In the Rough - The Blog of Joel McDonald Jr.

“On my mission…”I shudder when I hear a returned missionary slip in their experiences as one of God’s army starting with, “On my mission…” Every now and then, this introductory phrase, which seems to carry so much weight, slips from my tongue. I try very hard to say things like, “While I was in Colorado…” instead. It’s a small, perhaps insignificant thing. However, I think it’s safe to open the following using it.

On my mission, I learned how to have respectful religious discourse.

Seriously, as a missionary, I learned how ineffective and hurtful a discussion about religion can be if that discussion lacks respect. Unfortunately, not everybody picks up on this understanding, whether they’ve served missions or not.

Recently, a good friend e-mailed me asking if I had left an anonymous comment in response to a post she wrote regarding her belief in The Book of Mormon and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which the commenter was very disrespectful. I responded by assuring her that I always sign my comments, and that I would never bash her beliefs, no matter how different they are from mine.

The level of disrespect caused my friend to lock down her blog to where only those she invites can read it. This is sad because I feel one of the purposes of a blog is to be a public expression of a person’s thoughts and opinions.

With so many different feelings about religion, the only way we can learn from one another is to be respectful in our conversations. Most of the problems are rooted in the unfortunate idea that we don’t have anything to learn from another person’s beliefs. This idea causes a block in meaningful communication. I’ve seen the results of this many times. Often missionaries close their ears when someone not of their faith is talking about their beliefs. It’s like talking to a wall. The missionary walks away having learned little, and the person is left feeling like they weren’t being listened to.

We need to break down walls that keep us from growing in knowledge and understanding. I don’t know why people maintain these walls. I suppose they are either afraid or disinterested. If you want to maintain this wall, don’t have religious conversations with people. It’s disrespectful to talk to someone and not actually listen to what they have to say. Insulting someone based on their beliefs, or belittling their beliefs is wrong.

So, have some respect. Try to learn what the other person believes, and why. Freely share about your beliefs. The conversation will break down when someone becomes defensive. At that point, it’s probably best to back off and switch to another conversation. If the point of the conversation is to debate, do so with mutual respect.

As far as blogs go, hit and run anonymous comments bashing someone’s religious are, as the old mission guide would say, “less effective”. Don’t do it. If you want to say something, say it as yourself, and let the person respond.

As a side note, I have friends, who have blogs, who come from various walks of life and religions. Please don’t use my blog as a launching pad to other blogs to be disrespectful.

Join the conversation. Don’t ruin it.

A good friend and mission colleague wrote on her blog about The Book of Mormon. In her post, she expresses her confidence in the validity of the book as the historical record of two nations which had their beginnings with a family who sailed from the Middle East to the American continent under God’s direction.She writes, “Yes, [The Book of Mormon people] lived on this continent beginning in 600 B.C. to this very day. They are the forebears of the Native American Indian, as well as other peoples across the oceans.” She goes on to say that anyone can know that The Book of Mormon is true, and that these people existed, by reading the book and asking God to let them know if it “is not true”.

The question is then posed that, after God answers this prayer, and you know The Book of Mormon is true, “what will you do then?”

In 2004, I earnestly believed that God did let me know that The Book of Mormon was true. What did I do? I submitted myself to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I allowed my life to be dictated by the rules and culture of Mormonism. From what I drank, when I should fast, how much money I should give, what I should watch, and what I should think was molded by the expectations of the church. I served a mission, and my eyes were opened. My faith in Mormonism was lost in the snow covered mountains of Colorado.

Admittedly, the church does have merit. It could not have survived if there wasn’t good within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know good people, amazing people, who are devoted members of the church. Without their examples, I most likely would not have considered the church worthy of my time. Even at the start of my studies, when I was attempting to show that the church was false, my desire to do so was rooted in my concern for my friends.

Further, The Book of Mormon has merit as well. There are great things contained within the book. My favorite passage continues to be King Benjamin’s address in the early chapters of Mosiah. Consider this passage from Mosiah 4: 16-19, 22.

“And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?…And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.”

Many pieces of literature contain valuable life lessons; but teaching valuable lessons does not transform fictional characters into living beings. I believe the words above to be true. I live by them. The only difference between now and when I was a believing Mormon is that now I don’t know who wrote King Benjamin’s address.

I don’t believe The Book of Mormon to be a valid historical record. As I’ve written before, no substantial objective evidence has been found that confirms the placement, practices, languages, materials, or events of the people written about in The Book of Mormon. Unfortunately, there really aren’t any objective studies on the matter. The bias is palpable when it comes to the research conducted in regards to The Book of Mormon. The responsibility to provide evidence to support their position rests more heavily upon those attempting to support Mormonism. Considering that the most significant evidence presented has not supported the claims of Mormonism, and that the greater objective scientific community takes little interest in the subject, it would seem that Mormonism has a very weak case indeed.

Now, in my opinion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seems to be softening its position in response to the weakness of their case. After all, even after 28 years of intensive study and research by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, an arm of church-owned Brigham Young University, no significant findings to solidify the church’s claims has been found. My guess is that they none ever will be found. The most recent example of the church softening is the subtle word change in the introduction to The Book of Mormon. In addition, many ranking church scholars are now upholding the limited geography model, effectively creating a scenario where the lack of evidence is explained away by making the location of events in The Book of Mormon harder to find. This effectively makes finding the place described within the book equivalent to finding the lost city of Atlantis.

As a missionary, I asked hundreds of people to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it to know that it was true. What I found was that a very small percentage of people felt they received some kind of answer. Usually this answer wasn’t very clear, and had to be shaped and put into context for the person to allow themselves to believe that God was telling them that the book was true. Most simply didn’t hear or feel anything when they prayed about the book. The key to believing God was answering the prayer in the affirmative seemed to be a strong desire for it to be true. Even the wording of the scripture referring to this prayer asks the reader to pray that God let them know if it “is not true”. The wording assumes that the reader is already agreeable to the truthfulness of the book.

I’ve head all sorts of excuses why some people receive “an answer” while others don’t. However, with the belief in the validity of The Book of Mormon being crucial to a person’s eternal salvation, I never accepted any of these excuses. My God wouldn’t keep something that could change their lives and lead them to salvation because they hadn’t sacrificed enough. The whole idea just wasn’t compatible with my views on the grace of God.

To have to believe in The Book of Mormon before having your prayers answered about the book’s validity is a trap. It is the first encounter with the circular logic of the church that a person encounters when they study with the missionaries. It is not enough to validate the book.

If you believe The Book of Mormon is true, that’s great! I’ll never criticize you for your beliefs. There’s an assortment of scriptural texts out there, all with adherents who claim they are true. Finding value in any of them, if it aids you in life, is a wonderful thing. Personally, I think there’s value in all of them. My assumption is that none have origins are divine as adherents would like to believe. What makes The Book of Mormon different from the Koran, or the Bible? I suppose asking these kinds of questions led me to become a universalist of sorts, because my answer that that question is simple: Nothing.

A good friend and mission colleague wrote on her blog about The Book of Mormon. In her post, she expresses her confidence in the validity of the book as the historical record of two nations which had their beginnings with a family who sailed from the Middle East to the American continent under God’s direction.She writes, “Yes, [The Book of Mormon people] lived on this continent beginning in 600 B.C. to this very day. They are the forebears of the Native American Indian, as well as other peoples across the oceans.” She goes on to say that anyone can know that The Book of Mormon is true, and that these people existed, by reading the book and asking God to let them know if it “is not true”.

The question is then posed that, after God answers this prayer, and you know The Book of Mormon is true, “what will you do then?”

In 2004, I earnestly believed that God did let me know that The Book of Mormon was true. What did I do? I submitted myself to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I allowed my life to be dictated by the rules and culture of Mormonism. From what I drank, when I should fast, how much money I should give, what I should watch, and what I should think was molded by the expectations of the church. I served a mission, and my eyes were opened. My faith in Mormonism was lost in the snow covered mountains of Colorado.

Admittedly, the church does have merit. It could not have survived if there wasn’t good within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know good people, amazing people, who are devoted members of the church. Without their examples, I most likely would not have considered the church worthy of my time. Even at the start of my studies, when I was attempting to show that the church was false, my desire to do so was rooted in my concern for my friends.

Further, The Book of Mormon has merit as well. There are great things contained within the book. My favorite passage continues to be King Benjamin’s address in the early chapters of Mosiah. Consider this passage from Mosiah 4: 16-19, 22.

“And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?…And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.”

Many pieces of literature contain valuable life lessons; but teaching valuable lessons does not transform fictional characters into living beings. I believe the words above to be true. I live by them. The only difference between now and when I was a believing Mormon is that now I don’t know who wrote King Benjamin’s address.

I don’t believe The Book of Mormon to be a valid historical record. As I’ve written before, no substantial objective evidence has been found that confirms the placement, practices, languages, materials, or events of the people written about in The Book of Mormon. Unfortunately, there really aren’t any objective studies on the matter. The bias is palpable when it comes to the research conducted in regards to The Book of Mormon. The responsibility to provide evidence to support their position rests more heavily upon those attempting to support Mormonism. Considering that the most significant evidence presented has not supported the claims of Mormonism, and that the greater objective scientific community takes little interest in the subject, it would seem that Mormonism has a very weak case indeed.

Now, in my opinion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seems to be softening its position in response to the weakness of their case. After all, even after 28 years of intensive study and research by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, an arm of church-owned Brigham Young University, no significant findings to solidify the church’s claims has been found. My guess is that they none ever will be found. The most recent example of the church softening is the subtle word change in the introduction to The Book of Mormon. In addition, many ranking church scholars are now upholding the limited geography model, effectively creating a scenario where the lack of evidence is explained away by making the location of events in The Book of Mormon harder to find. This effectively makes finding the place described within the book equivalent to finding the lost city of Atlantis.

As a missionary, I asked hundreds of people to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it to know that it was true. What I found was that a very small percentage of people felt they received some kind of answer. Usually this answer wasn’t very clear, and had to be shaped and put into context for the person to allow themselves to believe that God was telling them that the book was true. Most simply didn’t hear or feel anything when they prayed about the book. The key to believing God was answering the prayer in the affirmative seemed to be a strong desire for it to be true. Even the wording of the scripture referring to this prayer asks the reader to pray that God let them know if it “is not true”. The wording assumes that the reader is already agreeable to the truthfulness of the book.

I’ve head all sorts of excuses why some people receive “an answer” while others don’t. However, with the belief in the validity of The Book of Mormon being crucial to a person’s eternal salvation, I never accepted any of these excuses. My God wouldn’t keep something that could change their lives and lead them to salvation because they hadn’t sacrificed enough. The whole idea just wasn’t compatible with my views on the grace of God.

To have to believe in The Book of Mormon before having your prayers answered about the book’s validity is a trap. It is the first encounter with the circular logic of the church that a person encounters when they study with the missionaries. It is not enough to validate the book.

If you believe The Book of Mormon is true, that’s great! I’ll never criticize you for your beliefs. There’s an assortment of scriptural texts out there, all with adherents who claim they are true. Finding value in any of them, if it aids you in life, is a wonderful thing. Personally, I think there’s value in all of them. My assumption is that none have origins are divine as adherents would like to believe. What makes The Book of Mormon different from the Koran, or the Bible? I suppose asking these kinds of questions led me to become a universalist of sorts, because my answer that that question is simple: Nothing.

Change may imply shift in the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOne of the most contested beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the belief that the alleged writers of The Book of Mormon, Israelites who migrated to the American continent 600 years before the birth of Christ, are the ancestors of modern day Native Americans. This belief has been challenged by both DNA analyses and language studies of Native Americans. Both areas of study show that the link between Native Americans and Israel is a falsehood.

Since 1981, the church has included their belief that Native Americans are connected to Israel within the text of the introduction to The Book of Mormon. Included is the statement that that the before mentioned Israelite migrants are “the principal ancestors of the American Indians”.

Prior to 1981, The Book of Mormon did not contain this introduction. Previous versions included a section titled “Origin of The Book of Mormon” where an account of Joseph Smith about his discovery and translation of the book is printed. Included in this this account is mention that The Book of Mormon is a record of, “the former inhabitants”, of the American continent.

In 2004 Doubleday began publishing a commercial version of The Book of Mormon, including the introduction and the statement about Israelites being the “principal ancestors of the American Indians”.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, LDS Church leaders have instructed Doubleday to change this statement to say that the Israelite migrants are “among the ancestors of American Indians” instead of being the “primary” ancestors. LDS Leaders instructed Doubleday to do this so the commercial printing would align with a new edition of The Book of Mormon to be printed by the church in the near future.

With this change, it seems that the LDS Church is modifying their beliefs about the ancestry of Native Americans to more align themselves with scientific evidence to the contrary. This modification does, however, allow for the possibility that some Native Americans are descendants of Israelites, even though no objective and significant evidence has been found to justify such a belief. Without this belief, however, The Book of Mormon could not be considered a valid history within the church.

A belief that The Book of Mormon is a valid historical document, translated by the church’s founder, Joseph Smith, is required of all members and converts. The church’s entire missionary program revolves around people being converted by the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. Smith wrote that it is, “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion”. The belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and received revelations from God, some of which led to the production of The Book of Mormon, is essential to the belief system of the LDS Church. Gordon B. Hinckley, current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has before said that if Smith was not what he claimed to be, “then [the church] is a fraud”.

The shifting beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well documented. From the nature of God, to polygamy, the church has evolved its beliefs. This change to The Book of Mormon signifies another period of evolution as the church struggles with mounting evidence contrary to its beliefs and outside criticisms.

A thread on PostMormon.org titled “Different church or no church“, began with the question, “Has anyone joined or become active in a different faith?” Many have responded to this question with a variety of answers and experiences. Some wrote of how their personal faith and beliefs have led them to either seek God via another church, and some described how they do not believe in God anymore at all. I thought I would share my thoughts on this.

Before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was a devout Christian. In fact, my initial reaction to learning about the LDS Church was to seek to show that it was not a proper Christian church and a hindrance to the salvation of my Mormon friends. I hadn’t been raised to be a Christian. Life just sort of led me in that direction.

Over time, however, my perception of Mormonism changed. I came to feel that the LDS Church was not only a proper Christian church, it was the ONLY TRUE Christian church! This change in perception led me to be baptized and become active in the LDS Church.

As I’ve written before, my experiences as a Mormon missionary challenged me to reconsider my view on Mormonism, Christianity, and religion. I studied a great deal and prayed fervently for answers to the many questions which I could not ignore. The worldview of Mormonism did not agree with me. The theology of Mormonism did not agree with the evolution of Christianity. Likewise, I came to accept that Christianity was only a small piece in the evolution of world theology, not anymore or any less valid than Judaism, Islam, or any other faith. Even my belief in God was on trial, and God’s nature highly questionable. All of this caused a very difficult internal struggle within me.

In order to calm the inner conflict, I eventually accepted that religion can not be boxed. I accepted that it is okay for me to have shifting beliefs based upon my understanding of the world. Religion doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. There can be compromise.

This compromise has made it difficult to imagine seeking communion with another church. While I consider myself a Christian, I do not agree with the Savior-God myth applied to Jesus. This, obviously, separates me from mainstream Christianity, even while I agree with the attributed teachings of Jesus.

I believe that there is an intelligent God who created all things. I don’t know, and I don’t worry about, God’s attributes. I think most see God as a perfected reflection of themselves anyway. To strive to be like God is to strive to be your best self, however you define what “best” is.

I don’t know if God hears or answers prayers. I do pray on occasion, but I’ve found that prayer as a form of reflection and meditation is more beneficial than prayer with the expectation of a divine answer. Straining our ears and senses to hear the whisperings of the divine creates additional stress upon ourselves when the answers we seek seem come from within ourselves anyway.

I believe all people have the ability to seek the blessings of God, but I do not believe that God pours out special blessings upon people for the things they do. What church you go to, how much money you donate, how much time of devote to scripture study, or how often you pray does not determine the quality or quantity of the blessings in your life. It is written in the Bible that God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. I would add that God causes the drought to fall upon the just and the unjust as well. God’s creation allows for the sustaining of all. Sometimes we will find fortune, and other times we will have none. Sometimes we must seek the blessings of God actively in order to find them.

So with all this, my answer to the question is no, I haven’t joined another church. While I miss the fellowship, I know that I would find it difficult to support beliefs which have been boxed. I suppose the closest thing to my belief system would be Unitarian Universalism. But my desire for fellowship as not yet matched the requirement to get up and drive to the next city over to attend a UU service.

I may be alone in my faith, but I see it as having faith alone. My faith is independent of churches or scriptures. My faith is my own, and I accept all responsibility for it. I could be totally wrong in my beliefs. If I am to be judged for them, I hope that God will know the intentions of my heart and be lenient. Any reward given by a God who is unable to do so is of little value to me anyway.