The Secret About God

[Anonymous]

Quote:

So how do people determine what is true?

I think you might alter the question — ask if it’s necessary to even know the truth. I am agnostic about most matters such as life after death, the existence of certain heavenly conditions, JS and the truthfulness of the church. These things are hard to verify, and our tendency to affirm things in which we invest only muddies the water.

I would focus on trying to live a good life, and have hope the good things we hear about after death actually will occur. Don’t shun the church — stay with it on terms that you can live with given the uncertainty you feel about its claims. Live a good life, as I believe that is the threshold for any super dooper blessings after death.

I guess there is a certain comfort in accepting we don’t really know things — and that we can’t really know them for sure. It can be a source of peace, kind of like realizing you don’t have to know the truth to live a happy life. I also take comfort in the idea that a merciful God would not hold us accountable for knowledge that was so unverifiable.

I like the quote above from the Givens about how the easiest way for a religion to gain your agency is to convince you to believe before you have evidence. I do think that is part of the LDS experience, and its not always a way to good outcomes (although for some people , it’s a great gateway). So, agnosticism can relieve you of the frustration of the search, and increase your happiness….

I understand depression, as I have experienced it myself, and yes, the gospel can’t penetrate it. In fact, the Gospel really points us in a certain direction — the most important problems in life we have to figure out how to solve on our own. And church sources aren’t usually that specific. Where they are specific, they are not always effective — such as the solution to all problems is scripture study, prayer, family home evening, and church service. That gets old quick.

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