19 April 2015

To Those Who Opposed

To Those Who Opposed the sustaining of the prophets,

I appreciate your bravery and your diligence in seeking answers to the questions and concerns that are deep in your heart. These concerns and struggles are very important in finding truth. I hope to share with you how I learned to “express feedback, opinions, dissent, or dissatisfaction about the current views, positions and teachings of the LDS Church” (taken from www.standard.net).

I have been brought up in the LDS Church and trained to think for myself and learn things for myself. I had my trials and learned to build my testimony at a young age. The part that meant the most to me was about Jesus Christ and how everything that He did was for me. Part of this was learning that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not any of the leaders or prophets.

I can greatly relate to those who have concerns about the Priesthood and how men and women are treated differently in the Church or how Church members don't always act in harmony to the teachings of the Church towards fellow members of the fold. I have experienced those things for myself and had those same questions. And I took them to the head of the Church.

The exact example I will use here will be about the differences that used to exist in allowing males and females to go on missions. As a teenager, I longed to go on a mission and knew that I had to wait until I was 21 while the boys all got to go at 19. This was an issue in my mind. As I said before I took this problem to the head of the Church. I prayed a lot and I prayed hard because it was something near and dear to me. I kept praying and knew Gd was listening, but I didn't get the "you will understand later feeling" (as I did for other questions that I had that I did and am getting answers about). Instead I felt that what I was saying was right.

When I turned 21, I already had my mission call and was reporting to the MTC in two weeks. While I was in the MTC the monumental announcement came that lowered the missionary age. It was the answer to my prayer. The head of the Church had heard my plea and the plea of many others and made the change. I know that it was after it would directly affect me (meaning I was already a missionary under the old system), but I knew that Gd listened and answered my concern.

I am very proud to be a member of the Church where everyone has access to He who stands at the head, where I can receive direct answers from Him, and where I know everything will and does fit. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the best method to express feedback, dissent, opinions, and dissatisfaction. That method is prayer. I know it does not seem as glorious and instant as people would like it to be, but it is the way that helps the most. And by 'helps the most' I mean it is the best method to fulfill Gd's purpose "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

To all those who question, I invite you to "ask, and it shall be given you; [to] seek, and ye shall find" (Matthew 7:7). The head of the Church is eager to hear your concerns and help you bring about the change that will help "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

Sincerely,
Marzipan

No comments:

Post a Comment