Surf & Turf - 1 Timothy 4:1-5

4:1-5 - The word "controversy" used in verse 1 of chapter 3, might hint that through the disputations among Christians throughout the centuries, "that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith." There are two specific beliefs Paul notes that will be hallmarks of those who don't accept the gospel. The first is that they are "forbidding to marry." This can go to two different extremes, first is that people aren't open to any kind of companionship and opt for abstinence and the other end are those who do seek companionship and refuse to marry their sexual partners. For those who choose celibacy, the righteousness of that choice really comes down to their motivation. The IM says, "In Paul's day, extreme asceticism- the practice of abstaining from physical pleasures in an effort to overcome desires of the flesh- was a threat to the Church. Although Paul did not expound on the doctrine of marriage in this particular passage, other verses in the pastoral Epistles reflect Paul's consistent message that marriage and family are ordained of God." Those who refuse to seek a companion are disregarding God's command to multiply and replenish the earth. On the other hand, those who just haven't found a suitable eternal companion, such as myself, are justified in this practice because we are keeping the law of chastity. So it comes down to motivation. Am I actively choosing to not get married? Not necessarily, I just haven't found anyone worth my time yet. In the article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com and the IM there are many quotes about "fornication, adultery, and homosexual relationships" being Satan's tactics to ruin the family. I can see this, especially in the case of fornication and adultery, but before we start any drum banging, let's keep in mind that homosexuality is usually an inborn characteristic. People aren't born fornicators or adulterers, those are choices that are made later, but being same sex attracted is almost never an active choice someone makes. Putting them all on the same plane like that can be alienating and unhelpful. The suicide rate for adulterers isn't outrageous, but the suicide rate for LGBT+ people is. That doesn't sound like it's a choice to me. Anyway, when it comes to gay marriage or even just relationships, we have to respect everyone's beliefs, and if someone believes that they are happiest being in a same sex relationship, then it's not my business anymore than it is my business if someone prefers being Catholic. Anyway, in my rant here, what I'm basically trying to say is that it's important to be kind and considerate to all people, regardless if we think they are "choosing" to be gay or to be an adulterer. For instance, I know that when a couple deals with adultery, but try to work through it together, one of the most toxic things they can do to make sure their marriage never recovers is to keep hounding the adulterer about everything and never giving them room to improve. Would we like to know every single detail? Yes, would it helps us heal if we did? Probably not. Would it allow the perpetrator to heal? Definitely not. Kindness comes in many different ways, and so much of the time, being kind means keeping your mouth shut. The second aspect that Paul talks about as a hallmark of apostasy is "to abstain from meats." Does this mean that the only way we can be members of the Church is to eat meat? Absolutely not. This comes back to the commandments that we have to work out for ourselves. With many of the commandments, there is a component that is hard and fast, for instance with the Word of Wisdom, no drugs, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea. But when it says "eat meat sparingly" what exactly does that mean? My brother had this crisis when he went to the MTC and they served piles of meat at every meal. How could this be in keeping with the WOW? But it was the church so it had to be ok. There are the concrete rules, but then there other aspects where the Lord has given us to opportunity to form a relationship with him as we strive to learn what the rest of it means for us in order to be obedient. I know for a fact that there are several members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that are vegan. Are they apostates according to Paul? Of course not. It all goes back to our motivation. If the church came out tomorrow and said, "No more eating meat" so much of the gospel focus would shift from doctrinal truths to vegetarianism. As the master psychologist, Jesus doesn't want to make the focus be on meat consumption as a general policy and instead let's people build that part of the life with him personally. And especially as a world wide church, so many people struggle to even get food, picking what they can eat from their limited supply isn't helping them grow spiritually. It's kind of implied that if those who say "eat no meat" are wrong, that means that "eat all the meat" is right, and both are wrong. I personally subscribe to a vegan philosophy, even though I'm not currently practicing it, but eventually that's my end goal. Does that mean I'm an apostate? No, it means that I've worked with the Lord to find out exactly what the best course of action is for me in my life. Is someone who only eats meat an apostate? No, it means they are on their own path. None of the temple recommend interview questions have to do with out consumption of meat, because that's not what the Lord wants every single person to focus on. He wants to work that out with us personally.