What Kind of an Example are You?
Latter-day Saints are no less misunderstood now than they were ever before. I will hereafter examine the reasons why this may be so.
One day during lunch at my high school, the topic of church came up. The question was what church did each individual belong to. It was not long before the whole table had me labeled as a Mormon. The whole conversation immediately turned to the Church. It wasn't long before one girl asked, as a Latter-day Saint, if I believed that Jesus Christ paid for my sins on the cross. At almost the same moment, I was asked if I even believed in God. I answered both at once, "Not only do I believe, but I know as sure as I live that God exists, and that Jesus Christ died for me." I could tell that my answer shocked them. It was a look of confusion. They were not shocked because of my answer specifically, but because they had been taught differently by their religious leaders. They took my word for it, and at least for a while will believe all that I told them concerning Latter-day Saints. After all, who are they to argue what I believe or not?
During this same conversation, they referred to an old Latter-day Saint friend of theirs. Unfortunately, they had been misled greatly concerning what we believe by that Latter-day Saint. When I told them what we really teach, they didn't want to believe me. I noticed right away the huge difference between the effect we can have, versus those who are not united with us and can not therefore speak as a true authority on what we believe.
If a person goes to their minister and is misled intentionally, so be it-the sins be on that minister's head. But if we misled them on what we believe, there is no hope. The sin will no doubt be much greater on that Latter-day Saint than any anti-Mormon. If they can not trust us as a source for what we teach, then who can be trusted? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. We don't need to teach false doctrine as the doctrine of our church. We have plenty of others doing that for us. We must set the example at all times so they will believe the truth when they hear it.
Alma encountered the same problem I encountered centuries before. His son, Corianton, through his bad example hindered the missionary work among the Zoramites. Alma said to him; "Suffer not yourself to be led any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again... Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words… turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly; but rather return unto them, and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done." (Alma 39:11,13)
May I say as a fellow Latter-day Saint, that if you have misled someone by what you've said or done, may you repent immediately. Let those who you have misinformed know that you misled them. And if they will believe you when you correct your error, then may it never happen again.
To close out the story of the conversation-they continued asking questions. They wanted to know what our church believed. I had the opportunity that day to share with every student at that table Joseph Smith's First Vision. I am hopeful that some day in the future they will find the gospel and it may become part of their lives.
This is Jesus Christ's Church. He is the founder and overseer of this work. It is not man's church. When we join ourselves with it, it is your obligation to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." (Matthew 5:16) It is my prayer that we me always be the best example we can, in the name of Him whose Church this is, Jesus Christ, amen.
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