I just finished reading “The Crucible of Doubt” by Terryl and Fiona Givens.
Quick Take: Not an easy read, but really expanded my perspective on many typical doubts experienced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Longer Take:
The authors of “The Crucible of Doubt” attempt to dissect the paradigms and thought processes that breed doubt in the typical Latter-Day Saint (e.g. The role of the church in our lives, divine delegation, the infallibility of church leaders, spiritual self-sufficiency, etc.). They argue that if we better understood these paradigms many doubts would become nonissues.
I enjoyed “The Crucible of Doubt”, but this book is written for people way smarter than me. It's not that the concepts are beyond me, but it is written in a way that I had to hyper-focus to keep up (I actually finished it and immediately read it again). Most striving to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, will identify with the myriad of doubts described in this book. But if you’re a little slow like me, you may struggle to keep up with the writing of the authors. It reminded me of reading Elder Neal A. Maxwell. So many great learnings, but you really have to work to appreciate them.
I recommend this book to any member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whether you are struggling with your faith or not. Terryl and Fiona Givens do a wonderful job of showing that “doubts” connected to the gospel of Jesus Christ are not without shades of grey. There are often multiple ways to see and interpret them, and sometimes a small tweak in our perspective can make all the difference. One can doubt and believe simultaneously.
Some of My Favourite Quotes:
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