Where is truth?
The question
Shortly after my new neighbor moved in, I found that he was of the Hindu faith. The more I got to know him, the more I saw how devoted he was to his faith. In one instance, he had an opportunity to get free grass for his backyard that was leftover by landscapers, but stated, “No, I cannot do that, I believe what goes around comes around.” My initial thought was; wait a minute, I believe that. I am supposed to be an example to you. Instead I responded simply with, “yes, I do too.” I have heard from others how spiritual these people are. They believe in an almighty deity, prayer, modesty, marriage, strong families, honesty, fidelity before and after marriage, and basically all the morals that I seem to believe in. Can it be that others not of my faith, not even Christian, can commune with God as I feel I do? This is the question I intend to answer here. To do so, let’s take some time and go back to the ancient Israelites, who I believe give us a perfect example in our efforts to answer this question.
An ancient example
After their miraculous exodus out of Egypt, the Israelites were given the Law of Moses. We are to understand from scripture that this was not a saving principle or law for them in and of itself. The Law of Moses was intended to eventually bring people to Christ (Gal 3:24) and help them to become a righteous people (Romans 9:32), but if it did not offer a fullness of salvation to these particular people, why bother?
It is important here to realize that the Lord did try to give them more initially, but despite the wishes of the Lord, the people as a whole did not "climb the mountain to worship him" there as he had commanded, and did not receive the priesthood (only the tribe of Levi) nor did they as a people. Instead, only a few (Moses, Aaron and his sons and 70 elders of Israel) were allowed to join the Lord atop the mountain, where they ate in his presence. The people never became the “kingdom of priests” the Lord intended them to be.
A further consequence of this was that the higher law that the Lord intended to give to Israel was set aside for a time, while a lesser, carnal law replaced it. Paul wrote, “The law was added for transgression” till the coming of Christ (Gal. 3:19-20). The inferiority of the Law of Moses as compared to the law of the gospel brought by Jesus is mentioned in various places by Paul in the New Testament. But, surprisingly, it is also a subject of discussion by Old Testament prophets (see Ezekiel 20: 23-24).
So the Lord clearly did not prefer the Law of Moses to what they could have had, but He nevertheless sanctioned it for the time being. Though Israel rejected the higher law and had to be placed under the yoke of a lesser, carnal law, there remained the anticipation that, at some future date, the Lord would once again reveal the fullness of that higher law to his people. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Tying it together
The sequence and purpose of these events is important to understand, as it is often repeated in history with people other than those noted in the Bible. Notice that God still communed with the Israelites. He stilled loved them, answered their prayers, at times gave them further wisdom, and covenanted that He would still bring them to himself at a later date. Their main problem was, like my Hindu neighbor, “They desire to know the truth in part” (D&C 49: 2), so that is what the Lord gave them. They were still on a path toward God, albeit a slower route.
Before we condemn the Israelites, or anyone not of your faith, we should realize that most men learn this way. If this is the only way we can inch toward Him and eventually come to accept the fullness of His doctrine then this is the way He will do it. Isaiah puts it this way, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Nephi makes it a bit more clear, “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Ne 28:30).
Every human being grows this way. Most all of us would choke on the meat if we were fed it before the milk (1 Cor 3:2). But even if a people were to refuse the later, more filling meat, they are still loved by God and will be given whatever morsels of truth they can chew on, even though man may corrupt it and it “be taken away, even that which they have.”
Every human being grows this way. Most all of us would choke on the meat if we were fed it before the milk (1 Cor 3:2). But even if a people were to refuse the later, more filling meat, they are still loved by God and will be given whatever morsels of truth they can chew on, even though man may corrupt it and it “be taken away, even that which they have.”
I think it is obvious, but I will make clear that a belief in the fullness of truth is always preferable to the Lord, but He will lead them as far as they will go on the path getting there, especially if that belief leads them to honesty, fidelity, being a good spouse and parent, and growing in ways they otherwise may not.
Extra-Biblical acknowledgements of this principle
Roger Keller PhD, professor of church history and doctrine, an expert on world religions, and a former Presbyterian head pastor observes, “God does not leave any of His children alone without spiritual guidance. That guidance may come through Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, or any number of ways. I am as sure today as I was 35 years ago that I was called to be a Presbyterian Minister. He gave me the authority to preach Christ because this is what I knew. What I did not have was the authority to administer the saving ordinances of the gospel. These ordinances are channels of grace unto the atonement—not that any one of these will save us in and of themselves, but they will channel us to the atonement. Our Catholic and Protestant brothers and sisters are part of God’s plan that the fullness of the gospel could come. They continue to prepare the way. Even if not “Christian”, whatever is true is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and wherever I find it I should rejoice and be glad it is there, for it is enriching human life. Who are those people? Muhammad, Confucius, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Loutsa. Perhaps my Buddhist neighbor is working on his spirituality, and my Muslim neighbor is working on ethical issues and I am working on serving because I was so obviously selfish in the pre-mortal life that I had to become a Latter-Day-Saint.”
The Book of Mormon conveys this truth very clearly. “And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ” (Moroni 7: 24).
Brigham Young once stated. “For me the plan of salvation must circumscribe all the knowledge that is upon the face of the Earth or it is not from God. Such a plan incorporates every system of true doctrine on the Earth, whether is be ecclesiastical, moral, philosophical, or civil. It incorporates all good laws that have been made from the days of Adam until now. It swallows up the laws of nations, for it exceeds them all in knowledge and purity. It circumscribes the doctrines of the day and takes from the right and the left and brings all truth together in one system and leaves the chaff scattered hither and thither.”
This same thought is conveyed through Nephi concerning the written word in all its varieties, “For I command all men, both in the east and in the west and in the north and in the south and in the islands in the sea that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written. For behold I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it, and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it, and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which have been led away and they shall write it, and I shall also speak unto all nations of the Earth and they shall write it” (2 Ne 29: 11.12).
God will not only speak to all, but as mentioned earlier, He will use all who will to move forward His work. Orson F. Whitney (as quoted by Howard W. Hunter in 1991 conference address) has commented on this subject, “Many great religious leaders have been inspired. God is using not only His covenant people but other peoples as well. To consummate a work stupendous, magnificent and altogether too arduous for this little handful of saints to accomplish by and of themselves. All down the ages men bearing the authority of the holy priesthood, patriarchs, prophets, apostles and others have officiated in the name of the Lord doing the things that He required of them and outside the pale of their activities good and great men not bearing the priesthood but professing profundity of thought, great wisdom, and a desire to uplift their fellows have been sent by the Almighty unto many nations to give them, not the fullness of the gospel, but that portion of truth that they were able to receive and wisely use.”
Finally, the Preach My Gospel manual for missionaries in the LDS church states, “Throughout history, many people have sincerely believed false creeds and doctrines. They have worshiped according to the light they possessed and have received answers to their prayers.” (pg. 36)
Non-LDS acknowledgement
There have been several wise religious leaders other than Latter-Day-Saints that have recognized the truth of these things. St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote in the 4thcentury that God is so “far above our nature and inaccessible to all approach” that he, in effect, speaks to us in baby talk, thereby giving “to our human nature what it is capable of receiving.”
St Thomas Aquinas, a highly respected early church father and often thought of as the ultimate authority in early Christian thought, stated, “The things of God should be revealed to mankind only in proportion to their capacity; otherwise, they might despise what was beyond their grasp…It was, therefore, better for the divine mysteries to be conveyed to an uncultured people as it were, veiled.”
John Calvin flatly asserted that God “reveals himself to us according to our rudeness and infirmity.” If scriptural comparisons—as between the two testaments, for example—seem to suggest that God is changeable or inconsistent, that is merely because “he accommodated diverse forms to different ages, as he knew would be expedient for each; he has accommodated himself to men’s capacity, and this is what is varied and changeable.”
Although He may give diverse truths to what a people can accept, since He is the same God to all men, what He reveals to one people will, of necessity, often have much similarity to that which He gives to another people.
Similarity and secularity
At this point let’s take an unfortunate, yet necessary detour and consider what is a real problem for many, and that is the similarity and secularity of religion—or the question of how it came to be. Opponents of religion sometimes claim that the similarity seen in all religion—both ancient and modern—is proof that it is all just copied from one to another. Just to pick one claimant, James Frazer in The Golden Bough compiled an enormous set of examples to argue that there is nothing original in Christianity whatsoever. Isiacism, for example, which originated in Egypt and spread throughout Rome, with Isis being compared to the virgin Mary—was impregnated by an immaculate conception. Osiris—being compared to Jesus—was born of a virgin birth with heavenly signs. Osiris was resurrected as a display that Isis was the savior that could save all humans. There are indeed many striking examples of what seems to be Christian-like beliefs before Christianity. There is similarity from ancient to modern, as well as similarity cross-over between what should be unrelated belief systems and cultural ceremonies.
For me there is a wonderful answer and a divine answer to this question. The wonderful answer is given very well by Rodney Stark, professor of Social Sciences at Baylor University. In his book, Cities of God he gives us what is a very plausible explanation; “If the Christ story seems steeped in pagan conventions (or any other belief system) this does not necessarily show these elements to be false. Rather, their very conventionality can be interpreted as having been the most effective way for God to communicate within the limits of Greco-Roman comprehension. These were ‘proofs’ of Christ’s divinity that pagans could most easily recognize.” Cyril Bailey expressed this very well. At the time Christianity arose, he said, “Men were looking in certain directions and couched their religious aspirations and beliefs in certain terms. Christianity spiked the language which they understood and set its theology and its ritual in the forms which to its own generation seemed natural. The Gospel could not have won its way if it had not found an echo in the religious searchings and even the religious beliefs of the time.” Putting it bluntly, an incomprehensible faith would surely have required miraculous conversions. Hence, the similarities between Christianity and earlier beliefs can be explained in terms of human limitations. At the very least, the claim that similarity necessitates secularity is far less convincing than has been supposed by ardent atheists or the theologically uninformed.” This very same argument is often made for the fullness of the gospel to have been received in Joseph Smith’s time. Laws of the land, belief shifts of the people, and even superstitions of the day made the people ripe for the restoration.
Rodney Stark continues, “From the beginning Christian theologians have been fully aware of similarities between the Christ story and pagan mythology. And it did not disturb them to admit that elements of God’s final revelation had seeped into human awareness to help prepare the way. Moreover, the familiarity of the Christ story was entirely consistent with the long-standing Christian’s premise that God’s revelations are always limited to the current capacity of humans to comprehend.” In other words, similarities exist due to the willingness and capacity for man to receive it. God gave bits and pieces at a time, whenever and wherever it was feasible.
I can go along with this explanation with no reservations, however…
Now for the divine answer. This is so simple it hurts. Although comparative religion has been a bastion of atheism, if one considers that Christianity was only a restoration of what was in the beginning, all other similar forms, no matter how striking, come into perspective. Pure unadulterated religion was available to man from the beginning and from time to time as he would accept it through the ages, and man, as he “leans to his own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), repeatedly takes it and alters it according to his imperfect understanding.
Neither Rodney Stark nor similar scholars opinions on this subject are new. In the 4th century, Augustine theorized in his Retractions, "What is now called Christian religion has existed among the ancients, and was not absent from the beginning of the human race, until Christ came in the flesh: from which time true religion, which existed already, began to be called Christian."
It is only common sense that one would see a form of the same original belief in most if not all other belief systems. Indeed this is the case. Those familiar with the LDS Temple would see a mountain of remarkable similarities all throughout the world with symbols, stories, ceremonies, covenants, the existence of thousands of Temples many of which were similarly constructed; and with a wide range of people and cultures sharing very similar temple-like beliefs, including the ancient Egyptians, Coptic Christians, Israelites, Masons, the Protestant liturgies, the ancient Catholics, and native Americans just to name a few. Thought of in this way, the similarity of religions is not a problem, but is actually faith promoting. But how a belief system comes into being is beside the point at hand. Whether it is an original revelation without intent to alter, or an alteration or protestant belief, God will still accept the truth and good that is there no matter how it got there.
Conclusion
I work very closely with the same people sometimes for years and get to know them very well. Often the people I work with I feel almost as though they were brothers and sisters to me. Although there are several cases similar to the one I mention here, there is one in particular that is moving on soon to another position. I have thought of what I can say in parting with her that would make a difference in her life. She is a Catholic, though not an active one. She rarely goes to church, but feels very strong Catholic ties through tradition. Even so, she feels that sex without marriage is fine, homosexuality is ok, and has many values that are much more Humanistic than Catholic. Although I feel it would be ultimately the best for her, I will not tell her to see the LDS missionaries, read the Book of Mormon and be baptized. I know her well enough to know that she would reject this and it would make no difference in her life at all. What I think I would say is something like, “Be the best Catholic you can be”. At least the Catholic values are much more in line with what the Lord would want of her than what she currently practices.
As alluded to several times, in case it has not been clear enough, God very often will give to men what they will accept currently in hopes they will do good now, and accept more later—even if it is gradual. This could easily apply to the Law of Moses, Greek Mythology, Paganism, Islam, and even today’s orthodox Christianity. Thus, to say that God surely would only speak to me, or to my religion, or even the only true and pure religion would be short-sighted and limiting what God can and intends to do. He surely can and does inspire, lead, and answer the prayers of all his children that seek him. We are clearly informed that we are all the children of God and that Jesus is the Savior of all men (1 Tim 4:10).
You may have a neighbor that has, as part of his belief, a sharp disdain for yours. But that does not mean he does not feel the spirit, and have direction in his life from above. He may never conform or agree with what you hold dear, and even if you are the one that is correct, that doesn’t mean he does not have truth in his life—perhaps a great deal of it. If he has, as part of his belief, that he should be a devoted companion, work hard, be kind, help the less fortunate, and be a good parent, would not our all-knowing Father in Heaven offer him His affirmation in his efforts? Would He not answer his heart-felt prayers and have a presence in his life? Make no mistake about it, he will be required to eventually accept the fullness of the gospel for full salvation, but his road there may be much different than yours. Even if he never accepts it, better that he had part of the truth in his life than none at all.
Howard W. Hunter has observed, “In our humble efforts to build brotherhood and to teach revealed truth, we say to the people of the world, we have come not to take away from you the truth and virtue that you possess, we have come not to find fault with you nor to criticize you, we have not come here to berate you because of the things you have not done. But we have come here as your brethren and to say to you, keep all the good that you have and let us bring to you more good in order that you may be happier and in order that you may be prepared to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father. Ours is a perennial religion based on eternal saving truths. Its’ message of love and brotherhood is lodged in scripture and in the revelations of the Lord to His living prophet. It embraces all truth. It circumscribes all wisdom—all that God has revealed to man and all that He may yet reveal.”
“For behold, the spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.” (Moroni 7: 16)
