The First Presidency Message this month is titled "True to the Faith of Our Forefathers." In this message, President Monson quoted President George Albert Smith as having asked descendants of pioneers "Will you live true to the faith of your ancestors?" I'm not sure how much I like this concept. While we can certainly draw courage and inspiration from the pioneers, I don't think we should promote faithfulness to any particular religion purely in the name of ancestry. As a missionary, I asked many people to depart from the faith of their forefathers. I think it's important to seek, accept, and uphold truth, regardless of the religion of our parents.
The Nephites and Lamanites demonstrate interesting lessons regarding the faith of one's forefathers. Naturally, the Nephites who dissented and became Lamanites are considered villains, and the Nephites who remained Nephites are seen as heroes, but the Lamanites who converted and became Nephites are also among the principal heroes of the Book of Mormon, and the Lamanites who remained true to the faith of their forefathers, or rather "the wicked traditions of their fathers," are villains. Whether remaining true to the faith of your forefathers is a virtue or a vice depends on what your forefathers believed.
No matter what our ancestors believed, we can learn from their examples. Sometimes, they set good examples that we should follow, and sometimes, they set bad examples from which we should differ. They each believed some truths that we should hold onto and some falsehoods that we should discard. I agree that we should hold fast to the things we know to be true, but we should be willing to evaluate the truthfulness of the things we believe, including the things we've been taught to believe. We should be true to the truths that our parents have cherished, but first, we should make certain that they actually are truths.
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