We thank Thee, O Father of all, for... all the soul-help that sad souls understand.
Will Carleton
With Mormons running for president, Mormonism seems to be in the news.
The New York times reported 25% of people would not vote for someone just because they were a Mormon. (Voting for someone based on their religion doesn't make sense to me. It's like voting for someone based on their gender or color of their skin. Irrelevant. The politics of the person is what matters. There are Mormons whose politics I agree with--and would vote for--and those who I certainly would not.) In my naivety, the 25% is surprising to me but not shocking. It's not the first time there have been prejudices against Mormons and I'm sure won't be the last.
It's reminds me of how I feel about terrorists hating Americans. Really? Most Americans I know are pretty good people, not worthy of hatred.
Here's what hurts my feelings though: when people say that we're not Christian, that we don't consider Jesus Christ to be our Savior. It is like terrorists hating America because we don't believe in freedom or equal rights or apple pie.
My belief in Jesus Christ is central to my life. My reliance on His atonement for my happiness and peace is central to my life. It makes me sad to hear that so blatantly denied.
I was feeling a little downtrodden by all of this and then opened my Bible for my daily scripture reading. I've been reading Isaiah in the Old Testament lately. When I read Isaiah, I absolutely don't get 2/3 of what I read but then something shimmering in its grandeur comes along. I have been taking note of all the scriptures that so elegantly testify of Christ.
Coincidentally, chapter 53 is where I happened to be reading:
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I am healed by my belief in Christ. Those words fill me with the reassurance that I know what I know. It doesn't matter what people I've never met think I believe.
Because I know.
Today I'm grateful for that knowledge.
3 comments:
Thanks for this post. I love it!
Nicely said, Thelma. Growing in the south I dealt with this often. The thing that really was hard for me was after I bore my testimony of Jesus Christ being my Savior, they still would say I wasn't a real Christian. Those are the kind of people I don't understand!!!
Very nice post!
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