- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
Your questions describe much of how I feel now and through my faith crisis. I’d say I have no more belief in supernatural things either. I’ve gotten to a place where I’m comfortable with my place, but I’m still figuring out how that works with the believers in my life. Like you, I don’t believe that a God exists, or an afterlife, but I can still hope that maybe I’m wrong. I try to remain open to evidence to the contrary, I think the evidence I’m willing to accept just has a much higher standard than it did previously.
dande48 wrote:
I would change this question to “Why do people believe in the supernatural without there being good evidence for it?”. Because There are a number needs it meets, which are very hard to find elsewhere. Coping with the fact that they are unavoidably going to die (maybe today) is one of them. Coping with the fact that every facet of their life, their family, their hard work, their home is going to crumble to dust as well. Confidence in the face of uncertainty, finding the strength to go on, dealing with the utter lack of justice in the world, the inability of all of us to undo our past “sins” and mistakes…
I consider this as the “anthropologist method” and sometimes it can be very appropriate and effective. Last Sunday there was some discussion of a recent temple trip. Two newish families went for the very first time.One father was a longtime inactive member who recently reactivated after his wife was baptized. He has bad health, is unable to work, and lives off SSI and sometimes his wife’s income. This man was able to go to the temple and be baptized for deceased persons. He was able to go to a place that is reserved for the spiritually and morally worthy and he was able to provide a service for people that might otherwise be locked into a state of stagnant waiting forever. The pride in his recent convert wife’s eyes was clearly evident.
The other father is from a family that had joined the church a few years ago. He has progressed in the church from the assistant scout master – to scout master (he wasn’t very good in this role but partly because he was never properly trained) – to counselor in the EQ presidency. He was able to perform baptisms for the dead and do confirmations. I feel like he is progressing in the church and the sense of accomplishment and self-respect is valuable.
With my anthropologist hat, I could see that these men’s participation in these temple rituals had deep significance for themselves, their families, and their community. I see many families that really could benefit from something similar. I belief in the goodness that I see happening in their lives.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.