Posted on by Abe Austin

Criticizing Another’s Faith- Sharing the Good News

What Good News?)

I am in the middle of describing patterns of un-Christlike and ineffective evangelism, methods that are used by those approaching the conversation in bad faith, who want to own their “opponent” rather than convince a “brother.”

I want to start off today by pointing out the self-defeating approach of wanting to convince someone of the beauty of your faith…by trying to tear down theirs. I have heard many say that they come to share “the good news” with me, only to then spend all their time regurgitating tired accusations against Joseph Smith. That’s the good news you have to share?

This humorous anecdote captures the same spirit as this sort of evangelism: I just got married to the love of my life! She is beautiful, she is kind, she is everything I ever wanted, and I just have to share my love for her with the world! So, I walk up to my neighbor and proceed to tell him what an ugly cow his own wife is!

It is an insecure people who try to establish the superiority of their faith by tearing down another’s. When I see this approach so frequently used against my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it makes me wonder what it is about our faith that makes others feel so threatened in their own beliefs. Is it perhaps that our “good news” is one of the most liberally gracious gospels of them all? That we testify that we are literal children of God, with the potential to become full divinity? I cannot say for sure, but I find it telling that so much emphasis is put on trying to color our “good news” as wrong, rather than testifying to the superior beauty of their own.

Speak From Beauty)

True evangelism speaks from beauty and hope, not fear and accusation. As a missionary, I learned to approach others by sharing the good that we had, not by trying to make their own faith sound bad. Since I genuinely had something exciting and hopeful to share, it was quite effective, and there were many who were drawn to our message and wanted to learn more of it.

Of course, our good news means nothing if it isn’t true, and I am proud of our missionary program that we emphasize a spiritual confirmation from God as being the only evidence of truth that matters. Don’t take my word for it, don’t let your own emotions cloud your judgment, take it to God and let Him be the final word.

I find that this method of sharing beauty and letting God confirm it is so much better, so much enlightened, than trying to tear down another’s faith. If you actually have a beautiful message to share, focus just on that, and the shortcomings in any other ideology will become self-apparent. We do not need the evangelism of cutting away another’s foundation and dropping them into a pit, then offering them your hand out of it. That is the definition of a toxic, abusive relationship, with forced dependency and manufactured helplessness. That is how cults operate, and it is a devilish and evil method indeed.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Criticizing Another’s Faith- Hostile Tone

Words of Mockery)

As I said in my last post, I am going to spend the rest of this series describing the patterns of un-Christlike and ineffective evangelism, the sort of preaching that drives people away from your message, as it carries a dark spirit, not the Light of the World. In my last post I brought up the importance of the underlying intention in one’s message. People can pretend to pure intentions at first, but over the course of the conversation, it becomes extremely obvious whether someone truly has the welfare of the other’s soul at heart, or simply the desire to decimate his beliefs.

But while intention may take some time to pin down, today we will look at the discussion element that is often the earliest indicator of one’s sincerity: their tone. Tone, of course, meaning the words and voice you choose to describe another’s faith and your disagreements with it.

Mockery, insults, disparagement…these are all tones I frequently see people adopt against my beliefs, and unsurprisingly they have put a very bad taste in my mouth, rather than convincing me of the error of my ways. I am sick of people deriding us members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by talking about us having “magic underwear,” and speculating as to “how many wives” I am married to, and saying we are “part of a cult,” and that we have all been “brainwashed by a conman.”

The moment you approach me with those sorts of sentiments, you have already lost any possibility of a genuine, heartfelt conversation. You are beating the sheep, and they are only going to run from you. And referring back to yesterday’s conversation on intentions, anyone who approaches like this never intended to save anyone. They only seek to hurt.

Respect for Faith)

Now one might say, “but I genuinely do believe that Joseph Smith was a conman, and I really am worried that members of the church have been brainwashed.” Let’s look at the second half of that. Assuming that we are all brainwashed is incredibly patronizing and starts the whole conversation by putting us on a lower level than our accuser. What is more, the claim is impossible to justify given the global and high population nature of the church. Cults and brainwashing consistently require small, isolated, controlled environments, where the leaders are able to cut off outside communication and maintain a single, consistent message. It goes against all research of the phenomenon to say that 18 million LDS worldwide are in such a state, and minimizes the plight of l those who genuinely are victims of brainwashing.

Now let us look at the first bit, about Joseph Smith being a conman. Obviously, I don’t expect hardly anyone outside of my faith to believe that Joseph Smith was a genuine prophet, and if you don’t think he was a genuine prophet, then it’s hard to see how he could have been anything other than a deceiver. I do not begrudge anyone outside of our faith for viewing him unfavorably.

That being said, it seems our culture has lost any sense of respect for the beliefs of others. Even if you don’t believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet, I do. Even if you don’t believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, I do. And I would expect you to have reverence for the seriousness of my faith. The sincere faith of one’s heart is sacred ground, and you should put off your rough shoes before you tread on it! You don’t have to pretend to agree with me, but coming and making insults towards the things which I hold sacred is a sign of immaturity, and of a lack of human understanding, and perhaps indicates an absence of sacred feeling in your own life.

Because I hold my beliefs as sacred, I respect the sanctity of other’s beliefs as well, even those I don’t agree with. I am not a follower of Islam, and by extension I am not a believer in the Quran or Muhammad. But I respect the very real belief that Muslims do have in those things and that man, and I think that that belief matters. I have no interest in disparaging and insulting them. Let me express my different viewpoints with civility and brotherly-kindliness or not at all.

I will not drag your beliefs through the mud. I believe sacred feelings are sacred. I will not cheapen the depth of your feelings by treating them like a subject for a debate club to squabble over, and I will certainly never refer to them in mockery. I will trust the sincerity of your belief and only proceed with a reverence for that faith that lives in your heart. If the detractors of the LDS faith are mature, they will approach us in the same manner.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Criticizing Another’s Faith- Signs of Bad Faith Arguments

Different Approaches)

I have spent the last couple days denouncing the aggressive approach that some take towards my faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, how they seek to crush the good beliefs that I hold, how they make very apparent their anger and hatred; and I have also spoken in favor of establishing a relationship, of honoring the faith of one another, of having opening an honest dialogue over differences of belief.

We can have interfaith dialogue. We can strongly disagree. We can even say, “I believe that my church is the one, true church, and I hope you come to see that for yourself.” And we can do all of it in a manner of brotherlykindness.

For the rest of this series, I want to flesh out the definition of unproductive, un-Christlike “evangelism.” In the past two posts I tried to give some examples of both good and of bad, but now I want to call out specific attitudes and practices that I have only ever seen be used by those possessed with a destroying spirit. These approaches are wrong, whether employed by others towards my faith, by members of my faith towards others, or by me towards anyone.

What Are Your Intentions?)

Intent is what matters first. Even before considering the substance of what is said, why it is said is what actually determines whether a critic comes in good faith or not. Intent means the reason behind the approach. Everything good or bad that follows in the conversation will directly stem from that underlying reason. Determining the intent of a critic is the first thing that every person seeks to understand, evaluating it subconsciously and then changing their entire posture according to what they perceive.

Sadly, having a person tell you their intent is the least reliable method of knowing what it is, as everyone will of course profess a sincere and worthy one. Most deceptive of all, they might even believe their stated intent themselves, but then the following conversation can betray other motives. Because, at the end of the day, intent does not lie. Over time, it always manifests its true form, and that true form always shapes the overall conversation, whether to good or evil.

Every critic of another’s faith will say it is their intent is to bring back to the fold those who have gone astray. They love the lost sheep, and the idea of their eternal torment compels the critic to come and save who they can. Very well, but how do you intend to save the lost soul? As we explored in the last posts, not all approaches are conducive to the convincing of others. Do you intend to win souls through sacrifice and service, through establishing a relationship and being genuinely curious to know another’s heart, through speaking from the place of a friend? Or do you intend to save souls by crushing what beliefs they have so that all that remains are yours? Because if that is what you intend, then you do not intend to save anyone at all.

If you come to convert by dismantling, then it is a destroying spirit behind your intentions. You have deemed a belief as unworthy, and your intention is to purge it. You do not intend to save a brother; you intend to damn an enemy. You do not come to save the world, but that the world through your judgment might be condemned.

And as I said earlier, when those are your intentions, that shapes all the conversation that follows.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Criticizing Another’s Faith- A Better Method

Critique Welcome)

In my last post I went very hard against the “Bible bashing,” faith crushing, spiritual demoralization I see in
“Christian” media today. Having expressed such emphatic condemnation of this method, I want to be clear that I do not feel that all critique of faith falls under this category. There actually is such a thing as pointing out the mote in another believer’s eye, but only if one has removed the beam of his own ego and pride. This approach looks very different from disparagement, insult, and mockery. It looks like thoughtful, respectful discourse.

Thankfully, there are examples of this more Christlike discourse today. One of the best examples I know of is Pastor Jeff on YouTube, who has spent years being curious about my faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint. He talks to us to understand where we are coming from, he shows great respect for our beliefs, and he still expresses where his views are different from us and why. He also mentions times when our own language becomes hurtful towards people with his background, and how we could do better. He remains a conduit for those in our faith who may want to know more about his.

And that sort of sincere critique and open dialogue is something that I believe every church needs. Even my church, which I consider to be Jesus’s restored kingdom on the Earth today, is still susceptible to human error, and benefits from the disagreement of well-meaning voices, be they from within its ranks or from outside denominations.

And as I mentioned at the end of my last post, this is the sort of evangelizing that actually works, whereas a visceral, combative approach never does. An aggressive stance only drives people further away from your perspective. They feel your hate, and they want nothing to do with you. At its core, true evangelism is an act of relationship, and genuine relationship is built on respect and trust. It is the only way it works.

Respect for All)

I have personal experience with this. I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spending every day of two years serving and loving the people of the West Indies. I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with all that were interested, teaching Hindus, Muslims, and other-denomination Christians alike.

In my last post I admitted that sometimes I, myself, would descend into “Bible bashing” with representatives from other faiths. I did not seek those debates out myself, but when my faith was misrepresented, I would go past merely setting the record straight and went into to a prideful state of having to prove that my position was right. I’m not proud of it, but it is something that I have repented for, and I do believe that I have changed. In the lifetime of this blog, I have written over 750,000 words of my daily faith study, and I would challenge anyone to find a single instance of me saying anything that could be considered an insult of another faith.

Going back to my mission, even though I had some instances of spiritual ego, there were also many other experiences where I felt the joy in having a genuine respect and reverence for the faith of others. I learned that whatever faith a person already had was a good thing. It was a common ground, a shared belief in something bigger than ourselves. From that unified foundation, we could each share the particulars of our faith, and if what I had to share would resonate with them, I would invite them to pursue it further. And if it didn’t, I would leave them with the faith that they already had. No ill will. No trying to destroy their own theology. Just gratitude for the time we got to share and wishing us both continued growth in the future.

Do I think Hinduism is the path to eternal life with our creator? No, not in its entirety.

Islam? No.

Judaism? No.

Buddhism? No.

Catholicism? No.

Eastern Orthodox? No.

Protestantism? No.

But do I think that Hinduism is beautiful? Yes, absolutely. I think it is full of fascinating truths, and a faith worth having, and a cause of good in the world. And the same for Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Protestantism, and on and on.

And I expect no more and ask no less of others towards my faith. I know you don’t believe that the LDS faith is the true path to eternal life with our creator. But I expect you to respect that I do, and to appreciate the beauty and value that is in that faith, and the good that it has led me to. If you sincerely wanted to “save” me, you would come with respect and sincere appreciation for what I already do have. You would establish common ground. You would seek to add to what I already have, not to tear it down.

Not only would this approach be kinder, not only would it show genuine love, not only would it actually be Christian, but it would also be the only thing that could ever possibly work.

It would not work on everyone. Not everyone is open to a change of faith. That is something else that I learned on my mission, and something that I also had to have sincere respect for. But for those who are already seeking, this is the approach would let them consider whether you have what they are looking for.

In short, people do not value the perspectives of those who despise them. They do value the perspectives of those who show them that they sincerely care. Evangelizing is about establishing genuine and loving relationships, with mutual dignity and respect, and then sharing one’s testimony with only an invitation, not compulsion, for the other to accept it. This approach may not be flashy or fast, but it is true and holy communion.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Criticizing Another’s Faith- Motives Behind Attack

Satanic Evangelism)

I think the most important question when one starts criticizing another’s faith is, “why are you doing this?” What compels one to just start going off with all the things they see as wrong in another religion? To disparage something that they know others hold as sacred?

The answer that I always hear is the same: “I’m trying to help you to see what that you’ve been misguided, so you can be saved. I’m doing this because I love you.”

Which is about as sensible as when a man strikes his wife and says he does so because of how much he loves her. Berating people for their sincerely held beliefs and insulting that which they hold sacred is abusive. It is not loving. It is not caring. It comes from a desire to tear down and not to build up. It does not seek to save. It seeks to condemn. It is not Christian. It is devilish.

Dabbling in the Dark)

I know this, because I participated in it on my mission. Back in 2009 I left on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On that mission, I often came across evangelists from other faiths, and I am sorry to say that we would occasionally get into lively sparring sessions on why we believed in our church…and why they shouldn’t believe in theirs. “Bible bashing” is the common term.

Now, when we were trained as missionaries, the potential for these Bible bashes came up, and the guidance we were given for what to do in such situations was always consistent and clear: “just don’t.” Don’t look for scriptures to prove the other side wrong. Don’t criticize or demoralize. Don’t try to win. Just don’t.

Unfortunately, pride and ego are very strong, and at times I did enter into these verbal mud-wrestling matches. And from that experience, I can attest to the motives and the feelings that are behind the dismantling of another person’s faith. It is not love, it is not charity, and it is not a desire to help them. It is cruelty. It is wanting to beat them, to make them lose. It is hoping for their damnation and rubbing their faces in it.

It is evil, pure and simple, and I repent that I ever participated in it to any degree.

The Pleasure of Domination)

The instruction of our missionary trainers was absolutely correct. No one should ever descend into Bible bashing another person’s faith.

Does that mean to never discuss spiritual differences and never respond to attacks against your faith? No. I do think there is a place for defending oneself and clarifying one’s position. I do think one ought to correct the record when his faith is misrepresented in public forums. I do think there can even be value in structured and civil debate. But if one cannot see the difference between these and disparaging and insulting another’s faith, then they cannot see the difference between righteous defense and devilish destruction. Or he is willfully ignoring the distinction because he still wants the pleasure of breaking what another has.

Because, at the end of the day, insulting someone else’s beliefs does feel “good.” It feels powerful and addicting. It rewards the carnal sensibilities within. It both satisfies and deepens one’s hunger for contention.

A person who ridicules another for their sincere beliefs does not want to save that person. He wants to dominate that person and feel superior to them. He is lashing out from a place of insecurity. I know this because I sadly experimented with those behaviors myself. I know the genuine darkness that I felt in my heart when I gave in to this temptation, and now I recognize that same darkness in those who disparage my faith. I know the ill will that it is behind it, so I do not excuse it. Not in myself and not in them.

Not only is this sort of theological bullying evil, it is also ineffective. If a person actually did sincerely wish to save a brother or a sister, then this would never be the method that they should use. We’ll take a look at what that better method would look like next time, and even consider the example of a skeptic of the LDS faith who uses it correctly.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Danger of Growth

Predetermined Expectations)

I grew up in an active Christian household. Every Sunday, I attended church with my family. There was never any consideration of not going, and through my childhood it never even dawned on me that that would even be an option.

Of course, at a certain point, I became a young adult and stopped living in my parents’ home. I started taking care of myself, making my own plans, my own decisions for the day. I remember it dawned on me that I didn’t have to go to church. I could just sleep in, or get chores down, or play. I could go once in a while, whenever I started to feel guilty about being away for too long. Or, I could keep going every Sunday, maintaining the same pattern I had been raised with.

I had a choice, and having realized such, my relationship with my faith could no longer be taken for granted. If I was going to remain a Churchgoer, it would not be by accident. It would be because I had actively chosen it for myself. And if I was going to be tepid in my faith, or backslide entirely, that would also not be by accident. It would be because I had actively chosen it.

I have heard that young adulthood is a point where many churches lose large swathes of their congregation, and given my own experiences at that time, I am not surprised. In our culture, his is the age in which we give full autonomy, and for many Christians, this the first time that they start considering other options. I have heard a lot of Church leaders asking how we can change this trend, how we can ensure we don’t lose people at this pivotal moment. Frankly, I think this falloff is inevitable. It is not a flaw in the system. It is simply a byproduct of choice.

Stronger Ties)

Having a choice means having the ability to choose the worse option, and there will always be some that choose it. If the ability to choose the worse option is removed, then there isn’t really any choice. And maybe that seems like a good thing. It prevents the bad outcomes. However, it also prevents the possibility for growth.

Growth requires a choice. Character development requires deciding to do what is right even when there are other tempting offers. Church attendance is just one example of this, but there are countless others. No one is truly courageous until he has chosen action over fearful retreat. No one is truly virtuous until he has turned down the opportunity to act out his lusts. No one is truly good until he has conquered the desire to be bad.

To have growth, you must have genuine choices, and genuine choices are dangerous things. It creates the possibility of failure but also creates the possibility of entering a new level of discipleship.

Some of those who recognize they can stop attending church choose to keep going anyway. Some decide to take a step away from church, but later on decided to come back. And for both of these groups of people, their status in the church is now more genuine, more real, more mature than ever before. Having made an actual choice, they are actually invested, they are there because they want to be, and they are giving up something else to make this a priority. They are attending church on purpose. They are successful, because they had the real possibility of failure.

There is no getting around this. Growth will always come with danger. The only way to remove danger is to deny growth, and that is an even worse outcome than failure.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Purpose for Faith

For what purpose do you have your faith?
Those that have found a sincere belief in God must ask themselves what He now expects them to do with it.
With every gift there comes an obligation.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 6:12-13

12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

Once again, we are reminded that this is meant to be a perpetual flame to the Lord, it’s light should always shine bright for all of Israel to see, probably flickering and diffused through the linen courtyard walls like a heavenly glow. Obviously, this perpetual flame is symbolic, but to properly appreciate its meanings, I think we have to acknowledge that this was not the flame of the Lord, this was the flame for the Lord.

The pillar of fire that would guide Israel in their journeys was the flame of the Lord, created and maintained by His own divine power. This fire upon the altar was created and maintained by the priests as an offering for the Lord. Thus, I would say it is not limited to representing God’s shining presence, there were other symbols for that. Arguably, it better represented our perpetual effort to reach and reconcile with God. It represented our need to make continual sacrifice to keep our fervor burning brightly. It represented the fact that our faith will go out without constant fuel.

Knowing that God will always be there for us is essential but knowing that we will always strive for Him is the next level of spiritual surety.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Faith vs Works- One More Type of Good Works

Yesterday I shared about general good works that cultivate our faith in God and Jesus Christ. These are the everyday things that we feel we should do in our conscience. When we do those things, it increases the good in the world and transforms our hearts to be more dedicated to the Lord. This is a very important category of good works, but it is not the only one.

Ordinances and Sacraments)

To ancient Israel God gave a great number of laws and rituals. There were specific customs that had to be observed, sacrifices that had to be made, and holy days that had to be remembered. Of course, when Jesus came, he fulfilled these rituals, and they were done away with, but we are mistaken if we assume that that means that there are no more essential rituals that still apply to us today. Just as Christ’s church brought an end to observing the sabbath on the last day of the week and replaced it with a sabbath on the first day, so too, new mandatory rituals were introduced in place of the old ones.

This is the second category of good works that we must recognize. We don’t just have the things that are generally good for cultivating our faith, we also have mandatory rituals that are essential steps in our salvation. Some traditions may refer to these as “sacraments,” some as “ordinances,” some as “mysteries,” and some as “rites.” The most universal and familiar of these special rituals is baptism.

Sola Fide)

Of course, not every Christian tradition recognizes the existence of ordinances/sacraments that are necessary for salvation. They essentially collapse general good works (prayer, scripture study, service) and essential works (baptism) together as one.

However, we have already shared in this series how the words of Jesus refutes this. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned,”(Mark 16:15-16). Jesus explicitly states that being baptized is a prerequisite for salvation.

This leads us back to our original tension. If there are certain ordinances that are essential for salvation, then how can Paul say, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9)?

Well, one answer to that is that just because a work is required for salvation does not mean that it earns our way into heaven. Notice in Paul’s statement that faith isn’t what is really saving us either. It is grace. Thus, faith and necessary works are actually at the same level of essential but non-saving. Both are commanded of God, but neither is sufficient to gain entry into heaven. We can perform all the ordinances and have all the faith, and thus be eligible for salvation, but we’re still not saved by anything but grace. Just like I might have all the requirements and qualities listed on a job application, and thus be eligible for being hired, but I’m still not hired by anything but the bestowal of the employer.

Now, at this point a person might still have some questions or concerns. For example, what about all those who died without an opportunity for baptism? We will get to those matters in tomorrow’s post, but for now, I want to emphasize the importance of accepting the words of scripture without prior bias. If Paul says that we are saved by grace through faith, believe it. If Jesus says that baptism is a required work for salvation, believe it. If we don’t know how to resolve those two yet, that’s okay. Let us accept some initial confusion and uncertainty and embrace the unknown. Surely that is better than throwing away one half of scripture or the other!