159: LDS University Students Pressured to Not Ask Hard Questions
Sep 25, 2023
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Elder Corbridge, Speaker at BYU, proposes primary questions as the only ones that matter in spiritual knowledge. Valerie and Nathan challenge this idea and discuss the importance of scientific inquiry and doubt in spiritual questing. They explore discomfort with unsanitized data and shift attitudes towards love, emphasizing the role of truth in avoiding deception and restoring love in the church's doctrine and theology.
The discomfort experienced when confronting challenging aspects of the Church's history and teachings should be seen as a sign of genuine quest for knowledge and understanding, rather than being dismissed as attacks or deceptions.
College-age individuals value truth, transparency, and authentic answers to legitimate questions, and dismissing their quest for knowledge can lead to disillusionment and a lack of generational loyalty to the Church.
Deep dives
The Speaker's Discomfort with Confronting Uncomfortable Truths
The speaker discusses feeling gloom and darkness when he had to read antagonistic material. He interprets this discomfort as a sign of being deceived by Satan. However, this discomfort is often experienced by those who are seeking truth and clarity, as they confront challenging aspects of the Church's history and teachings. The speaker's interpretation dismisses the genuine quest for knowledge and understanding as attacks or deceptions.
The Lens of Fear and the Shifting Attitudes of Our Day
The speaker emphasizes the importance of loyalty and blind obedience to the Church, using fear tactics and warning of deception in the shifting attitudes of our day. However, this approach fails to recognize the desire of many college-age individuals for truth, transparency, and authentic answers to legitimate questions. It dismissively characterizes those who seek knowledge as being influenced by deceptive forces, rather than acknowledging their pursuit of love-based integrity and growth.
Backfire of Discouraging Questions and Critical Thinking
The speaker tries to discourage questioning and critical thinking by asserting that only a few primary questions matter and that all other questions are secondary and inconsequential. However, this can backfire with college-age individuals who value social justice, authenticity, and honesty. By dismissing their legitimate questions and discouraging exploration, it may lead to disillusionment and a lack of generational loyalty to the Church.
Doubt, Truth, and the Importance of Honest Inquiry
The speaker argues that doubt should be avoided and that truth cannot be learned through honest inquiry. He suggests that it is better to have faith and not ask challenging questions. However, this contradicts the paradigm of legitimate learning he initially presents. True growth and understanding come from asking honest and critical questions, engaging in inquiry, and seeking knowledge based on integrity and love.
Series Title: Analysis of E.Corbridge BYU Devotional “Stand Forever [Part I of II]
In the next two episodes Valerie and Nathan respond to a BYU address titled “Stand Forever” by E. Corbridge, where he proposes to university students that there are only four questions that even matter in one’s quest for spiritual knowledge in the LDS church.
According to him, once these “primary questions” are answered, no “secondary questions” need be asked.
In this series Valerie and Nathan challenge both the the proposed four “primary questions” themselves and the premise that it is wrong to enquire about anything related to our unique faith journeys.
FRIDAY’S episode tackles Val’s and Nathan’s responded to E Corbridge’s proposal that scientific and other academic inquiry is not spiritual in nature and explore why the experience of doubt is evidence of spiritual questing and courage.
**More sensitive or more psychologically advanced themes are saved for paid Friday episodes to protect the content creators from being mischaracterized by less familiar consumers.**
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