Responding To Detractors

Yesterday afternoon I started blog-hopping to pass the time while Gretch was napping on the couch. I stumbled upon a blog that had a discussion about whether or not Mormon missionaries should be allowed to do their work. It was written by a self-described "evangelical Christian" who took the opportunity to attack LDS doctrines, although not in any specific way. I left a comment for him, expressing my concern that, while he had claimed to want to know LDS beliefs, he didn't really. I explained how often I have met evangelicals like this who proclaim to know "all about Mormonism" and yet, whenever asked, they give a bunch of examples of LDS doctrines that are either completely false or, at best, misrepresented. This comment was followed up by several other posters who claimed that I was wrong, etc., etc., etc. The original author asked me for specfic examples of erroneous statements. I had not planned on replying further but then I decided I had "somewhat more to say" on the topic. Some may wonder why I spend time responding to such criticism. I do so only because it allows me to think about and express my faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The following is the text of my comment left on the author's blog:

I have had many evangelicals ask me for “specifics” when it comes to their erroneous statements about my faith. Every time I have complied, I have been given the same response: I’m wrong. I don’t know what I’m talking about. My church has lied. Etc. Etc. Etc.

You claim that [one blogger] was laying out doctrines that are in conflict with “accepted Christian doctrine” but you don’t specify who has decided that those doctrines are accepted. Which branch of Christianity’s acceptance do you adhere to? Roman Catholicism? Greek Orthodox? Coptic? Lutheranism? Prebyterianism? Methodism? Baptist? Southern Baptist? Anabaptist? Mennonite? Amish? Quaker? Shaker? Jehovah’s Witness? Messianic Judaism? There are so many versions of Christianity, each with their own specific teachings that are in conflict with one another, and yet you claim that they have accepted doctrines. Or do you just discount those with whom you disagree by calling them non-Christians?

You say you want to see both sides, but I have never met an evangelical who spends his (or her) time attacking the LDS faith that really wants to know. Instead, they seem to want to do nothing more than argue, and tell me that their Jesus is better than my Jesus.

You claim that my Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. I don’t know which Bible you mean. I believe in and follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ who declared that He was “the Way, the Truth, and Life” and went on to say that “no man cometh unto the Father but by me”. I believe in and follow the teachings of the Jesus Christ who said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I believe in the Jesus witnessed of by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, James, Jude, and many, many, many others.

Of course, you’ll just say that I am just saying that. That I don’t really believe in that same Jesus who gave His life so that all could live. That I don’t really believe in the Jesus who took upon Himself the suffering of all mankind so that we might, by repenting on putting our trust in Him, escape the torments of Hell and live with Him forever. Then you tell me that you know all about my religion because you’ve read my Bible and it is, “as dry as week-old cornbread”. Wow. I didn’t realise that evangelicals were so appalled by the flowing poetry of the English language found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. So, to you, it doesn’t matter what I believe. The only thing that matters is I am wrong and you are right. And because I am wrong, I have no right to share my beliefs with others. But you, because you are right, have the right to constantly tear me down.

A core tenant of the LDS faith, as outlined in our Articles of Faith, is the “privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow[ing] all men the same privilege; let them worship how, where, or what they may.” Unfortunately, it seems that evangelicals are less willing to allow others this privilege. Instead, I am constantly bombarded with attacks against my faith and my beliefs, and then told, “Oh, no, I’m not attacking you… I’m attacking the belief system.” That’s the same as saying to someone, “Hey, no offense, but you’re a drooling moron and I hope you die.” You then expect that person to say, “Oh, you meant no offense. Well, no offense taken, then!”

I am not seeking to come to a consensus on what is true and what is not. Every man, woman, and child on earth has been given the ability to make choices, and it is not for me to try to take the ability away. What I am seeking is to understand why so many evangelical Christians define by their faith by what they don’t believe, rather than what they do believe.

If you want the young people of your faith to be stronger to the belief system, start teaching them what the system does believe. Don’t waste time teaching about what others believe and then trying to explain why it is wrong! It is like teaching addition by saying “Two and two do not make one. Two and two do not make two. Two and two do not make three. Two and two do not make five. Two and two do not make…” It is so much more efficient to say “Two and two makes four!”

Why not try following the example of the Jesus you so obviously believe in, and teach, with love and kindness, pure doctrines?

Invite others to “come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of His salvation, and the power of His redemption”? Invite them to “come unto Him, and offer [their] whole souls as an offering unto Him.”

Say to all who wish to be saved by Christ: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness.” When you have invited others to do this, share with them the promise made of old: “If ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that by His grace ye may be perfect in Christ… [and] if ye by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, and deny not His power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”