Dear Colin,
I recently had a conversation with a friend where we spent a few hours talking about different aspects of our testimonies of different Christian faiths. I wasn't eloquent. I felt like I was trying to describe the flavor of salt. But I think the spirit was there.
While we both believe in Christ and His atonement, there were many things we did not have in common. As I think more about it, I realize that the difference is in the basics of the LDS faith. Her questions and concerns dealt with deep doctrinal things that we take for granted, just because we know the truth about the basics. It was like she was trying to understand calculus before truly understanding addition. You can't logically understand salvation and justice and mercy without understanding first the love of a Heavenly Father and His plan for His children.
The thing that made me the most sad was her belief that you are not a child of God until you accept His gospel. You are fallen until you accept Christ and His teachings, then becoming one of God's children. Perhaps she was thinking more along the lines of becoming a disciple of Christ by accepting the gospel, but with her vernacular it was becoming the "children" of God. Either way, the idea made me sad.
That is why I love the gospel- it is simple. I am a child of God and He loves me, whether or not I choose to follow Him.
And I miss primary. That is where the very basics are taught. And I get to listen to sweet testimonies of the gospel basics that are not confused by the deeper issues.
I love you. And I love the gospel. It's true.
I recently had a conversation with a friend where we spent a few hours talking about different aspects of our testimonies of different Christian faiths. I wasn't eloquent. I felt like I was trying to describe the flavor of salt. But I think the spirit was there.
While we both believe in Christ and His atonement, there were many things we did not have in common. As I think more about it, I realize that the difference is in the basics of the LDS faith. Her questions and concerns dealt with deep doctrinal things that we take for granted, just because we know the truth about the basics. It was like she was trying to understand calculus before truly understanding addition. You can't logically understand salvation and justice and mercy without understanding first the love of a Heavenly Father and His plan for His children.
The thing that made me the most sad was her belief that you are not a child of God until you accept His gospel. You are fallen until you accept Christ and His teachings, then becoming one of God's children. Perhaps she was thinking more along the lines of becoming a disciple of Christ by accepting the gospel, but with her vernacular it was becoming the "children" of God. Either way, the idea made me sad.
That is why I love the gospel- it is simple. I am a child of God and He loves me, whether or not I choose to follow Him.
And I miss primary. That is where the very basics are taught. And I get to listen to sweet testimonies of the gospel basics that are not confused by the deeper issues.
I love you. And I love the gospel. It's true.
Definitions make such conversations difficult. What she means to be a child of God and what you mean probably are very different, but if you could agree on the definitions you might find that your beliefs are quite close. Ditto for being saved, testimony, belief, Son of God, and many more.
ReplyDeleteWell said Amy. Well said. Miss you my friend.
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