Witness lovingly

A Mormon friend of mine and I were antelope hunting in Wyoming and we discussed religion around the campfire one night. I asked him a couple of questions about Joseph Smith and suddenly he glared at me with steely cold piercing eyes and told me in a menacing tone that people could get killed discussing other’s religious views. Some people take such remarks lightly, and to others it means everything. I fall into that category and so did he. In spite of the fact that we both had guns and plenty of ammo, we did not kill each other that night; no doubt because we stopped discussing religion.

I hate to admit it, but indeed the questions that I asked that night were designed to ridicule the most beloved figure in his church, Joseph Smith founder of the Mormon religion. My questions dealt with polygamy and Smith’s untimely death in a shootout. I should have known better. My intentions were not bad. Basically I just wanted to witness to my friend, but my techniques were wrong and clumsy. When you try to ridicule someone’s faith all you succeed in is alienating them similar to knocking a hornet’s nest off a porch with a broom.

When faced with difficult questions I often try and visualize how Jesus Christ would handle the same situation. As I reflect on this situation, I think He would want me to eliminate negative comments entirely. In other words I should restrict my comments to quoting Scripture directly from the Bible and simply witness about what God has done in my life as a result of my obedience and faith in the Bible.

The Bible warns Christians not to argue about relatively insignificant points concerning God’s laws. I once chided a Methodist friend of mine about being able to Baptize the entire county with a cup full of water. He believes in sprinkling and I believe in immersion. The Bible states that Jesus “emerged” from the water after being Baptized. That signifies to me that he went underwater to signify the death and burial and then when He emerged from the water it signified the Resurrection. Thus Baptism by immersion correctly symbolically signifies the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Some interpret the passage about Jesus “emerging” from the water as meaning that he emerged from the Jordan River after He had been sprinkled, as in the word “emerge” referred to His walking out of the river and onto the river bank.

Hmmm I was re-baptized in the Jordan River last year and I got dunked. I don’t buy into it. That is my belief and I stick to it, but I can understand how others might believe differently. The important thing about Baptism is that we make a public profession of faith by following Jesus in Baptism. My friend took the chiding in a good-natured way and we had an interesting and harmless discussion about it, but I was not mean-spirited when I made my comments. It does make a difference.

By offering my comments in a non-mean spirited fashion, we were able to discuss this point without anyone getting their feelings hurt and even got a laugh or two out of it in the process.

I suppose the lesson learned for me is that I failed miserably in witnessing to my Mormon friend because I took an approach of mean spirited ridicule and denigration. As a result all he did is “circle the wagons” and defend his position without hearing a word that I said, and I nearly got into a shootout in the process.

Feelings run high when someone loves their Lord with all of their heart. Witness lovingly and carefully my friends and never deliberately ridicule and denigrate someone’s belief system. When you get right down to where the “rubber meets the road”, love is what the Christian faith is all about and ridicule has no interest in love.

Romans 13:10
Love does no harm to a neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfillment of
the law.