Robert

“Mormonism is superb at providing not only the blueprint but also the scaffolding whereby individuals, families, and communities can construct houses of exemplary, faithful living by building up on the rock of Christ and his revelation to the modern church. Simply put, Mormonism produces good and useful people—people who are kind, generous, devoted, talented, compassionate, courteous, mindful, and accomplished.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt

“By empathy, I do not mean the capacity to feel the same way someone else feels. This is sympathy. Sympathy is highly touted, but in my opinion, somewhat overrated. By empathy, I do not mean acting in a tender, understanding manner. This is support. Support is also highly valued and overrated. So what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to comprehend with accuracy the precise thoughts and motivations of other people in such a way that they would say "yes, that is exactly where I'm coming from.”
― David D. Burns, Feeling Good

“A life predicated on good works always has its dangers. The pursuit of righteousness is separated from hypocrisy and pharisaism by only a hair's width. Ritual displays, checked boxes, and achieved goals, however worthy, can easily obscure "the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith" (Matthew 23:23). Because we live in a community and often know our neighbor's foibles and perhaps even their sins, their white shirts can easily appear as "whited sepulchers" (Matthew 23:27. Patience and forgiveness thus become two of the house of faith's load-bearing walls.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt

“Some people's relationship to the divine is primarily mystical, for others it is experiential, and for other still it is intellectual. Spirituality is intensely individual, even for members of the same family or the same church.”
― Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt