Are we living in the day prophesied by Heber C. Kimball?3
I’ve been exploring the internet going on four years, viewing websites and blogs that present information about the Mormon church. Most of the sites I visit are created and visited by members and former members of the church. The subject matter of post and the comments made range widely.
On one side of the continuum are sites written and frequented by church members who are filled with faith, on the other extreme are members who have left the church, but can’t leave the church alone. Then there is a large group of members who are in the middle. Their sites are frequented by members whose faith can be described as fragile.
This is a very general description and isn’t meant to be critical in any way. My heart aches every time I read a post or comment that details a members loss of faith. The battle for the faith of church members is real and has been going on from the day the church was organized. However, the internet has increased the reach, speed and intensity of the various players in this battle.
Read the rest of this story at ldsaliveinchrist.com
mautz@cox.net said...
08:52 AM
on Mar 01, 2011
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I liked the article very much and will come back and read more. I do have a comment about the headline of the article and the quote. The headline says Heber C Kimball and the quote states it is from Harold B. Lee. Which prophet really made that statement? I know by posting this it seems I'm being critical but someone missed the proof reading on this one. That sort of mistake can be used as ammunition for our friends and family who are in the middle or on the other side of the fence. I speak from experience on that one. Thank you.
jared1 said...
10:12 PM
on Mar 03, 2011
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mautz@cox.net I took care of the problem you pointed out. Thanks
alittlecommonsenseplease said...
03:50 PM
on May 11, 2011
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A couple of points; first, about records and membership... When a child is "given a name and a blessing", the ward clerk initiates the creation of that person's "record" in the church. If that person is never baptized his (or her) name will still continue to show up in ward membership rolls/records. We refer that situation as a "child of record"... In a way it's kind of a record keeping limbo since a person's "membership" in the church begins when a person is confirmed (after baptism). In that sense the Savior's definition of membership is accurate, since people should repent and feel of the Spirit before they are baptized. Of course people get baptized for all sorts of reasons, but I suspect that most adult converts probably get baptized for the right reasons, so it's probably safe to assume that they have had some sort of witness from the Spirit (aka testimony). But to your main point; I think we need to remember to stick with the basics when it comes to building (and rebuilding)testimonies. It seems to be an eternal principle the exercise of faith leads to a confirmation of the Spirit that the principle one has been obedient to is of God. (John 7:17). This is a simplification, but isn't it usually the case that when someone falters in the faith they have stoped being obedient(or in otherwords stopped exercising faith) in some aspect of their lives; or perhaps they have just not been able to see the Lord's resopnse to their exercise of faith? Put another way, the depth of a persons testimony is determined by their experiences with the Spirit. The more they realize that they have the deeper and stronger it (their testimony)grows. And they don't have to be "big" spiritual experiences. In my experience it seems like the millions of little ones do more than a "big" one. Jacob (Nephi's brother) noted that the myriad of spiritual experiences that he had put him in a position where he (Jacob) "could not be shaken." (see Jacob 7:4,5)The same holds true for each of us, even if we don't see angels.
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