Self-Sufficiency Breaks Faith
Conference Report, October 1947, Afternoon Session, “Faith in Christ”, pg 52; “Skepticism, self‑sufficiency, atheism, a denial of the divinity of Jesus the Christ, have supplanted belief, and lapses from the moral standards are but the natural result of the breaking down of that faith.” – Elder Albert E. Bowen
Liahona, “Self-Reliance”, September 2013; “Self-reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide for the spiritual and temporal well-being of ourselves and of our families…Speaking of spiritual self-reliance and our dependence on Heavenly Father, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught; “We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants – through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend, and sacrificing to serve others”.
2 Corinthians 3:5; “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God,”
And Jesus died for you as a Mormon because?
This whole scenario qualifies as a false prophecy and teachings from the Church because of the contradictions found in their holy works.
Mr. Bowen was right – self-sufficiency can and does lead to a breakdown of a person’s faith in God and has a propensity to lead to Atheism when we have an attitude of “I can do it myself”.
Isn’t it “odd” Mr. Bowen’s comments were also right how denying the divinity of Christ also leads to a breakdown of faith?
Denying Jesus is God was a trademark of Joseph Smith’s teachings – he told everyone he was going to set Christianity on its ear by teaching that Jesus was a created being through the sexual union of God and Mary. Today the Church still maintains this philosophy and holds tightly to its precepts.
We see countless people today who’ve left Mormonism and have decided there is no God. It’s a sad legacy of Smith’s and one he’ll be held accountable for in the end. It’s also strange Mr. Bowen would include skepticism in his speech – without that attribute instilled in Joseph Smith there’d be no such thing as Mormonism!
So which of these inspired messages of God is right? Mr. Bowen with his warning in 1947 or the Visiting Teaching Message put out by the Church today that self-reliance is a commendable attribute?
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