-William George Jordan, “The Supreme Charity of the World,” The Kingship of Self-Control
“We do not need to judge nearly so much as we think we do. This is the age of snap judgments. … [We need] the courage to say, ‘I don’t know. I am waiting further evidence. I must hear both sides of the question.'”
-William George Jordan, “The Supreme Charity of the World,” The Kingship of Self-Control
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"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9) "...you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it." -Quoted by Wilford Woodruff, in Conference Report, April 1898, 57, punctuation modernized, as cited in Boyd K. Packer, worldwide leadership training meeting, January 11, 2003. "I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." (1 Nephi 11:17) One of the great fallacies prevalent in every era is the idea that we know all the answers. Scholars overestimate the value of their own evidence, ignoring the potential of alternative evidence; religious zealots cling to their own interpretation of scripture, eschewing all else; the average individual insists their way of life is the best way, dismissing alternatives without serious consideration. We have no record of Jesus having success converting individuals who thought they already had all the answers. Rather, all such individuals either ignored or actively attacked Him. Those converted in biblical times first had to be open to the idea that their own understanding may be limited. What about me? "It was as if I had been looking out as far as I could see toward the horizon, and had been quite satisfied that I could see everything that there was to see. When I undertook to read the Book of Mormon in that manner, however, I discovered that so much more beauty and truth about who we are and what God has in store for us, lies beyond that old horizon. I did not know what I did not know."
-Why I Belong and Why I Believe, Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Professor (emphasis added) A tendency toward defensiveness might lead us to believe our religious meetings cannot be improved. Certainly they can. They are the coming together of imperfect people, and imperfect people generally make imperfect meetings. As long as we deny our imperfections, we will remain ignorant of how we can improve. How can we improve? Some would like to see more action and more entertainment. More spiritual manifestations like speaking in tongues and fainting under the influence of God. More worship through interesting visiting speakers. Improved diversity in music and more interesting and lively speakers. More openness to new changes and new ways of livening up the atmosphere. In general, make them less "dull."
More spiritual manifestations I appreciate spiritual manifestations. But rather than more speaking in tongues or passing out, I'd prefer more instances of those convincing feelings of love from my Heavenly Father. More interesting celebrity speakers I would like to do a better job of worshiping while I am in church. But I don't think a visiting celebrity is required. I would prefer deeper, more heartfelt prayers, even more powerful testimonials and expressions of love and appreciation, and further increased reverent behavior toward all things sacred. I would like my heart to incline further toward spiritual blessings above all else. More diversity in music I would like improved music. Though we can always improve our singing abilities and variety, my greater desire is that more of the singing will come from ever deeper within my heart. More interesting talks I think talks can improve. I've had the privilege of being taught by what I consider to be some of the most eloquent and skilled teachers on earth. Speaking and teaching skills can make a difference. But the difference these make is secondary. To improve talks, I'd prefer greater spiritual preparation through more righteous living, careful study, and humble prayer and fasting. Speaking skills, like singing ability, can only accentuate what is already inside me. More openness to new changes I believe a dynamic vision and an open mind is necessary to attract and retain converts. But rather than redefining our vision to focus solely on satisfying entertainment preferences, the vision of our minds and hearts should be open to making the changes that are inspired by heaven. I like to see new approaches embraced, inasmuch as they are inspired of Him in whose name we worship, as these will be best designed to bring souls to Christ. Less important are new methods that focus on bringing souls to "see the show." The latter inspires fleeting commitment. The former creates an eternal beacon. Many desire "proof" of God's existence, his teachings, and His plan for our happiness. They summarily reject God and His Gospel because they say it is not provable.
What kind of proof do they desire? Perhaps they desire a scientific proof, such as a mathematical derivation. But mathematical proofs are regularly found to be flawed and are based only on the limited logic of men. Perhaps more people would be convinced by empirical evidence. But this too is subject to interpretation and argument. Even some of the most "proven" scientific theories are regularly questioned, reconsidered, and reworked. In spite of all the evidence, scientific theories are just that--they are theories and are limited by the intellect of the men and women who create and subscribe to them. All "proof" is simply evidence that men in their limited minds consider very strong. These days, scientific knowledge and human logic seem to be considered very strong "proof." Heavenly Father does offer proof of His words. But His proof does not come in the form of mathematical derivations or scientific evaluations. God is not a scientist. He already knows everything. He could personally tell a scientist or any individual what He knows, but would the person be convinced, or would they endlessly question the knowledge they receive? He could personally appear to someone, but would the memory of that experience be enough to convince them of its reality, or would alternate explanations be considered? He could move a mountain or bring someone back from the dead, but neither of these things in and of themselves are enough to completely convince someone. Mountains could be moved by extreme plate tectonics; people rising from the dead were perhaps not completely dead anyway, or perhaps a live person was subtly switched with the dead person, or perhaps there is simply some unknown alternate explanation for what we see. God could miraculously heal the sick, calm ocean storms, or change water into wine before our very eyes, yet many would remain unconvinced. He demonstrated this during His sojourn on earth. What then is Heavenly Father's proof? What possible proof can He give us that we will believe? Put simply, His proof is the realization of the promises He makes, together with a heavenly assurance. He tells us plainly that we will know whether what He says is true "If any man will do His will, he shall know" whether His teachings are true or made up. In order to see whether Newton's Laws would work, we had to try them out. Similarly, if we do what God asks of us, we will see the promised blessings, however unlikely those blessings may seem at the time. Also, by submitting to God's will, we build a relationship with Him that allows Him to communicate with us heart-to-heart, and this new means of communication allows us to receive a direct injection of knowledge--we can feel something of what He feels, and experience a reflection of what He knows. This personal connection with God Himself is more convincing than any lecture by an expert in theoretical physics. It is stronger proof than decades of empirical evaluation. To look into the heart and mind of One who knows all things is a priceless venture, and it does not require an academic degree. What it does require is a willingness to try--faith to live as God would have me live. As I give my heart to Him, He opens His heart to me. Countless millions have experienced personal proof of His promises. Though the proof comes in a different form than some desire or expect, it is stronger and more reliable than any proof of a worldly nature. Humility brings inner peace and peace to those around you. Sometimes we are compelled to be humble because of life experiences, but the Lord is most pleased when we choose to be humble of our own free will. But gaining humility is not as easy as simply deciding not to be prideful. It takes effort. Below are some methods I've found to be helpful in building and maintaining humility:
Pride has oft been named the universal sin. There is an unselfish pride, which is sharing joy in others' progression. Selfish pride, however, seems to be a challenge for everyone to varying degrees.
How can we identify good versus bad pride? One tell-tale sign of selfish pride is competition: "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone." -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1960), 95. What was it about the early Apostles of the church that qualified them to receive their divine commissions? The amount of gospel knowledge they had did not seem to be an issue. Certainly they were not scholars, nor were they part of the established leadership of the day who professed to know all about the Messiah and His teachings. Yet Christ chose them above all else.
If a large amount of doctrinal knowledge is not necessary to be a servant of God, then what are the key attributes? An important qualification must be humility. While many heard Christ's teachings but proudly continued on their own path, each apostle immediately gave up all he had simply for the opportunity to follow Jesus and learn from Him. Throughout all of Christ's mission, his apostles did not seek to teach or correct Christ; rather they sought counsel from Him. They asked for more and more, even after reprimands. Near the end of His earthly mission, after all they had been through together, Christ turned to his friends the apostles and said "One of you shall betray me." Where so many would take offense at such an accusation, or at least brush the comment aside as being not worth their consideration, the apostles still took the humble approach. They each asked "Lord, is it I?" When I hear or read divine messages, do I pick and choose which to pay attention to? When a fault is suggested, defensiveness should not be my initial reaction. Humility requires sincerely asking the apostolic question. Truth is an understanding of how things really are. Intelligence has been defined as "the light of truth." All light [knowledge] is bestowed by God. Though some believe that we can obtain knowledge of truth without God, the fact is that knowledge of truth cannot come from any other source.
Thus, any time we come to a knowledge of any truth, we can know that God was the source and the benefactor of that event. Scholars often try to discredit personal knowledge that is received from God, but there is no more sure way of discovering truth than by asking the source of all truth. Why then do members of Christian denominations rely so heavily on the wisdom of gospel scholars? Every sect and faith (including atheists and agnostics) have pastors and theologians who claim to have a more correct understanding of truth because of their own study. In this way the leaders of the Christian sects are imitating the scribes and Pharisees who lived at the time of Christ. While these gospel scholars self-interestedly proclaimed their own wisdom, Christ found simple fishers and others to be his true leaders. He knew He could trust them to teach the truth not based on their own logic, but based on what God would tell them. Christ taught us plainly about the source to which we should look for truth, and it wasn't a self-proclaimed theologian: "Blessed art thou [Peter], for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Baptism includes a promise to follow God's commandments for one's entire life. Many of the same people who preach integrity in worldly arenas have seriously neglected this promise they made earlier in life. A popular excuse is that the person was naive back when the promise was made--he or she didn't fully understand what it entailed. Thus, that person should not be held accountable for such promises. |
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