Quoting guidelines
This site is designed to be easily quotable. You are encouraged to quote from it and have my full permission to do so as long as you follow these guidelines:
- You must follow the guidelines found in this article. Part of this article is quoted below, but you need to be familiar with all of the concepts within it.
- You must be respectful towards those you are communicating with. Please be kind, courteous, and tolerant of other people's beliefs.
- You must assume good faith in others. Most negative information and attitudes are developed because they have heard something incorrectly from secondhand sources.
- You may not use this information to tear down another person's belief or hope. If anything, you want them to feel better about themselves when they leave your discussion.
- You may not use any information on this site to start a debate. If someone has asked you for evidence, you are then welcome to quote this site. A more appropriate use would be to answer someone's genuine inquiry.
- You do not have to credit this site. A default credit is on the bottom of each section that is designed to be quoted, but you may use your own judgment if you want to include it. I would strongly recommend including it on any section that describes why we believe what we do, as these are my own observations and they are my own responsibility. While they may be based on doctrine, they are not official viewpoints of the LDS church.
"As we respond to others, each circumstance will be different. Fortunately, the Lord knows the hearts of our accusers and how we can most effectively respond to them. As true disciples seek guidance from the Spirit, they receive inspiration tailored to each encounter. And in every encounter, true disciples respond in ways that invite the Spirit of the Lord.
Paul reminded the Corinthians that his preaching was "not with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Corinthians 2:4). Because that power resides in the Spirit of the Lord, we must never become contentious when we are discussing our faith. As almost every missionary learns, Bible bashing always drives the Spirit away. The Savior has said, "He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me" (3 Nephi 11:29). More regrettable than the Church being accused of not being Christian is when Church members react to such accusations in an un-Christlike way! May our conversations with others always be marked by the fruits of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance" (Galatians 5:22–23). To be meek, as defined in Webster's dictionary, is "manifesting patience and longsuffering: enduring injury without resentment." Meekness is not weakness. It is a badge of Christian courage."[1]
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