What To Do When You Have Questions - Insight From New Era

[Scott Lloyd]

While browsing the net I ran across this article.

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/when-you-have-questions?lang=eng

It's in the New Era magazine, but I see it as beneficial for adults as well as youth.

It draws a distinction between <questioning> and <asking questions>.

I have to observe that in fora pertaining to the Church such as this one, I see more questioning than I do the more beneficial and productive asking of questions.

The distinction is explained in the article. It's worth a read.

[BCSpace]

Good find.

[bjw]

Very good article.

I think this is very important because we now live in an age where both sides to every issue are at your fingertips. There are no more secrets, when someone gets a pass along card or missionary visit they can immediately google our church and learn both sides to all the issues. This is where I think people like Nibley were ahead of their time.

I have seen many deceptive anti videos that make our church look bad without showing our side. It is now very important to be able to explain our side of every issue, and encouraging these teens to start asking these controversial questions is definitely a step in the right direction.

[theplains]

While browsing the net I ran across this article.

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/when-you-have-questions?lang=eng

It's in the New Era magazine, but I see it as beneficial for adults as well as youth.

 

Does the LDS Church produce anything today of the same caliber as "Answers to Gospel

Questions" (5 volumes) that was published decades ago?

 

Thanks,

Jim

[cinepro]

Does the LDS Church produce anything today of the same caliber as "Answers to Gospel

Questions" (5 volumes) that was published decades ago?

 

Thanks,

Jim

No, it's all much better.

[Scott Lloyd]

Does the LDS Church produce anything today of the same caliber as "Answers to Gospel

Questions" (5 volumes) that was published decades ago?

 

Thanks,

Jim

This initiative on the Church website might be regarded as similar in some respects, I suppose.

[Kenngo1969]

Does the LDS Church produce anything today of the same caliber as "Answers to Gospel

Questions" (5 volumes) that was published decades ago?

 

Thanks,

Jim

 

No, it's all much better.

 

I'm not sure Jim thinks Answers to Gospel Questions is all that high-caliber of a publication.  Right, Jim?

Edited June 27, 2014 by Kenngo1969

[Scott Lloyd]

I'm not sure Jim thinks Answers to Gospel Questions is all that high-caliber of a publication.  Right, Jim?

Ah, I see. I was being set up.

 

I think I'm already as harmless as a dove; maybe I need to work on being wise as a serpent when dealing with those who would question as opposed to asking questions.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Scott Lloyd

[why me]

John Dehlin was just on NPR talking about asking tough questions. He claims that he is facing excommunication because of his support for gay rights in the mormon church and for asking tough questions. The church PR person stated on NPR, members should not dictate to god what his church should be.

 

 

http://www.npr.org/2014/06/27/326200195/podcaster-risks-excommunication-for-defending-gay-mormons

 

 

Church officials appear to be more upset with the way members are raising issues than with the issues themselves. "There is room to ask questions, but how we ask those questions is just as important as what we ask," says Ally Isom, a spokeswoman for the church's public relations department. "We should not try to dictate to God what is right for his church."

 

The interview fits the OP like a glove.

Edited June 28, 2014 by why me

[jkwilliams]

Seems to me that questioning, not just asking questions, is essential to developing true faith. Deciding that some parts of our belief system are beyond examination and question is counterproductive, IMO.

[ERayR]

This statement shows that he does not understand the the restoration and the difference between man controlled governance and God controlled.  He doesn't really understand whose church it is.

 

"I do have kind of a 21st-century view of Mormonism," Dehlin says. "Many other more mature religious traditions like Catholicism, like many in the Jewish faith, have realized that when science and religion conflict, science usually wins."

[why me]

Seems to me that questioning, not just asking questions, is essential to developing true faith. Deciding that some parts of our belief system are beyond examination and question is counterproductive, IMO.

You are right. But this is not what we are dealing with now. People in the church have always asked questions. Members are not morgbots. However, when one takes to the airwaves and frames the questions in a 'This is what the church should be' then the problems develop. If I am a catholic priest or an orthodox priest I can not take to the airwaves and dictate what the church should be. I would probably get into trouble from the higher ups. These churches are also very top down and claim to be the true church of god. The PR lds woman was correct in her statement: one cannot dictate to god what his church should be. And this is where the questioning can run  into problems especially if such questions lead to dictating what church policy should be.

 

Ray, I don't think that the catholic church would state that science always wins. But they would say that science and faith can compliment the other. John was a little off the mark in his statement.

 

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/facts/fm0162.htm

Edited June 28, 2014 by why me

[jkwilliams]

You are right. But this is not what we are dealing with now. People in the church have always asked questions. Members are not morgbots. However, when one takes to the airwaves and frames the questions in a 'This is what the church should be' then the problems develop. If I am a catholic priest or an orthodox priest I can not take to the airwaves and dictate what the church should be. I would probably get into trouble from the higher ups. These churches are also very top down and claim to be the true church of god. The PR lds woman was correct in her statement: one cannot dictate to god what his church should be. And this is where the questioning can run  into problems especially if such questions lead to dictating what church policy should be.

 

I wasn't making any comment about people taking to the airwaves or tell God what to do but rather was referring to the distinction made between questioning and asking questioning. Truth can handle being picked apart, disputed, and challenged. We shouldn't be afraid to do just that. If our faith can't handle being challenged, it's probably not a very strong faith.

[The Nehor]

Does the LDS Church produce anything today of the same caliber as "Answers to Gospel

Questions" (5 volumes) that was published decades ago?

 

Those are decent books but they are addressed to the firm believer asking esoteric questions, not someone struggling with their faith.

 

Unless you genuinely struggle with the questions the book answers I suppose.....but I have never met anyone who apostasized over issues like those. I have met people who apostasized because they disagreed with the answers but those were mostly people who thought they were special and knew better.

[why me]

I wasn't making any comment about people taking to the airwaves or tell God what to do but rather was referring to the distinction made between questioning and asking questioning. Truth can handle being picked apart, disputed, and challenged. We shouldn't be afraid to do just that. If our faith can't handle being challenged, it's probably not a very strong faith.

You gave a very good sound bite. But quite often, faith is not very strong. If it were strong, why are some members of the church questioning their way out of the faith? It is not asking questions that is the problem but how one asks the questions. John has been questioning his way out of and into the church for years. He is now back out from his questioning. It is all in the how one questions.

 

For example, john claims in the NPR link that he is being exed because of his support of gay rights. Not true. Church members can support gay rights and be perfectly fine in the church. One can be a feminist in the church and be perfectly fine. It is all the how one is a feminist in the church etc. and how one questions: to make the faith stronger or weaker in the other members of the church and in one's self.

 

It would be wonderful if truth and faith were strong concepts. But if they are attacked and attack and constantly questioned in a negative way, they can become weaker and eventually crack around us, regardless if they are still true.. And of course we have Pilate's question: what is truth? The famous question that blinded Pilate from the truth.

Edited June 28, 2014 by why me

[cinepro]

 

 "We should not try to dictate to God what is right for his church."

 

 

 

That being the case, is it too much to ask for God to dictate to us what He thinks is right for His Church?  I suspect some of these problems with "questions" stem from a lack of direction and communication from the Prophet, and sending in a PR spokesperson is a pretty weak way to deal with an issue. 

 

Perhaps part of the problem is that members are finding their leaders to not be what they said they were...?

[theplains]

I'm not sure Jim thinks Answers to Gospel Questions is all that high-caliber of a publication.  Right, Jim?

 

While I don't agree with some of what the books say, I personally view them as high-caliber

publications (along the same lines as Gospel Doctrine and Doctrines of Salvation).  I'm not

sure of others, but I can definitely sense he is teaching with an authoritative tone.  I'll post

some topics in the future to discuss.

 

Thanks,

Jim

[Scott Lloyd]

Seems to me that questioning, not just asking questions, is essential to developing true faith. Deciding that some parts of our belief system are beyond examination and question is counterproductive, IMO.

I'm not sure you understand the definitions given in the article cited.

 

Questioning, here, refers to challenging, disputing, or picking something apart. When it comes to religion, the result of this approach is often not to find answers but rather to find fault and destroy confidence.

 

The author is giving advice here -- to young members of the Church in particular -- cautioning them about the attitude with which one approaches the asking of questions and how such an attitude makes a difference in where it might lead them.

 

Speaking personally, I would capsulize it as an attitude of antagonism vs. an attitude of inquiry and curiosity.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

That being the case, is it too much to ask for God to dictate to us what He thinks is right for His Church?  I suspect some of these problems with "questions" stem from a lack of direction and communication from the Prophet, and sending in a PR spokesperson is a pretty weak way to deal with an issue. 

 

Perhaps part of the problem is that members are finding their leaders to not be what they said they were...?

To quote Michael Otterson on this matter, Church Public Affairs spokesmen and spokeswomen do not free-lance.

 

And in any event, do you really think it would make that much difference if the First Presidency spoke on each and every current issue as opposed to relying on Public Affairs to express the stance of the Church?

 

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, united as a council, have in the past couple of days spoken on issues pertaining to the Ordain Women movement and the recent excommunication of Kate Kelly. How much impact do you think that will have on OW and its sympathizers? I, for one, don't expect it will be very much.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Scott Lloyd

[stemelbow]

Seems to me that questioning, not just asking questions, is essential to developing true faith. Deciding that some parts of our belief system are beyond examination and question is counterproductive, IMO.

I agree. The article linked to states that questioning is "challenging, disputing, or picking something apart."

if you can't challenge your assumptions you'll find yourself stuck faith-wise, I'm guessing.

it goes on to say:

"When it comes to religion, the result of this approach is often not to find answers but rather to find fault and destroy confidence."

This all seems to kind of undermine the distinction the article tried to set up. Even if it's true that the result is "often" to find fault and destroy confidence, we know, then, other times it is not to find fault and destroy confidence. Questioning then does not always lead to the negative. Why is that? The article won't way. it seems to only want to say asking "good" questions is ok, but asking tough questions can really just be an effort to find fault and destroy confidence.

[Scott Lloyd]

I agree. The article linked to states that questioning is "challenging, disputing, or picking something apart."

if you can't challenge your assumptions you'll find yourself stuck faith-wise, I'm guessing.

it goes on to say:

"When it comes to religion, the result of this approach is often not to find answers but rather to find fault and destroy confidence."

This all seems to kind of undermine the distinction the article tried to set up. Even if it's true that the result is "often" to find fault and destroy confidence, we know, then, other times it is not to find fault and destroy confidence. Questioning then does not always lead to the negative. Why is that? The article won't way. it seems to only want to say asking "good" questions is ok, but asking tough questions can really just be an effort to find fault and destroy confidence.

I don't see any prohibition in there about asking so-called "tough" questions. Rather it seems to be focusing on the attitude with which the questions are posed.

 

Did you see my post responding to jkwilliams? Are you saying that questions about the Church must be adversarial to be productive?

[stemelbow]

I don't see any prohibition in there about asking so-called "tough" questions. Rather it seems to be focusing on the attitude with which the questions are posed.

 

Did you see my post responding to jkwilliams? Are you saying that questions about the Church must be adversarial to be productive?

I just went back and read your response. It was a good response. Sometimes I jump the gun in these discussions before I get them all.

I'm still not sure I see a big distinction. After all, its obvious something other than fault finding and destruction can come from questioning, even the article could suggest that. Does challenging our assumptions equate to asking a question or questioning? And can we actually benefit if our assumptions come out to be wrong?

I honestly think the dichotomy in this article is overblown and misses on a key positive we can get out of questioning, which is too bad.

[cinepro]

Next month they should have a follow up article called "What Not To Do When You Have Questions".

[jstme]

There seems to be an element of, "If you ask questions correctly, you will get the answer that says the Church is true. However, if you ask incorrectly you may get another answer. If you get some other answer, revaluate the way you asked your question, cast aside your doubt, ask again, and you will get the right answer...if you don't keep trying until you do." I hope that this comment does not come off as inflamitory, but I am having a big struggle with this right now. Any insight or elaboration is appreciated.

[why me]

There seems to be an element of, "If you ask questions correctly, you will get the answer that says the Church is true. However, if you ask incorrectly you may get another answer. If you get some other answer, revaluate the way you asked your question, cast aside your doubt, ask again, and you will get the right answer...if you don't keep trying until you do." I hope that this comment does not come off as inflamitory, but I am having a big struggle with this right now. Any insight or elaboration is appreciated.

I don't see it the way you do. The book of mormon is very clear about it. Pray about and you will receive an answer. It may come quickly as in my case or it may take time but it will come. I also think that it can come naturally but I wouldn't be waiting for it to happen. Also, the witness can come in various of ways. I don't think that the 'burning of the bossom is the way to go. It can be a wonderful spiritual experience but such an experience can come in various of ways. You just need to prepared to receive it so it is not missed.