Gospel Fare
The Strength of Moral Tension
Although tension is rarely comfortable to experience, the strain of holding onto conflicting ideals can make us strong.
Nathaniel Givens
August 2, 2022
Although tension is rarely comfortable to experience, the strain of holding onto conflicting ideals can make us strong.
So many stepping away from families, marriages, and faith attest to poignant emotional validation for their life-changing decisions. What exactly is this emotion they are feeling?
In a world jam-packed with intellectual sophistry often toxic to genuine faith, the value of clear thinking about difficult questions is immense and even eternal.
In addition to the clear violations against chastity, David’s behavior towards Uriah and Bathsheba reflects an ancient warning against the very exploitation of the powerless we continue to see around us today.
Shortages of important goods have suddenly become real in America—and there is reason to believe that could even get worse. There are several steps any family can take—without panic—to prepare and become more self-reliant.
When someone speaks openly against core doctrine in our faith community, concerns that arise in response are often portrayed as being “contentious,” in a way that silences those who object.
Americans have misunderstood “Satanic” as either ridiculous fear-mongering or a reliable laugh-line—not appreciating what’s at its core: A worship of self or “self as god.”
With great precision, a surgeon can miraculously repair a part of our body that is throbbing in pain. Could the same thing sometimes be needed for aching stories we carry around that simply aren’t true?
Some have accused American faith communities of rising in opposition to abortion only in recent decades—and largely as a political ploy. No one can honestly make that claim about Latter-day Saints.
It is important to understand the lived experience of our faith, including the reasons why people step away. But real understanding of these experiences is not possible unless we account for the variable of conversion.
Compared to conservative parents accused of trying to “ban books,” librarians making preemptive restrictions on other books are seen as “doing their job.” Can this conversation be rescued from its political skew?
As we are encouraged towards language like “pregnant person,” “birthing person,” and “menstruators” in the name of greater inclusivity, you have to wonder whether those identifying primarily as “woman” or “mother” are feeling included too?