Do Religious Truths Need to be Boldly Defended?
Posted on Mar 29, 2015 by Trevor in Religion
General Young Women’s President Bonnie Oscarson, in her recent conference address, challenged listeners to “boldy defend” the family proclamation. I’m not exactly a fan of the proclamation, but I don’t feel inclined to focus on that right now (plus, others can do a much better job of that anyway). It’s the part about a bold defense of spiritual truths that I’m going to mull over in this blog post. I think that if you’re going to be a Mormon, you owe your leaders a sincere consideration of their counsel, even if you ultimately end up disagreeing with it. So here we go.
Whenever a General Conference speaker or a Sunday School manual describes the voice of the divine in our day, the words most commonly used are “whisper” and “still, small voice”. The Spirit doesn’t shout at us, it doesn’t coerce, it doesn’t argue. In fact, if we’re not deliberately paying attention, we can even miss important inspirational cues.
I think our communication with others about spiritual truths should be similarly humble and subdued. This is not the sort of thing that needs defense, let alone a bold defense. Regarding President Oscarson’s charge to boldly defend religious principles, every single instance my imagination conjures up is a distasteful encounter that’s extremely unlikely to do anything to help God out.
The most likely outcomes would probably just make the defender-of-truth appear insecure, argumentative, and/or dogmatic. Hey, I’ve been there. I was a missionary for two years, and fact my patriarchal blessing tells me, “Be strong in standing for right. … Your voice will be heart in defense of truth and righteousness”. I interpreted that as encouragement to be bold in my preaching and teaching efforts, which was quite the challenge for someone who’s relatively laid back and easy going like I am. Nonetheless, there are numerous instances in my mission I look back upon with regret–regret because I wasn’t simply being bold. I was being an off-putting, obnoxious, idiot kid. I was acting more out of frustration, anger, or desperation than out of love, concern, or self-confidence.
Perhaps the phrase in my patriarchal blessing that followings immediately after the above phrase should’ve played a larger role in my approach: “…and the Holy Ghost will carry the message to the hearts of those who listen.” I think that’s how spiritual truths work best: 100% individualized, softly and calmly presented and absorbed.
As Yann Martel says in his novel, Life of Pi:
There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, “Business as usual.” But they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.
These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.
St. Augustine is reported to have said:
The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.
Oftentimes the louder someone is shouting and the harder they’re pounding on the table, the weaker their case is. But in practice, such a defense probably only makes the defender feel better and everyone else feel worse. Real spiritual truth doesn’t need a bold defense. It doesn’t need aggressive salesmanship. It doesn’t need anyone else to be convinced. As Martel says, the place where spiritual truth needs defending is in each of our hearts.
