If you’ve ever hung around Mormons you might have heard them say something like it doesn’t affect our salvation, or it’s not necessary for our salvation. It’s a saying I heard a lot when I attended Sunday school, Relief Society or anytime someone had had one of those questions a teacher or church leader chose not to answer.
Maybe they didn’t have an answer, didn’t want to get side-tracked from the lesson, or maybe in the back of their minds they feared the answer. Going deeper into the scriptures and doctrines of the church to discover the answers could unearth a whole mess of questions, feelings and doubts the faithful Mormon doesn’t what to think about.
Instead they would rather stick with what they “know” verses anything they have to really study and thinking about. They only believe certain things are necessary or essential for their salvation, and if they have a good understanding of those things anything else isn’t important.
For example they don’t care to think about whether the earth was created in seven 24 hour days or if it took thousands of years, if there’s polygamy in heaven, the false prophesies of Joseph Smith, eternal teachings like practicing polygamy and blacks never holding the priesthood that the church no longer adheres to and pretty much anything about the Bible. The list could go on and on.
What they feel is important and essential to salvation is: membership in the Mormon Church, baptism by someone holding the Mormon priesthood, all temple works for living and dead, eternal marriage, having a family, marrying a worthy member of the church, accepting and following the prophet, accepting and receiving all callings. This list includes basically all the perks and incentives that come from membership in the Mormon Church.
As a Mormon I never really cared much for getting into God’s Word and allowing Him to teach me truth. I was perfectly fine with being spoon feed the Mormon gospel and happy to know only what the church wanted me to know. It wasn’t until after I was saved that God gave me a desire to know truth, and to discover His truth for myself. I don’t have to be frightened of not knowing an answer to a question I have or fear what the answer might be.
If it brings up more questions, I can search for the answers. If I can’t find them I can ask someone who knows more than I do about the subject. I can also pray asking Him to show me the truth I’m searching for and that I would have peace with the answers I get. While it’s true we can’t know and understand everything about God in this life, there are answers to many questions right at our finger tips if we’re willing to look.
As a Christian I’m grateful I can seek to find the answers I’m looking for and not be pacified by my church leaders with flippant answers like we’ll just have to wait until we get there to find out or that’s not necessary for our salvation.
In Christ,
Melissa Grimes
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