Faith and doubt are topics that make up much of what is written in the Bloggernacle. I got to thinking the other day about the ratio of post and comments in the Bloggernacle that feed faith or doubt. I don’t know what the actual ratio is, but I came up with 1 to 12. It seems to me that for every post and comment that builds faith there are 12 that fuel doubt.
There is a lot of anti-Mormon material on the internet, and there is also a great deal of doubter material as well. Anti-Mormon material, as a rule, is presented by non-members and doubter material is produced by church members, many who appear to be active members who hold positions of influence in their Wards and Stakes. Doubter post may be more damaging to faith than anti-mormon disinformation.
An anti-mormon, according to Jeff Lindsey is “the activists who attack the Church in a way intended to generate misunderstanding, fear, and shock … [someone who] strives to stir up anger toward the Church and relies on misinformation or half-truths, … especially when they do it for a living”.
I would describe a doubter-mormon as one whose post and comments nudge out faith and bump open the door to doubt on topics in church history and doctrine that are difficult to explain. Topics like the priesthood ban, the Book of Abraham, and polygamy, to name a few.
By definition, topics that are difficult to explain can be interpreted in various ways. Doubter-mormons focus on interpretations that are skewed towards doubt instead of faith.
In other words, they have become professional doubters, they don’t appear to be interested in resolving their doubts, but seem to enjoy their role as a doubter.
We live in a world that is designed to try our faith (1). It appears that some church members forget this revealed truth. Because they forget this fundamental truth when they encounter opposition to their faith they turn to doubt, and some even pick up verbal stones, to cast at the prophets. This result in diminished manifestations of the Spirit. And before long, if not checked, they spiral down into apostasy.
(1) We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them… Abrabam 3:24-25
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