Agon D. Onter wrote:
SEla_Kelly wrote:
I am sorry but even if filial piety is righteous and true, "one must be willing to foresake individual members of the family in order to be Jesus' disciple."
That's not correct. See the quotes below.
Quote:
163:2.2 (1801.5) One earnest disciple came to Jesus, saying: “Master, I would be one of your new apostles, but my father is very old and near death; could I be permitted to return home to bury him?” To this man Jesus said: “My son, the foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. You are a faithful disciple, and you can remain such while you return home to minister to your loved ones, but not so with my gospel messengers. They have forsaken all to follow me and proclaim the kingdom. If you would be an ordained teacher, you must let others bury the dead while you go forth to publish the good news.” And this man went away in great disappointment.
163:2.3 (1801.6) Another disciple came to the Master and said: “I would become an ordained messenger, but I would like to go to my home for a short while to comfort my family.” And Jesus replied: “If you would be ordained, you must be willing to forsake all. The gospel messengers cannot have divided affections. No man, having put his hand to the plough, if he turns back, is worthy to become a messenger of the kingdom.”
Jesus said that to become a "gospel messenger" or an "ordained teacher" the apostles back in the context of Jesus' day and in the political enviroment they were in, it was necessary for them to leave their families in their home location and travel abroad to share the gospel message.
Even today, missionaries of many disparate faiths, leave their families at home and travel abroad to preach. That is a choice they make of their own free will. But one can certainly be a 'disciple' (meaning, a follower of Jesus and a faithful individual) without forsaking or abandoning family members.