When I was thirty-two years old, my hard work began to pay off. Chief Operating
Officer of a start-up software company, a brand new 5,000 square foot dream
house nestled in Utah's Wasatch mountain range; these were my rewards. Working
full time, while helping to raise four children and completing two college
degrees was tough, but worth the sacrifice. At least that's what I would tell
myself when my kids hugged and kissed me goodbye at the airport terminal each
week. "Daddy has to go to work sweetie," I remember telling my three-year-old
daughter, as tears rolled down her face. "I will see you again in a few days and
then we can play. I promise."
Strapped in her car seat, she struggled to maintain eye contact with me as my
wife pulled away from the curb at the drop-off zone. This scene seemed to occur
so often with each of my children that I had become calloused to any emotions.
Great at rationalizing, I reasoned that my children were proud of the career
that I had built. Business executives have to travel, not only for meetings and
trade shows, but also for training seminars. My children understood that travel
was a necessary part of a successful career, I remember telling myself.
One weekend my family and I were driving together across town to run errands. As
we passed the airport, my daughter yelled out from her car seat, "Mommy! That's
where Daddy works!" Suddenly it hit me. My little girl's love is unconditional.
Whether I am a high flying executive or someone who works at the airport, it
makes no difference to her. What matters is that I love and spend time with her.
It is a simple concept, but a major change in perspective.
We lived in a predominantly Mormon community near Brigham Young University,
where the topic of religion was discussed daily. As the only non-Mormon family
in the area, the neighbors seemed eager to meet the outsiders. Before we moved
in, our real estate agent informed everyone at the local Ward that we were from
Washington DC and that I worked as a consultant for NASA. News travels fast in a
Latter Day Saint community. By the time we moved in, it was rumored that I was a
Mormon Bishop and a former astronaut! Everyone and everything in Utah is somehow
tied to the LDS Church. It's quite an amazing culture in many ways. If you are
Mormon, living in Salt Lake City is like being Catholic and living in the
Vatican, or being Jewish and living in Jerusalem. It doesn't get any better.
However, if you are non-Mormon, the pressure to convert is endless, and for
many, exhausting. I didn't mind it though. Actually, I welcomed the debate. I
remember thinking that if I could convince just one Mormon to question their
beliefs, then I would have succeeded in liberating a mind. Of course I felt this
way about all religions, not just Mormonism.
With this challenge, I began to study the Bible, searching for ammunition. For
nearly a year I discussed religion during the day and studied the Bible and
other religious texts at night. This was not the first time I had read the
Bible. In the past I had skimmed through various passages looking for flawed
logic, or possibly contradictions. Since Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is
inspired scripture which complements the Bible, I decided that my best strategy
was to uncover contradictions between both doctrines. For the sake of argument,
I took the premise that the Bible was in fact true, therefore I made an effort
to read and memorize its main points and key messages. It was the first time I
had intimately researched and cross-referenced specific Biblical passages. I
also found great online resources, such as Ravi Zacharias' International
Ministry. Through the online lectures of Ravi, I was introduced to the world of
Apologetics, or the use of logic and reason to answer spiritual questions.
What a great concept, I thought! Ravi's style of religious inquiry was exactly
what I had been looking for. What better ammunition to throw at my Mormon
friends than a perfectly constructed intellectual argument?
To see part 5 click here
Contributed by John R. Maculley, Jr.:
John@Maculley.com John is a new Christian, having converted from Atheism in
February 2005, one week before his 33rd birthday. He has spent his life studying
philosophy and searching for truth in cultures throughout the world. He is
currently working on his first book, entitled: "Searching for the Source", which
outlines the mental process an Atheist goes through when considering
spirituality.
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