Some friends of mine have been visiting regularly with a couple of sister missionaries from the LDS Church. They got onto the topic of sin and my friends pointed to Luke 12:22 and shared how worry is a sin. (The LDS Bible footnotes this verse by saying that the phrase “take no thought” means “don’t worry”.) One of the sisters replied that if worry was a sin, she was in big trouble!
I knew Mormonism didn’t talk much about worry but I never really explored that more. So I checked the manual True to the Faith which lists many topics. Not listed. Same result with their Bible Dictionary. Interestingly the Topical Guide said to see “fearful” – which gives it a somewhat different connotation. I then went to lds.org and typed in the question, “Is worry a sin?” Some results came up but none of them pertained to the question. In other words, I couldn’t find any LDS source that labeled worry a sin.
But it is. Just like Jesus told us not to do many other things, he told us not to worry. And when you stop and think about it, it is quite apparent why worry is sinful. It exhibits lack of trust. As someone once said, worry is a form of atheism. Whenever you worry, you are calling God less than trustworthy.
But let’s go back to what the sister said. “If worry is a sin, she is in big trouble.” That’s absolutely correct. In God’s sight, worry is as damnable a sin as any other – each and every sin, regardless of how we view it, is a capital crime. There are no misdemeanors in God’s set of laws. Neither are there simple felonies. Each and every sin is a capital crime. “For whosever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) One sin –regardless of what it is – makes us “guilty of all”.
And that is why we can do nothing to earn our acquittal. Because we can’t keep ourselves from sinning. We concentrate on not worrying only to find ourselves falling into pride, or jealousy, or anger or what have you. Trying to keep ourselves from sinning is like playing a game of whack a mole on a football field! When we whack one sin, another pops up – and then another and another . . . There is no way that we can even begin to keep ourselves from sinning.
That’s devastating news because sin is so serious. And God wants us to feel devastated by our sins. Because then, and only then, will we realize how desperately we need somebody to save us. Before we can truly see our Savior, we need to clearly see our sins. And that is why Mormonism’s tendency to not call sin a sin is so dangerous. (Another example of that is the explanation that Peter never sinned when he denied knowing Jesus since Jesus earlier had told his disciples to tell no man who he was!) The less you see the extent and seriousness of your sins, the less desperate you are for a Savior.
Worrying is a big deal. As is jealousy, pride, selfishness, lust, greed, anger, laziness, harmful words, and a boatload of other things. The only thing that can atone for them is the pure, unadulterated blood of Jesus. To him be all praise and glory.
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So if someones spouse, parent, or child is seriously hurt or ill, we can not worry because worry is a sin? If someones beloved pet is seriously injured or ill it is sinful to worry about the pet?
To not worry shows lack of caring and lack of compassion. To not worry also shows a lack of faith in God because then one does not turn to God for comfort and guidance. To not worry shows that one does not need God to carry them in a time of need, which shows God the does not need Him.
So apostate Christians never worry because it is sinful. Riiiight. I know plenty of people of other religions who worry.
Where in the Bible does it specifically say worry is a sin. The LDS are perfectly capable of calling a sin a sin, and they do so.
No wonder LDS have quite commenting on this site. The articles and analogies get ridiculous sometimes and this one was
ridiculous.
Typo: was to say: ……..which shows God that the person who does not worry does not need Him.
I have a question and I am very sincere in asking. It concerns worry.
I took on my mother’s two dogs (one belongs to her youngest son and the other to her oldest daughter). The dogs were dumped on her and my mother took them in and came to love the dogs. My mother has Alzheimer’s. When she had to be moved out of her home she was fearful of what would happen to the dogs. She asked me to take them and I did. Long horrible story about the circumstances with my mother and dogs and other things.
Anyway. Sorry this is long. Have to explain much.
The dogs are not adoptable because they are vicious to other animals and people they do not know. Today the 100 pound Mastiff/Chow mix got hold of a six month old kitten that showed up at my house a few weeks ago. It was my fault he got the cat and he tore it to shreds in front of me and my daughter. When this dog gets hold of something he goes brain dead and nothing phases him. I was hitting him and kicking him and he would not let go of that poor kitten. I have cried all day. (Two weeks ago I had to pull them away from a rattlesnake so they would not get bitten and it took all my strength to get the big dog away. The smaller dog kept running from me. I almost got bitten. That was the first rattlesnake they had experienced. I live in the desert southwest of the United States. And always carry a gun when outside.)
So now I am agonizing and worrying about what to do with these dogs. I feel guilty about what happened to the sweet loveable kitten who played with our small dogs. My mother’s two vicious dogs got out last week. Other people around us break the law by letting their dogs run free. And other dogs are always on our property. We do not have money to fence three acres. The two dogs are fenced in a 80 foot by 40 foot pen. They dig. We caught them before they got too far.
So am I just supposed to not agonize and not worry about whether or not to have the dogs put down so they can’t kill another animal, and possibly another one of my animals? Or attack a human which did almost happen? I also do not have money to build a kennel to hold them. But when I walk them there are always other dogs on the loose nearby. I stay on my property when walking them.
So seriously, I am not supposed to worry about this. Then what do I do? I am asking in all honesty and sincerity. I am an animal lover and vegetarian. So are my kids. Thank you for your time.
(one day they got out on my mother and attacked two dogs who were being walked on a leash a block away from my mothers house. the dogs survived. these two dogs of my mother should have been put down then. now i have to deal with it. i have had them exactly two years)
JRSG:
Worry is a sin. Please take another look at the reference to Luke 12:22 in my original post. Even the LDS Bible equates “take no thought” with “don’t worry”. And that is a command from Jesus himself. Worry is a sin.
And Christians still worry. I worry. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a sin. What that shows is that I’m too weak to overcome it . God knew that. That is why Jesus came and overcame it for me. He overcame it perfectly and left nothing for me to do. I am completely forgiven in Christ!
I am sorry for the spot you are in with your dogs. Although it will be difficult, I think for the safety of all concerned, you need to put those dogs down before even worse things happen. Please don’t hesitate to do that. There are way too many horror stories out there of people waiting and something terrible happens.
We are commanded to do many things we cannot fulfill, we live in a fallen world, and we have sinful hearts and our minds are enmity with God. How about Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind. and then Be ye perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect. Worry is a sin like many sins, you cannot but help commit.
But just because you cannot help it and the pressure seems to justify it, nonetheless we all fall short of the Glory of God. We need a Savior, who can stand before a righteous and Holy God but the perfect, only in Christ can we find what we so desperately need. BTW I worry all the time among other sins of the heart, how desperately I cling to Him who has saved me. I am so glad I have a God that does for me what I am unable to do, Lord I love your solution to my sin, you have made me perfect by your hand, your yoke is truly light.
Worry, that is a tough one. I do not question that worry is a sin, as Jesus tells us it is in Matthew 6:25-34. Whenever I find myself wallowing in this sin, I turn to those verses in Matthew for comfort, as Jesus reminds me that God loves me and will take care of me. The tough part comes from knowing that I shouldn’t worry and yet continually falling into the sin.
As for the statement “To not worry also shows a lack of faith in God because then one does not turn to God for comfort and guidance. To not worry shows that one does not need God to carry them in a time of need, which shows God the does not need Him'” as stated above I have to say that I fall on the opposite side of the fence.
I feel that not worrying shows complete faith in God. I have met some amazingly strong people over time, who when dealing with illnesses, deaths of loved ones and any number of “bad” events in life, are calm and at peace. I have asked them how they handle these situations without worrying. Their response has always been that their peace comes from God; that they place all of their trust in Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:30 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
So although I repeatedly fall into the sin of worry, I find comfort in knowing that it too is a sin that Jesus Christ paid the price for on my behalf. I have comfort in being assured that my sins are completely forgiven and because of the perfect life that Jesus lived as my substitute, I will live eternally with God in heaven. That is one thing that I do not worry about. Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
To everyone: Thank you for your honest responses. Thank you for explaining better about worry. I can agree with what you said.
I really appreciate the words of encouragement. I wish, really wish, that dialogue could be this honest all the time. I understand better now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Mr Cares: I appreciate your time. I really do believe you are a nice and caring person.
I have an appointment with my Vet next week to discuss this problem and set a date. As much as I hate to do it something else will happen and it will be worse. I think the dog is inbred which contributes to meanness and not obeying. We had one dog killed by a local pack of domestic dogs a few years ago. People let their dogs run at night, and this packed formed. A few months after our dog was killed (he got out and we could not find him and he was deaf from a rattle snake bite) this pack dug under our fence and chewed up our Border Collie, thankfully she survived. We heard the ruckus and broke it up. I put out the word we were trapping the dogs and bringing charges against the owners. We saw all the dogs who were attacking our dog so we could identify them. The people kept their dogs in for a while after that. But we did catch two dogs later on. One reason why we now carry a gun at all times while outside. So I do not want my mother’s dog to do that to anyone or anything. Thanks again.