tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post3692880268150635869..comments2024-02-17T06:39:55.875-08:00Comments on Ben There, Done That: One Size Doesn't Fit AllBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04151204932376899998noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post-76047930386766144272017-09-08T19:12:27.110-07:002017-09-08T19:12:27.110-07:00Strangely enough, Jesus himself perpetuated the sa...Strangely enough, Jesus himself perpetuated the same falsehood ;-) when he described what separated those who would be admitted into the kingdom of God from those who wouldn't-- "I was an hungered, and the fed me" etc. No mention of ordinances or which church they attended... And if Mormonism is your favorite flavor of religion, this should ring even truer, since the whole point of temple work is that LDS doctrine holds that the saving ordinances will be made available to those who are prepared (because of the kind of lives they led) and who choose to accept them. The good news is that means there's no need to stress about whether someone's sitting in our pews or those of another congregation, or even religiously unaffiliated or disaffected. It literally doesn't matter- we can love them, try to be a light in the world of all the good things we cherish, and relax knowing that God knows our (and their) hearts.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440894389353171361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post-69543712343224251182017-09-08T12:30:41.312-07:002017-09-08T12:30:41.312-07:00There's a lot of truth to appreciate in this a...There's a lot of truth to appreciate in this article (and many others like it that I have seen), but also a significant falsehood. The basic idea that we should not judge others nor dictate how they live their lives is true enough, but at the same time we have to recognize (and preach to others) that Christ is in fact the ONLY way to happiness here and hereafter. I'm sure that Ben would agree with all of this so far. But Ben seems to believe that following Christ means primarily striving to exemplify in our own lives various Christlike attributes, and he essentially claims that our success in doing so is more important than mere membership in the church. Do you see the problem? What Ben is preaching is a gospel based on individual righteousness (i.e., "works"). What really saves us is not the degree to which we achieve personal righteousness (or to use Ben's phrase, "become like Jesus"), but our entering into a covenant by which we accept Jesus' own perfect righteousness and his atonement on our behalf. And there is only one church on the earth with the priesthood authority to perform the ordinances that establish and maintain that covenant. No, not every member of the church is actually living in the covenant, and yes, many people outside the church are incredible examples of Christlike virtue. But no amount of personal righteousness can substitute for the gospel covenant, and no other church, organization, philosophy, or personal path can substitute for the actual Church of Jesus Christ on the earth.Tyler Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14103420038111729891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post-11620433775633293682017-09-08T08:54:31.395-07:002017-09-08T08:54:31.395-07:00My friend/sister from my mish, Alyssa Lewis, share...My friend/sister from my mish, Alyssa Lewis, shared this with me and I loved it. It helped me reflect on how I can become more like the Savior. I don't know all your challenges, but I know mine! The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't as black and white as we all thought in our Primary/childhood days, but there is a place for all of us as we follow the Savior. Thanks for sharing this with me, and encouraging me to center my life on the Savior! Now on to read "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" and pull out more Conference talks!Marissa Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00204666330745356461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post-34815218692939496332017-09-07T21:17:40.540-07:002017-09-07T21:17:40.540-07:00For anyone reading this who doesn't know Ben.....For anyone reading this who doesn't know Ben...I've had the privilege to have known him for MANY years. In all of that time, Ben has exemplified one thing above all else-his love for the Saviour. While he has given me much of the courage to walk my path by encouraging me to stay close to the Saviour, I know that he would be my friend no matter what path I took; and that he would love and encourage me if he was worried, but never would he judge me. He tries to live like the Savior. Not holding Ben up on a pedestal, but truthfully, Ben is just a good good brother and friend and latter-day saint. Ben, thank you. Poptarts and Thai on me the next time I come through!<br />Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276298781277913302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565469030539917833.post-20340105538142958392017-09-07T11:26:30.920-07:002017-09-07T11:26:30.920-07:00thank you for this.
For a split second I thought a...thank you for this.<br />For a split second I thought about doing exactly what you are counseling against, but then I considered how I feel when other members counsel me (a divorced, single mom) about the wonders of marriage and how I too can do it JUST LIKE THIS PERSON. Yep, cured the temptation right there. <br /><br />If we each just consider the way in which we feel like we don't fit exactly into the perfect Mormon mold and imagine someone sending us videos and blogs about how we "should" be doing it or how others do it "better." I venture to say it wouldn't take too much of that before we didn't want those people to be our friends anymore. Shaunanoreply@blogger.com