Stoicism and Mormonism

I have very little to do these days, so I figure I would take up writing here again. I'm not sure what the point is since I know of only one person who occasionally takes a glance at this page. But whatev.

My thoughts, as they often are, are on the subject of religion and cosmology. If I would spend as much time thinking on a subject of practical worth (like politics or knitting) as I do on religion, I might actually become a person with some value to the world. Alas, I have and do not. Hopefully some few ounces of actual product will result of my labor in the etherworld.

From time to time my soul will visit the possibility of a synthesis between the conception of nature and morality that my mind (whether rightly or wrongly) is determined to believe in and the religion that I was brought into the world with. If I had an extreme distaste for my parent's religion, there would be no value in such an evaluation. When reason finally tore down the last pillars of my faith, I felt enraged at the betrayal; but the realization that resulted from my friendships (one in particular) with people within the faith cured me of that bitterness. Despite its shortcomings, the Church has a tendency of producing good people dedicated to good virtues. Considering that it seems to be a human attribute to prove to ourselves what we desire to believe, I can't help but be glad there are those who desire to believe in goodness and virtue. (Of course the causes of belief are a bit more complicated than simple desire).

I am a Stoic and a Mormon. The first is what, through excessive meditation of things inward and outward, I have realized myself to be. It is what I believe. The second is what I was raised to believe. It is what shaped me. My culture. My society. A large bureau of my heart. It is natural that I would, occasionally, be drawn back to it, especially since I have yet to find a religious community with which I am a good fit. I want to belong. Call that a weakness of character, call it what you will, but I want to commune with other spirits and Mormonism is the context in which I am adapted to associate.

I hope I have begged the question: then why don't you just be a Mormon? The answer to this requires some explanation.

When I was a younger man (16 or so, if that's old enough to be a man), I stumbled upon a pamphlet written by Percy Bysshe Shelley entitled "The Necessity of Atheism" for which the author was expelled from Oxford. Though I did not agree with the ultimate conclusion of the essay (I'm not an Atheist), I did find that I agreed with the authors evaluation of the nature of belief. Essentially, it is that belief is a passive passion of the mind and not a power of volition. I must expound the character of my agreement because it is central to the subject of this entry. I actually believe the word "belief" carries with it two different concepts that are separate but interactive. The first belief is what Percy Shelley describes in his pamphlet. This is a passion of the mind. It evaluates coldly what it can and can not believe based on the evidence given to it. The second is volitional belief, the willful acceptance of an idea based on emotional desire. The etymological root of the word belief is the same as the word love. The two halves of belief are heavily interactive and not always distinguishable.

I believe in Stoicism because out of all the possible beliefs I could have according to the cold belief, it is the one the emotional belief accepts. It appears to me to be the best among all the possibilities that I can reasonably accept. I think I know it to be true as well as any man can know something to be true. It is not in my character to be dishonest with myself. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I make every effort to correct myself when it does.

So the question that remains is whether or not I can believe in Mormonism. Stoicism is not precisely a religion. It is a philosophy with religious ramifications. It existed, in its prime, both in and out of religious framework. Many Roman Stoics adapted their mythology to work with the philosophy. Some of its threads have been added to the tapestry of both Christian and Jewish heritage. As for Mormonism, I'm going to hold off on passing a final judgment for now, though I have a strong suspicion of what it will turn out to be; There's a reason I don't go to church. Ultimately, the question lies in whether or not one such as I would be accepted by the community, since that is what I am really seeking. Stoicism and Mormonism actually have a lot of very similar concepts. If understood symbolically, Mormonism provides a rather perfect framework for Stoicism, and I feel that the addition of Stoicism actually completes Mormonism. However, Mormonism, meaning the beliefs that are generally agreed upon by Mormons at large, is one of literalism, not allegory.

When I think about grafting myself back into the church body, there is primarily one sticking point that keeps me from believing it to be a possible choice. This is the temple. More specifically, the interview that is mandatory to pass before entrance is granted into the temple. Most of the questions I could answer in the desired way, no problem, or at least could if I had the conviction to live according to the church's guidelines (which wouldn't be too difficult a change). But there are two that I would have issues with. The first, whether I believe Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Redeemer of the World, I can answer affirmatively if I take the question in a symbolic context, which is probably a bit shady. But it doesn't really matter because to the second question, whether or not I believe the President of the Church to be a literal prophet of God, I simply can not rationalize to agree with. The evidence appears to point in an opposing direction.

So why not be a non-temple going Mormon? Because I am afraid that I will not be respected, and, unfortunately, I feel that I deserve it. Furthermore, I might be viewed as a heretic, which could bring the churches judgment against me. They have a bad habit of disfellowshipping members of their congregations who have unusual ideas about the church. I could keep my mouth shut, but that would be difficult for me. I want to teach.

Why do I even bother with this question? Because truth is a white light and the faiths are stained windows, and I believe Mormonism to be of a particularly beautiful scene.

I'm planning to make future entries comparing specific aspects of Mormonism and Stoicism, showing how they might work together, why they might not, how Mormonism could be reinterpreted to allow Stoicism in, and what the moral ramifications of that would be. Why? Because it could be fun and it might be advantageous to get these ideas out of my head and onto (digital) paper so my brain can reattach itself to something that matters a bit more.