Sabbathought: "Truth makes philosophy unnecessary"

Good morning family and friends,

A quick thought for the Sabbath that has shown itself true and valuable in our experience lately. I learned it from Bob Matthews who told us it came from Henry D. Moyle, I believe he said:

"Truth makes philosophy unnecessary."

I think it is also true that "true doctrine makes psychology unnecessary," but we seem afflicted with the urge to help people figure out what it is in their past that has caused them to act wrongfully. What it is in their past can be traced to the Fall of Adam, but their wrongdoings are their own (see Articles of Faith 1:2).

Arthur Henry King has said it this way:

"What is fundamentally wrong with human society and human beings is not psychological, it is not economic, it is not political, it is not anthropological, it is not cultural. It is more fundamental than that. It is sin."

Thus we see the basic core doctrine of the gospel . . . : Fall / Atonement, as taught so clearly in the Book of Mormon. If you have no sin (and I have met a lot of people, in and out of the Church, who claim this), then you have little need for Christ and His Atonement.

In 2001 Elder F. Enzio Busche gave a classic address to the BYU Studies Academy meeting in Salt Lake City, which I was privileged to attend, and from which I made these notes:

"'Preach nothing but repentance' (D&C 19:21; see 5:19). Are we [in the Church] blind to the threat posed by psychiatry and psychology? Phrases like 'biogenetic disposition' and 'chemical imbalance' are common among our people, and are used as reasons---excuses, really---for people's behavior. 'Compulsive', 'obsessive', 'stop blaming yourself', 'don't feed the guilt monster' all stop our members from repenting. We might be surprised to learn that no less a notable than Carl Jung said, 'Ultimately every psychological problem comes down to a matter of religion.'"

Elder Busche emphasized that he is not saying psychology is wrong, but it goes unchecked, unchallenged by us. He said his son started to study psychology with a view to a career. He had to drop it; he found it incompatible with his core beliefs, found himself arguing with his professors. "Is it possible", mused Elder Busche, "for BYU to replace Freudian psychology with gospel understanding?"

There is more in my notes of Elder Busche's talk, and I'll elaborate if any of you are interested, but that will suffice for an illustration of this Sabbathought: "Truth makes philosophy unnecessary" and True doctrine makes psychology unnecessary.

Warm regards for a lovely Sabbath,

Steve