I had a conversation at work tonight that really made me think about why I believe the things I believe when it comes to the whole church/religion thing. I think it would be cool for people who know me to know my story and so I present: Why I Believe What I Believe. Basically I grew up in the LDS church... and in a Fundamentalist Mormon church (I'll call it FM for short). If you don't know what that is Google Warren Jeffs. Our group wasn't as extreme but you'll get the idea. That is not so unusual as it might sound. Many people who belong to a FM church also belong to the modern day, mainstream LDS church as well. The reasoning is that (at least in the specific group I was in) the modern day, mainstream LDS church supposedly broke off from the FM churches when it decided that black people should be allowed to hold priesthood positions and that polygamy is no longer a requirement for entering the Celestial Kingdom (The best of the 3 Heavens both groups believe in). I truly believe my spiritual growth begins with that. One day when I was in high school I came to realize that I had been accepting the teachings of these two churches without question and that my "testimony" wasn't my own. So I prayed that God would reveal to me if either of the two churches were his true church (or the one true church) and if the Book of Mormon was true. It took a few days but one morning while I was getting ready for school I got my answer. I don't really know how to describe the voice I heard but I'll try. It was verbal, but I knew I was the only one who could hear it. It was gentle but firm. It said one word "No". I knew what it meant right away and it caught me so off guard that I prayed again for God to reveal to me if either of them was true and immediately this time I got the same answer. This time however I also got a little bit of information that came down to this: The FM church believed that the LDS church would rejoin it and even though it was teaching false things it wasn't wrong or something like that (this I already knew but could never understand) and what I was told was that because they believed that the LDS church wasn't wrong in teaching false doctrine the FM church could not be the one true church. Now the since the LDS church once taught certain things were required to get to the Celestial Kingdom and they abandoned those teachings and continued to teach that God does not change, this was evidence that the LDS church could not be God's one true church. The conclusion was that neither church was true and neither was the Book of Mormon.
Immediately I left the Mormon church, but I didn't say anything to anyone. I had an early morning seminary class that I stopped going to. (Since it was extra-curricular and before school my grade didn't matter). So I spent the next few years not knowing what to believe and I searched through a lot. I joined a Pentecostal church, but that didn't work out. I just couldn't find my place. I tried Wicca and I tried Catholicism and I even tried going back to the LDS church. Nothing seemed to fit anymore. One day when I was depressed about life (I had started getting myself into financial trouble) I started thinking about God and how I had tried to find him in one place. Then it came to me, no church has the whole truth, every church has a small part of it and it's up to me to figure out what that piece is in each church then put it all together for myself. The next day I was invited to go to a church service in the park. I thought that was freaking cool and so I went. (Well that and I thought the girl who invited me was hitting on me). I studied the bible with some of the members of that church and after about a month I was baptized (for my 4th time now) and became a member. I was a member for several years and during that time I had returned to thinking that God did have one true church and this was it. Over time I came to realize that that wasn't necessarily the case thanks in large measure to my best friend who to say the least is an unorthodox Christian. Then the church split. Some of the group joined the Southeast Christian Church and some of the group stayed in the Salt Lake Christian Church. I was with the first group.
So what it took me about 15 years to learn is this:
God's one true church is comprised of those who truly give themselves freely to him. Whether they are Mormons or Catholics or Muslims or whatever is not as important as this. The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. I believe that means that the entire Bible is about how to do those two things and that as long as you do them to the best of your ability, that is what God cares the most about and he will accept you on the day of judgement.
And I say these things in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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7 comments:
wow, mike that was amazing! its exactly how i have felt since i left slcc but i just didn't know how to put it into words. you rock! explain the name change thing to me. =)
Mike, is that me you are calling unorthodox or are you talking about someone else? (I’ll comment more when I get home from work.)
Ya know, there are many folks who I’m sure would love to denounce you as a “postmodern relativist” for your conclusions. To say that being a Mormon, Catholic, Muslim or whatever is not as important as just truly giving ourselves freely to God, will grate against many a pious man’s ears. But I think I understand where you are coming from, only a little more reflection is needed.
For myself, I believe that Jesus is God. That he died on the cross, resurrected, and is with the Father in heaven today. With this, beliefs such as Mormonism, Islam, and some aspects of Catholicism are in fact irreconcilable and wrong. Their shortcoming, as with all religions and heresies that deviate from basic Christianity, is that they ultimately present God as other than who he really is, and dissuade us from knowing him, as he wants to be known.
In short, I think Jesus best represents who God is (John 1:18), and deviations from this miss the mark, which forces the question of just who are we truly giving ourselves freely to. (That is why evangelism is needed, so people can come to know God as he really is. And by evangelism I don’t mean a list of propositions to be believed in, or some directives to live by, but rather the good news of Jesus, that can transform us.)
Having said this, though, I think we need to realize that God profoundly understands. He understands the big picture, he understands what is in a man’s heart, he understands that people error, and that no one is completely 100% correct in their understanding of an infinite God. He understands who is really devoted to him, even if they don’t really fully understand him. So I think we will all be surprised at who we will find in heaven someday. I’m reminded of this quote that I feel captures my thought here rather well:
“If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there: first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had expected to see there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there” - John Newton
BTW, here is a great little essay from Real Live Preacher that you might like to read, I think it relates to your conclusion.
Hey Thomas, I knew i could count on you for a response or 3.
"For myself, I believe that Jesus is God. That he died on the cross, resurrected, and is with the Father in heaven today. With this, beliefs such as Mormonism, Islam, and some aspects of Catholicism are in fact irreconcilable and wrong. Their shortcoming, as with all religions and heresies that deviate from basic Christianity, is that they ultimately present God as other than who he really is, and dissuade us from knowing him, as he wants to be known."
I agree Thomas, you also said that you believe God understands and that is where I am coming from. Nobody is perfect and nobody but Jesus had the perfect view of God and if God doesn't understand that and make room for it, there will only be 1 man in heaven who has lived on the Earth. And I honestly like the idea of grating against many a pious man’s ears. “Postmodern relativist”, hm, call me what they will as long as they don't call me collect or a "pre-millennial dispensationalist".
Didymus said-
"Mike, is that me you are calling unorthodox or are you talking about someone else?"
Yes, I am a pot, and I called you black.
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