Whenever religion comes up in conversation, rhetoric is bound to follow. Religion is a much debated topic that induces much animation, and wording is key. Anyone with a strong conviction has the intention to share their knowledge with those around them. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, missionary work is stressed constantly, from those on missions and to members who are examples to those around them. While discussing the gospel it is important to use rhetoric to convince someone of the truthfulness of the gospel. Knowing and understanding principles of the church, the scriptures, and modern revelations is important so that your knowledge and use of words to express your thoughts and ideas is convincing. D&C 11:21 states:
"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."
The Holy Ghost will guide you as you work to express in sincerity your knowledge and faith in the gospel. Many times my faith has come up in conversation and I am always prompted by the Spirit to say what the other person probably needs to hear. The first step to being able to start a good discussion on the gospel is to be bold in your beliefs. I am the first to share my opinion on topics pertaining to morality and issues of right and wrong. I think that to slowly interject your ideas wherever you can will be a good way to begin deeper dialogue that could very well lead to someone's conversion.
The use of words to have an effect and instill change in the listener is easily done when in accordance with God's will. It is everyone's responsibility as a saint to share as much as they can. In addition to being prompted by the Spirit, the person you are talking to may be leaving clues in their rhetoric that may be hints towards good angles or topics to bring up. Conversation is such a key part in conversion and members should practice talking with ease so they are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities they have.
My father was born and raised in the Jewish faith and was converted by the words of the Book of Mormon. The truthfulness was very forthcoming to him and he realized he had found the true gospel he had been looking for his whole life. What lead him to read the Book of Mormon were the words of my mother’s parents. They are both well versed and used the simple language of the gospel as a tool to convince my dad to read. Their efforts have changed my entire life.
I go forth in my dealings striving to use rhetoric to share the gospel, even in subtle ways, to all those around me and I would encourage others to do the same.
You work was very conversational; I felt your unique voice coming through very clearly.
ReplyDeleteA few things did not read very fluently, though. There were some sentences that sound fine when spoken, but were a little sketchy when read.
Your father's story was a great illustration of the power of rhetoric. I think it would have fit even better one paragraph earlier, nestled between the one about speaking with friends and the paragraph about the clues being left by others' rhetoric.
Overall, though, I felt like you were sitting with me, telling me this whole essay personally.
"The first step to being able to start a good discussion on the gospel is to be bold in your beliefs." - so true. When my brother returned home from his mission a couple of years ago, he told me about how he was always so afraid to share the gospel with people he knew, because he was afraid that they would be offended. He told me that after two years of boldly approaching everyone he saw, he realized that it really wasn't a big deal and that more times than not it would have the opposite effect: causing greater trust to form because one person was willing to share something very personal to them in hopes of helping another. I like your essay because I can relate to trying to "interject ideas" into conversations with some of my non-member friends. Some have politely declined my more formal invitations, but others are tentatively investigating which is awesome. I realize now that its hard to offend someone with a sincere and loving invitation. In fact, I think that we both respect each others beliefs more because of it. I hope that this adds something of value. Thanks again for writing. Again, your post was especially meaningful to me because I can relate to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your personal examples--I think they're quite compelling.
ReplyDeleteAnd good comments from your peers!
It fascinates me how conversation flows about the gospel. I have met a lot of people who have shortly found out I am Mormon and they are the one who brings it up, knowing they will get a good conversation back from me. Congratulations on sharing and I wish you the best of luck. Just you reaching out will end up providing you with more opportunities and especially outside of Provo the more you experience life, the more your eagerness to converse will empower you.
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