April 24 - Truth and Error

What leads to personal apostasy? What is more dangerous--something that is 100% wrong or something that is 99% true?

The 100% falsehood is much easier to detect than the 1% falsehood.  Because it's so hard to spot minute errors, the 99% truth can present much greater obstacles that prevent us from realizing our goals.

In "A Matter of a Few Degrees" (2008), President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles relates the following true story:

"In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. This error placed the aircraft 28 miles (45 km) to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before, and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen landscape to a height of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m).

 

"As the pilots flew onward, the white of the snow and ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above, making it appear as though they were flying over flat ground. By the time the instruments sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.

"It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees."

 President Uchtdorf then connected this story to his observations about people's choices in life: "I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees."

Many examples from the scriptures, from literature, from secular history, and from our own lives support this claim.  

Saul, a king in the Old Testament, had every advantage. Raised by influential parents, he was bright, strong, and good.  God personally selected him to rule. Under pressure, however, "Saul did not have the self-discipline to stay on course, trust the Lord and His prophet, and follow the pattern God had established."

At the time of Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees--who prided themselves on obedience to the Law of Moses, who had built many traditions and practices to prevent themselves from breaking the Law of Moses, and who strove to live the commandments--did not recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God or as their Savior.

Ultimately, the differences between Abel and Cain, between the prophet Noah and the people who mocked him, between Jacob and Esau, between Joseph and his brothers, between Nephi/Sam and Laman/Lemuel, and so many others, may have come down to small decisions made early on or over time that differed by only a few degrees.  

President Uchtdorf warns that even beneficial advances can have disastrous consequences if we're not careful: 

"This conference is being translated into 92 languages and broadcast to 96 countries by the miracle of modern technology. Many of you . . . attend general conference by means of the Internet. New technologies such as this make it possible for the gospel message to be spread throughout the world. The Church Web sites are good examples of how you can use this technology as a wonderful resource of inspiration, help, and learning. They can be a blessing for you priesthood holders, your families, and the Church.

"But be cautious. These same technologies can allow evil influences to cross the threshold of your homes. These dangerous traps are only a mouse click away. Pornography, violence, intolerance, and ungodliness destroy families, marriages, and individual lives. These dangers are distributed through many media, including magazines, books, television, movies, and music, as well as the Internet. The Lord will help you to recognize and avoid those evils. It is the early recognition of danger and a clear course correction that will keep you in the light of the gospel. Minor decisions can lead to major consequences.

"Entering a strange and risky chat room on the Internet could lead you into the center of a raging storm. Putting a computer in a private room that the rest of the family cannot access could be the starting point for a deceitful and dangerous journey."

For Edmund in C. S. Lewis's novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, jealousy of his sister Lucy and failure to heed his initial misgivings about the White Witch led him to betray his siblings, himself, and the kingdom for the temporary pleasure of a hot beverage and some Turkish Delight (see Chapter 4).

When "it's not a big deal" is used to justify less-than-ideal behavior, we should say to ourselves: "Well, if it really isn't a big deal, I should just do what the Spirit tells me."

The Spirit is critical to identifying small errors that are difficult to see and to correcting those flaws to keep us flying right. With the Spirit as our constant companion, we are better able to see those 1% truths that can be so difficult to notice. When we do make mistakes, the Atonement of Jesus Christ offers us the way to repent, change, receive forgiveness, and start anew.

Images 
Le pôle antarctique Jacques de Vaux, Premières Œuvres (traité d'hydrographie). Cartes, dessins coloriés, lettres ornées. Le Havre, 1583. Manuscrit sur vélin (45 x 32,5 cm) BNF, Manuscrits, Fr. 150 fol. 27v. {PD-1996}
Aerial view of Mount Erebus crater, Ross Island, Antarctica on December 31, 2005. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeaneeem/895764355/ Flickr. Downloaded on 4/24/2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Erebus_Aerial_3.jpg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Aerial view of Mount Erebus crater, Ross Island, Antarctica on December 31, 2005. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeaneeem/895764355/ Flickr. Downloaded on 4/24/2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Erebus_Aerial_2.jpg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.