The next Conference talk to blog about is titled "Stand Up Inside and Be All In," and I have to admit, this is something I struggle with. I don't play Poker, yet even I know that "all in" is a huge commitment. Going "all in" means that you're betting everything on this, and as a person who feels conservative in most senses of the word, I'm not sure I'm willing to make that bet. I'm young, but I've been around the block enough times to know that I should take just about everything with a grain of salt and I shouldn't be too sure about what I think I know. Of course, that also means that I shouldn't be too sure about the skepticism that says that I shouldn't be too sure about things, but I don't want to confuse myself; I'm just trying to be careful.
When a person goes "all in" at a poker table, they run the risk that they will lose every chip they've placed on that table. They could lose all of the money they've bet on the outcome of that game. Hopefully, that person will have been wise enough to not put too much money on the table, so they can, theoretically, afford to take that kind of a risk, but when we're talking about religion, there's a lot more at stake than money.
When one goes "all in" in a religion, they are essentially betting the welfare of their immortal soul on the odds that their religion is the right one, and with the hundreds, if not thousands of religions that exist in the world today, they can't all be "the right one." Some people have bet their souls on religions that are wrong, and that probably didn't go too well for them, and I don't want that to happen to me.
I don't want to bet my soul on the truthfulness of any religion. The stakes are just too high. Even if I'm pretty darn sure my religion is "the right one," and I am, and even if I'm almost 100% certain that my religion is, at the very least, a good religion, and I certainly am, there are just too many chips on the table for me to bet them all based on my assessment of the goodness and truthfulness of any given religion. It's not that I don't trust my religion enough, it's that I don't trust my assessment of my religion enough. It's not that I'm worried that the church may be wrong, it's that I'm worried that I may be wrong about the church being right. I am sure that my church is a good one; I'm just not sure that my confidence is sure enough to bet on.
That said, I really have no choice. I think that, even in the face of uncertainty, going "all in" in one's religion is a logical choice, for reasons that I plan to go into tomorrow. But, logical or not, betting one's soul on anything is ridiculously high stakes, and I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate that. Choosing a religion and deciding to go "all in" in it is a huge gamble. Our eternal welfare is at stake. I don't want to risk suffering an eternity in hell because I pledged myself to the wrong religion. I am not saying that Mormonism is the wrong religion; in fact, I think it's the right one. What I am saying is that, when souls and eternity are on the line, caution is warranted, and whenever the stakes are this high, one should think very carefully before going "all in."
1 comment:
I didn't know that was from poker. :)
I would like to say that I am "all in," but clearly my life shows that I seem to be hedging a little here and there. Silly me. I have a testimony that God lives and loves us. I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. I have a testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church with the authority and truth we need. I should be all in. Questions, fears, laziness, small concerns - what are they compared to the witness of the Spirit that testifies of these things. Foolish being that I am. I need to more fully align my actions with my testimony.
btw - I believe that people will be judged by how they live the light they are given. I believe that if a person is all in with a religion and lives it to the best of his ability, he will at some point receive an opportunity to gain greater light, truth, and knowledge and he will accept it. Not so sure if they embrace a religion of darkness and evil, however. Glad God will be the judge and not me!
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