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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
Adam S. Miller's Letters to a Young Mormon addresses the complexities and beauties of living a Mormon life. It's written in a series of letters, with topics ranging from faith to science to sex. There are insights and truths there that are nuanced and instructive, and none of the content shies away from the intricacies of the Mormon church's history or of its past, but rather acknowledges them and contextualizes them in a refreshing way. It's modern, refreshing, and meant to be revisited frequently.
I'm a bit conflicted about this book. There were parts where I was really intrigued, and that provoked a great deal of thought and brought about insights I might not otherwise have had. But then there were other parts where I felt the author hadn't clarified his thoughts enough to make sense to the reader (especially if he/she were a teenager!) or that were unnecessarily complicated or obfuscated. Having said that, here are some of my own takeaways:
1. "The gap between theory and practice is often biggest with the simplest things." I don't think that is just with the gospel, either. I have seen that same thing with my college students (both young and old), in that when something is simple, they don't feel they need to practice to "get it."
2. With care and attention, bent nails can be straightened and then used for the same purpose for which they were originally intended. Repentance (change) is the process, but care and attention are needed, both from the repentant individual and from his/her family and friends.
3. Like divine grace, love is a gift, not a reward. It can only be given freely, but can be given in any circumstance. The best way to develop the capacity to love is to avoid seeking to possess it, and focus instead on giving it. Love is a verb, and like any other action, the best way to do it is to do it.
4. In all truly important ways, it's best to focus on process over outcomes. "Do what you can...and let things happen as they may. The action, not its fruit, is your business." Both western and eastern philosophers have recognized the principle involved, often illustrated as the arrow versus the target. Stoic philosophers suggested the dichotomy of control, in which what I control is my aim, the quality of the arrow, my focus, and so forth. But once I release the arrow, it's out of my control, and whether it hits the target is subject to influences that are not under my control.
5. "Faith isn't the opposite of knowledge. Rather, like love, faith perfects knowledge by practicing fidelity to it."
6. "The substance of a prayer is this willingness to remember, to heave your wandering mind back, once more, in the direction of God...To pray is to practice remembering God."
7. "If you're not careful, you'll live your life from front to back. You'll start at the beginning and stop at the end. Drawn along by your hopes and fears, you'll spend your whole life waiting to see how your story is going to end...Your life will turn into a waiting room." I don't think that is comprehensively true for any of us, but we all certainly do that at least a little, and for some of us (fellow future thinkers!) it may be true often. All too often I find myself looking forward to "what's next," even when what is happening in the present is a source of joy and satisfaction.
I have to say that the chapter on the Sabbath was my favorite, and for me, the most actionable. But that's just me - others will find that different thoughts in this book "speak" to them more powerfully.
8. "With the Sabbath, God makes the end arrive early. In fact, with the Sabbath, he makes the end arrive every seven days." We get closer to redemption when we "look forward to Christ by living as though he had already come again. We enter into the rest of the Lord by practicing a sabbatical way of live."
9. "On the Sabbath, we do things for their own sake. We do the work that we do out of love." Not a bad way to lead the rest of our lives, either!
10. "God is prying open our eyes and ears. Who has ears to hear? God speaks both scripture and science." We are instructed to study all things that are expedient (D&C 88:78), that God will speak to us in our minds and in our hearts (D&C 8:2). It's pretty clear that we should read, study, and ponder widely, and learn all that we can.
11. "Gratitude makes it possible to care. And only the patient and persistent practice of care can qualify us as faithful stewards."
12. And a fitting close to the book: "Eternal life is just like doing what you're doing right now, but doing it the way God himself would do it." Learning what that looks like, and developing the capacity to do it fully and consistently seems to me to be the project of a lifetime - and beyond.
1. "The gap between theory and practice is often biggest with the simplest things." I don't think that is just with the gospel, either. I have seen that same thing with my college students (both young and old), in that when something is simple, they don't feel they need to practice to "get it."
2. With care and attention, bent nails can be straightened and then used for the same purpose for which they were originally intended. Repentance (change) is the process, but care and attention are needed, both from the repentant individual and from his/her family and friends.
3. Like divine grace, love is a gift, not a reward. It can only be given freely, but can be given in any circumstance. The best way to develop the capacity to love is to avoid seeking to possess it, and focus instead on giving it. Love is a verb, and like any other action, the best way to do it is to do it.
4. In all truly important ways, it's best to focus on process over outcomes. "Do what you can...and let things happen as they may. The action, not its fruit, is your business." Both western and eastern philosophers have recognized the principle involved, often illustrated as the arrow versus the target. Stoic philosophers suggested the dichotomy of control, in which what I control is my aim, the quality of the arrow, my focus, and so forth. But once I release the arrow, it's out of my control, and whether it hits the target is subject to influences that are not under my control.
5. "Faith isn't the opposite of knowledge. Rather, like love, faith perfects knowledge by practicing fidelity to it."
6. "The substance of a prayer is this willingness to remember, to heave your wandering mind back, once more, in the direction of God...To pray is to practice remembering God."
7. "If you're not careful, you'll live your life from front to back. You'll start at the beginning and stop at the end. Drawn along by your hopes and fears, you'll spend your whole life waiting to see how your story is going to end...Your life will turn into a waiting room." I don't think that is comprehensively true for any of us, but we all certainly do that at least a little, and for some of us (fellow future thinkers!) it may be true often. All too often I find myself looking forward to "what's next," even when what is happening in the present is a source of joy and satisfaction.
I have to say that the chapter on the Sabbath was my favorite, and for me, the most actionable. But that's just me - others will find that different thoughts in this book "speak" to them more powerfully.
8. "With the Sabbath, God makes the end arrive early. In fact, with the Sabbath, he makes the end arrive every seven days." We get closer to redemption when we "look forward to Christ by living as though he had already come again. We enter into the rest of the Lord by practicing a sabbatical way of live."
9. "On the Sabbath, we do things for their own sake. We do the work that we do out of love." Not a bad way to lead the rest of our lives, either!
10. "God is prying open our eyes and ears. Who has ears to hear? God speaks both scripture and science." We are instructed to study all things that are expedient (D&C 88:78), that God will speak to us in our minds and in our hearts (D&C 8:2). It's pretty clear that we should read, study, and ponder widely, and learn all that we can.
11. "Gratitude makes it possible to care. And only the patient and persistent practice of care can qualify us as faithful stewards."
12. And a fitting close to the book: "Eternal life is just like doing what you're doing right now, but doing it the way God himself would do it." Learning what that looks like, and developing the capacity to do it fully and consistently seems to me to be the project of a lifetime - and beyond.
This book taught me so much and gave me so much to think about on every page. I loved the fresh perspective on so many different topics. I especially loved the letters about Agency and Sin. I would definitely recommend this book! It is a super short read!
I bought copies of this book for my family and roommates for Christmas-- Miller's gently fresh, reverent, and beautiful prose invites us to retranslate, rethink, and thereby deepen our understanding of our relationship with our Savior. His ideas have become foundational for much of the way I think about the gospel.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
There were some profoundly beautiful sentiments that I appreciated, but it may have been a bit overhyped for me.
Each letter was very hit or miss. Sometimes thought provoking, other times bland or simply confusing logic. Rather than reading straight through, I'd suggest choosing letters to read with someone else and discussing the ideas together.
Each letter was very hit or miss. Sometimes thought provoking, other times bland or simply confusing logic. Rather than reading straight through, I'd suggest choosing letters to read with someone else and discussing the ideas together.
Excellent. Short, thought provoking, articulate. I highlighted several quotes and could happily read it again.