“You Took No Thought Save it Was to Ask” – An LDS Defense of the Value of Theology

As a culture, Mormons are very protective of their spiritual well-being, and try to distance themselves from even the most distant cognates of those things they are taught to eschew. For example, Mormons tend to avoid debate in order to avoid contention, because “contention… is of the devil” (3 Nephi 11:29). As is the case with “debate,” many terms and concepts which are not intrinsically negative are nonetheless avoided by a wide berth. One such term is “theology.”
Many Mormons grow suspicious of sophistry, false doctrine and pseudo-intellectualism when theology is presented as a viable means of understanding God. A significant percentage would go so far as to say that in a church led by direct revelation through prophets and apostles, there’s no place for such a study. The problem with this mindset, however, is twofold. Firstly, it is fueled mainly by fear, and an irrational approach to faith in God. Secondly, in-depth analysis of doctrines and their implications is not merely un-sinful, but it is the methodology that the Lord Himself prescribes. Read more...

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