Does "Intellectualism" lead to a loss of faith in the Gospel?
 

Or to an enhancement of faith of the Gospel?

Discuss.

I'm sure that most feel on here the answer is both, but I'm curious what you guys think.

I think I know what most of the answers will be, but am curious to see nonetheless.

Not an answerable question.

What is intellectualism? How is it any more dangerous than any other endeavor?

Does going bankrupt increase the possibility of losing faith? Does divorcing? Does gaining weight? Does dying? Does a death in the family? Does becoming wealthy? Does failing out of high school increase the chance of losing faith? Does coming home early from a mission increase the chances?

Unanswerable.

It depends on the person, obviously.

Answerable, but the answer is "unknown."

I was 100% accurate on what I knew your response would be.

Well, to his credit, it was a pretty good answer.

Actually it wasn't, but it's okay for you to believe that.

He pussed out on the answer.

I'm not sure of your definition of intellectualism, but I do know that an honest pursuit of the truth is never a bad thing. For many years I put off a serious study of the Church, because I was afraid of what I was going to discover. When I did make a serious study, my fears were confirmed. I'm not sure I'm a better person or a happier person for having lost my faith, but I do have a lot less anxiety from pretending to have faith in something in which I did not believe.

I was 100% accurate in what your response to his response would be.

"Adversity can increase faith or instead can cause the troubling roots of bitterness to spring up. (See Heb. 12:15.)...Emerson’s plea is surely appropriate: “Give me truths: for I am weary of the surfaces.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1991, 88

That's funny.