Defending Mormonism Means Defending Others

We all have our own beliefs. That's a self-evident fact of life. It's one of the most beautiful examples of free will, or "agency", that two different people can observe the same things and draw different conclusions. While inherently, not every conclusion can be correct, it's still wonderful that we are allowed to draw them. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormonism"), I cherish this sacred right every day. Like a person of any viewpoint, there are naturally people who hold the opposite viewpoints of myself, and some (not all) of them mock me for it. While a good number of people are willing to talk civilly about it, should the matter come up, a small but loud faction of them can get downright hurtful sometimes. While I understand their points, that paradigms I have accepted are not compatible with their way of thinking, I still cringe a little whenever these discussions cross the line. I am equally disturbed when I see others in the same (or worse) situations.

It's a big, big world out there, full to the brim with people, over 7 billion of them in fact. Odds are that a great deal of those people don't share the same views and opinions as me. Can that be frustrating? Oh yeah! Borderline infuriating on occasion? You bet! But the way I see it, these people are all practicing their own agency, just like myself. They are obviously making different decisions with it, but its the same beautiful principle at work in my own life. When we cross paths, we can both exercise agency by sharing ideas, and maybe even convince each other to different viewpoints. This is wonderful; the movement of ideas is a vital part of keeping culture from stagnating.

I've come to learn that, even though I might disagree with another person's beliefs on a fundamental level, I still owe that person respect. I'm not perfect, and I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I've had a realization: What kind of man would I be if I told someone to stop undermining Mormonism, but then turned around and said, "Ew, X religion is so weird! Those people are crazy!" I would be a hypocrite! That's why, when discussing religion, I now try to avoid broad generalizations, statements calculated to draw on my sense of fear, and pretty much any criticisms made about a religion on the internet (unless it was written by that church itself).

As fellow human beings, its imperative that we learn to love one another. It's a perfectly sound argument that others might be wrong in their assumptions, or misguided in their beliefs. It's perfectly fine to change one's assumptions or beliefs, or to reasonably convince another to do so. But a person should never be viewed as inferior because of their faith.

If you would like to practice your own agency, and learn a little more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then click here to chat live with real missionaries!