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.