Sunday, April 26, 2020

A Hidden Threat to The True Church

Many people who think they are following the gospel of Jesus Christ are instead following Moral Therapeutic Deism, a watered-down creed that requires little by way of commitment or conversion. This counterfeit gospel makes personal happiness and "nice-ness" the only virtues that matter and imagines a God whose only job is to love and serve us and then to let us all into heaven without asking anything of us. Moral Therapeutic Deism is a danger to the true church because it can lead to stunted faith and spiritual starvation. This vacuous way of thinking is also causing young people to leave organized religion in droves all across America. What can you and I do to prevent this popular "self-made" religion of complacency and convenience from taking root in our own hearts and homes?
Recent national studies have suggested that more young adults are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now than ever before.[i] This worrying development follows a larger trend across the country, in which particular groups or demographic cohorts (such as Millennials and Generation Z, or young men without a college degree, etc.) have been observed to be increasingly rejecting traditional religion, and moreover appear to be leaving these religions in droves. Seeing this, some have declared that “Religious commitment is in sharp decline, almost free fall.”[ii] Others have observed that “Almost every organized religion is experiencing losses in this new climate.”[iii] While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not experienced the dramatic losses which other American churches have faced, it is clear that we are not immune to this trend. Even the highest leaders of the Church have acknowledged the growing dissatisfaction among many people with organized religion.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Call For Questions

Do you have a gospel or scripture related question? Is there an aspect of church doctrine which confuses you? Chances are, others would like to know the answer too!

Submit your questions in the comments below, or send a message to this page, and (if I select your question) I will provide an in-depth answer to your question in an article on Scripturesight, based on careful research of the scriptures and the teachings of the general authorities.

*Please keep questions appropriate and on-topic (and gospel-centered). No anti-mormon rants, please. It's OK to ask questions! After all, good, thoughtful questions are an important part of the searching, pondering, and praying that make up meaningful scripture study! To see why, check out my article on the subject: Scripture Master Tip #4: It's OK to Ask Questions!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this blog are wholly those of the author, and do not represent the official opinions or positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any other church.
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