Asking Questions
On my recent post, “Yay, discussion” Brook once again posted his thoughts on what eternity may be or mean. In the course of his comment he mentioned how he stopped being LDS because he kept asking questions and he was taught not to question such things.
This is not the first time I’ve run into people who have an LDS background who were taught not to ask questions. I personally find this kind of thinking absolutely bizarre and wrong. I grew up in a house where science and religion were both promoted. I was taught that they worked together and should be used together. My parents also encouraged every question we could throw at them. Growing up and moving as often as I did, I never was told by any sunday school teacher or by any of my other church leaders “Don’t ask questions”. And since I moved over 25 times in my life, I’ve had alot of different teachers.
I find myself disturbed that there are Mormons out there who are telling their kids “not to question” when the very foundation of our church was built upon a 14 year old who asked questions. Even our scriptures say to ask questions, to learn, to KNOW! HOw in the world can you learn if you DON’T ASK QUESTIONS!!!!
I remember a time, I was about 12, and we had just watched a program about Stephan Hawkings and his idea on an expanding and then contracting universe. At the time, like most young mormons probably do, I held the idea that the universe would always continue, never changing, always going on. So this idea that the universe did change was very alarming to my thinking. I go over to my dad and ask him if Hawkings ideas could be true or if they contradicted our religion. My dad looks at me and says something along the lines of “so what”. Which I found a bit shocking. My dad then goes on to introduce me to the idea that the Universe is but a tool, a machine if you will, used to raise the children of God, and however the universe works is the way it was designed and set up to work.
I learned a fundamental lesson that day. My dad pointed out to me that the bible doesn’t give specifics on how something was done..that the stories only tell us it was done. Science is a method of discovering that “how”. He made me realize that we are made to be thinking, independant entities, and that we are meant to develop our mind. He believed that since God was a God of Knowledge, where you found His influence, you’d find advancments in all types of knowledge.
But you can’t learn if you don’t question. We’re even told at church, that when we hear something from one of our General Authorities that you should take it to God in prayer and confirm it for yourself. One shouldn’t be afraid of learning, or asking questions. And I really feel sorry for those who go through life honestly thinking they shouldn’t, because it means they have limited what they will learn in this life.
I’m going to quote three latter day scriptures from our Doctrine in Covenants:
D&C 42:61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.
D&C 93:53 And, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you should hasten to translate my scriptures, and to obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the salvation of Zion.
D&C 130:19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
There are more then 400 references in LDS scriptures about knowledge. Over half of them are about gaining knowledge. You can’t learn without asking questions. And the truth doesn’t fear them.
