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What Do You Know About My Friends? Would You Like to Know More?

Written By Tao on lundi 18 novembre 2013 | 09:25

Last week I wrote that missing spiritual manifestations in your own life isn't a sign that something is wrong, just that something could be better. Think of the recent General Conference talks by Dallin H. Oaks about good v. better, and by Dieter F. Uchtdorf about living below your privileges.


One side effect of a majority of the church living below their spiritual privileges, however, is that the church begins to look spiritually dead. A common criticism of the church is that it looks and feels like a business. I don't get that one. To me, it looks and feels a lot more like a social club. People continue coming to church because they are life-long members of the social club, and new members often stop coming to church because it's difficult to elbow your way into an established social club. But how many people come to church because they think it will get them closer to God? Aside from in a "I did what He asked and attended church" type of way?


When I think about places where I feel closer to God, I'd start my list with "the temple," follow that up with "home," then maybe "nature," and then I'd start cheating and listing things like "the temple for the neighboring temple district." But I don't think I'd ever list "the church," unless it was possible to visit the church when there wasn't a church meeting scheduled.


I don't attend church for the socialization, and since there's often little else there, I usually get very little from church. (I have been known to spend the second hour sitting outside on a folding chair reading scriptures, which can be so much better than attending Gospel Doctrine class.) As long as church remains primarily social instead of spiritual, proselytizing efforts are really just invitations akin to, "You should stop hanging out with your friends and start hanging out with my friends." To which most people would respond, "I already have friends." There needs to be something at our church that you CAN'T get anywhere else. The increased missionary force is there to contact the interested. Now we just need to live up to our privileges so there is something there to keep them interested.






via oneofthebest

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