Oh, Say What Is Truth?

First off, never fear!  I am close to publishing the first piece of my upcoming book.  I'll have something next week.  It won't be much, but it'll be a start.

This week, I'll publish a copy of this talk I found.  This was for a Stake Conference back in December 2011.  Each attendee was asked to prepare a talk to present in front of 1000+ congregation members.  On the day of the conference, the leaders chose a person or two to give their talk.  I think they were given a couple hours notice, but no more than that.

I prepared this talk, but I wasn't chosen, and I've never had a chance to present it.  Well, here it is.  Enjoy.  Keep in mind this is intended for a Mormon audience, but I think it would interest any of my readers.

Oh, Say What Is Truth?

When Joseph Smith prayed and asked which church to join, he was answered to "join none of them, for they were all wrong."  He was then instructed to establish the one and only true church.

We've heard this a thousand times, but what does it mean?  Today I would like to take a closer look at some of these other religions so that we might gain a little more perspective and be better able to see where we stand with our friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

First, I'd like to point out that ALL religions have SOME truth.  Christians believe in Christ and in his redeeming power.  Jews believe in a subset of our doctrine.  The Muslims believe in the same God that we do.  Buddhists and Hindus have a lot of doctrine in harmony with ours, inspiring people to do good one to another.  Even atheists and agnostics believe in that inner conscious that helps us to make moral decisions.

So why are there so many religions?  Why doesn't God come down here and establish which religion is true?

Because we have so many religions, each individual person has the opportunity to accept the level of truth he is willing to receive.  Consider a man who really loves Jesus and wants nothing more than to be with him forever.  If this person joins with any Christian church and lives a good life, he will gain in the least the middle Terrestrial Glory, where Jesus reigns.  After this man dies and is resurrected, he will have obtained his utmost goal.  He will be in the presence of Jesus for Eternity.

A woman who chooses not to believe in any religion at all still has the light of Christ within her, and following her conscious, she can live a good, rewarding life.  In the least she will gain the lowest Telestial Glory, which is still a fantastic reward for anyone.

Thus, he who seeks after truth will be able to find it, according to how much he wants to learn, and he will gain an appropriate reward.

Now consider the Catholic Church, which arose from the ashes of Christ's Original Church that was nearly destroyed.  It's so easy to harp on the Catholics for their mistakes - how they removed plain and precious truths as they translated and compiled the Holy Bible - how they corrupted the doctrines of the Early Church - how they instituted the errant Nicene Creed as core doctrine of all Christian churches.

But then again, consider everything they did right.  In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised Peter that the "gates of hell shall not prevail against" his Church.  Though the full authority and priesthood powers were removed from the earth and enemies tried to destroy what remained, the members of this early Catholic Church persevered and successfully preserved a large portion of true doctrine.  Even the Nicene Council was a necessary evil to help strengthen a crumbling church.  Had it not happened, the gates of hell might have indeed prevailed, and the Christian religion might have died out.  Then where would we be today?

Consider Martin Luther who recognized some of the corrupt teachings of the Catholic Church such as the doctrine of monetary indulgences.  He broke off and started his own church in Germany, and he began the practice of translating the Bible to one's native tongue, bringing the word of God to everyone.

Other inspired men soon followed suit: John Calvin from France, and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and others.  Each of these Reformers broke away from the Catholic Church and began their own movements based on their own concerns and beliefs.

In response, the Catholic Church went through its own Counter-Reformation, doing away with the doctrine of monetary indulgences and other corrupt doctrines.  They became a better church - closer to the truth.

The result?  Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin all showed that the Catholic Church was not the one true religion.  Had these inspired men not broken away, our church couldn't exist.  Where would we be today?

Finally, true freedom of religion was established in the United States.  All religions can now exist together peacefully, and our Church was formed as it is today.  We owe so much to those who came before us: the Jews, the Catholics, Luther, Zwinlgi, Calvin, etc.  Just keep this in mind the next time you're talking religion with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues.  Even though they don't have all the truth that God has revealed, they may still be happy with the truth that they have today.  This is okay and we should respect their beliefs.  When they're ready to learn more, they'll ask questions - and from experience, I've learned that they almost always do, eventually.

When they do ask questions, be ready to answer.  It's good to emphasize the commonalities between our religion and theirs.  Where there are differences, present them matter-of-factly as points of interest instead of with a tone of "I'm right and you're wrong."

If your friends are Christian, they will most likely see no reason to switch denominations.  They have probably been baptized.  They most likely pray to God every day and receive confirmation of the truths that exist in their church.  They probably read their Bible and believe that it is sufficient for their salvation.  So most likely, they will ask, "What is so different about you Mormons?"  What they mean is "what's in it for me if I were to become one of you?"

When they ask this question, go ahead and answer.  If they like what they hear, they will pursue with further questions.  They will seek out further light and knowledge and they will receive what they're looking for.

How do you answer them?  What does someone gain from joining our Church?  Here, there are so many answers you could provide.  Choose a couple of answers as the Spirit guides.

Mormons have access to a living prophet who has a direct line of communication with God.  With times ever changing, this open communication is essential to keeping us up to date with what we should be doing in our lives.  Without this constant guidance, even some prominent churches are struggling today with some morally gray areas.

Mormons have access to the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.  This volume of scripture confirms and clarifies the doctrines taught in the Bible.  It relates some events that occurred on the American continent.  It restores a few plain and precious truths that were removed from the Bible and enables a person to have a better understanding of the nature of God and our relationship with him.

Mormons have access to the sealing power.  Couples can be married forever.  Families can be forever.  All other churches teach that marriage ends at death, but temple marriages can last through eternity.

Mormons have direct access to the Holy Ghost's influence.  More than just a conscious to tell us right from wrong, this "gift" can be a constant companion to reveal truth beyond a shadow of a doubt and to help guide us through all decisions we make in life.

Mormons can gain access to the highest levels of the Celestial Kingdom where we can dwell with God forever and even become just like him.  This is the ultimate reward for anyone who is willing to do what it takes.

Yes - all religions have truth, but there is always more to learn.  For those who seek, God will provide, and he "upbraideth not."

<end with testimony>