Laying Hold on the Truth

I don't care if comes from a Prophet on a pulpit or a bum on the street - if it's true, it is part of Christ's Gospel and I want it.

I'm not a big Brigham Young fan, but he once said something I thought was poignant:

The Gospel that I have embraced comprehends ALL truth. “How much of it is true?” All of it. “How much does it embrace?” All the truth that there is in the heavens, on the earth, under the earth; and if there is any truth in hell, this doctrine claims it.

It is all the truth of heaven, the truth of God, the life of those that live forever, the law by which worlds were, are, and will be brought into existence, and pass from one degree or one state of being to another, pertaining to the exaltation of intelligence from the lowest to the highest state. This is the doctrine that the Latter-day Saints believe, whether they realize it or not. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 16:160 emphasis mine)

  Notice he said, "If there is any truth in hell, this doctrine claims it."?  Now, he didn't say we necessarily need to GO THERE to get it. But he wasn't afraid of it. 

Why are we afraid to discuss things?  Not just regular things, but the difficult things - like church history, policies, and programs that are problematic.

People have different ideas all the time about the what they think is the truth.  I have found if people can sit down and discuss things through and "reason together" seeking to get to the truth and not just be stuck on opinion, there would be a lot less contention and fighting in this world.  Plus we would have be the means of drawing nearer to the truth, which means drawing nearer to the Words of Christ, which means drawing nearer Christ himself, which means salvation is within reach.