) to social cues that they are given that they may not be fully aware of. And praise and shame are strong motivating factors and can influence people much more than they realize.
It affects me as much as anyone else. I'm not exempting myself from this, so if you want to say, "You stay in the church because you get praise and because you'd get shame for leaving" well... I have to admit you're right. Or, at least that's part of the reason. Indeed, I'm motivated in the same degree you are for your choices.
So I sometimes ponder about what motivates people to leave or to stay or to hold an unpopular belief or to abandon a belief, whether it's popular or not. In my opinion, it is rarely unaffected by motivations that bear little relation to the rationality of the belief. It is sometimes due to the perceived rationality of the belief that our peers hold.
So I cannot believe that public praise and shame have nothing to do with why people leave. Every person is different, but I would be surprised if embarrassment over particular mormon beliefs, history or practices did not play a role in motivating leaving.
Consider this: have you ever told someone you are mormon and felt anxiety about it? Have you ever felt like you have to explain that you are not a polygamist, that you don't hate gays, that you don't think that you're getting a planet after you die or some other weird belief? Have you ever felt motivated to say "I'm mormon, but not like those mormons?" Have you ever perceived that someone's opinion of you lessened when they found out you are mormon?
If yes... then maybe that was a part of your motivation for leaving.
On the other hand, praise and shame work to keep people from leaving too. Pressure to stay by family and friends and habits is real. Maybe it's always harder to leave than to stay and therefore those who leave are courageous by definition.
In the end, Lehi is right when he says that there is opposition in all things.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Is the Food Any Good?
Food is good. It is nourishing and pleasurable. What is better than a succulent steak, chocolate cake or buttery rolls on Thanksgiving day, with honey-butter or strawberry jam?
But how do you like food when have strep or some other ailment that hurts your throat or stomach? I don't know about you, but when I have strep, it is PUNISHING to swallow food.
Instant diet. I even hate to swallow my spit.
And there's nothing worse than throwing up. I once threw up some bad banana that I ate and I hated bananas for years afterwards.
Is religion like this sometimes? Is it sometimes punishing to partake of religion? (When I say "partake of religion" I mean doing the prayers, scripture, rites and going to church. All that stuff.)
Or is it like someone is trying to force shards of glass down your throat?
I think most former members of the church think it's like that. People are trying to get you to swallow glass and calling it good for you. I can see why that could be particularly annoying.
Maybe another metaphor is better. Perhaps God is food, but the church is the cook. Sometimes the cook makes good food. But sometimes he burns it or even uses spoiled meat that makes you sick.
Maybe REALLY sick. Like barfing all night. You don't trust that cook anymore. Indeed, since other cooks have also used spoiled meat, you believe that there is no good food. In other words, no God.
Your skepticism is warranted based on your experiences. It's a totally reasonable conclusion.
But your conclusion is wrong. There is "good food." I say this because I've partaken of the good food. It's nourishing! That's my experience anyway.
Here is my opinion of what's happening: Both metaphors are correct in some situations.
Sometimes members of the church are forcing shards of glass down your throat. Hatred, intolerance, judgment, abuse, lies, greed, violence, selfishness, willful blindness.
On the other hand, sometimes they are sincerely trying to give you spiritual nourishment, but they do it badly and ruin the food.
And in a third situation, the food is perfectly good, but you have been invaded by a virus. It's my opinion that some anti-mormons are these viruses. Like strep throat, they make swallowing the word of God painful. Please note that I did not say "ex-mormons" or "non-mormons" or "anybody who has ever had a beef with the church." I am particularly talking about certain individuals who make it their mission to scorn the church with all their scornability. None of the people I know personally would be in this category. But I've run into a number of particularly hateful sounding people online who make it their mission to demonize, or so it seems.
So we may believe that it is the church, not that anti-mormon, that is hurting us. It hurts when we swallow, so the food is the problem, right? And it hurts when we go to church with our mind filled with the accusations and insinuations of a person who is trying to stop us from enjoying it. He points out the shards of glass and tells us that's all it ever is.
Or he points out the bad cooking of the chefs. "How can you trust him when he once served you spoiled meat, hidden by spices and vinegar?"
But if anyone tries to get you to eat the food (go back to church and participate) it feels like they hate you. They want to bring you back to a painful place.
They must be an enemy right?
Why are they trying to do this to you, unless they hate you?
Don't they know that it hurts you?
Well, they are probably burning the food, but they may be trying to nourish you and just doing it badly.
But here's some spiritual food that may be truly comforting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZa4-7njL6U
I know that this is all kind of condescending. Who wants a busy-body going around telling everybody what's good for them? Talk about annoying.
Sorry. I'll stay on my blog for the most part. If you don't like what I'm cooking, that's fine. I hope you find something else that's better and nourishes your soul.
Jacob 3:2
O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; ...
John 6: 35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
But how do you like food when have strep or some other ailment that hurts your throat or stomach? I don't know about you, but when I have strep, it is PUNISHING to swallow food.
Instant diet. I even hate to swallow my spit.
And there's nothing worse than throwing up. I once threw up some bad banana that I ate and I hated bananas for years afterwards.
Is religion like this sometimes? Is it sometimes punishing to partake of religion? (When I say "partake of religion" I mean doing the prayers, scripture, rites and going to church. All that stuff.)
Or is it like someone is trying to force shards of glass down your throat?
I think most former members of the church think it's like that. People are trying to get you to swallow glass and calling it good for you. I can see why that could be particularly annoying.
Maybe another metaphor is better. Perhaps God is food, but the church is the cook. Sometimes the cook makes good food. But sometimes he burns it or even uses spoiled meat that makes you sick.
Maybe REALLY sick. Like barfing all night. You don't trust that cook anymore. Indeed, since other cooks have also used spoiled meat, you believe that there is no good food. In other words, no God.
Your skepticism is warranted based on your experiences. It's a totally reasonable conclusion.
But your conclusion is wrong. There is "good food." I say this because I've partaken of the good food. It's nourishing! That's my experience anyway.
Here is my opinion of what's happening: Both metaphors are correct in some situations.
Sometimes members of the church are forcing shards of glass down your throat. Hatred, intolerance, judgment, abuse, lies, greed, violence, selfishness, willful blindness.
On the other hand, sometimes they are sincerely trying to give you spiritual nourishment, but they do it badly and ruin the food.
And in a third situation, the food is perfectly good, but you have been invaded by a virus. It's my opinion that some anti-mormons are these viruses. Like strep throat, they make swallowing the word of God painful. Please note that I did not say "ex-mormons" or "non-mormons" or "anybody who has ever had a beef with the church." I am particularly talking about certain individuals who make it their mission to scorn the church with all their scornability. None of the people I know personally would be in this category. But I've run into a number of particularly hateful sounding people online who make it their mission to demonize, or so it seems.
So we may believe that it is the church, not that anti-mormon, that is hurting us. It hurts when we swallow, so the food is the problem, right? And it hurts when we go to church with our mind filled with the accusations and insinuations of a person who is trying to stop us from enjoying it. He points out the shards of glass and tells us that's all it ever is.
Or he points out the bad cooking of the chefs. "How can you trust him when he once served you spoiled meat, hidden by spices and vinegar?"
But if anyone tries to get you to eat the food (go back to church and participate) it feels like they hate you. They want to bring you back to a painful place.
They must be an enemy right?
Why are they trying to do this to you, unless they hate you?
Don't they know that it hurts you?
Well, they are probably burning the food, but they may be trying to nourish you and just doing it badly.
But here's some spiritual food that may be truly comforting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZa4-7njL6U
I know that this is all kind of condescending. Who wants a busy-body going around telling everybody what's good for them? Talk about annoying.
Sorry. I'll stay on my blog for the most part. If you don't like what I'm cooking, that's fine. I hope you find something else that's better and nourishes your soul.
Jacob 3:2
O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; ...
John 6: 35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Anxiety, Peace and the Temple
I always have anxiety about going to the temple. It is like a stiff emotional wind that blows from the temple, pushing me away, making me not want to think about it. I don't know why.
I also sometimes have anxiety while in the temple. Especially when I think I've forgotten a certain things I'm supposed to remember or a certain article of clothing.
But far more often, I notice that when I step into the temple, my general anxiety about everything (work, relationships, life in general) drops away.
It has sometimes brought me to tears, even as I stand in the locker room and I can tell that my anxiety has disappeared. It is like a miracle to me and I can just stand or sit and feel a peace that I often lack in my life. In the temple, I know that everything will be okay, that God loves me, that there is an essential meaningfulness to life. A GOOD meaning. That there is no reason for the despair, negativity, nihilism and cynicism so pervasive in our society.
Some of the harsher critics of Mormonism and the LDS church talk as if the church is rotten to the core. The leaders are all Monty Burns-style corporate autocrats seeking to enslave mankind to their twisted dogma.
Those kinds of caracatures of the church and its leadership are so ridiculously wrong, it's hard to even know where to begin to respond to them. But when I worship in the temple and feel the spirit of the House of the Lord, I know that the core of Mormonism is pure and simple and beautiful.
The Brethren aren't perfect, the members aren't perfect, the traditions aren't perfect. Sometimes we're judgmental, insensitive, and biased. But the church teaches us to love our neighbor and love our God and we put tons of effort into doing that. So do the Brethren. We try damn hard to be good people and do the right thing and I think that God smiles on us, especially when we worship Him in His temples. It's where we go to get in touch with Him and it works.
So it's a mystery to me that I always feel anxiety about actually going there. I always leave the temple feeling happy, renewed. So why would I feel anxious about going?
I think that C.S. Lewis hit on why. He taught that God is good, but He is not SAFE. He will wring you out, change you in fundamental ways. His power is so great that it's frightening and you know that His justice is perfect. That He knows you do not meet His standards. That His justice should blow you away.
So you have to believe that Jesus will protect you with His grace. He will bear your sins so that you can approach God. To the extent you don't trust Jesus's atoning sacrifice, you will have anxiety about going to the temple. That is my theory anyway.
What do you think about the temple?
I also sometimes have anxiety while in the temple. Especially when I think I've forgotten a certain things I'm supposed to remember or a certain article of clothing.
But far more often, I notice that when I step into the temple, my general anxiety about everything (work, relationships, life in general) drops away.
It has sometimes brought me to tears, even as I stand in the locker room and I can tell that my anxiety has disappeared. It is like a miracle to me and I can just stand or sit and feel a peace that I often lack in my life. In the temple, I know that everything will be okay, that God loves me, that there is an essential meaningfulness to life. A GOOD meaning. That there is no reason for the despair, negativity, nihilism and cynicism so pervasive in our society.
Some of the harsher critics of Mormonism and the LDS church talk as if the church is rotten to the core. The leaders are all Monty Burns-style corporate autocrats seeking to enslave mankind to their twisted dogma.
Those kinds of caracatures of the church and its leadership are so ridiculously wrong, it's hard to even know where to begin to respond to them. But when I worship in the temple and feel the spirit of the House of the Lord, I know that the core of Mormonism is pure and simple and beautiful.
The Brethren aren't perfect, the members aren't perfect, the traditions aren't perfect. Sometimes we're judgmental, insensitive, and biased. But the church teaches us to love our neighbor and love our God and we put tons of effort into doing that. So do the Brethren. We try damn hard to be good people and do the right thing and I think that God smiles on us, especially when we worship Him in His temples. It's where we go to get in touch with Him and it works.
So it's a mystery to me that I always feel anxiety about actually going there. I always leave the temple feeling happy, renewed. So why would I feel anxious about going?
I think that C.S. Lewis hit on why. He taught that God is good, but He is not SAFE. He will wring you out, change you in fundamental ways. His power is so great that it's frightening and you know that His justice is perfect. That He knows you do not meet His standards. That His justice should blow you away.
So you have to believe that Jesus will protect you with His grace. He will bear your sins so that you can approach God. To the extent you don't trust Jesus's atoning sacrifice, you will have anxiety about going to the temple. That is my theory anyway.
What do you think about the temple?
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