Review
———-
Title: Our Savior from Self-Doubt
Author: Gaylamarie Rosenburg
Publisher: BYU Religious Studies Center and the Deseret Book Company
Genre: Nonfiction
Year Published: 2022
Number of Pages:
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 13: 978-1-9503-0425
Price:
Reviewed by Heather Harris Bergevin for the Association of Mormon Letters
There is always, in mainstream religions, an ongoing discussion of faith and how critical it is to developing a Christlike concept both in the church and in the home; by enhancing the individual lives of those who are seeking to follow Him. It is unfortunate, however, that most people don’t seem to understand that while we proffer the concept of “Seek, Ponder, and Pray” in order to develop further faith, there is a step prior to that of seeking. In fact, it is the critical step that provokes search, which causes great changes in the world, and which eventually can lead to greater and braver faith, if not faith that exists in exactly the same way as before. In fact, the terrifying thing about doubt itself is that faith cannot exist in the same way as before doubt or curiosity existed. The person cannot be the same, because growth itself is provoked by doubt.
Yet, we have the tendency to recoil from the very concept of having doubt; because it might mean that all of our prior knowledge or understanding might be, in some small way, incorrect or incomplete. This, of course, is the dangerous part of the human condition — we seek to be improving continually as a part of our religion, and yet we also want to have been right about all prior understandings of ourselves, our culture, our world, and all of our perceptions of things great and small. Of course, both cannot exist at the same time – you cannot have greater faith while existing in the same state as always before, with no trials, no frustrations, and no doubt.
Rosenberg’s focus in Our Savior from Self-Doubt is upon using that doubt effectively and learning how to better comprehend our own relationship with the Atonement of Christ by better understanding both doubt in general and doubt in ourselves.
…And who among us does not doubt themselves?
While positivity can become toxic when it’s used as a variation of a “thought-stopping technique,” ongoing cycles of negative thinking can likewise corrode a person’s self-esteem. Finding that balance in life, of allowing thoughts to come and be challenged, and worked through, can be an important portion of adulthood. Rosenberg’s goal is to lead the reader through aspects of Christ’s love for humanity, his Patience, Charity, Power, etc., and how they apply to each of us individually, with our own imperfections and doubt. While this is not written for the academic set that the Givenses’ Crucible of Doubt is addressing, this book is written with a similar purpose – to not condemn the disciple of Christ for having doubt, but instead to help them to learn that their doubts are part of the Atonement, and that through their doubts, they can continue to learn and grow. Rosenberg quotes many prophets, but also some of my favorite authors and professors, from Brene Brown to Martin Seligman, whose work on happiness from a psychological perspective has been formative to my own perspectives. She includes places to take notes and likewise includes her own notes in the bibliography at the end of each chapter; in case readers want to do further reading on the individual authors she has included. This is helpful in particular for readers like myself who love to take notes in margins and leave stars by favorite quotes!
Who is Our Savior from Self-Doubt for? Anybody who is in the process of figuring out who they are and where they fit in life and in the gospel of Christ. I will be giving this particular book to my niece, who has recently returned from a mission and who is focused on figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her own beautiful life.
Happy Reading!-HB