Latter-day Saints<\/a> and the lessons we can learn from them.<\/p>\nAnd yet \u201cthis isn\u2019t 1830, and there aren\u2019t just six of us\u201d anymore (Harold B. Lee to Boyd K. Packer; as retold in Boyd K. Packer, \u201cThe Standard of Truth Has Been Erected,\u201d Ensign,<\/i> November 2003, 26). Could part of the defensiveness that others sometimes see in us suggest that we still expect to be treated as a disliked minority, forced to flee to the West? In our interactions with others are we expecting always to have to defend ourselves? If so, I think we need to make a course correction. Constantly anticipating criticisms or objections can lead to an unhealthy self-consciousness and a defensive posture that doesn\u2019t resonate well with others. It is inconsistent with where we are today as a Church and as a great body of the followers of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
As in all things, we can look to the Savior as our Exemplar. He faced tremendous hostility from the outset of His ministry. When He first preached in the synagogues at Nazareth, some wanted to throw Him off a cliff. Yet He did not allow Himself to be intimidated. He knew that for the most part He would be misunderstood. Yet He was fearless in declaring His gospel, using such phrases as \u201csome say unto you\u201d followed by \u201cbut I say unto you.\u201d He knew what He wanted to say, and He said it without apology. As the scriptures say, \u201cHe taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes\u201d (Matthew 7:29; see also Mark 1:22).<\/p>\n
If we want to be respected today for who we are, then we need to act confidently\u2014secure in the knowledge of who we are and what we stand for\u2014and not as if we have to apologize for our beliefs. That doesn\u2019t mean we should be arrogant or overbearing. Respect for others\u2019 views should always be a basic principle for us\u2014it\u2019s built right into the Articles of Faith. But when we act as if we are a persecuted minority, or as if we expect to be misunderstood or criticized, people will sense it and respond accordingly.<\/p>\n
I invite those of you who are returned missionaries to be especially sensitive to this. You spent two years knocking on doors and dealing with every conceivable question and objection. It is easy in your conversations to think you are still knocking on doors. You\u2019re not. If you are in a position to share what you believe, there\u2019s no need to tread so carefully that you look like you are being evasive or anticipating criticism. The Apostle Paul said, \u201cI am not ashamed of the gospel of [Jesus] Christ\u201d (Romans 1:16)\u2014neither should any of us be. I look forward to and greatly appreciate every opportunity I have to share my testimony of the marvelous message of the Restoration. And I cannot ever remember offending anyone in the process.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons why this subject is relevant to you today is because the Church is getting stronger. In the United States, we are now the fourth-largest church. Latter-day Saints are everywhere, in communities from coast to coast, north to south. While our numbers may be more concentrated in the West, it is becoming more and more common for people in the country to know a Latter-day Saint personally. In addition, many members of the Church have achieved social prominence. A recent Time<\/i> magazine article about the Church noted this fact and ran several photographs of prominent Latter-day Saints. (See \u201cThe Storm over the Mormons,\u201d Time,<\/i> 22 June 2009, 48\u201353; also, online revised title, \u201cThe Church and Gay Marriage: Are Mormons Misunderstood.\u201d)<\/p>\n
This prominence alone ensures that the Church is going to be talked about more and more and that Latter-day Saints are going to find themselves in more and more gospel discussions. That\u2019s why I have chosen this subject. You need to be honest, open, forthright, engaging, respectful of others\u2019 views, and completely nondefensive about your own.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to give you two suggestions for how to engage in conversations nondefensively.<\/p>\n
The first suggestion: Don\u2019t let irrelevant issues drown out the more important subjects.<\/p>\n
Our Church members have too often allowed others to set the conversational agenda. An example is polygamy. This ended in the Church as an official practice in 1890. It\u2019s now 2009. Why are we still talking about it? It was a practice. It ended. We moved on. If people ask you about polygamy, just acknowledge it was once a practice in our Church but is not now and that people shouldn\u2019t confuse any polygamists with our Church. In ordinary conversations, don\u2019t waste time trying to justify the practice of polygamy during Old Testament times or speculating as to why it was practiced for a time in the 19th century. Those may be legitimate topics for historians and scholars, but I think we simply reinforce the stereotypes when we make it a primary topic of conversations about the Church.<\/p>\n
I realize that sometimes these conversations are triggered by stories that appear in the media. That doesn\u2019t change anything. Earlier this year a TV cable network series about polygamists depicted the sacred temple ceremony. That portrayal caused great concern among Church members, which is understandable. We were all offended by it. But I refer you to an article in response that was placed by the Public Affairs Department of the Church on its Newsroom Web site at that time. As I quote from it, listen to the tone. There is nothing defensive about it, yet it was responding to an inappropriate portrayal of one of our most sacred religious ceremonies:<\/p>\n
Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes the images are false or play to stereotypes. Occasionally, they are in appallingly bad taste.<\/i><\/p>\n
As Catholics, Jews and Muslims have known for centuries, such attention is inevitable once an institution or faith group reaches a size or prominence sufficient to attract notice.<\/i><\/p>\n
The article then goes on to discourage the idea of an organized boycott of the network or affiliated businesses, which was being actively promoted on the Internet among some of our members. Continuing the Newsroom quote:<\/p>\n
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. . . . Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.<\/i><\/p>\n
Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in His own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. . . .<\/i><\/p>\n
If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battles are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 years. Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.<\/i> [\u201cThe Publicity Dilemma,\u201d March 9, 2009; http:\/\/newsroom.lds.org\/ldsnewsroom\/eng\/commentary\/the-publicity-dilemma]<\/p>\n
Let me give you another example in recent memory. A year or two ago, an independent film group made a movie about the Mountain Meadows Massacre. To describe this as a really bad B movie would be generous. Frankly, it was just awful\u2014even the Hollywood critics panned it. The promoters did everything they could to provoke the Church into making it a major topic of conversation. In fact, we completely ignored it. We refused to allow them to set the agenda. The result: a big flop at the box office and presumably a lot of red ink in the promoter\u2019s bank account. Meanwhile, we continue to respond to and reach out in constructive and intelligent ways with the descendants of those who were involved in those terrible events at Mountain Meadows. Recently the Church has published a well-researched book titled Massacre at Mountain Meadows<\/i> that documents the facts surrounding this tragedy (see Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, Jr., and Glen M. Leonard [Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008]).<\/p>\n
My second suggestion: Emphasize that Latter-day Saints follow Jesus Christ and what He teaches\u2014that we try to follow Him in all we do.<\/p>\n
When all is said and done, the most important thing about you and your testimony is that you base your beliefs on what Jesus Christ taught and that you try to follow Him by living your life in a way that is acceptable to our Heavenly Father and to the Lord.<\/p>\n
This is your foundation. It was Joseph Smith\u2019s foundation. He said:<\/p>\n
The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.<\/i> [HC<\/i> 3:30]<\/p>\n
Whenever you are having a conversation about the Church, you should try to make this a point. We follow Jesus Christ. We try to live as He taught. That\u2019s the basis of our faith and our lives. This is the strongest nondefensive position you can take. You don\u2019t have to defend or justify anything when you are basing your position on the teachings of the Son of God and the fact that you are doing your best to keep His commandments.<\/p>\n
It is a great blessing to have the doctrines of Jesus Christ, which are clear to those who study the scriptures and embrace His teachings. As we follow the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to know that all of us are the children of God and that He loves us. By following Christ we know where we came from before we were born, we know our purpose for being here on the earth, and we know where we will go when we leave this earth life. The plan of salvation is clear; it is God\u2019s plan for the eternal happiness of His children.<\/p>\n
There are commandments that God has given for men and women to live by. They are His commandments, and no one is authorized to change them except it be by direct revelation to God\u2019s chosen prophet.<\/p>\n
People throughout the world are drifting further and further away from the teachings of the Lord toward a secular society that the Apostle Paul described:<\/p>\n
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;<\/i><\/p>\n
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth.<\/i> [2 Timothy 4:3\u20134]<\/p>\n
Today is the day and the time Paul saw. There is an ever-growing number of people who believe that there is no God, no Christ, no plan of redemption, no Atonement, no repentance, no forgiveness, no life after death, no resurrection, no eternal life, and no eternal families sealed together forever.<\/p>\n
How empty life must be without the blessings of the fulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n
Now, my brothers and sisters, we follow Jesus Christ. We know the plan of happiness, the great plan of redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. You graduates know the doctrines of Jesus Christ. You must strive now and always to live by them. Upon your generation will rest the responsibility to teach the doctrines of the Lord and to know how to build up His Church. Please remember that you do not need to feel like you must justify your beliefs; you simply need to explain them in a spirit of love and kindness. The truth always prevails when true doctrine is taught.<\/p>\n
Here are just a few examples:<\/p>\n
1. We follow Jesus Christ\u2019s doctrine of service to our fellow man. We serve both our members and those who are not members. The great work we do in humanitarian service throughout the world relieves suffering and hardship. We do all we can by sharing our resources of time and money to meet the needs of both our members and those of other faiths, recognizing that \u201cinasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me\u201d (Matthew 25:40).<\/p>\n
2. We follow Jesus Christ\u2019s doctrine of striving to live the Word of Wisdom, which is a sound way to enjoy a healthy physical body. We avoid drug abuse of all kinds, because our bodies house our eternal spirits and because happiness in this life is obtained by being spiritually strong and physically healthy.<\/p>\n
3. We follow Jesus Christ by living the law of chastity. God gave this commandment, and He has never revoked it nor changed it. This law is clear and simple. No one is to engage in sexual relationships out of the bounds the Lord has set. This applies to homosexual behavior of any kind and to heterosexual relationships outside of marriage. It is a sin to violate the law of chastity.<\/p>\n
4. We follow Jesus Christ by adhering to God\u2019s law of marriage, which is marriage between one man and one woman. This commandment has been in place from the very beginning. God said, \u201cTherefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh\u201d (Genesis 2:24). God instructed Adam and Eve that they were to \u201cbe fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it\u201d (Genesis 1:28). Modern-day prophets and apostles reaffirmed this command in \u201cThe Family: A Proclamation to the World,\u201d issued in 1995. It reads:<\/p>\n
God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. . . .<\/i><\/p>\n
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.<\/i> [\u201cThe Family: A Proclamation to the World,\u201d Ensign,<\/i> November 1995, 102]<\/p>\n
5. We follow Jesus Christ and teach the first principles of the gospel and all of the other wonderful doctrines of the Restoration that, when embraced and lived, bring peace, joy, and happiness to the sons and daughters of\u00a0God.<\/p>\n
Brothers and sisters, you wonderful graduates, it is just this simple. May God bless you as you now leave this university and go out into the world and fulfill your pursuits, finding happiness and knowing that by following the teachings of Jesus Christ you will have peace, joy, and happiness in your lives.<\/p>\n
I want to leave you my testimony. I bear witness to you that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of God. He does live. This is His Church. We are on His errand. He has given us teachings and commandments. We should understand them and teach them with love, power, and spiritual strength.<\/p>\n
I invoke a blessing upon you that our Heavenly Father will enlighten you and bless you in every way when you have the opportunity to explain to the world the marvelous message of the Restoration and that as you explain to those who are not members of the Church that you may be blessed, that you may have heavenly direction, and that you may stand positive in your own feelings, never feeling that you need to be on the defensive being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May God grant you every blessing and righteous desire of your heart as you leave this university is my humble prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEngaging Without Being Defensive - M. Russell Ballard - BYU Speeches<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n