LIGHT & TRUTH

A RESPONSE TO AUSTIN FIFE'S COMMENTS ON ABUSE IN THE CHURCH

I begin this with a word of caution: THIS MAY CONTAIN SOME TRIGGERING MATERIAL. It is also a multi-part series of essays responding to the original authors’ points.

INTRODUCTION

Mr. Austin Fife, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has written a book called The Light and Truth Letter. In it, he addresses several issues regarding the Church that have been points of controversy and discussion for many years. His approach is more to question the questions that critics raise by asking his questions.

Some time back a group of Christian writers decided to cover the various topics in Mr. Fife’s book. I was one of those volunteers. None of us were paid or otherwise compensated.

To be transparent, I offered to write about the section on abuse within the Church, not because I took delight in it happening “to the Church”, but rather, because I, myself, am an adult survivor of childhood sexual, mental, physical, and emotional abuse.

I have also met other survivors. Some have come to Christ and begun the healing process years ago; some are newly facing their past and struggle with it daily. Others opt not to turn to faith for their healing and support. I, for one, am just grateful they’re getting help and support from wherever they may find it.

Childhood abuse, in any form, is a serious issue in our society. And sadly, it is also a serious problem in all faith groups. Nobody is disputing that Churches, Synagogues, Masjids, Temples, etc., have people in their midst who do horrific things to children. And it would be easy to point to other places, such as schools, work settings, etc., and declare that they, too, have a problem. But it would be disingenuous to feign innocence on the part of religious institutions while pointing a finger at others. And it’s from that perspective that I address this dire problem. For you see, the Bible is clear that the believer (and I will only be addressing groups that consider themselves Christian) is held to a higher standard than the non-Christian:

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required…” (Luke 12: 48b).

This includes punishment and reward. As believers, we were given much, and much is expected of us, far more than from non-believers. So, any person or group that considers itself to be Christian has to live by a higher standard and cannot measure itself by any other institution or people.

On the other hand, if you consider yourself part of the group that has to live to a higher standard, and you place yourself on an even higher pedestal, then you have chosen to raise the bar even more and have put yourself in a precarious position of being “the best of the rest”.

This, I believe, is what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has done since its inception. The moment it declared that all the other Churches were wrong, that their creeds were an abomination, and the only “true” Church was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it raised the bar, placed itself on a pedestal, and became the standard bearer for all faiths proclaiming a belief in Jesus Christ.

In this series, that and other aspects of Mr. Fife’s letter will be addressed. The article comes in parts, according to the Truth and Light Letter format. Notations (including links) are at the end of each section. For space, the phrase “the Church” will reference the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; “the Letter” will reference the Truth and Light Letter and all other references will be noted as they arise.