Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Im not 100% sure to what extent we choose to believe or disbelieve. Case in point: I personally know a woman who was raised in under communism. She was a pediatrician where she lived. A number of years ago, she was with a group of doctors from her country. They were in Germany on some sort of business. She was able, at one point, to slip away from the group and to keep from being found. Ultimately, she escaped, met the man who is now her husband, and moved to England with him. I remember clearly something she once told my mother. She said, When I have a very sick childs life in my hands, I want so much for there to be a God. I want so much to be able to ask for help from someone greater than myself. I just cant believe Hes there. This woman knew of God, but she had been raised to believe He didnt exist. She even wanted to believe, but for some reason she just didnt seem to be able to. I feel, on the other hand, that I was born believing in God. I had to learn about Jesus Christ. I had to learn about my LDS faith. But I truly feel as if I knew God was there from the first breath I took. My belief in Him is part of who I am, and there is absolutely nothing I can think of that would convince me He didnt exist. I believe there are some atheists (not all, but some) who are like this woman I know. Its not that they have chosen to disbelieve, but that they simply cant do it. I dont know why this is.Abram said:
As you probably know, the Latter-day Saints believe that by the time each of us stands before God to be judged, He will have provided us each with an equal opportunity to come to know both Him, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. For many of us, that opportunity comes as a part of this life. But for others, the opportunity may not come until they have died. During the time between death and resurrection and the final judgment, those who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ will be taught by those who have already accepted the truth. If you were a young man living in Iraq today, the opportunity to really understand Christianity would be next to non-existent. If youd grown up in 4th century China, you would almost certainly never have heard the name Jesus Christ spoken in your lifetime. If you were the woman I mentioned previously, the culture in which you were raised would have made believing very difficult. We Latter-day Saints believe that God wants all of us to return to His presence someday and will make sure that all of these barriers to our understanding will be removed before it is too late.
Matthew 7:13-14 states, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Before I comment on my belief, I would ask you to consider 1 Corinthians 15:22, in which we read, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
In Matthew 7:13-14, we are told that there will be few who find the way to life. In 1 Corinthians 15:22, we are told that, because of the Atonement of Christ, all will again live. This, from the standpoint of a non-believer, is a perfect example of how the Bible contradicts itself. Im not sure how you would explain the apparent discrepancy between what these two passages say. From an LDS perspective, Matthew is speaking of the fulness of salvation, also known as Exaltation or Eternal Life in the Celestial Kingdom. It would be entirely accurate to say that a relative few will attain the highest glory God has offered to mankind. On the other hand, 1 Corinthians speaks of the unconditional resurrection of every person who has ever lived on this earth. We believe that most of these individuals will ultimately receive at least a portion of the glorious reward God has in store for us. Some, because of their obedience and faithfulness, will receive a higher degree of glory than others.
What do you think this means, Abram? To me it means that God expects more of us than mere lip service. Declaring that we believe in Christ is not enough. We are expected to demonstrate our faith in Him through our faithfulness to Him. Like James says, Faith without works is dead. We are not saved by our works, but we are rewarded for them. They constitute a living faith, and it is by grace through a living faith in Christ that we are saved.
