DiscussMormonism.com

I think we're all familiar with Tal Bachman's two questions to ask members of the LDS church:

If it weren't true, would you want to know?

If you did want to know, how would you determine if it wasn't true?

Having always been someone who is interested in truth and in learning more, those questions were important to me. Obviously, people differ as to the ultimate outcome of that search for truth. For me, it became painfully obvious that the church was not what it claims to be. But I don't begrudge anyone's coming to a different conclusion. You aren't me, and I'm not you.

But what I have found interesting is the number of people who don't want to know if it's true or not, or who aren't interested in determining it one way or another. I've mentioned before a relative who said that she and her husband purposely avoid studying church history because there is "stuff in there we know we can't handle." Similarly, my mission president said that he was interested in faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so he didn't have time to worry about anachronisms in the Book of Mormon.

Maybe I've been too judgmental, but I have criticized this approach as being nothing more than hiding one's head in the sand, sort of like the song from U2 that says we spend our time staring at the sun because we're afraid of what we'll find if we look inside ourselves. But, to steal a phrase from Wade, I'm beginning to think that's an uncharitable way of looking at things.

I've come to believe that most of us in life are just trying to get through each day and hopefully become a little better as we go along. For me, part of that process of self-improvement has been following truth, wherever it leads. However, most people are too busy living in the here and now to step back and look for that higher truth. It's enough to have commandments and prophetic counsel and try to follow that. So, yes, a lot of people miss out on connecting with truth, but then who's to say that the mere act of trying each day to follow the commandments isn't a higher truth for them?

Runtu wrote:But what I have found interesting is the number of people who don't want to know if it's true or not, or who aren't interested in determining it one way or another. I've mentioned before a relative who said that she and her husband purposely avoid studying church history because there is "stuff in there we know we can't handle." Similarly, my mission president said that he was interested in faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so he didn't have time to worry about anachronisms in the Book of Mormon.

Maybe I've been too judgmental, but I have criticized this approach as being nothing more than hiding one's head in the sand, sort of like the song from U2 that says we spend our time staring at the sun because we're afraid of what we'll find if we look inside ourselves. But, to steal a phrase from Wade, I'm beginning to think that's an uncharitable way of looking at things.

I've come to believe that most of us in life are just trying to get through each day and hopefully become a little better as we go along. For me, part of that process of self-improvement has been following truth, wherever it leads. However, most people are too busy living in the here and now to step back and look for that higher truth. It's enough to have commandments and prophetic counsel and try to follow that. So, yes, a lot of people miss out on connecting with truth, but then who's to say that the mere act of trying each day to follow the commandments isn't a higher truth for them?

I think you might be forgetting (or at least, underestimating) the fact that some people simply don't care. I asked my wife recently whether she believed in god or not (she always remained sort of ambiguous on the topic - she's more anti-religion than anti-metaphysical) and she told me outright, "I just don't care. What difference does it make?"

The truth is just not of high value or a priority for many people. Maybe even the majority of people.

Here is a question I posed to my luke warm LDS wife:

If you could press a button, and become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: No

Now here is where it got interesting with the quick follow up question:

If you could press a button, and yourself as well as all other church members, would become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: Yes

Most wouldn't want to carry the knowledge alone. Mormonism is almost its own ethnicity, and there is much more at stake than just church doctrine, its our culture.

Maxrep wrote:Here is a question I posed to my luke warm LDS wife:

If you could press a button, and become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: No

Now here is where it got interesting with the quick follow up question:

If you could press a button, and yourself as well as all other church members, would become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: Yes

Most wouldn't want to carry the knowledge alone. Mormonism is almost its own ethnicity, and there is much more at stake than just church doctrine, its our culture.

This is an awesome demonstration of how people do, indeed, choose what to believe based on what's comfortable for them.

That is a fascinating bit of cultural anthropology maxrep (among other things). Thanks.

Maxrep wrote:Here is a question I posed to my luke warm LDS wife:

If you could press a button, and become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: No

Now here is where it got interesting with the quick follow up question:

If you could press a button, and yourself as well as all other church members, would become immediately familiar with the church related issues that I have looked into, would you do it?

Reply: Yes

WAY INTERESTING, maxrep! As Blixa intimated, I'm thinking that that little give-and-take would make a GREAT springboard for someone's Ph.D. thesis in sociology.

by the way, not to derail the thread, but when I read:

"Happy to go blind"

I thought you were going to start talking about masturbation.

Some Schmo wrote:by the way, not to derail the thread, but when I read:

"Happy to go blind"

I thought you were going to start talking about masturbation.

Me too. I also wondered if that's why the incidence of colorblindness is higher amoung males.

I suppose you could put that on topic by saying that willful ignorance is a form of self-defilement.

I know it's a simple answer.....but IGNORANCE REALLY IS BLISS!

For the average TBM, their whole lives they have been fed the BS line that anti's take things out of context and make them look bad, if not promoting outright lies.

My wife at the time, when I was starting to question, kept coming back to the fact that there are some REALLY smart men in the LDS church. If these anti-Mormon lies were really true, wouldn't these extremely smart men have figured it out? [rolls eyes]

It is enough for them to believe that someone else has discredited the anti-Mormon lies. Conversely, it is enough for them to believe that someone else has found loads of proof that the Book of Mormon is true! Now they can stay safe and happy in their **dream world.

**Note: I am not saying that because you believe in Mormonism, you are living in a dream world. Rather that those who dare not look for fear of bursting their bubble of reality are living in a dream world which they have no desire to entertain the possibility of awakening.