Might as well put some spiritual journeys here as well.
President Uchtdorf gave a very interesting talk entitled “
Come,Join with Us.” In his usual loving and humorous manner he talked about why
people join the Church and why some leave. For the latter, he spoke directly and
gave several reasons of which I want to mention three: Fitting in, mistakes by Church leaders, and doubting our doubts.
(1) Do I fit in?
Some might say, “I just don’t fit in with you people in the Church.”
If
you could see into our hearts, you would probably find that you fit in
better than you suppose. You might be surprised to find that we have
yearnings and struggles and hopes similar to yours. Your background or
upbringing might seem different from what you perceive in many
Latter-day Saints, but that could be a blessing. Brothers and sisters,
dear friends, we need your unique talents and perspectives. The
diversity of persons and peoples all around the globe is a strength of
this Church.
(2) Church Leaders have Made Mistakes
I appreciated President Uchtdorf's directness when he said:
And,
to be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in
the Church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said
or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles, or
doctrine.
I
suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect
beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through
us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes.
In the title page of the Book of Mormon
we read, “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men;
wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless
at the judgment-seat of Christ.”
This is the way it has always been and will be until the perfect day when Christ Himself reigns personally upon the earth.
It is unfortunate that some have stumbled because of mistakes made by
men. But in spite of this, the eternal truth of the restored gospel
found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not
tarnished, diminished, or destroyed.
(3) Doubt Your Doubts
He stated, “Some struggle with unanswered questions about
things that have been done or said in the past. We openly acknowledge that in
nearly 200 years of Church history—along with an uninterrupted line of
inspired, honorable, and divine events—there have been some things said and
done that could cause people to question.”
Later he said:
It’s natural to have questions—the
acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of
understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another,
have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of
the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes
sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not
seen but which are true.
Therefore, my dear brothers and
sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your
faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us
prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have a few unanswered questions but I have faith that there are answers. One reason for that faith is that I have had questions answered in the past. Sometimes it does require some patience. I know someone at Spokane Falls CC who had been less active for years. She confided in an adjunct professor who was a member and told him that she had always wondered about a particular event in Church History. He gave her a number of a professor at BYU. She called and the professor was able to give her an explanation that made great sense. Meanwhile, she had let that affect her testimony all those years. It's okay to have questions -- there are answers.
