Religion what is it good for?
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:39 pm
I decided to use Zeezrom's question as a backdrop:
Zee says: Why not just get rid of eternal sealings altogether?
My belief is nothing. Its just something inside me and believe you me that's not saying much of anything. Thus, nothing. I think its in part guiding me, but perhaps its not. Its just little. Its just something far apart from the whole wide big and complicated world, and I describe the world that way because I can't in all my efforts pretend to comprehend all that is understood, or even known in this world--me and my slow brain. Shoot. Its not easy and its frustrating I suppose, but I figure there's not a lot I can do about it, so whateves. But I'll put some of my belief on display here. There's some amount of pertaining to the question quoted.
In my view there is nothing in this world without the love and admiration that exists between one soul and another. I realized this years ago. People that I loved died. People that I admired left. Some I haven't seen or spoken to in years. Some went off to war and as a result changed--and not necessarily in a bad way. Belief became to me all about "what is love". Not being able to grasp anything philosophically (I read Kierkegaard's Works of Love, which will come highly recommended from me, and some other material) I turned inward. I learned quite quickly that I had some amount of control over my love. I could love whoever I wanted. People who were annoying to me I learned to appreciate and love. It was a sheer delight for me--all this journeying only to arrive at such simplicity. At that time as much as anything I felt I realized why love was central to "great commandments".
I won't neglect the sealing question. How am I to love all people? Well for one, in any meaningful way, its impossible. There are too many people. I won't ever get to know very many at all, relatively speaking. I can only love some. Sealing to me is so narrow, sometimes when I think about it. We talk about being sealed as families, but that's just too small. Families are important but they're only important if you learn to shed much of yourself and live outside of family a little. For me sealing families is just the beginning. If the gospel's purpose is to help us be better than anything associated with it is to teach love. Sealing is just an ordinance to bind loving relationships. It goes for generations in families and if its truly an important ordinance for all throughout the world's life, then officially sanctioned sealings will cross all sorts of barriers and not just families.
I stop and think about what stops love from being the life of everyone and realize the enmities created in people's souls grows out of differences. Differences of opinions, nationalities, ethnicities, religion, cultures, and in some cases families. You see, the lack of love, or enmity if you will, between Kevin and Will as an example is that which derived from years of disagreeing about, well, somewhat petty things (sorry about this rather unsophisticated example). Unity would have to be the solution. If we were all able to see the big picture, differences would disappear. We woudl know and understand better. We wouldn't quibble about the KEP or whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet. We'd know exactly what we were talking about and we wouldn't have to resort to the silliness that comes of our disagreements. Its a way small picture explanation I offer but its what i hope for--a better place. I don't see any better options out there outside of Mormonism though. If Mormonism is true, if sealings are ordinances designed to rightly sanction any possible harmonious relationships we can have for each other then there's nothing grander in my view. There is purpose to it all and there is hope that one day we'll see a true utopia. Love, cameraderie, unity, and sheer wonderfulness will be all that we deal with. Its all we can hope for.
I could go on, but I'll elave it there. In this sense religion to me, and particularly my religion, is expressly purposeful because of love. I end for comments to consider so I can reevaluate my thoughts and perhaps respond with some more.
Zee says: Why not just get rid of eternal sealings altogether?
My belief is nothing. Its just something inside me and believe you me that's not saying much of anything. Thus, nothing. I think its in part guiding me, but perhaps its not. Its just little. Its just something far apart from the whole wide big and complicated world, and I describe the world that way because I can't in all my efforts pretend to comprehend all that is understood, or even known in this world--me and my slow brain. Shoot. Its not easy and its frustrating I suppose, but I figure there's not a lot I can do about it, so whateves. But I'll put some of my belief on display here. There's some amount of pertaining to the question quoted.
In my view there is nothing in this world without the love and admiration that exists between one soul and another. I realized this years ago. People that I loved died. People that I admired left. Some I haven't seen or spoken to in years. Some went off to war and as a result changed--and not necessarily in a bad way. Belief became to me all about "what is love". Not being able to grasp anything philosophically (I read Kierkegaard's Works of Love, which will come highly recommended from me, and some other material) I turned inward. I learned quite quickly that I had some amount of control over my love. I could love whoever I wanted. People who were annoying to me I learned to appreciate and love. It was a sheer delight for me--all this journeying only to arrive at such simplicity. At that time as much as anything I felt I realized why love was central to "great commandments".
I won't neglect the sealing question. How am I to love all people? Well for one, in any meaningful way, its impossible. There are too many people. I won't ever get to know very many at all, relatively speaking. I can only love some. Sealing to me is so narrow, sometimes when I think about it. We talk about being sealed as families, but that's just too small. Families are important but they're only important if you learn to shed much of yourself and live outside of family a little. For me sealing families is just the beginning. If the gospel's purpose is to help us be better than anything associated with it is to teach love. Sealing is just an ordinance to bind loving relationships. It goes for generations in families and if its truly an important ordinance for all throughout the world's life, then officially sanctioned sealings will cross all sorts of barriers and not just families.
I stop and think about what stops love from being the life of everyone and realize the enmities created in people's souls grows out of differences. Differences of opinions, nationalities, ethnicities, religion, cultures, and in some cases families. You see, the lack of love, or enmity if you will, between Kevin and Will as an example is that which derived from years of disagreeing about, well, somewhat petty things (sorry about this rather unsophisticated example). Unity would have to be the solution. If we were all able to see the big picture, differences would disappear. We woudl know and understand better. We wouldn't quibble about the KEP or whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet. We'd know exactly what we were talking about and we wouldn't have to resort to the silliness that comes of our disagreements. Its a way small picture explanation I offer but its what i hope for--a better place. I don't see any better options out there outside of Mormonism though. If Mormonism is true, if sealings are ordinances designed to rightly sanction any possible harmonious relationships we can have for each other then there's nothing grander in my view. There is purpose to it all and there is hope that one day we'll see a true utopia. Love, cameraderie, unity, and sheer wonderfulness will be all that we deal with. Its all we can hope for.
I could go on, but I'll elave it there. In this sense religion to me, and particularly my religion, is expressly purposeful because of love. I end for comments to consider so I can reevaluate my thoughts and perhaps respond with some more.