Today's relevance

[willoughby6]

Some time ago I was talking with one of my sisters and she made the comment "It doesn't really make a difference what the name of a church is, as we all believe the same ,generally.

This bothered me for some time, but I did not know how to respond. And then one morning it came to me by way of the Holy Ghost.

Today we spend billions of dollars each year, world wide, to prevent identify theft. And the scriptures record the Lord saying that many would come in my name in the last days.

Considering what the users of identify theft use their skill for, "taking that which is yours for their own gain" and that we punish those who are caught doing this, it is no wonder that the Lord promises punishment also.

I am amazed that I had real about this dozens of times in the Bible and Book of Mormon but never likened these prophecies to my own life. And wonder how much more I have not understood.

[jiminycricket]

I had a similar experience on my mission.

I served in the West Indies mission, Dutch speaking... which is to say, I served my mission in Suriname. They have an interesting religious landscape down there - about 1/3 Christian (of various denominations), about 1/3 Muslim, and about 1/3 Hindu.

The effort to peacefully coexist among so much religious diversity and in such a small space bred a coping strategy I call "reverse-tolerance". People over-simplify and/or even adjust their own beliefs in order to find common ground with others. They end up being so "tolerant" that if you listen to the inter-faith dialogue, the only logical conclusion to draw is that they're either lying in order to make nice, or they don't think it makes any difference at all what religious beliefs they subscribe to. As missionaries, the attitude we often got from people was, "Why change religions?" The two phrases we grew to hate were, "There is but one God," and, "We all worship the same God."

Pretty words, but utterly false. Religions are organized (in theory if not in fact) to worship God. To worship is to honor. The most meaningful way anyone can honor another is to emulate them -- to seek to be like them. Emulation is the truest form of worship. If, then, the point of religion is emulation of God (and I assert that it is), then it must follow that in order for a religion to serve its purpose it must teach the true character of God. If it does not, it teaches neither knowledge of God nor worship of Him, for what defines a being but the collection of characteristics and attibutes that describe him? Being, then, that it is not the true God they serve, it must either be a false god or a god of their own creating; therefore, there are many gods, but only one true and living God, many ways to worship but only one true form, many religions but only one true religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that religion, teaches that form of worship, and worships that God.

The number of religions in the world is no more than the number of differing ideas about the character of God. It could be and probably is less, since many people have their own idea of His character which doesn't conform to any systematized religion.

The beauty of it is that I learned all of this as I taught it to a young man who was then Hindu.

Edited November 22, 2009 by jiminycricket
grammatical correction

[prisonchaplain]

I got to thinking about this just today. From my own church's perspective, we wish...

The Baptists would speak in tongues; The Presbyterians would embrace the free will of humanity; The Catholics would give up the veneration of Mary and of the Saints. But, what would we require of you? Not much really, just change...Your understanding of God's nature; Your scriptural canon (downgrading the Triple to inspirational writings, perhaps); Your view of God's kingdom (only one heaven and a greatly expanded hell for detractors); Your holiness code (you can drink coffee and tea, but might have to think twice about those church-sponsored dances), and finally, Your prophets. . . . not much to ask really...if none of it really matters.

No, we shouldn't pretend it's all the same, and so long as we look towards heaven that's all that matters. Then again, if we are secure in our faith, we can interact lovingly with those with disagree with. It's only the unsure, imho, who find it necessary to engage those of other faiths with anger or hostility.

Edited November 22, 2009 by prisonchaplain

[Prodigal_Son]

It's interesting to consider how much of the animosity between sects stems from two completely un-Christlike principles:

* that of judging unrighteous judgment (i.e. wrongly assuming that God condemns "outsiders" the way the intolerant perpetrator does), and

* that of trying to COMPEL conversions, rather than sharing truth and knowledge - and then allowing each man his own freedom to do what he wishes with that knowledge.

[BenRaines]

Prodigal, that sounds like an article of faith.

Ben Raines

[Pegasus]

Ben I think you were thinking of this one

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

[pam]

Ben was just saying that what Prodigal_Son said sounds like an article of faith in that is what we believe. Not that he had the article of faith misworded.

[Pegasus]

Thanks I just had a look at your website ldsplace

[Prodigal_Son]

To my point, there frequently seems to be (within the LDS church, at least) a mistaken belief that it's our job to go CONVERT people. But that's missing the mark.

Our job is to dispense truth whenever and wherever possible - both through word as well as deed. When THAT is done effectively, the prepared heart will pursue conversion of their own volition (with, of course, the positive reinforcement of the Latter-Day Saint community).

[Pegasus]

I think the best way to preach Christianity is to just live it. Jesus himself never went around converting anyone. He just practiced what he preached. The natural response for those who saw him as the Christ was to want to follow him.

[pam]

Thanks I just had a look at your website ldsplace

Not sure if that cheesy smile at the end is good or bad. lol

[Pegasus]

Oh is that what it looked like? Oops Yeah the site looks great to me.

[pam]

Thanks...I still have a lot of work to do on it.