I've had a very interesting week at work. On Tuesday my coworker handed me a book and stated the author of the book (a friend of hers) heard I was going on a mission and told her to have me read his book. Immediately I was worried because my coworker is not LDS, and in fact she is made it quite well-known she is very much against the LDS faith, for reasons I know not. However, I took the book and said I'd try it because it claimed on the cover it was not anti-LDS literature, nor did I think my friend Brandie would give me something that outwardly offended my faith knowing I am preparing to serve a mission. I wish I had been right. The book is titled "I was a Born-Again Mormon", and the author, Shawn McCraney, attacks the LDS faith. He is cunning and does not do it in such a way as most anti-LDS do, but his statements that he represented as facts about the LDS were despicable and made my stomach churn. He downgraded our view on Christ, stating that the LDS didn't feel Christ made the ultimate sacrifice or that we really need the atonement. He said that the LDS put on a facade and just appear to be perfect on the outside. I could go on but I don't feel it's necessary to know the details of what he said, except for the fact he was so very wrong about the church. I read about 100 pages of the book before I couldn't take it anymore and so during my lunch break I went home and grabbed "Jesus the Christ". I started reading that and couldn't put it down. I have tried before to read this book and always had a difficult time getting through it but this time I was breezing through it and understanding exactly what Talmage was stating. What was a further testimony builder to me that God knew I needed the spirit more than ever at that moment was that within the first 20 pages of the book Talmage explained in perfect detail and exactness our view of the Savior. It is just what I needed to hear.
After I got home from work I made the decision to give Brandie back her book and quickly explain to her that McCraney has completely misunderstood the LDS doctrine and that I couldn't even recognize my religion from what he was saying. Unfortunately the next time I worked with Brandie she threw another curveball at me. She sent me an email:
Hello! I just had to tell you the funniest thing that happened the night before last. Shawn McCraney emailed me and asked if I got his book back. I emailed him back and said what are you talking about. He said that a lot of people will give the book back to the person that gave it to them and cry heresy before they even read the whole book. I said no I didn't get the book back yet and that you were reading it. I told him you weren't like everyone else, you have a mind of your own and can come up with an opinion on your own about the book. He wrote me back and said, that he would bet me that I would get it back by the first of next week unread entirely. I said I will take that bet, what are we betting. He said if I win and you read the whole book, then 25.00 will be donated to your mission. If he wins, I have to donate 25.00 to his ministry.
I told him, you have no idea what you are asking. Harmony is extremely intelligent. And will totally win this challenge. He said yeah I've heard that before.
He said I have to have proof so there are questions I guess that need answers in the book? He said three questions from the book have to be answered in short paragraphs for me to be able to prove you read it.
So what do you think? Now I totally have to read it myself. Is there anything you want me to ask him that you have read so far? I know you love a debate, and I totally know he loves a debate. He would totally answer any questions you had.
I don't know if you are up for the challenge or not.
I told him, you have no idea what you are asking. Harmony is extremely intelligent. And will totally win this challenge. He said yeah I've heard that before.
He said I have to have proof so there are questions I guess that need answers in the book? He said three questions from the book have to be answered in short paragraphs for me to be able to prove you read it.
So what do you think? Now I totally have to read it myself. Is there anything you want me to ask him that you have read so far? I know you love a debate, and I totally know he loves a debate. He would totally answer any questions you had.
I don't know if you are up for the challenge or not.
This email disgusted me because it is so manipulative. I am not sure if she wrote it or if he wrote it and her pass it off as her writing, but either way I was not happy. Here I was going to return the book to her that day and she has now tried playing to my intelligence and love of a good debate. Unfortunately for her because I am intelligent I can see what she is trying to do and I refuse to debate religion because it leads to nowhere and I love my faith too much to have this man try to drag it through the mud in an attempt to shake my testimony.
If this was anyone but my coworker I would tell her exactly what I think with no worries as to offending her, however since she is a coworker it becomes a very delicate situation because I still need to work with her. I hold no feelings of anger towards her, I'm more upset that she could be this disrespectful to my religion, a religion that I am willingly giving everything up to go serve and spread in another part of the world. Why would she try shaking my faith at a time like this? Why try to distract me from the sacred work I'm about to do? I've never once told her I've doubted my faith or testimony and yet through her emails it sounds like that's what she thinks is happening.
I am grateful for this situation overall though, because although she is being manipulative and disrespectful I know that this is not the last person I will come across that will slander my religion to my face. A few years ago this book could have been a testimony shaker; however my testimony has never been as firm or as strong as it is now. Nothing she or this author could say could make me waiver in my beliefs. All it does is make me stronger and more determined to find those that are truly searching for the truth.
I guess Brandie will be out $25 :)
