The Consequences of Choosing UnbeliefBy President
N. Eldon Tanner
N. Eldon Tanner, “The
Consequences of Choosing Unbelief,” Ensign, Dec.
1979, 2
Today those men are as different as they can be, not
only in their vocational pursuits, but in their
philosophies of life and their degree of spirituality.
They are both successful professional men and
financially secure, but there the similarity ends. One
of them holds a responsible position in the Church, and
has a family of sons and daughters who have honored
their parents and who themselves have lived in
accordance with the teachings of the gospel, striving to
be a credit to their noble parents, and to their Church
and community.
The other man gradually drifted away from the Church,
married a nonmember, and became the father of children,
at least two of whom were a constant source of worry and
concern because of influences in their lives which
caused them to be in what seemed a never-ending series
of law violations—speeding, drunk-driving, drug abuse,
etc.
We see these contrasting life-styles all around us, and
it is not my intent to pass judgment or fix
responsibility for behavior. However, when the second
man came to me for advice in his desperation, it caused
me to reflect and to wonder about those influences which
draw men away from their faith and beliefs. I pondered
over the circumstances which brought each of these two
men to his present station in life, and was reminded of
Paul’s warning to the elders of the Church in Ephesus as
he declared:
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath
purchased with his own blood.
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
“Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking
perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts
20:28–30.)
Later, after expressing thanks to God for the love,
faithfulness, and hope of the Colossians as they
accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul warned them as
follows:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col.
2:8.)
Why are some men deceived by the philosophies of men
while others are able to accept the gospel and various
teachings through faith? Some are like Thomas who was
not with the Twelve when Jesus appeared to them
following his resurrection. You will remember that
Thomas said:
“Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails
and put my finger into the print of the nails, and
thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Eight days later, when Jesus appeared again and Thomas
was with the others, Jesus said:
“Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing.”
And then upon the acknowledgement by Thomas, the Savior
said:
“Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have
believed.” (John
20:25, 27, 29.)
Sometimes I think we feel there is more disputation and
uncertainty and anti-Christ sentiment abroad today than
ever before. Perhaps this is true if we consider the
increase in world population, but there have always been
dissidents and persecutors and false prophets who would
lead the people astray and destroy the divine plan of
God the Father.
These are the words of President Joseph F. Smith in the
October conference of 1909:
“There never was a time, perhaps, when there were more
false prophets than there are today, when there were
more visionary men or more false Christs than there are
today. We get letters from them, and commands and
threats from them, and admonitions and warnings and
revelations from them, nearly every day. … There is no
one that can get up some foolish idea, or start out
proposing to organize a church of some kind, no matter
what the inconsistency of his claims may be, but what he
will find some one to follow him, somebody as foolish as
he is, and who knows as little. To the faithful
Latter-day Saint is given the right to know the truth,
as God knows it; and no power beneath the celestial
kingdom can lead him astray, darken his understanding,
becloud his mind or dim his faith or his knowledge of
the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It can’t
be done, for the light of God shines brighter than the
illumination of falsehood and error, therefore, those
who possess the light of Christ, the spirit of
revelation and the knowledge of God, rise above all
these vagaries in the world; they know of this doctrine,
that it is of God and not of man.” (Conference Report,
Oct. 1909, pp. 8–9.)
We are so fortunate to understand the purpose of
Christ’s mission, to have the gospel, to be led by a
prophet of God, and to be encouraged by the testimonies
of the General Authorities and others who bear witness
of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We
are encouraged to study and to gain a knowledge for
ourselves that this work is true, and each individual
can have this testimony through study and prayer.
In October 1935, Elder Stephen L. Richards, then a
member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed
the general conference as follows:
“I believe that as high an order of intelligence is
required to understand and interpret the things of the
spirit as is required to comprehend the truths of
science and other secular matters. I believe that
accomplishments and achievements in the field of
religion are just as worthy and commendable and great as
are accomplishments in the field of science, in the
domain of business and commerce, and in all other
worldly affairs.
“I also believe that a great many people in this world
do not believe this thing. I am convinced that the
people of the world have so deprecated, in their own
estimation, the real place and value of the spiritual
life and of religious activity that they have been
weaned away from allegiance to religious institutions,
spiritual concepts, and this great world that is out
beyond the so-called natural world. To me it is the
greatest misfortune that can overtake the human family,
and I believe that the youth of our Church,
unfortunately, are not free from the influence of this
worldly philosophy that has so engulfed the minds and
thinking of men.”
He expressed great concern for the youth of the land who
were being subjected to worldly philosophies which deny
the existence of the spiritual world, and stated:
“Their education has contributed in no small measure to
this situation, not purposely perhaps, but nevertheless
truly, for I have but little doubt that there are to be
found many young men and women who have lost faith and
departed from the old practices and the old traditions,
because those things have not only been omitted but they
have been purposely ignored and ofttimes deprecated by
the educational systems and influences under whose
tutelage the youth have come. …
“I believe that as I make appeal to the teachers of the
country to encourage their students to keep open minds
on all these questions that affect the faith of their
fathers, I not only speak the sentiment of our own
Church but likewise the sentiment of all good religious
people who seek to bring to the youth of their churches
the spirit, the theology and the traditions which they
foster.
“It is such an easy thing to discourage faith in this
world of materiality, in this world of science, where we
have laid so much emphasis on all the scientific
processes and developments that have been so much in
evidence the last few decades. It is so easy to say a
word to undermine faith. I wish that those who have
within their power the formation of the views of youth,
the cultivation of their character, I do wish that they
would be careful.
“As a tax-payer and a supporter of the public school
system, which I admire, which I regard as one of the
greatest factors for the civilization of the race, which
I have always regarded as being an essential constituent
of a democracy and on which my children are dependent
for education, I have always entertained the view that
there is no right on the part of those to whom that
education is entrusted to in any way say one single word
or promote one thought that will tear down the faith of
my children and lead them from the philosophy of faith.
“Now, our youth are especially susceptible to influences
that lead them away from faith because, in my opinion,
they do not always have an adequate and proper
understanding of the Gospel of Christ. Sometimes I fear
they seem to feel so much concerned about the
injunctions and the inhibitions and the proscriptions,
that they fail to appreciate the positive, beautiful,
life-giving, joyful message of the Gospel of Jesus. …
“I wish that it were possible for us to teach our youth
that all the enduring satisfactions they may ever hope
for, all the real joys and pleasures of life, are to be
had in pursuance of and not in contravention of Gospel
principles.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1935, pp. 94–96.)
There is no happiness or peace of mind except through
obedience to the commandments of God. There is no
salvation or eternal life except through acceptance of
the gospel and living according to its teachings. There
are no problems facing the nations of the world or
individuals for which answers cannot be found in the
gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to earth for that
purpose—to give us a plan of life and salvation through
which we could enjoy happiness and eternal life.
May I remind us of Paul’s message to the Ephesians:
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling;
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
“One God and Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all. …
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and
fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive;
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in
all things, which is the head, even Christ.” (Eph.
4:4–6, 11–15.)
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