Helping My Sister Find Faith

[Devotee]

"Helping My Sister Find Faith
Posted on June 22, 2012 by Course Correction

My younger sister, Pelly, has terminal cancer. She lost her faith in
Mormonism following a mission where she heard several contacts relate
their search for God. These good people had investigated many
churches, prayed, and were miraculously guided to the right church.
The problem for Pelly was—the church to which these sincere people
were led and which gave them peace wasn’t the one she represented. A
bad marriage finished her faith in our family religion.

Now that she is facing death, Pelly seeks belief in some kind of
afterlife. She has sought solace with Catholic nuns, from Tibetan
chants, and through Zen meditation. Pelly calls to discuss religious
philosophy. She trusts me not to try to talk her into our childhood
faith. I have no answers, but I’m open to any theory that provides
comfort.

Because she’s interested in the possibility of reincarnation, I sent
Pelly a copy of a book I’d just started reading, The Autobiography of
a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. She called a few days after receiving
her book. She’d read the entire 400 pages. I agreed with my sister
that reincarnation sounds more fair than Mormonism— having multiple
lifetimes in which to work out our salvation rather than one strike,
you’re out for the rest of eternity.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t have kept reading the book if my sister
hadn’t wanted to discuss it with me. Yogananda strikes me as a bit
self-absorbed—a characteristic I find in the writings of most
charismatic religious leaders, including Joseph Smith. Since I’m
turned off by Fast & Testimony meeting accounts of miraculous finding
of car keys following prayer, I was not enthralled with Yogananda’s
accounts of Hindu gurus who materialize and disappear at will—or
predict future events with 100% accuracy.

As I read, I found several Hindu beliefs similar to the teachings of
Joseph Smith: the Divine Mother, an ancient pure language, and avatars
who transcend death and remain on earth to bring about eternal
purposes. The subordination of wives to husbands is an off-putting
similarity.

I’m sure the meditation and slow breathing techniques taught in this
book will help Pelly feet better, but they will likely not cure her
disease—just as Mormon priesthood blessings do not always cure disease
and save lives. I don’t know how far Pelly will go into Hinduism, but
the idea of being reborn after this life gives her peace. Since she
can’t believe in a heaven where she will keep her own identity, the
idea of at least keeping karma, the effects of the good she has
accomplished in this life, helps her accept its near end."

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