Robert

“Some people's relationship to the divine is primarily mystical, for others it is experiential, and for other still it is intellectual. Spirituality is intensely individual, even for members of the same family or the same church.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt

“By empathy, I do not mean the capacity to feel the same way someone else feels. This is sympathy. Sympathy is highly touted, but in my opinion, somewhat overrated. By empathy, I do not mean acting in a tender, understanding manner. This is support. Support is also highly valued and overrated. So what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to comprehend with accuracy the precise thoughts and motivations of other people in such a way that they would say "yes, that is exactly where I'm coming from.”
― David D. Burns, Feeling Good

“Mormonism is sui generis—that is to say, it offers its own unique set of questions and answers for the world that overlaps with but is not identical to any other set of questions and answers, whether those posed by modern science or creedal Christianity. What this also means, however, is that while Mormonism is internally coherent, intellectually rewarding, spiritually satisfying, and theologically profound, when viewed solely through any other lens it will appear flawed, foolish, and even scandalous.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt

“A life predicated on good works always has its dangers. The pursuit of righteousness is separated from hypocrisy and pharisaism by only a hair's width. Ritual displays, checked boxes, and achieved goals, however worthy, can easily obscure "the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith" (Matthew 23:23). Because we live in a community and often know our neighbor's foibles and perhaps even their sins, their white shirts can easily appear as "whited sepulchers" (Matthew 23:27. Patience and forgiveness thus become two of the house of faith's load-bearing walls.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt