Monday, October 7, 2013

The philosophies of men

So, something very interesting came out in conference yesterday, and has me thinking twice about my approach on this blog.  The speaker mentioned that our instructors should not be teaching the philosophies of men, mingled with scriptures.  An interesting, and rather intense, reference/statement.  It got me thinking, where and when is it appropriate to philosophize, theorize, and contemplate.  Clearly there is a time and a place for considering the mysteries of the kingdom.  Joseph taught, "I advise all to go on to perfection, and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness" (Teachings, p. 364).  So clearly there is good that can come from searching beyond the plain and precious truths in the scriptures.
So what does this all mean for a blogger?  After all, our enemies, and even many of our devout, have gotten way off track by quoting the journal of some long ago general authority.  Surely we should not consider the private thoughts of an apostle to be doctrine.  Particularly when those thoughts were expressed once or twice in an journal, but never taught in public.  Surly they never intended such things to be considered "teachings" so much as ponderings.  Yet, there is certainly the risk that other may take the things I write here as my teachings, or as my claims to doctrine.  And that could be very bad, as I often write things that I have only considered for a single day.
Ultimately, as I write this, I have come to a conclusion.  Forgive me if you find it annoying, but I intend to qualify my blogs.  I still intend to write about things that I'm not yet certain about, but I will try to be clear when I'm teaching my own ideas, and when I'm stating what I believe to be doctrine.  I hope, that by doing so, I may expand my mind, and the minds of my readers, without leading anyone astray with fallacy and speculation.  What do you think??

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