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Haha! Love it, LH. Negativity, anger, frustration… these are reactions to something. I have learned over many years that it’s better to not to be reactive, but rather to seek my own beliefs and live them as best I can. By that I mean that I no longer define myself by what I am not, but what I am. Though I’m far from perfect in this regard, there’s not much reason for me to feel negativity, anger, or frustration toward the Church, because I have come to a point where I alone am responsible for what I believe. I see the Church as an environment, not a charter. Similarly, apostasy is a comparison to something outside of myself. It is impossible for one who fully owns his/her own beliefs to be an apostate.
But now for the kicker… how to get from feelings of negativity, anger, frustration to a point where we are at peace…
The advice I usually give is to hold true to what you believe in. Not what you believe, but what you believe in. Then let what you believe follow. What you believe may be in conflict with what the Church believes, but what you believe in will help guide your path toward the person you want to be… and it is hard to be in conflict with the Church when we are just trying to find a meaningful, fulfilled life.
On Own Now wrote:
Similarly,apostasy is a comparison to something outside of myself. It is impossible for one who fully owns his/her own beliefs to be an apostate.But now for the kicker… how to get from feelings of negativity, anger, frustration to a point where we are at peace…
The advice I usually give is to hold true to what you believe in. Not what you believe, but what you believe in. Then let what you believe follow. What you believe may be in conflict with what the Church believes, but what you believe in will help guide your path toward the person you want to be… and it is hard to be in conflict with the Church when we are just trying to find a meaningful, fulfilled life.
Absolutely, OON. You put it eloquently, and I especially love and believe in the parts in bold.
Apostasy is relative. One could probably say that Jesus was apostate.
The concept of apostasy, as it’s understood in the Church, is a way to label and “other” those who think too differently or act outside of accepted norms or against authority. Calling someone an apostate allows the in-group to define itself more clearly in terms of what it is not. It also serves to exert pressure on the in-group to conform. Screw that. I didn’t even like thinking in those terms when I was all-in. It’s so high school.
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