I went to a funeral the other day. Thursday actually. It was for a young man named Monte. He was a son of one of the deputy's in Carson City. I went with my boss to show support but I didn't know him. He seemed like a good guy though. There was a lot of support there for the family. It was very nice to see.
The funeral was very nice. It was done at the mormon church next door to the high school in Carson. I'd been there once before for a funeral but didn't really remember anything about it so I didn't know what to expect.
I don't really know a whole lot about the mormon religion, I just know that it's pretty different from my background. While sitting in the service, there were a lot of different comments about Jesus Christ, the prophet Joseph Smith and others. It got me wondering if it was the same Jesus I read about. They prayed to Jesus too.
This got me wondering about what I believe and how I would communicate what I believe to someone. How would I tell them that I think I'm right and what I believe is true? How do we know that we are right or the mormons are right or the muslims are right for the matter? We all believe something to the point of making it who we are.
The bishop got up and spoke and while he was speaking about comfort, he said that God had told him to say something to the family. This man believes that God told him this. I believe that God speaks to me but I also believe I'm right. So if I'm right then is this guy wrong and hearing things or what? Am I making up these thoughts when God speaks to me? How do I communicate this?
I know what I believe and I believe that I'm right, but so do the mormons and everyone else that puts their faith into something or someone. I don't know how to communicate what is truth. They believe just as much as I do that they are correct.
I even know other christians that would tell me what I believe is wrong or I may disagree with what they believe. Seriously, how do you know who is right. Everyone says that they are right and they know truth. So what the heck. I've lost relationships due to this reason. It makes me wonder if I've lost someone great for nothing.
Sometimes I wonder if we're all missing it. Maybe we're all nuts? Maybe I'm nuts? I just know that I'm serving Jesus but the other guys think their serving the right God/god as well.
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7 comments:
these are great questions. a mormom wedding and a funeral (i just had a hugh grant movie idea) were the catalysts for my train of thought.
it's something that would be fun to get into more. i do wonder . . .
Your funny Matty! Yeah. I think we're all nuts. People definitely do a lot of nutty things in the name of religion and God...thats for sure!
I spent a summer in Salt Lake City to make money for college selling books door to door. yep. Anyways, polygamy was real and yeah, that's just........perty different than my backyard too. I do have mixed thoughts on mormon people because their doctrine is really whacked (even though they use our lingo).... but I do believe that many of the people in the movement are sincere and also sincerely misinformed even about what Mormonism is all about.... :D
Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist who speaks on university campuses might be an interesting read or podcast listen. He spoke at the University in Salt Lake once and I think you can get it somewhere, all about the centrality of Christ. You can get his podcasts for free on i-tunes. He also has two great books -- food for thought-- in this quest for communicating faith. One book is called "Jesus among other Gods" and the other is called "Can Man Live Without God." I respect and admire him and his work.
The thing is, they would say that we're whacked and misinformed. So how does the non-christ follower know what is truth. Truthfully, if that was me, I'd say screw it all. Who knows what these religious people are doing.
sorry i'm late to this one... just wanted to say good post. stuff I used to dwell on all of the time. I have no answers for you. Let me know if you find one:)
Laura, I was counting on you for the answer. Now what am I going to do?
Good question up there about the non-Christ follower and how he or she figures it out. Honestly, I believe there is different kinds of knowledge and you can find arguments for everything, to support your way of thinking. When it comes to the spiritual life, I'm convinced that there is something that happens inside at a point of faith in Christ, where you trust His words and His ways and it gives you access to a new life. What I'm trying to say is that what I tell people a lot is that they can be convinced one way or another by a good argument, but there is a truth they can know and God wants to make it clear. I'd love to chat about this ---not doing the best job writing my thoughts out....Oh well.
I understand your thoughts Jen. No problem. I'm not the only one who struggles with the "articulate suckage" as mentioned in another blog?
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