Our church’s General Conference was this weekend (a semi-annual worldwide broadcast where the leaders have five two-hour sessions of talks, once every Easter weekend, and once in October), and as usual, it’s gotten me thinking a bit.
One thing that keeps coming to mind is that I should blog a bit on religious topics. I’ve always been extremely hesitant to do so for a variety of reasons. For one, I hate being preached to when I’m not interested in input, and because of that, I tend to go out of my way not to preach to other people who may not want to hear what I have to say. Add to that that I’m extremely tolerant of people’s lifestyles. I’m just open and accepting, but also strictly guard my own personal values, and try not to impose them on others. Still, I get the distinct impression that I should share some my opinions a bit more, so I’m going to do so, but I’ll tread carefully.
Part of the problem is that I have a hard time in social relationships distinguishing between what should be private and what should be public. When it comes to spiritual matters, I consider it all succinctly private, and rarely tell anyone anything. So, it’s going to be a bit hard for me trying to find that middle ground between what I should say and what I shouldn’t. Even writing this post is a bit of a difficult task — I’m never too sure how much information to reveal. Living the gospel and it’s effects are, in my opinion, a highly personal affair.
Another thing I worry about is that I certainly do not want to sound like I’m tooting my own horn. A holier-than-thou attitude annoys me just as I’m sure it does anyone else, and I certainly don’t want to be going off telling people about what I’m doing, as I think it may appear as vanity. I’m also not one for trying to point out where the world is wrong and needs to change. I’m a firm believer in progress, but also practicality. Life changes are gradual, and the only way to gauge how a person is doing is to do a self-examination and honestly ask how you’re doing, and to consult the Lord.
So, that pretty much covers everything I’ll avoid doing — blatant finger-pointing, yelling, criticizing, grandstanding and terrifying the masses … but I still don’t have a clue what I am gonna share. Probably my opinion in mild form, some small personal examples, and my beliefs.
Yah. I have no idea what’s gonna happen. So, we’ll see. I’ll try not to keep it too over the top or anything.