If you are admonished not to question the church leadership and “the thinking has been done for you”, what is left for you to do? Nothing, you don't have to do anything because they're doing all the “thinking” for you. Just follow along like a good little child and we'll take care of you. Almost socialist in nature, nanny statism in a church.
Blind obedience is fatal.
SZ
So much of what they do seems so contrived, so “on purpose” for lack of a better term. There doesn't seem to be the proper “motivation” it is all based on showing that you are the best Mormon you can be, it's not a natural progression that comes from the inner light of Christ but an extension of their “earn your way to glory” approach.
I guess the heart of the issue is the whole faith vs. works argument. Christians do works because the gift of Christ is within them. It is not a duty by a pleasure to serve him, it is something we are lead to do with our hearts, not to complete marks on some holy check list.
We demonstrate that we are save by seeking to serve, we don't serve in order to be saved. If that were the case the sacrifice Christ made on the cross would be in vain.
I think that is the one thing that disturbs me the most about Mormonism, it basically invalidates the purpose of Christ mission no matter how often that talk about “after all we can do” it just defies logic to have both a check list and a savior. I mean how does that work, how does one define “all they can do” how does a Mormon really know they are saved, that by their our doctrine they truly did all they could do by the standards that will be used by Smith and their version of christ to grade them.
It really is a fascinating if not totally flawed approach.
Indeed what makes it truly illogical is that it means that God actually made salvation more complicated, not only requiring the old law based path to heaven but adding Christ in as well. What would be the point in making it harder to get in heaven and why would the additional "tests" be something so glorious, so powerful and selfless as sacrificing your only begotten. Why not just add to the law instead? like I said, no sense what so ever