Salt Lake Tribune faith columnist Gordon Monson on why he sticks with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Angel Moroni atop the spire of the Salt Lake Temple in 2008, long before the iconic structure underwent a massive renovation. Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson writes about why he remains faithful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.That’s supposed to make you laugh. This thing’s not meant to be about me as much as it is about my faith journey — and, perhaps in some indirect way, about yours, too. They’re probably not the same, but that’s OK.
Some people want out of this — and every corner — nothing but criticism of the church, no compliments. Others want the opposite. Only sunshine, no shade.Faith, at least for me, is a funny thing, not bust-a-gut funny, just different, unlike anything else I’ve experienced. Typically, I look for empirical data and other basic facts to govern my thoughts and actions, to form opinions and attitudes, to make decisions, to seek knowledge and truth. Logic makes a lot of sense to me.
Trouble is, I’m a natural skeptic. When someone tells me something that seems and sounds fantastical, I’m inclined to doubt it. Faith around here doesn’t come easy. My story is pretty much the same. The church brought direction into my life as a kid growing up on the East Coast, wondering what this whole deal was really about. I prayed, I read, I lived. And I experienced stuff that I cannot, not to this day, fully explain. Small touches from heaven, I guess. I had friends who fed on similar pieces of manna.
I’ve had enough touches, though, to grow my faith, even after stretches when I’ve run across church teachings that I thought were bogus, when I’ve seen cultural actions and attitudes that appeared to be anything but godly, when I’ve been uncertain regarding things about which I’ve read, cogitated and prayed.
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