Can the LDS Church be true? What about a sandwich?

 

In an on-line discussion this evening I stated that I believed the LDS Church was true. A critic of our faith responded that I would quickly tire of him telling me that his sandwich was true. Another said I was arrogant.

I told this first fellow that his sandwich might be good, bad, average, gross, or extraordinary. But we don’t usually characterize things like sandwiches, apples, or bubblegum as true. True relates to something being valid, actual, based in reality, etc. So, sandwiches can’t be true. But churches, certain principles, and other discernible things can be true (or false).

I told the 2nd fellow — who called me an arrogant @%$ — that we don’t have to agree. We don’t have to agree on politics, sports, our interpretation of Science, or religion. But it is possible that my religious views are correct without my being arrogant or a jerk. Just as it’s possible my views on sports may be based in fact, and therefore I might be correct in my views on that topic. It simply isn’t true that to hold beliefs others disagree with makes you a bad or arrogant individual. One simply must look at the merits of the beliefs. Are they true beliefs? Based in fact?

I didn’t say people from the South Pole are always bad. That would make me a jerk and perhaps an @%$. Instead, I made a religious claim. I have many reasons for believing the way I do. He doesn’t. Fine. Our difference of opinion makes neither him nor me a jerk. We simply disagree. You’ll have to trust me that I was trying to be nice, thoughtful, and persuasive — and not arrogant — in a spirited discussion.

So, unlike claiming a sandwich is true, it is completely rational to say that the LDS Church is true. After all, I believe Joseph saw angels, had plates, translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, and restored the Gospel.

I shared w/ these critics a few synonyms for true (see below) that make the expression easier to handle in many cases. I personally don’t prefer the one-sentence answer: “The Church is true,” though the sentence itself is true. We might want to mix in other words such as accurate history, what really happened to Joseph and the witnesses, etc.

true
tro͞o/
adjective
 
  1. 1.
    in accordance with fact or reality.
    “a true story”
    synonyms: correct, accurate, right, verifiable, in accordance with the facts, what actually/really happened, well documented, the case, so; More

     

     
     
  2. accurate or exact.
    “it was a true depiction”
    synonyms: accurate, true to life, faithful, telling it like it is, fact-based, realistic, close, lifelike

     

    “a true reflection of life in the 50s”

A view on authority:

Can Many Religions All be True?

Just yesterday a friend of mine claimed that it’s arrogant to say you’re the only true church.  After all, he said, other faiths say the same thing.

We debated for some time, reaching no agreement.  I thought I’d YouTube the question.  Among other things I found, I liked the video below.  I shared it with my friend who hasn’t yet commented on it directly.

Alvin Carl Plantinga is an American analytic philosopher, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, and the inaugural holder of the Jellema Chair in Philosophy at Calvin College.  He is a Protestant and considered by many to be America’s leading Christian philosopher.

Plantinga explains that, according to his view, only one faith can be correct.  And it isn’t true one is arrogant to believe this.   I agree with Dr. Plantinga’s arguments.  I disagree, however, that Protestantism holds the Gospel’s fullness.

I believe Joseph Smith restored the fullness of Christ’s teachings through gradual development and miraculous visitations.

Finding a balance between loyalty or commitment to one’s faith and sympathetic openness to other faiths is one of the biggest challenges Mormons face in an age of inclusiveness.

Episode 32: Balancing Religious Tensions – Mauro Properzi

Truth is found in all faiths.  But priesthood and keys are only found in the restored church.

How can I know that spiritual experiences are not just a product of brain chemicals?

Only feelings?

Some critics state that all people have religious experiences that they report as true.  They, in fact, state they’ve felt the Holy Ghost.  Now what?

I say, do you feel it’s fair that only Mormons feel the Holy Ghost?  No, we’ve never taught that.  We know the light of Christ is felt by all.  Gifts of the Spirit aren’t unique to Latter-day Saints.

When folks of other faiths feel the Spirit we should be glad for them.  We hope they would consider investigating the LDS Church.  As Plantinga points out above, many of our positions can’t all be true.

I believe Jesus when he said he was the way, the truth, and the light.  One path gets us back to the Father, despite all the goodness and truth found in other faiths.

Blake Ostler emphasizes an inclusive faith in a pluralistic society:

On the topic of priesthood authority: