Written by: Joseph Fielding McConkie, son of Bruce R. McConkie and grandson of Joseph Fielding Smith and published by BYU Magazine, April 2007
In finding answers we must find the balance between agency and inspiration. Building upon this foundation, let me teach you a very fundamental but often overlooked principle relative to getting answers to prayers and to questions that trouble you.
Few things facilitate getting the right answer like asking the right question.
Let me illustrate.
A young woman came up to me after a meeting at which I had spoken a few weeks ago. She asked if I could help her with a question dealing with the Old Testament. I told her I would be willing to try. She asked the question, and I did not have an idea in the world how to answer it. I told her so and then asked why the answer to such a question was important to her. She indicated that her husband had raised the issue along with other like questions. Each question he was asking carried with it the spirit of doubt. His questions were intended to challenge, not to build faith.
The real questions here were these: If I had been able to answer each of the questions with which this man was challenging his wife, would it have accomplished anything more than require him to come up with more questions? And why was he so anxious to discredit God and find foolishness in scripture? Perhaps he ought to be asked, “What commandment is it that you don’t want to keep?” or “What blessings would you like to quit receiving?”
I recently received a note from a former student. He requested help in answering questions common to anti-Mormon literature. I know the answers to these questions, but I also know that my answering them will make no difference whatsoever unless there is a change in the purpose and spirit of those asking them.
My questions are these: Is there really a shortage of evidence that Joseph Smith is a prophet? Are the unanswered questions in the Old Testament the real lion in our path?
I have a letter on my desk from a mother who told me a tragic story about the behavior of a man who had been called as a priesthood leader. “How,” she asked, “can I explain to my daughter that callings in this Church are inspired and at the same time explain the behavior of this man?”
While I share her hurt and embarrassment over what took place, I cannot help but wonder if she is not asking the wrong question. Surely her faith and that of her daughter cannot be so fragile that the misdeeds of one man would call the truthfulness of the whole gospel plan into question. At issue is whether our faith should rest in the infallibility of priesthood leaders or on the assurance that if we keep our covenants the Spirit of the Lord will always be our companion.
Again, often what stands between us and answers to our prayers is our failure to ask the right questions. The role of the Holy Ghost is as important in determining what we pray about as it is in bringing the answers we seek."
****Hmmm****
For all you amateur doubters - Joseph Fielding McConkie doesn't like your questions.
McConkie is tacitly admitting that he can't answer 'challenging' questions about his religion. That's an admission of failure on his part and an indication of just how valid those challenging questions are. He defends himself (and the church) by the age-old Mormon tactic of the ad hominem against the originator of the question (the young woman's husband who has the 'spirit of doubt'). He attempts to dignify this tactic by making the unsupported claim that those who ask challenging questions always have an anti-Mormon agenda.
The question about the priesthood holder with a 'behavior' problem is one that deserves to be answered in good faith, given what Mormons are taught about the power of discernment by those who hold the priesthood. Yet McConkie implicitly attacks the 'spirit' of the mother who asked the question by referring obliquely to the old 'the church (or in this case the priesthood) is perfect, the members aren't' defense. In other words, the mother was exhibiting a lack of faith by even having to ask the question, since anyone with The Spirit would know that when behaving badly, the priesthood holder was acting only as a man, not a man of the priesthood.
Think about it. Any religion that has to erect a facade of such flimsy logic as "you must ask the question in the right spirit" is saying that all of its answers to such questions are conditional. In my opinion, that's a pretty strong indicator that it won't withstand the light of reason. McConkie is basically saying that those who value reason are not welcome in the church unless they keep quiet.
Remember the church's guiding philosophy: "It's YOUR fault"
Don't ask difficult questions, or ANY questions, for that matter. If you do, you have the spirit of contention. There is no such thing as a sincere question about any aspect of church history or doctrine. If you were living the gospel, such questions wouldn't even enter your mind, so the fact that you've asked such a question means you've done something to drive away the Spirit. The church is perfect, and you aren't. And always remember: it's YOUR fault.
In finding answers we must find the balance between agency and inspiration. Building upon this foundation, let me teach you a very fundamental but often overlooked principle relative to getting answers to prayers and to questions that trouble you.
Few things facilitate getting the right answer like asking the right question.
Let me illustrate.
A young woman came up to me after a meeting at which I had spoken a few weeks ago. She asked if I could help her with a question dealing with the Old Testament. I told her I would be willing to try. She asked the question, and I did not have an idea in the world how to answer it. I told her so and then asked why the answer to such a question was important to her. She indicated that her husband had raised the issue along with other like questions. Each question he was asking carried with it the spirit of doubt. His questions were intended to challenge, not to build faith.
The real questions here were these: If I had been able to answer each of the questions with which this man was challenging his wife, would it have accomplished anything more than require him to come up with more questions? And why was he so anxious to discredit God and find foolishness in scripture? Perhaps he ought to be asked, “What commandment is it that you don’t want to keep?” or “What blessings would you like to quit receiving?”
I recently received a note from a former student. He requested help in answering questions common to anti-Mormon literature. I know the answers to these questions, but I also know that my answering them will make no difference whatsoever unless there is a change in the purpose and spirit of those asking them.
My questions are these: Is there really a shortage of evidence that Joseph Smith is a prophet? Are the unanswered questions in the Old Testament the real lion in our path?
I have a letter on my desk from a mother who told me a tragic story about the behavior of a man who had been called as a priesthood leader. “How,” she asked, “can I explain to my daughter that callings in this Church are inspired and at the same time explain the behavior of this man?”
While I share her hurt and embarrassment over what took place, I cannot help but wonder if she is not asking the wrong question. Surely her faith and that of her daughter cannot be so fragile that the misdeeds of one man would call the truthfulness of the whole gospel plan into question. At issue is whether our faith should rest in the infallibility of priesthood leaders or on the assurance that if we keep our covenants the Spirit of the Lord will always be our companion.
Again, often what stands between us and answers to our prayers is our failure to ask the right questions. The role of the Holy Ghost is as important in determining what we pray about as it is in bringing the answers we seek."
****Hmmm****
For all you amateur doubters - Joseph Fielding McConkie doesn't like your questions.
McConkie is tacitly admitting that he can't answer 'challenging' questions about his religion. That's an admission of failure on his part and an indication of just how valid those challenging questions are. He defends himself (and the church) by the age-old Mormon tactic of the ad hominem against the originator of the question (the young woman's husband who has the 'spirit of doubt'). He attempts to dignify this tactic by making the unsupported claim that those who ask challenging questions always have an anti-Mormon agenda.
The question about the priesthood holder with a 'behavior' problem is one that deserves to be answered in good faith, given what Mormons are taught about the power of discernment by those who hold the priesthood. Yet McConkie implicitly attacks the 'spirit' of the mother who asked the question by referring obliquely to the old 'the church (or in this case the priesthood) is perfect, the members aren't' defense. In other words, the mother was exhibiting a lack of faith by even having to ask the question, since anyone with The Spirit would know that when behaving badly, the priesthood holder was acting only as a man, not a man of the priesthood.
Think about it. Any religion that has to erect a facade of such flimsy logic as "you must ask the question in the right spirit" is saying that all of its answers to such questions are conditional. In my opinion, that's a pretty strong indicator that it won't withstand the light of reason. McConkie is basically saying that those who value reason are not welcome in the church unless they keep quiet.
Remember the church's guiding philosophy: "It's YOUR fault"
Don't ask difficult questions, or ANY questions, for that matter. If you do, you have the spirit of contention. There is no such thing as a sincere question about any aspect of church history or doctrine. If you were living the gospel, such questions wouldn't even enter your mind, so the fact that you've asked such a question means you've done something to drive away the Spirit. The church is perfect, and you aren't. And always remember: it's YOUR fault.
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