A line...

So I guess I need to start out by admitting the fact that my last posting "A seed..." probably seemed both arrogant and naive. Arrogant because I realize there are a lot of people intellectually superior to myself (some of whom are reading this) who are able to reconcile their faith with their learning. The naivete in that I am far from the first person to question or to struggle with the limited nature of his or her understanding of things.

I do struggle though. I struggle with the simple things. The things you are supposed to take for granted. It seems we live in a world where we are constantly looking for limits. We are constantly drawing lines in the sand. My struggles are to some degree due to the fact that I have tried to avoid limits (intellectually at least) and to abstain from drawing lines. I am constantly trying to understand things from as many perspectives as possible. Essentially I do not want my own preconceived notions or attitudes to influence my perceptions or understandings of various situations or issues.

I am beginning to realize that there are some lies that must be drawn. There are some assumptions that are crucial to faith, of any type. Those assumptions are lines that cannot be crossed. The assumption that Joseph Smith was a prophet, he translated the Book of Mormon, and he was the instrument of the restoration of the priesthood and Christ's church on Earth, the fact that there are certain necessary saving ordinances that are attainable only through that priesthood, and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and Savior of the world. There are a lot of things that I can easily dismiss as irrelevant because I so not really see a relevance to my personal salvation (such as the role of dinosaurs in God's plan). There are areas that are more difficult for me. I struggle for example with the literalness of scripture. I struggle with the role of personal revelation. I struggle with the disconnect between the Gospel and the Culture.

Basically most of the stuff that bugs me is immaterial and petty. A lot of it does not matter. I guess to me it comes down to a conscious decision on my part to accept the things that I have to accept Take the givens. It has worked out for me so far. I have a good life and I have been blessed. I guess it comes down to the whole faith thing.

I do not know if I really see the spiritual fruits of my faith. However, the fruits of the life I have lived due to my efforts to live by my faith (albeit imperfectly) are very tangible and they are great.

I guess in my case it comes down to simple faith (which for me is far from simple). I don't know if I will ever find answers. I don't know if God will ever give them to me.

So I'm back to the seed...