I problem I have with the messiness is the inevitable human tragedies and losses that the false teachings have brought into people's lives. I read of the sufferings of the Black LDS members prior to the revelation granting priesthood to all worthy men. And I am terribly saddened that we institutionalized and taught such terrible things to people in the name of God. People felt free to justify their feelings of superiority and condemnation because of what they learned at Church. Didn't an Apostle teach them this very reasoning? I know the Atonement of Christ will heal all, but I wonder what cost we will pay for teaching false doctrine and driving others from the faith Christ paid everything for them to share.
Brett AllenJanuary 7, 2015
Great article!!!
Gregory ClarkJanuary 5, 2015
To those lovers of Christ who passionately seek and study, the acquisition of isolated facts will forever fall short of the emancipating truth He describes in John 8:31-32. The "messiness" of our own faith tradition that we may encounter, so well described by Brother Goddard, does not have to equate to becoming disillusioned. Rather, with humility and a willingness to let go of our desire for perfectly packaged histories and explanations, this very messiness can become an opportunity to cling to the word of God as described in 1 Nephi 15:24, realizing that Jesus himself - the flawless, eternal, perfect One who never disappoints, having no dark side - is in fact the Word (see John 1:1). Therein lies ultimate surety and security. And joy!
Thank you, Brother Goddard. Masterful article.
Amber AndersonJanuary 2, 2015
I absolutely loved this article. It is only through our faith that the truth will be revealed to us. It is only through our doubt that we can find our way back to faith. Nothing is really as neat as the process of learning from ours and others mistakes indeed!
Charles McClellandDecember 31, 2014
Thank you for this wonderful article. It was comforting to my soul.
Mike MansfieldDecember 30, 2014
Thank you, Brother Goddard for providing your insights to help me to gain perspective. Fear of being error free often prevents me from feeling the faith that draws me to God's love and away from His Word - which soothes, comforts and encourages.
VardellDecember 30, 2014
Thank you brother Goddard. I think it's very important that members learn about some of our "messy" history from sources they trust. As the church releases statements on these topics I only hope they will eventually teach them in the curriculum. Try suggesting in High Priests group that we have some dark history and you will get more argument than agreement. Believe me, I know. Decades of hearing perfect stories about perfect leaders have been memorized and anything different is rejected as false. But if young people hear the truth from the church, their faith will not be shaken when they hear it later from critics.
Robert StarlingDecember 29, 2014
Wow! I stand all amazed at this profound summary. To anyone who doubts, this is a wonderful prescription for gaining and/or sustaining faith. Too many of us expect our religion to be "tidy" or "perfect" or else it must not be true. Not to mention that it is WAY, WAY out in front of whatever is in second place! Whatever passes through the hearts, hands and minds of imperfect men and women will become somewhat "messy", however perfect the source.
I grew up in the Bible Belt, and I understand the depths of misunderstanding many good Christians have about the Bible. But although it usually doesn't filter down to the rank and file, even the scholars and theologians who wrote the respected "Chicago Statement on Inerrancy" acknowledged (as do Latter-day Saints) that:
"Since God has nowhere promised an inerrant transmission of Scripture, it is necessary to affirm that only the autographic text of the original documents was inspired ... the copies we possess are not entirely error-free...Similarly, no translation is or can be perfect, and all translations are an additional step away from the autographa."
(Quoted in Chapter 6 of my upcoming book - "REALLY Inside Mormonism: Confessions of a Mere Latter-day Christian".)
Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for the less-messy Restoration, and thanks be to Bro. Goddard for his excellent observations.
Well said! VERY well said.
DavidDDecember 29, 2014
It’s interesting. “Messy” is a term I myself recently started using to apply to the evolution of various doctrinal issues in the Church and/or our own evolving understanding of those issues, including blacks and the Priesthood, polygamy, same gender, etc. It seems I’m not the only one who finds that word to be applicable. I think the author’s discussion is solid and helpful. Ultimately though, for me, the question is whether I should accept our messiness not over the messiness of other Christians, but over the logical arguments of atheists who simply laugh at what they see as our fumbling attempts to make sense of myth, superstition and outdated ideas of all kinds. For me, it still comes down to core beliefs. Is there a God and was and is there a Jesus Christ? Did they appear to Joseph Smith? Is the Book of Mormon what it purports to be? If I am convinced of those basic things, and I am, a lot of other important things follow and I can put up with frustrating messiness around the edges.
I am reminded of the parable of the iron rod leading to the tree of life in 1st Nephi. What a beautiful, relevant parable. No forger, imposter or charlatan could have or would have concocted such a story of faith in God’s word. And just as it was a wonderful blessing to Nephi, helping him to persevere and be committed for the rest of his life despite all the messiness of his journey to the new world, it still resonates with us. If we hold to the word of God, especially those core beliefs that we know to be true through the still small reassurances of the Holy Ghost, we will find true happiness. In the current vernacular, “don’t sweat the small, messy stuff.”
Comments | Return to Story
TJJanuary 12, 2015
I problem I have with the messiness is the inevitable human tragedies and losses that the false teachings have brought into people's lives. I read of the sufferings of the Black LDS members prior to the revelation granting priesthood to all worthy men. And I am terribly saddened that we institutionalized and taught such terrible things to people in the name of God. People felt free to justify their feelings of superiority and condemnation because of what they learned at Church. Didn't an Apostle teach them this very reasoning? I know the Atonement of Christ will heal all, but I wonder what cost we will pay for teaching false doctrine and driving others from the faith Christ paid everything for them to share.
Brett AllenJanuary 7, 2015
Great article!!!
Gregory ClarkJanuary 5, 2015
To those lovers of Christ who passionately seek and study, the acquisition of isolated facts will forever fall short of the emancipating truth He describes in John 8:31-32. The "messiness" of our own faith tradition that we may encounter, so well described by Brother Goddard, does not have to equate to becoming disillusioned. Rather, with humility and a willingness to let go of our desire for perfectly packaged histories and explanations, this very messiness can become an opportunity to cling to the word of God as described in 1 Nephi 15:24, realizing that Jesus himself - the flawless, eternal, perfect One who never disappoints, having no dark side - is in fact the Word (see John 1:1). Therein lies ultimate surety and security. And joy! Thank you, Brother Goddard. Masterful article.
Amber AndersonJanuary 2, 2015
I absolutely loved this article. It is only through our faith that the truth will be revealed to us. It is only through our doubt that we can find our way back to faith. Nothing is really as neat as the process of learning from ours and others mistakes indeed!
Charles McClellandDecember 31, 2014
Thank you for this wonderful article. It was comforting to my soul.
Mike MansfieldDecember 30, 2014
Thank you, Brother Goddard for providing your insights to help me to gain perspective. Fear of being error free often prevents me from feeling the faith that draws me to God's love and away from His Word - which soothes, comforts and encourages.
VardellDecember 30, 2014
Thank you brother Goddard. I think it's very important that members learn about some of our "messy" history from sources they trust. As the church releases statements on these topics I only hope they will eventually teach them in the curriculum. Try suggesting in High Priests group that we have some dark history and you will get more argument than agreement. Believe me, I know. Decades of hearing perfect stories about perfect leaders have been memorized and anything different is rejected as false. But if young people hear the truth from the church, their faith will not be shaken when they hear it later from critics.
Robert StarlingDecember 29, 2014
Wow! I stand all amazed at this profound summary. To anyone who doubts, this is a wonderful prescription for gaining and/or sustaining faith. Too many of us expect our religion to be "tidy" or "perfect" or else it must not be true. Not to mention that it is WAY, WAY out in front of whatever is in second place! Whatever passes through the hearts, hands and minds of imperfect men and women will become somewhat "messy", however perfect the source. I grew up in the Bible Belt, and I understand the depths of misunderstanding many good Christians have about the Bible. But although it usually doesn't filter down to the rank and file, even the scholars and theologians who wrote the respected "Chicago Statement on Inerrancy" acknowledged (as do Latter-day Saints) that: "Since God has nowhere promised an inerrant transmission of Scripture, it is necessary to affirm that only the autographic text of the original documents was inspired ... the copies we possess are not entirely error-free...Similarly, no translation is or can be perfect, and all translations are an additional step away from the autographa." (Quoted in Chapter 6 of my upcoming book - "REALLY Inside Mormonism: Confessions of a Mere Latter-day Christian".) Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for the less-messy Restoration, and thanks be to Bro. Goddard for his excellent observations. Well said! VERY well said.
DavidDDecember 29, 2014
It’s interesting. “Messy” is a term I myself recently started using to apply to the evolution of various doctrinal issues in the Church and/or our own evolving understanding of those issues, including blacks and the Priesthood, polygamy, same gender, etc. It seems I’m not the only one who finds that word to be applicable. I think the author’s discussion is solid and helpful. Ultimately though, for me, the question is whether I should accept our messiness not over the messiness of other Christians, but over the logical arguments of atheists who simply laugh at what they see as our fumbling attempts to make sense of myth, superstition and outdated ideas of all kinds. For me, it still comes down to core beliefs. Is there a God and was and is there a Jesus Christ? Did they appear to Joseph Smith? Is the Book of Mormon what it purports to be? If I am convinced of those basic things, and I am, a lot of other important things follow and I can put up with frustrating messiness around the edges. I am reminded of the parable of the iron rod leading to the tree of life in 1st Nephi. What a beautiful, relevant parable. No forger, imposter or charlatan could have or would have concocted such a story of faith in God’s word. And just as it was a wonderful blessing to Nephi, helping him to persevere and be committed for the rest of his life despite all the messiness of his journey to the new world, it still resonates with us. If we hold to the word of God, especially those core beliefs that we know to be true through the still small reassurances of the Holy Ghost, we will find true happiness. In the current vernacular, “don’t sweat the small, messy stuff.”
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