rj_anderson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rj_anderson) wrote2003-04-29 10:03 am
rj_anderson) wrote2003-04-29 10:03 am
Entry tags:
Questions and Answers
Q: What would you say if you met Jesus [here on earth, in an everyday setting, and he appeared just as an ordinary man]?
A: I've spent nearly a week thinking about this now. I think that if I met Him on the street, and actually knew for certain that it was Him, I would not be able to say anything right away because I would be flat on my face. It wouldn't matter that He didn't look glorious or superhuman; just knowing who He was would be enough. And when I could speak (if I could get past the tears), I would say, "Lord, forgive me. You loved me so much you died for me. I owe you everything. And I've given you nothing."
Q: What do you think of people of other religions, or agnostics, or atheists?
A: I think they are human beings like myself, many of them more intelligent, better educated, and more generous to others than I am. In fact I am quite sure that among those groups there are any number of people whose kindness and sensitivity and general good behaviour puts me to shame. If human beings could earn God's favour by doing good works they would no doubt be a lot further ahead than I.
However, I also believe that like me they have a conscience and a general awareness of right and wrong, and that like me they have all violated their consciences and done things they knew or believed to be wrong, not just once but many times. And so I also believe what the book of Romans says, that before God all men are "without excuse" and that none of us can enter heaven or gain a right relationship with God in our own merit. I believe that every one of us, regardless of nationality or culture or creed or personality or number and nature of sins, is in desperate need of a Saviour and that Jesus Christ is the only One who can save us.
At the same time, I also believe that if our hearts are genuinely searching for the truth about God and crying out for Him -- if we are faithful to whatever little light we have -- then it doesn't matter where we are or who we are, God will give us what we need to find Him. Whether that means meeting a missionary on the road or finding a Gideon Bible in a hotel room drawer or any of a million other, subtler things, I can't say; but I do believe that God is faithful and merciful and just, and He will not turn away from anyone who genuinely wants to know Him, nor will He condemn anyone who does not deserve it.
Q: What is your favorite hymn?
A: I've always loved "Be Thou My Vision", but more recently I've fallen in love with My Song Is Love Unknown, to the gorgeous tune "St. John (Calkin)", which unfortunately The Cyber Hymnal doesn't have so I can't link to that. The words are there, though.
Q: What's your number 1 fanfic pet peeve?
A: Bad characterization. And by "bad" I mean "I do not recognize this character as being in any way connected to the one I know from canon, except for a few incidental similarities." The phenomenon is by no means limited to badfic, either.
Q: What's your middle name / What does the J. stand for?
A: Joan. It's my mother's name.
Q: What colour are your eyes?
A: Blue-grey with yellow rings around the pupils, but they can also look green or brown depending on what I'm wearing.
Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: Coke, but I don't really drink either. I'm not big on carbonated beverages; more of a Snapple gal.
Q: Have you hugged your muse today?
A: Well, I tried, but the only one who hugged me back was Malcolm. The others either looked at me askance, or went stiff, or threatened me with bodily harm. Sigh.
If anybody has any more questions feel free to stick 'em in the Comments section; I'm game...
A: I've spent nearly a week thinking about this now. I think that if I met Him on the street, and actually knew for certain that it was Him, I would not be able to say anything right away because I would be flat on my face. It wouldn't matter that He didn't look glorious or superhuman; just knowing who He was would be enough. And when I could speak (if I could get past the tears), I would say, "Lord, forgive me. You loved me so much you died for me. I owe you everything. And I've given you nothing."
Q: What do you think of people of other religions, or agnostics, or atheists?
A: I think they are human beings like myself, many of them more intelligent, better educated, and more generous to others than I am. In fact I am quite sure that among those groups there are any number of people whose kindness and sensitivity and general good behaviour puts me to shame. If human beings could earn God's favour by doing good works they would no doubt be a lot further ahead than I.
However, I also believe that like me they have a conscience and a general awareness of right and wrong, and that like me they have all violated their consciences and done things they knew or believed to be wrong, not just once but many times. And so I also believe what the book of Romans says, that before God all men are "without excuse" and that none of us can enter heaven or gain a right relationship with God in our own merit. I believe that every one of us, regardless of nationality or culture or creed or personality or number and nature of sins, is in desperate need of a Saviour and that Jesus Christ is the only One who can save us.
At the same time, I also believe that if our hearts are genuinely searching for the truth about God and crying out for Him -- if we are faithful to whatever little light we have -- then it doesn't matter where we are or who we are, God will give us what we need to find Him. Whether that means meeting a missionary on the road or finding a Gideon Bible in a hotel room drawer or any of a million other, subtler things, I can't say; but I do believe that God is faithful and merciful and just, and He will not turn away from anyone who genuinely wants to know Him, nor will He condemn anyone who does not deserve it.
Q: What is your favorite hymn?
A: I've always loved "Be Thou My Vision", but more recently I've fallen in love with My Song Is Love Unknown, to the gorgeous tune "St. John (Calkin)", which unfortunately The Cyber Hymnal doesn't have so I can't link to that. The words are there, though.
Q: What's your number 1 fanfic pet peeve?
A: Bad characterization. And by "bad" I mean "I do not recognize this character as being in any way connected to the one I know from canon, except for a few incidental similarities." The phenomenon is by no means limited to badfic, either.
Q: What's your middle name / What does the J. stand for?
A: Joan. It's my mother's name.
Q: What colour are your eyes?
A: Blue-grey with yellow rings around the pupils, but they can also look green or brown depending on what I'm wearing.
Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: Coke, but I don't really drink either. I'm not big on carbonated beverages; more of a Snapple gal.
Q: Have you hugged your muse today?
A: Well, I tried, but the only one who hugged me back was Malcolm. The others either looked at me askance, or went stiff, or threatened me with bodily harm. Sigh.
If anybody has any more questions feel free to stick 'em in the Comments section; I'm game...
Re:
Alas, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to get into a prolonged debate about this issue, since I don't have the time to give it the attention it would require, and I would rather focus on other theological questions I think more important at this point. Briefly, then -- I know you're not likely to agree with me on this, but I don't believe the Bible verses you quoted are teaching the same thing that the passages you quoted from the Mormon Doctrines and Covenants are teaching.
Peter's comment about "them that are dead" makes more sense in the context (including the whole context of Scripture) as a reference to the gospel being proclaimed to people who are dead now but were not dead at the time the gospel was preached to them -- i.e. the patriarchs and other faithful believers prior to the earthly advent of Christ. And the verse about Christ preaching to "the spirits in prison" admits of a wide variety of possibilities, none of which I would feel comfortable building a doctrine on (particularly since the passage in which the phrase occurs doesn't do so -- not that doctrine, anyway).
Also, there are so many other Bible verses that emphasize the necessity of receiving Christ in this life, and the urgency of spreading the good news of salvation through faith in Christ to all nations, I find it difficult to believe that there is a "second chance" after death...
no subject
1) *No* teaching we believe in as Latter-day Saints is compeletely, or even partially founded on the Bible. Every single thing we believe in traces its roots to Joseph Smith and modern revelation. We love the Bible, it teaches of God and Christ. But you know and I know that it is interpreted so differently even in mainstream Christendom that quoting chapter and verse does not necessarily mean that everyone, or even anyone, will agree with your interpretation. Now, I don't expect you to believe my church's intepretation of those verses in 1 Peter-- if you did, you'd be a Mormon, wouldn't you? :) But just know where I'm coming from when I say that a doctrine doesn't need Biblical proof for me to believe it.
2) We believe in the importance of accepting Christ in this life and spreading the gospel as well. Of course we do! Good grief, we ask every worthy young man to give up 2 years of his life to serve an unpaid mission in order to get the word out! D&C 88:81 says that "it becometh every man who hath beem warned to warn his neighbor," and Alma (in the Book of Mormon) says that "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." So how can I say that missionary work is important and that this life is the time to prepare to meet God and in the same breath say that repentance is possible in the life to come?
Simple. There is no possible way that we can reach everyone. Even if we were to preach every day for the rest of our lives, there is no way we can tell every soul who has ever lived on the earth about the gospel. Those who have the opportunity in this life to accept the gospel, and yet reject it, have no second chances. They may accept the gospel in the next life and repent, but they can never receive the fulness of the blessings they might have had if they had accepted it here. Only those who, through no fault of their own, never had the opportunity to hear the gospel *and would have accepted it if they had* will become the heirs of salvation. So really, it isn't a second chance for them. It's a first chance. Only God can judge the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and only God can decide if they would have accepted it. Only God can decide if they were given a fair opportunity in this life. So we preach, and we teach, and we do missionary work in more than 150 countries. We want people to be happy in *this* life. We want them to have joy *now*. As happy as knowing that people can still be saved in the next life makes us, we want people to know the joy of the gospel here and now.
God's justice is perfect, and so is His mercy. A God who would allow a child to be born and die without a knowledge of Him, and then consign her to everlasting misery because of the accident of her birth, is neither a just nor a merciful God. On the other hand, a God who gives every person, no matter where or when they were born, the opportunity to learn of Christ and to accept Him as their Savior, is both just and merciful.
Alright, I'm done. Thanks for reading.
Re:
Quite true. But as I mentioned before, the book of Romans makes it abundantly plain that every one of us does have the knowledge of God -- sufficient knowledge to make us accountable to Him, and indeed sufficient knowledge to condemn us if we choose not to respond to the spiritual light He has given us.
The fact that some people on this earth have more knowledge or access to knowledge about God than others is undeniable; that does not prove that some people have no knowledge of God and therefore no responsibility.
a God who gives every person, no matter where or when they were born, the opportunity to learn of Christ and to accept Him as their Savior, is both just and merciful.
Quite so. And I believe in a God who, being both omniscient and omnipotent, is perfectly capable of giving that opportunity to people here on earth, in this life, if they want it. As I said before, there are abundant Biblical examples of God doing exactly this for people who would otherwise never have known about Him. But on this earth and in this life, not post-mortem.
In any case, the real issue at stake is not what God is going to do with some hypothetical virtuous pagan in the jungles of Irian Jaya, but what we in North America are going to do given that we do have full and ready access to God's Word and the good news of Jesus Christ. Too often the question "What about Person X in Country Y?" is used to dodge our own responsibility. But the Lord's answer to that is the same as He gave to Peter: "What is that to thee? Follow thou Me."