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The Spirituality of Paganism

In response to the question: Why would the Lord give me so many spiritual outpourings in my ministry, if the church were in apostasy?

My mind is called back to the experiences of my mission where my question was: "If the Catholic Church is in Apostasy, how come the Catholic people can have spiritual experiences?" The Latino Catholics that I met while on my mission were full of spirituality even though they belonged to a church that we claim is in apostasy.

Consider the following story:

Once upon a time, a pagan was minding her own business, doing whatever it is that makes pagans happy. She was a good woman, and the Spirit of the Lord often smiled with approval upon her for her kindness to those around her. She had many spiritual experiences which lead her to live a good life in worshiping her Gods.

As she was sitting on the lawn in front of her house, a Catholic Priest came up to her and taught her about Jesus Christ. She felt the spirit of the Lord bringing her further light and truth, and followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost to unite with the Catholic church. For many years, she lived faithfully within the Catholic church, and was richly blessed by the Spirit for the goodness of her life, and for the service that she gave to other people. She often was prompted by the Spirit to do some good deed to help another, and taught by revelation how she could better serve those around her.

At some point, two LDS missionaries knocked on her door, and said, “We bring further light and knowledge, may we come in and teach you?” The good sister said yes, because even though she knew that her Priest would be angry at her for listening, the Spirit of the Holy Ghost was calmly assuring her that it was right to listen. After listening to the message of the missionaries, she joined the church, and the Spirit of the Lord continued to bless her life, because she lived in faith. Indeed, because of her increased understanding of spiritual matters, she was more richly blessed with the things of the Spirit.

Because we believe that Paganism and Catholicism are in apostasy, does that mean that this good sister did not have spiritual experiences while in those faiths? No, it doesn't. The Lord is going to send the Spirit to testify of truth, to reveal the mind and will of God, and to reward people for their goodness regardless of what faith they are in. There are some faiths that bring more spirituality to a person than others. It is our life's work to learn from each experience those things which will bring us closer to godliness.

Many people in the LDS church say, "I have had a spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon, therefore it is impossible that the LDS church could be in apostasy." Or they say, "I received a spiritual witness that it was proper to call John Doe to be bishop, therefore, the church cannot be in apostasy."

I claim that the Lord is going to honor the righteous desires of our hearts, and pour out spiritual power upon ALL who are holy regardless of whether or not they belong to an organization that is in apostasy. Just as the good sister in our story, received revelation and guidance of the Spirit while she was in Paganism and Catholicism, so likewise would good men and women in the LDS church receive revelation and witnesses of the Spirit, even if the LDS church as a whole were not in harmony with Christ's will.

If the good LDS person lives a holy life, and seeks further light and knowledge, the Lord is going to bless them with that sanctification which they seek. There are Telestial truths within the LDS church, but there are other Terrestrial and Celestial truths which a person must receive from outside the church. Just as there may be higher forms of spirituality than paganism, and Catholicism, there are also higher forms of spirituality than LDS.

(Copyright © 1996 This page may be freely copied and distributed, but not for commercial gain.)

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