I warn you now: in this article, I’m going to talk about religion. The subject embarrasses me. It’s one, along with politics, that my mom told my kid self to never bring up around strangers. And I give kudos to the friendly (if not bordering on overly-friendly) Mormon missionary who had the courage to do exactly that, and who answered some questions I had about religion, strengthening my own belief in agnosticism.
The man approached me at a bus stop a while ago, imploring me to commit the faux-pas and talk about spirituality. He insisted that we do so, and I was, as many surely are, drawn by the opportunity to chat with someone so involved in the subject. As a missionary, after all, his goal is to find as many strangers as possible and get them interested in Mormonism.
I asked him a lot of questions about his faith, most of which were responded to with open minded, well-considered answers. But many important ones, like how anyone can be convinced that one religion is truth over another, or convinced that God is a literal being, or how we can be certain of anything in the past, including the time in which the Bible was written, was responded to with “read the book of Mormon.”
If the goal is for someone to do anything more than be kind and content, any “religion” borders on cultism.
Maybe one day I’ll try, but I don’t think those qualms that I have concerning faith will go away. And I’m at a point with my spirituality where I feel it doesn’t matter. I feel content with not knowing, because I don’t think I’ll ever know.
I mean no disrespect to Mormonism. It probably can lead to a lot of happiness, that which shines off the missionaries that I occasionally see in the lower mainland. So can Catholicism, Buddhism, or any organized religion, certainly. When a Scientologist, for instance, is convinced of an idea, namely that there is a reason to life and that, perhaps, the spirit goes somewhere after it’s over, then how could they not be content?
And I’m convinced of ideas, too. I won’t sum up the entirety of my personal religious beliefs here, but I will say that I’m convinced of the idea that no one religion can prove itself any more correct than any other, due to human perception. Being that people can be convinced of incorrect ideas, as I, of course, have been, I feel unable to be convinced of anything but exactly this uncertainty.
Being certain of one’s own uncertainty may sound circular. Maybe it is. It is an answer that begs more questions. As such, though, it can act as a guide. This frame of mind allows for the freedom to entertain ideas as interesting, but not as necessarily absolute. It encourages living a life of fascination with everything, of striving to learn, and of being okay with letting go.
Mormons should be content if they meet a spiritually content person. They shouldn’t have to convince them of anything else, because deep contentedness is the end goal of Mormonism, and all religions, is it not? Surely a religion’s goal is not to convince people to read a book and become involved in a church; if the goal is to make others do anything more than be kind and content, the “religion” borders on cultism.
To answer this missionary’s question, I would like to believe in Christianity. Equally, though, I can’t. In my most content frame of mind, I believe in unbelief, in fascination, in both learning and letting go.
I spent a good chunk of my life as an atheist, so from that point of view, I can resonate with this article. Neither the existence of God nor the tenets of any religion are going to be proven by empirical methods any time soon. And it is certainly possible to question the meaning or validity of subjective spiritual experience.
I am no longer an atheist, and am in fact a Mormon, because it is ALSO possible to experience spirituality in a way that is utterly convincing about the existence of a spiritual world, and of any one of our places in that world. How can I prove that to you? I can’t. I have to let you find it for yourself, if indeed you will do so. But the reason that the missionaries tell you to read the Book of Mormon is that, based on their own spiritual experience, they regard reading that particular work of scripture and then taking up the challenge you find at the end (Moroni 10:4) as a key to unlocking that level of spiritual insight.
As soon as I say that, I can already hear the cacophony of other voices who question everything about the Book of Mormon and its revelator, Joseph Smith. You probably know of many reasons to distrust it, and there will be many who will be happy to tell you of other reasons in addition. But it is not as though I had never heard of those things, either before or since. They don’t overcome the truth I have found through faith. Knowing what I know now, it is not surprising to me that a belief in deity and a belief in life after death are nearly universal concepts in human culture. Most genuine religious belief touches on those and other elements of spiritual truth. I happen to be convinced of the richness and completeness of the insights offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but you certainly don’t have to start there. The starting point is openness to the idea that there can be more to knowledge than conclusions based on naturalistic empiricism. There is more in heaven and on earth that is dreamt of in that philosophy.
And to offer an alternative perspective, and perhaps bolster some of the author’s points, I am a former Mormon born and raised in a very faithful and active family who became an agnostic and then Orthodox Christian. Funny enough, it was when I set out to become the best damn Mormon apologist I could be that I lost my faith. For my own part, studying philosophy and theology as well as immersing myself in a variety of religious denominations eventually brought be back to faith in God, albeit a faith much different than the one in which I was raised.
It is no wonder that so many Americans and other Westerners are atracted to Mormonism. It fits so well with Western thought paradigms. Over time I see more and more that Mormonism is a product of 19th century ideologies and the religious awakening that was taking hold in the U.S. at the time. Examples of 19th century ideology influencing Mormonism is the idea that being white, especially western European, is superior, and further the materialistic theology of Joseph Smith that denies the existence of immaterial entities. Reading the history of this time period leaves one amazed at how NOT unique Mormonism actually was.
I had great encounters as a Mormon, but none that made it stand out for me above any other religion. In fact, I have felt a much stronger sense of awe and the divine outside of Mormonism. People are free to base their faith on subjective experiences, but they should be careful about how they use terms like “know.” After all, if a Muslim and a Mormon both claim to “know” they belong to the most true faith, well, it sort of devalues the term “know” doesn’t it?
Anyways, I do think the author of the article should take the time to read the Book of Mormon as it is the intellectually honest thing to do; however he might come away sharing the sentiments of Mark Twain.
Despite following different paths, the thing that you and I can agree on is that we found room for a transcendent spirituality based on faith. You find Orthodox Christianity to be deeper and richer; I find it in Mormonism. You and I would not say to one another that our respective faiths are equally valid; to the contrary, you think your beliefs are superior in some way, just as I see that about mine. Neither one of us finds the need to be arrogant about that, and both of us can respect the value and commonalities we find in the other’s beliefs. For purposes of discussion with atheists or agnostics – or indeed anyone who does not acknowledge the divinity and atonement of Jesus Christ – we can unitedly testify of our belief in those things, and the reasons why naturalism or materialism fail as guides to ontology. Between ourselves, we can enjoy a lively discussion, I suppose, but still have confidence at the end of the day that faith in Christ is the key to any door.
The problem though, is that Mormonism is a natural, materialist theology. God is material, spirits are material, and the universe has always existed.
I am well aware that this will come off as arrogant, but it is at least honest. You saying “You find Orthodox Christianity to be deeper and richer; I find it in Mormonism” is akin to someone saying “you find the writings of Dostoyevsky to be deeper and richer; I find it in Twilight.”
Yes, that is the way it comes off.
Well, I’d rather be arrogant and honest than polite and fake. God bless you in your journey 🙂
Thanks for this thoughtful, well-written article. I quite enjoyed it. In an effort to continue the discussion, and as an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I would like to clarify one point. You posit at the end of your article that “deep contentedness is the end goal of Mormonism”. I believe you are correct, but not in the way you intended. The end goal of Mormonism is indeed deep contentedness, or as a Mormon might refer to it, “true happiness”; however, while Mormons believe that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ will lead to happiness and peace in this life, we believe that true happiness––eternal and complete––is only attained after this life, via salvation through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Further, we believe that participating in the full blessings of Christ’s Atonement require accepting Him and His Gospel through the ordinance of baptism. Finally, we believe that baptism may only be administered by those who have received the authority of God to administer it. That authority has been restored to mankind today through the Restoration of the Gospel and is found only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I––and Mormons in general––believe and acknowledge that men and women can find peace and happiness in this life through many philosophical and religious paths; however, true happiness––the endless happiness that God desires for all of His children––is only to be found through the saving ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For this reason tens of thousands of Mormon missionaries voluntarily give of their time and money to share the Gospel with believers and non-believers alike: because we regard all men and women as our brothers and sisters, fellow Children of God, and we hope, pray and work fervently that all might participate in the full blessing of the Gospel and return one day to dwell in Eternal Happiness with our Father in Heaven.
I am a Mormon. And, I approve of this author’s message. Totally agree about leaving alone those who have a belief system that works for them. Faith of any nature is hard to come by and sacred.
Certain of one’s own uncertainty is awesome. I use the same tool to deconstruct those who would demean faith.
The writings of Seraphim, on the other hand, starts so strong and then ends by belittling the faith of millions and the sacrifice of their ancestors. I am confident Dostoyevsky would be embarrassed of that comparison. On his behalf, I retract your snide remark.