A trusted friend of mine of the Evangelical persuasion, whom I use as a sounding board, posted a response on his blog http://aletheiaquest.blogspot.com/ "Religious Buffet"
His response was to a question I posed about concerns for a lack of unity in the Christian world. How doctrines become watered down.
In his response he pointed out the weakness of individuals without really addressing the organizational dilemma. He made a few statements about the ways of the Church of Jesus Christ that I would like to address.
Below is an edited quote of his:
"This problem is an inherent weakness in Protestantism in general because it is not, like Mormonism and Roman Catholicism an authoritarian structure. The problems of the very apparent shallow and uncommitted Christianity referenced in the quote (see his blog) are only possible when people have the freedom to choose how and where they worship. Obviously, if one accepts that the LDS prophet and the priesthood are the authority of God on earth, then one has no choice when that authority says he must go to a certain ward at a certain time, give a certain percentage of his money, etc."
My response:
One point seems left undone. How would you suggest this problem relates to the Ephesians 4? One of the advantages I find in the "authoritarian structure" mentioned above is that it satisfies the chaotic dilemma found throughout traditional Christianity while still allowing a person to believe as they wish.
In the Church of Jesus Christ, while accounting for the entire spectrum of faithfulness, or lack thereof, I find there is "one body, and one Spirit,... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, (v.4-6). Wherever I have attended a ward other than my own (anywhere in the world) I find a consistency in our faith and understanding of principles of truth. But as you have illustrated inconsistency in the genuineness of the members' intentions. This brings me to the actual point of the quote that I sent. Further down in chapter 4 we read that Christ, when he ascended up on high, gave gifts unto men... and gave them apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (in our interpretation this would suggest a church organization) for the express purpose of helping with the lack of faithfulness... in v.12 we read that he gave them "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Perfect unity.
The dilemma I see with the "religious buffet" is how it measures up to these scriptures in Ephesians. I understand the protestant perspective on authority, organization, the purpose of a church, etc. But I find that wanting compared to the "authoritarian structure" of Mormonism mentioned above.
One quick comment on your remark that such a structure limits "the freedom to choose how and where they worship". As an outsider I can see how it would appear that way. I would suggest that there is more freedom to be found where laws of truth exist, than in a system where anything goes. It is the truth that sets us free, and living according to principles of truth that allows us the freedom to live a life full of joy and contribution. There is a lot more freedom in our system than would appear to an outsider. The policies you speak of are purely for the sake of organization. I would compare them to a trip to McDonalds. We stand in line to order food because we have learned that it will be easier and faster for everyone if we do so... We are free to leave the line at any time but we may never be served. We can't say that McDonalds is inhibiting our freedom to act because they ask us to stay in line. The same goes with policies of the Church. They facilitate a better structure... and when it comes to beliefs and doctrines, I truly am surprised that there is as much consistency as there is. There is NO official commentary on any of our scriptures. We are taught to individually read and understand them and use them as the measuring stick of our belief. You will never find our leaders forcing a belief, but rather persuading, by use of the scriptures, to see a principle in the light of truth.
1 comment:
I enjoyed your response.
I actually had already read your friend's post and posted a response of my own on his blog, before I read yours here. It turns out that we pretty much hit the same points using different words.
I agree that from the outside, the Church may appear to limit freedom. But from the inside, we experience a high degree of freedom as we are encouraged to seek for our own testimonies. The Church does not want blind obedience, but an informed and prayerfully considered commitment to truth.
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