LESSON 27 SUMMARY

Joseph Smith lesson #27

Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy

This weeks lesson is on apostasy which is a tricky thing. We might be tempted to make many assumptions about apostasy an about those who have fallen into apostasy, but what Christ would have us do is the very hard work of loving and having compassion for those who are struggling with issues of belief. Early Saints had many challenges to their faith that today's members may have a hard time relating to. The Church today is relatively safe and mainstream. But there are still many issues and circumstances which can bring about a crisis of faith. Leaders of the Church must treat these critical members with the necessary love and respect that even a normal stranger would receive. We must support and sustain our leaders. I'm sure that we have all been in a calling where we were criticized or not supported by ward members. We need to cease criticizing each other, we need to support and sustain each other in our callings. Finally, we need to build bridges of understanding with those who are struggling with faith. We need to act as Christ would with this situation and build a bridge of understanding and uncondional love. In dealing with a loved one who has lost faith in and/or left the church there is a balancing act that must be done; working our the best ways to be true to your own beliefs while respecting the experiences of the other.

This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso.

Here is a link to the lesson on LDS.org