"Choose the Light" - LDS Video for those who doubt?

[cinepro]

The Church has a video on the website that appears to be an allegory for those who doubt.

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-011-choose-the-light?lang=eng

It's about 7 minutes long and worth a watch, but here's the summary.

A man is bicycling alone out in the mountains.  He is going fast, and accomplishes a goal (speed or distance) that brings him great joy.

As he is celebrating his joy, he suddenly sees a rattlesnake in his path, and crashes severely when he tries to avoid it.

Now injured, he remounts his miraculously undamaged bike and uses his GPS to find a short cut.  This takes him off the paved road onto a dirt road.

He finds another shortcut, and this one takes him to a dark tunnel, with a sign saying the tunnel is one mile long and riders should have lights!  The cyclist checks his bag and finds his flashlight has no batteries.  He has two wood matches.

He continues into the tunnel, cycling further into the darkness and away from the light, with a dim cycle light lighting his path.  Further into the tunnel, his light goes out, and he is plunged into darkness.  He uses his last two matches to try and see, but they don't last long.

Just when it seems all is lost, a bright light begins approaching.  As it gets closer, it turns out to be another cyclist.  This cyclist calls out "Need a light?  Let's go man."  The injured cyclist jumps on his bike and follows, reaching the end of the tunnel, riding into the sunlight, and continuing his journey.

This is the narration at the end of the video:
 

Quote

 

We may feel confident that we are ready to face challenges--only to find that our preparations have been insufficient. While we are struggling in the darkness, there is nothing wrong with relying temporarily upon the light of those who love us. But we cannot rely upon the light of others forever.

We must act, expecting that the Lord will fulfill His promise to lift us from the darkness if we draw near unto Him.

No matter how intense the darkness of doubt, we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence us.

 

So what do the sequence of events in the video mean?

This is my guess.

The guy on the bike is a member of the Church, riding along in good spirits and strong testimony.  The rattlesnake is information about the Church that causes the member to stumble (i.e. the "CES Letter" or the Gospel Topics essays).  After stumbling and "injuring' his testimony, the member continues researching, looking for "shortcuts" that take him further off the paved road (and his previously mapped route) into the woods.  Finally, he reaches the point of darkness and despair, with little "light" to guide him back.

The guy on the bike that helps him is another member with a strong testimony who helps use his "light" to guide the lost member back to the light, with the lost member relying on the borrowed light until he is able to once again see the path.

What do you think?

Edited August 22, 2017 by cinepro

[Calm]

I think it works for that, but could be applied to anything that causes doubt, such as tragedies that make one wonder about God's love.

[bluebell]

I swear I just read this story about the bike and that we were talking about it on here a few weeks ago?  Anyone else remember that or am I way confused?

[stemelbow]

What if we don't have a loved one who is in a position to light our way? 

Whatever the case that road, covering an old unused train track, looks like a fun one to travel down, on a narrow bridge and through a tunnel.  I wonder where it is and how long it is.  The analogy of the story was adorbs and all that, but  I want to ride my bike on that bridge with my kids. 

[RevTestament]

1 hour ago, cinepro said:

The Church has a video on the website that appears to be an allegory for those who doubt.

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-011-choose-the-light?lang=eng

It's about 7 minutes long and worth a watch, but here's the summary.

A man is bicycling alone out in the mountains.  He is going fast, and accomplishes a goal (speed or distance) that brings him great joy.

As he is celebrating his joy, he suddenly sees a rattlesnake in his path, and crashes severely when he tries to avoid it.

Now injured, he remounts his miraculously undamaged bike and uses his GPS to find a short cut.  This takes him off the paved road onto a dirt road.

He finds another shortcut, and this one takes him to a dark tunnel, with a sign saying the tunnel is one mile long and riders should have lights!  The cyclist checks his bag and finds his flashlight has no batteries.  He has two wood matches.

He continues into the tunnel, cycling further into the darkness and away from the light, with a dim cycle light lighting his path.  Further into the tunnel, his light goes out, and he is plunged into darkness.  He uses his last two matches to try and see, but they don't last long.

Just when it seems all is lost, a bright light begins approaching.  As it gets closer, it turns out to be another cyclist.  This cyclist calls out "Need a light?  Let's go man."  The injured cyclist jumps on his bike and follows, reaching the end of the tunnel, riding into the sunlight, and continuing his journey.

This is the narration at the end of the video:
 

So what do the sequence of events in the video mean?

This is my guess.

The guy on the bike is a member of the Church, riding along in good spirits and strong testimony.  The rattlesnake is information about the Church that causes the member to stumble (i.e. the "CES Letter" or the Gospel Topics essays).  After stumbling and "injuring' his testimony, the member continues researching, looking for "shortcuts" that take him further off the paved road (and his previously mapped route) into the woods.  Finally, he reaches the point of darkness and despair, with little "light" to guide him back.

The guy on the bike that helps him is another member with a strong testimony who helps use his "light" to guide the lost member back to the light, with the lost member relying on the borrowed light until he is able to once again see the path.

What do you think?

Unexpectedly, this video had a somewhat powerful effect on me. Perhaps because I left the Church, and found my way back - but through some dark times. However, the only member who led me back was Yeshua. It wasn't just another bicyclist but more like getting a spotlight from a train running me out of the tunnel....lol. Anyway, I think you hit the nail on the head.

PS. his last light was from his cell phone which ran out of battery power in the tunnel.

[Bernard Gui]

2 hours ago, cinepro said:

The Church has a video on the website that appears to be an allegory for those who doubt.

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-011-choose-the-light?lang=eng

It's about 7 minutes long and worth a watch, but here's the summary.

A man is bicycling alone out in the mountains.  He is going fast, and accomplishes a goal (speed or distance) that brings him great joy.

As he is celebrating his joy, he suddenly sees a rattlesnake in his path, and crashes severely when he tries to avoid it.

Now injured, he remounts his miraculously undamaged bike and uses his GPS to find a short cut.  This takes him off the paved road onto a dirt road.

He finds another shortcut, and this one takes him to a dark tunnel, with a sign saying the tunnel is one mile long and riders should have lights!  The cyclist checks his bag and finds his flashlight has no batteries.  He has two wood matches.

He continues into the tunnel, cycling further into the darkness and away from the light, with a dim cycle light lighting his path.  Further into the tunnel, his light goes out, and he is plunged into darkness.  He uses his last two matches to try and see, but they don't last long.

Just when it seems all is lost, a bright light begins approaching.  As it gets closer, it turns out to be another cyclist.  This cyclist calls out "Need a light?  Let's go man."  The injured cyclist jumps on his bike and follows, reaching the end of the tunnel, riding into the sunlight, and continuing his journey.

This is the narration at the end of the video:
 

So what do the sequence of events in the video mean?

This is my guess.

The guy on the bike is a member of the Church, riding along in good spirits and strong testimony.  The rattlesnake is information about the Church that causes the member to stumble (i.e. the "CES Letter" or the Gospel Topics essays).  After stumbling and "injuring' his testimony, the member continues researching, looking for "shortcuts" that take him further off the paved road (and his previously mapped route) into the woods.  Finally, he reaches the point of darkness and despair, with little "light" to guide him back.

The guy on the bike that helps him is another member with a strong testimony who helps use his "light" to guide the lost member back to the light, with the lost member relying on the borrowed light until he is able to once again see the path.

What do you think?

Or you are somewhat successfully navigating through life when then you lose two sons to heroin overdose. You wander through sad, dark, depressed, and dangerous days. Doubts encircle you and you lose your way, You consider giving up, but you meet someone who has been where you were and has come back prepared with light to share with you. For a while you hold to that glimmer of hope. Eventually you find your way back to the path, using your own light once again, but humbler, wiser, less judgmental, more grateful for small things, looking for someone who may need a little light themselves.

That's another way to look at it. That's what I think.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

Quote

Eventually you find your way back to the path, using your own light once again, but humbler, wiser, less judgmental,more grateful for small things, looking for someone who may need a little light themselves.

Just to clarify, the person who lost two sons to heroin overdose is the person who lit the way for us when we were wandering down dark paths.

[hope_for_things]

2 hours ago, cinepro said:

No matter how intense the darkness of doubt, we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence us.

I believe light and dark are inspirational metaphors for religion to use.  For me personally, these metaphors are some of the most valuable ones to consider.  I love the idea that each new day represents a new beginning, the sun comes up again and we have all new opportunities.  I also love that each day also has a night, and that we shouldn't be afraid of the dark, that darkness is part of our daily experience and is natural and important.  

I also think that doubt is nothing to be afraid of and is natural and helps us to grow.  I don't think we should avoid doubt, I think we should recognize that doubt is not the opposite of faith.  The opposite of faith is certainty.  Doubt is natural and expected and isn't evil or wrong, but is a part of the learning process of life and part of our wrestle with contradictory information that causes us to re-think and re-prioritize our values.  

This last line from the summary at the end is really so reductionist and untrue.  I don't think we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence.  From my experience, people don't choose doubt, but that doubts come at them from the multitude of experiences that life throws at them. I've also learned that its part of the natural adult development process for many people to go through long and pronounced phases of doubt in their life, and learning more about this has helped me to cope with the cultural shaming and negative stereotypes about those that doubt.  

Ultimately, if you're doubting I say yahoo!!!   You are experiencing life, you are wrestling with the challenges that come your way.  Don't run away from your challenges.  Don't expect someone else to bail you out (borrowed light), adjust your expectations, learn to experience the doubt and don't look for easy answers to just get through it.  Its part of how we grow.  Be humble, be teachable.  Unfortunately the messages from the church hierarchy including these videos that I think are really made for young audiences, are often very simplistic and don't give good advice for a broad audience.  

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, hope_for_things said:

............................................................  

Ultimately, if you're doubting I say yahoo!!!   You are experiencing life, you are wrestling with the challenges that come your way.  Don't run away from your challenges.  Don't expect someone else to bail you out (borrowed light), adjust your expectations, learn to experience the doubt and don't look for easy answers to just get through it.  Its part of how we grow.  Be humble, be teachable.  Unfortunately the messages from the church hierarchy including these videos that I think are really made for young audiences, are often very simplistic and don't give good advice for a broad audience.  

I thought that this video could fit comfortably within nearly any Christian denominational background.  Very nicely done.

[hope_for_things]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

I thought that this video could fit comfortably within nearly any Christian denominational background.  Very nicely done.

If true that says a lot about simple and reductive Christian denominations are in general.  

[Robert F. Smith]

2 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

If true that says a lot about simple and reductive Christian denominations are in general.  

Sometimes the simple can be profound, as in this case.

[Bernard Gui]

2 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Sometimes the simple can be profound, as in this case.

Through simple things God makes miracles happen. Like the kind words of a friend or a pan of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls.

[Meerkat]

8 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

If true that says a lot about simple and reductive Christian denominations are in general.  

Hope, you started your comment stating light and darkness are inspirational metaphors. You concluded that a simple statement you haven't experienced yet is "reductionist." Belief, to many, is a choice that lifts them out of darkness and depression.  We choose to attend a family support group every week for the same purpose, to be lifted from discouragement and experience the healing influence if the Atonement.  We would still be depressed and discouraged, had we not made that particular choice.  We had had enough and were ready for a change.

Judging from the following quotation, the story was clearly not reductionist to him.  It was significant and meaningful.  It reached him at a time when he was ready to choose hope. It may be helpful to look a little deeper into simple stories and experiences, if one seeks understanding.  I'm reminded of the old "If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, was there sound?"question.  It always struck me that "Of course there was." Jesus spoke in simple parables that were just stories to some, but profound lessons to those who were ready to hear.  I believe we are showered with those experiences on a regular basis.  Reductionist to some. Profound and healing to others.

11 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Just to clarify, the person who lost two sons to heroin overdose is the person who lit the way for us when we were wandering down dark paths.

 

Edited August 23, 2017 by Meerkat

[Atheist Mormon]

18 hours ago, cinepro said:

The Church has a video on the website that appears to be an allegory for those who doubt.

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-011-choose-the-light?lang=eng

It's about 7 minutes long and worth a watch, but here's the summary.

A man is bicycling alone out in the mountains.  He is going fast, and accomplishes a goal (speed or distance) that brings him great joy.

As he is celebrating his joy, he suddenly sees a rattlesnake in his path, and crashes severely when he tries to avoid it.

Now injured, he remounts his miraculously undamaged bike and uses his GPS to find a short cut.  This takes him off the paved road onto a dirt road.

He finds another shortcut, and this one takes him to a dark tunnel, with a sign saying the tunnel is one mile long and riders should have lights!  The cyclist checks his bag and finds his flashlight has no batteries.  He has two wood matches.

He continues into the tunnel, cycling further into the darkness and away from the light, with a dim cycle light lighting his path.  Further into the tunnel, his light goes out, and he is plunged into darkness.  He uses his last two matches to try and see, but they don't last long.

Just when it seems all is lost, a bright light begins approaching.  As it gets closer, it turns out to be another cyclist.  This cyclist calls out "Need a light?  Let's go man."  The injured cyclist jumps on his bike and follows, reaching the end of the tunnel, riding into the sunlight, and continuing his journey.

This is the narration at the end of the video:
 

So what do the sequence of events in the video mean?

This is my guess.

The guy on the bike is a member of the Church, riding along in good spirits and strong testimony.  The rattlesnake is information about the Church that causes the member to stumble (i.e. the "CES Letter" or the Gospel Topics essays).  After stumbling and "injuring' his testimony, the member continues researching, looking for "shortcuts" that take him further off the paved road (and his previously mapped route) into the woods.  Finally, he reaches the point of darkness and despair, with little "light" to guide him back.

The guy on the bike that helps him is another member with a strong testimony who helps use his "light" to guide the lost member back to the light, with the lost member relying on the borrowed light until he is able to once again see the path.

What do you think?

What do you think?

I can tell you what's going to happen, with confidence......years ago, I was hiking in Canyonlands (this was way before GPS invention) alone, I parked my car above the Rim and descended down to river with a small bottle of water (I know better now), toward the evening I lost my way up with less than an ounce water left. There's a White Rim Road there but who drives on it? Traffic is nonexistent....anyway, I started walking but stopped when night fell, built a fire & started to feel sorry myself...I tried eating some small prickly pear cactus which was a horrible choice, my mouth was full of needles & my tongue grew twice in size.....Next day I did not see anyone, I was seriously thirsty...I could not pray at all, It was so futile, there was nobody out there....pray to what, Thin air? Anyway after walking 5-6 miles, next day I found a well organized campsite and all the water....I could not believe, I drank ten cups easy.....afterwards I saw the ranger...... The Ranger brought me in car....That day I definitely lost it (besides few toenails), I knew for sure I was alone.

 

[hope_for_things]

9 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Sometimes the simple can be profound, as in this case.

And other times the simple can be narrow in application and not have any depth.  That's what I see here.  Nice try heartsell, but I'm not sold.  

[stemelbow]

16 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

I believe light and dark are inspirational metaphors for religion to use.  For me personally, these metaphors are some of the most valuable ones to consider.  I love the idea that each new day represents a new beginning, the sun comes up again and we have all new opportunities.  I also love that each day also has a night, and that we shouldn't be afraid of the dark, that darkness is part of our daily experience and is natural and important.  

I also think that doubt is nothing to be afraid of and is natural and helps us to grow.  I don't think we should avoid doubt, I think we should recognize that doubt is not the opposite of faith.  The opposite of faith is certainty.  Doubt is natural and expected and isn't evil or wrong, but is a part of the learning process of life and part of our wrestle with contradictory information that causes us to re-think and re-prioritize our values.  

This last line from the summary at the end is really so reductionist and untrue.  I don't think we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence.  From my experience, people don't choose doubt, but that doubts come at them from the multitude of experiences that life throws at them. I've also learned that its part of the natural adult development process for many people to go through long and pronounced phases of doubt in their life, and learning more about this has helped me to cope with the cultural shaming and negative stereotypes about those that doubt.  

Ultimately, if you're doubting I say yahoo!!!   You are experiencing life, you are wrestling with the challenges that come your way.  Don't run away from your challenges.  Don't expect someone else to bail you out (borrowed light), adjust your expectations, learn to experience the doubt and don't look for easy answers to just get through it.  Its part of how we grow.  Be humble, be teachable.  Unfortunately the messages from the church hierarchy including these videos that I think are really made for young audiences, are often very simplistic and don't give good advice for a broad audience.  

I agree.  The difficulties to faith brought on by doubt aren't to be feared or eschewed.  They should be accepted and provide drive for further exploration.  This fearing stuff, lest we lose members seems silly to me.  Trusting in another doesnt' help us near as much.  The silly part of the video is, the guy could have just kept moving forward, slowly, walking his bike and would have seen the light and gotten out just fine.  He didn't need another person to come along to light the way.  Friends and I used to play a game.  We'd travel deep into a cave or mine.  leave one person behind, take all lights and that one person had to wait before trying to get out.  We always ended up with scrapes, bruises and bumps all over us, but we always made it out.  I do remember the first time it was my time to be left behind.  It was a very lonely feeling.  It was quite difficult to feel your way out. 

[hope_for_things]

1 hour ago, stemelbow said:

I agree.  The difficulties to faith brought on by doubt aren't to be feared or eschewed.  They should be accepted and provide drive for further exploration.  This fearing stuff, lest we lose members seems silly to me.  Trusting in another doesnt' help us near as much.  The silly part of the video is, the guy could have just kept moving forward, slowly, walking his bike and would have seen the light and gotten out just fine.  He didn't need another person to come along to light the way.  Friends and I used to play a game.  We'd travel deep into a cave or mine.  leave one person behind, take all lights and that one person had to wait before trying to get out.  We always ended up with scrapes, bruises and bumps all over us, but we always made it out.  I do remember the first time it was my time to be left behind.  It was a very lonely feeling.  It was quite difficult to feel your way out. 

Its a very childlike dichotomy between good and bad, light and dark.  Darkness is always bad and light is always good.  Its understandable because a surface reading of some scriptures give this impression too.  I think this works for primary lessons, and some youth groups.  

[pogi]

2 hours ago, Atheist Mormon said:

What do you think?

I can tell you what's going to happen, with confidence......years ago, I was hiking in Canyonlands (this was way before GPS invention) alone, I parked my car above the Rim and descended down to river with a small bottle of water (I know better now), toward the evening I lost my way up with less than an ounce water left. There's a White Rim Road there but who drives on it? Traffic is nonexistent....anyway, I started walking but stopped when night fell, built a fire & started to feel sorry myself...I tried eating some small prickly pear cactus which was a horrible choice, my mouth was full of needles & my tongue grew twice in size.....Next day I did not see anyone, I was seriously thirsty...I could not pray at all, It was so futile, there was nobody out there....pray to what, Thin air? Anyway after walking 5-6 miles, next day I found a well organized campsite and all the water....I could not believe, I drank ten cups easy.....afterwards I saw the ranger...... The Ranger brought me in car....That day I definitely lost it (besides few toenails), I knew for sure I was alone.

I am not sure how this story demonstrates that you are "alone". 

[hagoth7]

22 hours ago, bluebell said:

I swear I just read this story about the bike and that we were talking about it on here a few weeks ago?  Anyone else remember that or am I way confused?

Or...Mandela effect.

[Atheist Mormon]

7 hours ago, pogi said:

I am not sure how this story demonstrates that you are "alone". 

Well I was.....You are free to interpret that I was being guided (which I won't ridicule). 

[The Nehor]

9 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

Its a very childlike dichotomy between good and bad, light and dark.  Darkness is always bad and light is always good.  Its understandable because a surface reading of some scriptures give this impression too.  I think this works for primary lessons, and some youth groups.  

Since we are supposed to become as a little child I hope you were not attempting to be condescending with that comparison.

[The Nehor]

23 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

If true that says a lot about simple and reductive Christian denominations are in general.  

If the gospel was intended only for the intellectually brilliant to understand then God damned the rather large portion of the human race born stupid right off the bat.

I believe the gospel can tax brilliance and even genius in trying to understand it but you do not have to be a genius to access its power. If it was a requirement I would end up very lonely in heaven.  

[hope_for_things]

1 hour ago, The Nehor said:

Since we are supposed to become as a little child I hope you were not attempting to be condescending with that comparison.

The important question would be in what ways should we be child like, not in all ways surely you can see that.  

[hope_for_things]

1 hour ago, The Nehor said:

If the gospel was intended only for the intellectually brilliant to understand then God damned the rather large portion of the human race born stupid right off the bat.

I believe the gospel can tax brilliance and even genius in trying to understand it but you do not have to be a genius to access its power. If it was a requirement I would end up very lonely in heaven.  

Mormon theology would say we're judged according to our capacity to understand.  Also, where much is given much is required.  I think that covers it.  

[The Nehor]

9 minutes ago, hope_for_things said:

The important question would be in what ways should we be child like, not in all ways surely you can see that.  

Mommy! He is being mean to me!!!!