Hi y'all! So I read the story of Lehi's vision of the tree of life a few days ago and I've been thinking about it ever since. Mostly about the great and spacious building with the beautiful and happy people in it. I have been thinking back to all the times in my life when people have laughed at my religion or mocked my standards.
Like this one time some friends were having a discussion on facebook about gay marriage. A few non-member friends chimed in with some cutting criticism of the church and how "intolerant" we are. After that comment nobody posted anything on the subject for a couple days . Finally, I felt like I had to say something in defense of our prophet and God's teachings, no matter how much I'd probably be ridiculed. So I wrote a few paragraphs explaining why I believe in what the church teaches and my understanding of freedom. My non-member friends never responded.
Lesson learned: don't be bullied or intimidated into hiding or being ashamed of your beliefs. The happiness in the great and spacious building is hollow and short-lived. The joy found at the tree is so exquisite, not even Lehi could really describe it. Which happiness are you seeking?
Mormon follows up with that thought in Mormon 8:38:
ReplyDelete"O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies - because of the praise of the world?"
I think it's a common thread through the Book of Mormon. If you have a testimony, live it! I love the simplicity and the bluntness of that teaching. I love that the Book of Mormon doesn't mince words.
Sorry, that scripture is in Mormon but it's Moroni speaking.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that some people in our religion are intolerant/shy towards nonmembers-- there are so many examples that plenty of nonmembers will tell you about how they felt shut out when they told a Mormon that they were not a member. Like that guy this past Sunday in the cultural hall who told about the time he joked to someone that he wasn't a member, and they took him seriously and kind of stopped the conversation (I had a very similar experience and can verify his feelings). Most of those complaints are about Utah Mormons; I've never lived in a place besides here that Mormons did that to people. I don't know why they do that.
ReplyDeletePeople who say Mormons are intolerant are likely referring to something like this, but other than that we are not intolerant at all. Utah is run by Mormons, and we have every store and restaurant and what not that everyone else has (a lot of those places serve alcohol and drugs or something we Mormons look down on) AND we send our missionaries everywhere we can. Not intolerant at all.
All we can do to prove that stereotype wrong is keep practicing what we preach, in spite of our imperfect members, whom include all of us.
-- Jette
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