T2H Episode 03: Seeking God in a Nutshell
There is within the human heart a yearning for something greater than oneself to love, to acknowledge ... and even to worship. Efforts to deal with this gnawing angst has prompted people around the globe and throughout history to try to find contentment in wealth, power, sex, utopian political ideals ... and even through (or especially through) performance-based religion. In the end, there is a dread (as in the book, The Gift of Dread) that continues to motivate a search for answers to the big questions.
Bishops, CES teachers and leaders, Relief Society officers, stake president and other mid-level leaders in the LDS Church have seen this restlessness first hand, as young adults and other questioning ward members become inactive, leave the LDS Church altogether, and often become atheists.
Following the LDS Church rulebook (including tithing, Word of Wisdom prohibitions, temple worthiness requirements, etc.) -- and relying on long lost feelings -- no longer seem to offer much promise or much hope.
The question becomes, if rule-following and feelings don't lead to an enduring connection to God, what does?
