fbpx
22.2 F
Spokane
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
spot_img
HomeBeliefsThe three go together

The three go together

Date:

Related stories

Now Hiring: Freelance Reporters

Now Hiring: Freelance Reporters SpokaneFāVS.com, an online publication covering religion...

Ask A Mormon: Can you be baptized after death?

Mormons believe that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). He loves all of his children, regardless of when or where they were born. We also believe that baptism, and the covenants we make at baptism, are stepping stones on the path to salvation and exaltation.

Ask A Mormon: Do Mormons believe they will become gods?

Latter-day Saints believe that every life — our spirits, our souls, the essence of who we are — is eternal.

Ask A Mormon: Do Mormons stockpile goods?

Are Mormons Preppers? Why and where and for how long do they stockpile goods? Why is this, is there an eschatological reason?

Tripping to Peace at Salt Lake: Individual States or All New Kingdom?

We must, if we are to survive, see that our existence is vitally connected with the equally important existence of the other.

Our Sponsors

spot_img

The three go together, so I would prefer to think about this question not so much as which is most important, but which in healthy and organically growing human associations comes first. 

In the best and healthiest organizations belonging comes first. We are born citizens of the United States, then we learn how to behave in this society, and only at the age of 5 or 6 or 7 do we even begin to learn anything of the beliefs of our society. I was born into the Episcopal Church and it was the same process. I was part of the community, then I learned about behavior, in this case liturgy and how to treat people, and only later did I learn about the beliefs of this Church. Even those who come as adults find the same thing to be true.  We decide to join a community, we learn to live in it, and then we learn its beliefs. That is as true of citizenship as it is of the Christianity. You live here, green card or not, you learn how the society works, you then learn some facts and take a citizenship test. 

The idea that a person has to learn certain dogmas in order to belong gets the whole concept just about exactly backward, in my view.  Belief and behavior are important, but the first thing that happens is belonging, which creates the context for behaviour, which then makes sense of belief.

Bill Ellis
Bill Ellis
Rev. Bill Ellis is dean of St. John’s Cathedral. He has a bachelor’s degree in history, a Master of Divinity and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x