Critical Thinking Essay

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded after a 14-year-old boy sincerely asked God which religious sect he should join.  Rather than merely choosing to attend the church that best matched his spiritual views, Joseph Smith went to the source of all truth.  The restored gospel is a direct result of this earnest desire.  Doubting, pondering, searching, and studying are not only appropriate methods of consideration; they are absolutely essential to the development of a testimony of Jesus Christ and His restored church.

I believe most members of the church, if being completely honest, will admit to having times in their life where they experienced feelings of doubt about an LDS doctrine. I’ve often reiterated this fact to my children, and challenged them to think critically about their own faith.  Although some argue that doubts can only occur when the Spirit is absent, I tell my children not to rely on the faith of others.  It is vital for each of us to question beliefs in order to form a solid conviction of our own.  If we do not challenge the available theories, we will be tossed about aimlessly in the storms of life.  I would rather my children deduce viewpoints contradictory to my own than continue to rely on the opinions of others.

           My patriarchal blessing states that I was sent to a family where I was “given the liberty and the freedom to make choices and decisions for [myself], thus gaining strength by exercising that right.”  My belief in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has been solidified during the times when I have mentally challenged the ideologies of others.  In recent years, I have questioned the reasoning behind our leader’s stance on same-sex marriage, because I feel somewhat uncomfortable with my ability to take away the rights of others.  Through extensive pondering, I’ve come to the conclusion that same-sex marriage is still a social experiment, and our understanding of eternal consequences is very limited.  I support the definition of marriage between a man and woman, which agrees with the counsel given by our church leaders, after thoroughly examining the issue in order to gain an independent conclusion.

President Deiter F. Uchtdorf spoke about doubt in the October 2013 General Conference: “It’s natural to have questions. . .One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty.”  This apostle of the Lord gave us complete freedom from guilt when we experience inner debates over the teachings of our leaders. Many investigate the church but decide not to continue their inquiries.  Others join the church and later decide it is not fulfilling their needs.   Although I sometimes want to climb a high tower to proclaim the truthfulness of Christ’s church, I fully respect the beliefs of others.  We cannot fail when we honestly search for truth.  We may come to differing conclusions, but we will always be successful if we humbly follow our spiritual yearnings.