Brother Gordon is the president of FAIR. The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS (Mormon) doctrine, belief and practice. I think we need to remember that questions and concerns about the gospel aren't evil or bad. They are just questions. It's how we choose to deal with the questions that we have that can make or break us.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of visiting with a
brother who is struggling with his testimony. He was kind and
gracious as well as being open about his struggles. He is a good
returned missionary who is active in church and married in the
temple. He objected to one of the policy decisions that the Church
has recently made, and when he brought that objection up to members
of his extended family, he was immediately criticized for not
supporting the brethren. These confrontations with family members
then made him start to question other things he had learned in
Sunday School and Seminary.
As I have been thinking about this, I realize that the policy
decision by the Church did not impact this brother. There was no
change he had to make in his life; there was nothing he had to do.
But, questioning the one thing, and being met with negativity,
brought everything else into question.
It is not an uncommon occurrence that spiritual difficulties with
one small item can cause a larger problem. This "chink in the armor"
theory is a strategy that is often exploited by anti-Mormons
familiar with the phenomenon. Many anti-Mormons throw accusations,
many of which can be easily reconciled, with the hopes that one will
stick and gnaw at us until it leads to a major crisis of faith. In
the case of this brother, it wasn't anti-Mormonism that caused the
chink in his armor, but simply a Church policy he disagreed with.
While some believe that the gospel gives us answers to everything in
life, others feel learning to deal with ambiguity in life is an
important skill to master. I am a committed, believing Latter-day
Saint who believes the Church gives us many answers. I hold to the
position that the Lord wants to bless us, but sometimes we aren't
ready for that blessing, teaching, or information. There are good
members of the Church who may not do everything right, which brings
difficulties or ambiguity into our life. At times, we don't have a
complete understanding of some principle or practice. Sometimes we
can feel absolutely right on some principle or teaching, but we may
not be in agreement with another member or Church leader.
When I observe this principle, as I observed it in this brother, I
often reflect upon the phrase to "hold to the rod." What should we
hold on to in order to buttress our testimony and carry us through
life? There can be many things to choose from, but we must choose
wisely. In my case, I hold on to my testimony that Jesus is the
Christ, that He loves me, and that He died for my sins. I also hold
on to my testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. With those two
beliefs held as the rod of my testimony, other difficulties,
ambiguities, or disagreements become secondary.
I pray that we all can hold to the rod, that we can be kind to
others, and treat others as the Savior would treat them. This will
lead to happiness in our life.
--Scott Gordon
President of FAIR
