We feel strongly attached to our "orthodox" institutional ways of worship, not noticing that these practices are mostly traditions passed down from one generation to the next. We are heirs to a cultural and religious milieu imposed upon us. We "prove" and "measure" and "judge" ourselves (when we're not focused on condemning and idolizing others) by how well we conform to prescribed forms of worship and behavior within a narrowly defined set of rules and performances established within our own religious tradition.
We imagine that by doing so -- by being "religious" -- we please God.
But do we? How can we know?
Those born in a Christian culture generally conform to and practice "Christian" values. (Does such a culture represent a "preparatory redemption" for such?) Likewise Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Native Americans and the rest -- all are infused with the religious (and non-religious) influences of their respective cultures. Were it not for Protestant traditions, catalyzed in Catholic cathedrals, would Mormons even now be meeting in chapels on any given Sunday? (Joseph Smith never authorized chapel construction.)
Do we embrace our current religion "first hand" as it erupts from God's own lips? Do we ensure that every practice followed and belief espoused conforms to His design and will? Or do we take another's word for it, going with the flow of the "mainstream", "staying in the boat"? Do we see and hear God moving in His heavens amidst the fires and thunderings of Mt. Sinai, as it were, and do His bidding as He personally directs us? Or do we "follow a prophet" and embrace a catechism established by others (who may or may not know what they're doing)?
How "authentic" is our religion? How "real" our worship? How "true"? How "personal"?
Do we know? Can we know?
There are plenty who are confident theirs is the right way -- the only way -- the truth and the life. There are those who have lost faith in the divine altogether. They explain away all things religious as cunning manipulation, mind control, and self-deception. Are they deceived?
Are we?
Is religious posture and proclivity an inherent feature of humanity? Do we all, at some point, seek after "light" that shines in darkness and yearn to hear a "voice" that calls to us above the din of mortality and mammon? Do we come "pre-programmed" with the capacity to savor the sweet and spurn the bitter? Is doing so not "built in" to us? Do we not, thereby, grow from grace to grace as we "fill the measure" of our creation, learning to take steps from our missteps?
Only a fool would speculate that this grand design serves no purpose and, thus, plan accordingly, wasting away his days in nihilism and self-absorption, doing harm rather than good, defiling rather than beautifying, destroying rather than building up. The wise man gambles that he takes nothing with him but what he leaves behind. Indeed, he may inherit (in a future life) only what he gives away (in this one). "He who seeks to save his life shall lose it." He realizes he can take with him only eternal things: things not bought with or sold for money.
We are given to choose. And what choices do we make? Do we choose substance over its substitute? Real religion over its imitation? Do we know, follow and worship the one true God (if He exists), as He invites us? Or do we embrace the image of a god and a formula of worship revealed to us only in the teachings and dictates of others, however noble or misguided?
How could we know God, or recognize Him, even if we were to find Him? And how can we say we have known Him -- in all His manifest forms -- to the exclusion of all others? Can we safely condemn those who do not follow our traditions, our culturally-imposed forms of worship? Do we know for certain that we -- and we alone -- are truly inspired of heaven, while all others (who are different from us) are condemned? Or are we just "going through the motions", satisfying the demands of those who have choreographed our attitudes, expectations and behaviors for us?
Would we be Christian, Muslim, or Mormon today if we weren't born thus, were we not bred in a culture saturated by these religious traditions? Did God Himself appear to us, or send His angel, as He ostensibly did to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad and Joseph Smith? What makes us "stay put" in our faith? What makes us think that others are, at best, misguided or, at least, less informed than we?
Could we be mistaken?
For every priest of Baal vainly calling down fire from heaven to consume a tindered offering, how many Elijahs step forth today to combust the sodden sacrifice, demonstrating publicly that their God is God? Jesus purportedly walked on water and did many mighty miracles. So did His disciples.
What are the "signs and tokens" of "true believers" and followers of Christ today? Has His gospel changed? Or are His powers and priesthood any less?
There are those who are content to merely believe in the words of others, not knowing for themselves. They take justification and solace from Jesus' words: "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Perhaps thus encouraged, some now condemn those who seek to see and know also, accusing them of wrong doing, "sign seeking" and not "following the prophet". Meanwhile, they themselves sit in relative darkness. (For if they had seen and known for themselves, they would not condemn those who are striving -- or claiming -- to have done so.)
How can we pierce the darkness? What evidence can we rely upon to help us discriminate between true religion and false, between true prophets who introduce us to Deity and those false priests who merely oppress and enslave us to join them in ignorance?
What "fruits" can we look upon by which we may judge those who claim to have met God and know Him and now speak on His behalf?
How can we know which religion is true, if any?
UPDATE: Many answers to the above questions can be found here.
Lehi's vision of the tree of life (1 Nephi 8); explained and clarified many years later by his son Nephi as the Doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31-32), "the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, wh. is one God, without end, Amen".
ReplyDelete"For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do".
Answers are available for those who are willing to ask, seek, knock.
James Russell Uhl
In answer to what I believe is the most important question you have asked, "How can we pierce the darkness?" Realize the darkness we face is primarily confusion. Pierce the confusion by clinging to the words of Christ as delivered by angels as they speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. Angels are messengers and may be immortal beings or mortals. The message defines the messenger.
ReplyDeleteJames Russell Uhl
I guess between yourself and Log, no comment is appropriate. Have a wonderful time of year.
ReplyDeleteMy comments are my own thoughts and the feelings I have about the things Will posted. That should not preclude others posting their own thoughts. Perhaps it is just fatigue from the hectic time of year that keeps others resting and waiting for more energy to comment. I do not think my comments are comprehensive on the subject.
ReplyDeleteJRU
Jim, I think sfort was suggesting that the subject was sufficiently covered in the post and there wasn't much left to say. He wasn't referring to any particular comment you made. However, your reference to Nephi's directive was very apropos. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWill,
ReplyDeleteJust read this elsewhere, not LDS BTW. Very interesting. Thought you and a few others might find it worthwhile:
http://billmuehlenberg.com/2014/12/26/on-leaving-church/
James Russell Uhl
That was a very interesting article, Jim. There are others, apparently, who recognize that "going to Church" is not the same thing as "worshipping God", doing His will, etc.
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked this quote from A. W. Tozer:
“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”
Interesting, isn't it, how few of us ever ask ourselves the pertinent questions regarding whether these motions we go through have any real merit, or if they even work?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Will, for giving me something I can direct people to who operate from a sense of certainty about their religion. We MUST ask if we are headed in the right direction.
A few years ago, someone pointed out that there were no church meetings and no chapels in Nauvoo. Until then, it had never occurred to me that we had not always done things the way we do now. You are so correct that if the Catholic Church had not set the template for our traditional meeting, we would not be sitting in chapels the same way they did ever since medieval times: The people sitting attentively in pews while an authority figure at the front told them what was what.
I hardly think the general congregation giving talks (both youth and adults, both men and women) in sacrament meeting constitutes authority figures telling people what is what.
ReplyDelete"How "authentic" is our religion? How "real" our worship? How "true"? How "personal"?"
As authentic and real and true as each individual authentic and real and truly seeking heart. All religion is true, but not all that we call "religion" is religion.