| Sometimes during my studies in college and graduate | | | | than before. In confessing that insight, I feel as I am |
| school I felt as though I were some sort of | | | | committing a sin against modern society where debate |
| mythological beast like the fabled Yeti or -- to take | | | | has become per se a value. Let me clarify that I am |
| something from part of the country -- a Jackalope. I | | | | not referring to disagreement or discussion, but rather |
| am a faithful, believing, run of the mill Mormon. I am also | | | | to that puerile variety of parallel argumentation that so |
| a student at a major university studying history. In a | | | | dominates our public discourse where speakers, who |
| sea of doubt, pessimism, and agnosticism my | | | | cannot truly be called interlocutors, speak so singly and |
| colleagues find my faith both baffling and strange and | | | | disconnectedly that there is no exchange of ideas or |
| have sometimes remarked in passing how sad that | | | | even a recognition of the other’s point of view. It |
| such a capable person should be under the sway of | | | | is rather the solipsistic pontificating of pundits and |
| such delusions. My native shyness often led me to | | | | spokesman. |
| avoid confrontation and debate, but here I wish to reply | | | | As Mormon missionaries , we were taught -- and I |
| to those people to all the others who have made | | | | aimed -- to share our message, invite others to |
| similar comments over the years. Most of the | | | | consider it, pray about it, and live it, but nothing more. |
| discourse I see relating to Mormon missionaries on the | | | | True, we were sometimes goaded into debate and I |
| internet and in the media is cynical and critical. The | | | | succumbed to too many such baitings, but more often |
| authors highlight the minority of cases where a | | | | than not I and my fellow missionaries testified and |
| missionary hated his mission experience or where | | | | warned and invited others to hear our message |
| missionaries clashed with ministers of religion or seers | | | | without ill feelings. Some have tried to argue that our |
| of secularism. I want say the seemingly unsayable: I | | | | reticence to debate evinces some deeply harbored |
| enjoyed my mission. | | | | fears on our parts about the veracity of our message; |
| Like the majority of young Mormon men, I served as a | | | | but such criticism is misguided. We merely recognize |
| Mormon missionary when I turned 19. Since my | | | | that rarely does any good come from such debate |
| sixteenth birthday, I had been saving money for this | | | | and the casualty of such battles is usually the good |
| foreseen event. My meditations and my prayers over | | | | relations among people. Most of those who wished to |
| this future were generally one and the same, or at | | | | debate us were so lacking in the ability to listen and |
| least they flowed so naturally one from another that I | | | | grasp another’s point of view, that debate would |
| was never quite sure which I was undertaking. I | | | | have been merely a battle of wills and egos. |
| determined that I would not go unless I felt and knew in | | | | So, you might ask, why do we do it? Why do we risk |
| my heart that is was the right thing. The Prophet | | | | stirring up such controversy and rancor? I am |
| Joseph Smith said once, | | | | convinced after much experience that it the missionary |
| [T]he things of God are of deep import; and time, and | | | | work of this Church that inspires such vehement |
| experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn | | | | diatribes against us more than any peculiarity of |
| thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if | | | | practice or principle. Many groups similarly have |
| thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as | | | | divergent beliefs about God and salvation, but no other |
| high as the utmost heavens, and search into and | | | | group makes such an effort to ensure that everyone |
| contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad | | | | else knows about them. I can only answer by saying |
| expanse of eternity-thou must commune with God. | | | | that our belief compels us to do so and were we to |
| How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts | | | | ignore the imperative to share this message we would |
| of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart! | | | | wallow in enervating hypocrisy. We believe that our |
| None but fools will trifle with the souls of men. (Joseph | | | | message can soothe hearts, strengthen relationships, |
| Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of | | | | and enable all people to understand and worship God. |
| Latter-day Saints, 7 Vols. 3:295) | | | | This belief will cause controversy and earn us the ill |
| In Mormonism, God is not to be found simply through | | | | assessment of many who hold that truth and values |
| mere musings as in Natural Theology, but through | | | | are relative, but to cease to share our message would |
| experiences with Him and those experiences come | | | | be as good as denying that we believe it and that we |
| from service to God and to mankind. As Joseph Smith | | | | cannot do; I cannot do that, for I have had too many |
| said, what are needed are time, experience, and | | | | experiences which have confirmed to me the |
| ponderous thought. The truth of a thing is to be found | | | | truthfulness of this message and the necessity of |
| in the doing of it. So, I studied and lived what I read and | | | | sharing it with others. I have seen faith, both in God and |
| in time, there came a conviction that God lives and that | | | | in self, work too many miracles for me to step aside |
| the Book of Mormon was true. As a Mormon | | | | now and say I will not work to help others because I |
| missionary I spent two years teaching that to | | | | might offend some. Life has taught me this: someone |
| everyone I met. Another essay at another time will | | | | will be offended no matter what I do, so I will live so as |
| perhaps deal more fully with my basis for theism, but | | | | not to offend my conscience for that will be my |
| here let me say that faith is not irrational. It is not | | | | constant and eternal companion. |
| illogical. It arises from a spiritually yearning and | | | | My plea is for this: that people take more time to |
| understands that sometimes, to be understand, a fact | | | | understand one another in our public discourse, |
| must first be accepted and placed in the best light or in | | | | particularly with regard to religion. This appeal has been |
| the most charitable regard. Logic, as my professor of | | | | made before and will be made again. I suffer no |
| philosophy at college said repeatedly, is merely a tool | | | | delusions that this little essay will have some grand |
| that constructs a priori assumptions and like a machine | | | | effect on society, but hopefully someone will listen. |
| computes the necessary conclusions. It is not | | | | True discussion and true communication about ideas |
| knowledge in and of itself, but a framework for | | | | and values requires that first we understand our |
| organizing knowledge. A person of faith is just as | | | | interlocutors views and beliefs. Too many people |
| capable of reason and inquiry as the most ardent | | | | assume all too quickly that they know what someone |
| adept of Positivism. | | | | else believes about this or that. Such intellectual |
| What does a Mormon missionary do? This question no | | | | mondegreens stifle our ability to communicate for |
| doubt bewilders some. Some, whose own lack of | | | | language and discourse is fluid and highly dependent on |
| strongly held values so distorts their perception of the | | | | socioeconomic conditions. It is not enough to know |
| world, refuse to believe that someone would truly | | | | what God and grace and values mean to us, we must |
| devote two years of his own time; delay school, | | | | understand what they mean to others. If not, we will |
| career, dating, and friendships; and at his (or her) own | | | | blithely and arrogantly attack straw men of our own |
| expense spend day after day sharing a message he | | | | creation because, as Cervantes said, “they might |
| knows most will reject. It seems a quixotic errand and | | | | be giants.” Then when we have bested our |
| perhaps it is. But, let me place myself on the witness | | | | chimerical adversary, we will proclaim unilaterally and |
| stand as one who did it and does not regret it. For two | | | | pointlessly our hollow victory. |
| years I wore out shoes and grew calluses from daily | | | | Go to the source and ask a Mormon what a Mormon |
| walking and labor. I was rejected, spat at, pelted with | | | | believes. Those who devote their energies to tilting at |
| rocks (and once with ketchup packages), insulted, | | | | Mormon windmills and slaying Mormon chimeras will no |
| harassed, nearly arrested twice, and once threatened | | | | doubt continue to claim that all Mormons lie about their |
| at gun point. | | | | own beliefs or hide the truth about what Mormons |
| I will not try to claim that I enjoyed this negative | | | | really believe. No doubt they will continue asserting that |
| treatment. Sometimes, though, I could understand the | | | | Mormon missionaries are highly skilled propagandists |
| person’s frustrations and anger. It can be irritating | | | | and purveyors of misinformation (nothing could be |
| to have someone approach you and try to steer you | | | | farther from the truth), but such claims are circular and |
| into a conversation about something as deeply | | | | rely on the assertions of prejudiced and blind eyes. As |
| personal as religion. However, my experience has | | | | a former Mormon missionary who was proud to serve |
| taught me that most people, once my fellow | | | | his faith and still follows that tenets of his religion, let me |
| missionary and I could sit down with them and discuss | | | | say that while we in America and the West will most |
| frankly one another’s beliefs enjoyed the | | | | likely continue to disagree, the first step toward |
| conversations even if they chose not to believe in | | | | improving our discourse, is by improving our listening. |
| what we taught. Some were devotedly antithetical to | | | | Unless we first seek to understand, we can never be |
| our beliefs or practices and would likely have been | | | | understood. I have grown weary of the prejudices, the |
| upset my mere presence in their vicinity. To all who | | | | casual slights, the quick dismissals and the |
| were willing to listen I taught my beliefs and bore | | | | self-righteous indignation of those who attack not just |
| somber testimony to the influence God and my | | | | my faith, but all faiths and beliefs systems. These |
| commitment to Him have had in my life. In those two | | | | willfully ignorant and prejudiced attacks come not only |
| years I learned more about myself, my God, and my | | | | from other religious leaders, but also from secularists |
| fellow men than in any other comparable period and it | | | | who are so isolated in their own belief systems that |
| is not unlikely that I will be mining these experiences for | | | | they believe anything else must be irrational. Such |
| the rest of my life. | | | | dismissal of even the ability of others rationally to |
| Among my most cherished memories were many | | | | disagree with you and rationally to believe something |
| pleasant discussions with people of every walk of life | | | | you find fantastic will only serve to divide and |
| from the educated to the ignorant, from the | | | | exacerbate our public discourse. Let me end as I |
| deep-rooted American to the most recent immigrant. I | | | | began by saying the unbelievable: I believe in God and |
| learned quickly that debate and disputing were | | | | in the message of Mormonism and I do so with full |
| worthless ventures. I am convinced, and my | | | | understanding and with every faculty of my mind. I do |
| subsequent life has convinced more of this, that truth | | | | not ask any readers to suddenly convert to my faith, |
| and understanding are the greatest victims of | | | | but rather I hope they will with an open and inquisitive |
| forensics. The result is usually the same: both sides | | | | mind seek to understand those of us who still believe |
| become more convinced of the truthfulness of their | | | | in faith and hope through a living God. |
| own position and the issue becomes more polarized | | | | |