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The contentions between believers and nonbelievers arise when we fall out of balance in our pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness.
I didn’t really see anything new that I haven’t read on Staylds, but I like how succinctly the author puts everything.
Thank you for this. It’s refreshing to read just a slightly different take on very StayLDS ideas. I think it’ll really strike a chord with my kids. THanks for sharing the link. I like the article, and I like the Venn diagram of balance. I like this part…
Quote:This is the story of Stephen Dedalus, the main character in James Joyce’s masterpiece Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. As he reaches maturity, Stephen becomes convinced that Catholicism, especially as it’s practiced in Ireland, is deeply flawed. He decides to leave his community and disassociate himself from his friends, family, and religion. He even refuses to pray out loud for his mother on her deathbed.
However, Stephen is soon racked with guilt for what he did to his mother. He grows increasingly lonely and despondent, and his choice to reject his community haunts him. He begins to realize that communities, friendships, and family require compromise.
This kind of goes along with our other discussion on the other thread about “Lying for the Lord”…that strict honesty or truth is cold if not balanced with other virtues. I think anything taken to an extreme can be that way. It requires experience and wisdom to balance things in life.
I also thought as I read this article that it is becoming more and more evident and commonplace for people to express these feelings. It is not as shocking as it was 5 or 10 years ago. It is becoming more understandable.
Perhaps in the past there was more denial. People accepted that Catholics were unsatisfied with their religion because they didn’t have the truth, which is why Mormons had an appeal to some, or at least affirmation from mormons themselves. That is what “other” religions deal with.
Now it is a little closer to home as the same feelings about religion permeate our culture. Not so easy to be in denial…more moving towards acceptance, I think. Not everyone. Some do not open their minds to the thoughts this author has. But it is not dismissed so easily as apostasy. It’s a more common feeling, even in Utah. The brethren see the trends.
This is fantastic. I appreciate his effort to offer all of us some hope. I concur Heber’s point that 5 years ago this wouldn’t have been written. I noticed a link to get more pieces like this from him. It looks like he is trying a series of articles on this. I can’t wait to see what else he has. My only sadness is that this won’t be an Ensign article. Not to cause war, but to cause healing, however if we on this side take the ideas and use it maybe that will be enough. I hope.
mom3 wrote:My only sadness is that this won’t be an Ensign article. Not to cause war, but to cause healing, however if we on this side take the ideas and use it maybe that will be enough. I hope.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see something like this in the Ensign some day (not yet, but perhaps someday). Especially as time goes on and people see that those who express these thoughts and experiences and still turn to God and have loving hearts are not a threat to the church, it could be printed in the Ensign.Balance is a foundation orientation toward which I strive. Thanks for sharing the article.
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