Schalom to all!
First, let me welcome Yankel to the blog. I'm sure that his kvetching will fit right in with the rest. And maybe his tastes in cheese will be useful. By way of introduction to our readers, let me just say that Yankel is a real mensch, and you will like him. Mazal tov, Yankel!
Second, I want to talk about something that struck me while I was reading 1 Nephi 11. In the opening verses, Nephi prays to see the vision his father saw, and is visited by a Spirit. The Spirit asks Nephi if he believed that his father did see the vision, and Nephi answers that he believes all that his father has told him.
I have always seen this as a sign of Nephi's super faith. I read it as saying "Not only do I believe that he saw the tree, but I also believe everything else he has ever said." But, the more I think about it, the more I think that is not what is going on. It sounds more and more like Nephi is using what I call the Boyfriend deflection. Allow me to demonstrate:
Girl: "Do you think I look good in this dress?"
Boyfriend: "Honey, you know I love all your dresses."
Or let's try another one:
Girl: "Did you think my sister was acting immature?"
Boyfriend: "Why would you think that? I love spending time with your family!"
The boydidn't want to give the completely true answers ("You look like a zeppelin in that dress and your sister is a meshuggenerin"), but didn't want to lie either. So, he used the age old method of giving a positive answer to a different question. That way, his sweetheart doesn't get hurt, and he doesn't lie.
I think this is what Nephi is doing. He is not trying to be dishonest, but he is trying to give the best response he can. He knows that the right answer would be that he believes, but he doesn't quite feel comfortable with that, so he gives the next best thing.
The Spirit then shows Nephi the vision, based not on his belief in his father, but on his faith in Christ. I am not sure where I want to go with this, I just think it's something interesting. Maybe later I will revisit the idea and see if I can flesh it out a bit. Till then, the take home message is that it is OK not to know everything, as long as we are willing to be taught and want to know.
Till next time, zay gezunt!
Herschel
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
To My Friends of Faith,
Recently a friend at our church brought this "film" to my attention.
Her son apparently was sent this web link from someone.
It's a movie clip (that has been recently released, or is about to,,, I'm not sure),,
anyway, it depicts Mormons as flesh eating ghouls, and it is just awful. www.thebookofzombie.com
On behalf of myself and my husband, and our Mormon friends,
I would like to make sure that young people are NOT subjected to this terrible conception of our faith.
please let me know if you are able to help.
regards, Betty Toms
As a Mormon, and as a flesh-eating ghoul, your comment offends me. But I will forgive you because you pointed me to what sounds like a really awesome movie. (Actually, I just checked it out, and it looks deliciously stupid.)
Also, congratulations on being the second person not in our immediate family to post a comment on this blog. Mazel Tov!
Post a Comment