I think that I'm slowly changing my mind.I've been wanting to say that the church is the right choice for anyone who sincerely feels that the church is true- I think I've been using the phrase "live and momentous option." But now I'm not so sure. If believing in church doctrine fosters bigotry, belittling, pride, elitism, and most of all if it hinders a person from thinking for themselves, then the option is momentous in a negative way and should be abandoned. Even if it simultaneously fosters service, devotion, prayer, modesty, and teaches peace, hope, and charity- real Christ-like love is not attained when any of the former qualities are present.
And I believe this is true not only for Mormonism but for any organized religion. Does God really want organized finger-pointing? Sadly, I think that many people belonging to any organized religion are too caught up in being right to be genuinely loving people. They may have their moments of charity and understanding, but there's no escaping the innate selfishness of the phrase, "I am right and you are wrong" -especially when we have no way of proving whose religious ideas are true. However, not all followers fall into this category. Some of my dearest friends (yes, some of them are Mormons) break the mold. And I am very blessed to have parents that are pretty open-minded as well. My mother has told me more than once that she wonders if in the end we will find out that none of the religions had it all right; more and more I am inclined to believe that she is right.
Life is about learning to love, and though almost any organized religion would agree with that notion, religious division frequently seems to prevent people from achieving true charity because they mistake pity for real love. I think a person is better off being an understanding atheist than a pitying believer.
What I'm trying to say with all of this is that I am feeling particularly disenchanted with organized religion in general and especially with Mormonism, since that is what I am presently most familiar with. I am not saying that it is bad to be a spiritual person or even a religious person- just so long as your religion doesn't turn you into a brainwashed raging finger-pointer on a pedestal.
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Hmmmm. I guess I should have saved _all_ of that interchange instead of just my last post.
Sorry, I was starting to feel our argument was leaning to the petty side and that it was just going to keep going on and on. Now if there wasn't such a thing as organized religion to divide us, we wouldn't have had to start arguing about it at all. ;)
I think you underestimate us. We would've found something. ;)
Hehe- Do you watch Will and Grace? I'm a huge fan. Whenever they get into arguments, they always "shorthand it" -they just get straight to the point and skip all of the mess in between.
So Potentate, we'll just short hand this one: I agree here. I disagree there. There's no way to prove this or that, and boys are hot.
Whew- I feel a lot better now that that's resolved. :P
Ahhh . . . boys. Love'em.
For the record, though, I was learning a lot with that argument, even if it was entirely theoretical. It made me think about things I don't usually think about, and I like that.
If you ever feel like picking it up again, let me know.
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