Friday, July 12, 2013

Dealing with Differing Understandings of God's Love

I believe love is the principle upon which all else hangs, and I believe actions that mirror what we believe to be God's love are the manifestation of our love for others.

If someone interprets God's love as the words of the prophets and apostles, fine. If someone interprets that as some of the words of the prophets and apostles, fine. If someone interprets that as none of the words of the prophets and apostles, fine. If someone interprets that as a combination of the words of the prophets and apostles and the voice of God to them directly, fine. As long as the person is following "faithfully" what s/he believes to be the word of God, fine. I can disagree with them, in some cases vehemently, when it comes to points of doctrine and the actions that follow from those points of doctrine, but I can't disagree with their sincere efforts to live God's law and exhibit God's love. 

It's not my place to judge, and I agree with Joseph Smith that, in the end, God won't punish anyone for erring on points of doctrine. That statement is one of my favorites from any prophet. 

I understand that most people have a huge issue with that idea when it is taken to the logical conclusion (think the Twin Towers bombers, for example), but I personally am fine with that logical conclusion. I think God really is that powerful, and I think God really is that merciful - and I think "redemption" and "salvation" (two VERY different things) really are that expansive.

1 comment:

Patty said...

Sometimes it's interesting to see how much our perception of a particular doctrine can change when we come to understand how another person sees and believes it. We are all shortsighted have a bit of tunnel vision so it's good to take a step back and try to understand others' perspectives. :)