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Donna wrote:
If we are willing to serve but not given a calling . Who is held accountable? I don’t think we are accountable. Is there other ways to fill our mission on this earth if we are not given the opportunity to serve in our ward or stake?
First, I don’t think anyone is “accountable” if they choose not to serve. That is a church term meant to impose consequences for poor performance the way managers do this in large organizations. At times I feel the church is just a frustrated for-profit institution, military style organization trying to motivate its members any way it can…”We are all enlisted ’til the conflict is o’er”….”honorable release”, assignments to the mission field, etcetera. While I realize this kind of structure is attractive for many people, (including myself years ago), it doesn’t work for everyone.
Quote:Can we fulfill our mission on this earth if not given an opportunity to serve in our ward or stake?
Definitely! Do you think Ghandi fulfilled his mission? Mother Teresa? None of these people served in the church. I feel that I am now self-actualizing and fulfilling my mission in life and it has very little to do with the church right now.
I believe life is about benefiting humanity as a whole, not necessarily the lives of church members, or the church as an organization. The playing field is wide open to pursue your passions and serve humanity however you feel is best. And for me, it’s best to serve in ways that express your passions.
hawkgrrrl wrote:– When did God become infallible, or is he not really infallible, but just better than we are?
I think this is an excellent question. If we embrace the concept of eternal progression then there is never an end to learning &/or improving in some way. I look at infallibility as an ideal that can be approached but never claimed. The claiming of it in an absolute sense would end progression on that path, initiating damnation.
Another very interesting question to me is how does the human filter color scripture. I see human assumptions shaping our beliefs from top to bottom. There is no way to overcome it as we exist in the human condition, the best we can do is be aware of it.
Orson, great point about scriptures and the influence of human perception on them. I was teaching the Gospel Doctrine lesson on Saul and the power struggles between him and Samuel the prophet were not unnoticed by the class. That’s what happens when you actually read the scriptures and not just the proof texts in the manuals. They found it to be very similar to political struggles today. When your puppet does something independent of you, what do you do as the puppeteer? Apparently, write scriptures lambasting the puppet’s decision-making! Likewise, from reading William Dever’s book about God’s Wife, it was interesting to see the scriptures (and the monolatrous priests) covering up the evidence that ancient Israel worshiped Heavenly Mother pretty openly and consistently.
Ancient Israel worshiped Heavenly Mother pretty openly and consistently. Yup. Understanding scriptures historically and not just religiously opens up all kinds of fascinating possibilities and insights. I understand completely why the Sunday School focus is and has to be a religious reading, but I wish more members would read the records as historical accounts, as well – even as I realize the danger of doing that when so much of what is in scripture is not historically accurate and, often, was intended originally to be mythological, allegorical, figurative, etc.
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