My co-blogger Dana King, recently published the above article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
I was struck by the reader comments; one reader was disappointed that there weren't more Mormon hymns.
I love the Mormon hymns. So many of them help me bear testimony to what I believe in a way that words can't.
But wouldn't their singing all Mormon hymns have defeated the primary purpose for bringing the choir to St. Louis?
Which, I think is, to help us make friends as a church. Friends that we could use a lot more of. And friends that only music and the Mormon Tabernacle choir can help us make.
To make those friends, we need to reach across the aisle -- to hear the Choir sing songs we don't know.
To find all that is virtuous, lovely or praiseworthy, and seek after these things.
With our neighbors.
I am mourning the loss of the Longfellow Park Chapel; this church symbolized our centuries-old ties to New England.
For a time, three congregations will be displaced, and need somewhere to worship.
In Jeff Jacoby's piece Courage, and the lack of it he describes Carrie Prejean and Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law Professor and former US Ambassador to the Vatican, as having "greater respect for honesty than political correctness, and for the obligations of moral witness than for their own personal prestige."
Miss California wanted to be Miss USA, but she had to make a choice.
Amidst cheers, and especially jeers, she said 'I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman.'
It cost her the crown, but she stayed true to her conviction.
Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "For the most part, our neighbors not of our faith are good, honorable people—every bit as good and honorable as we strive to be. They care about their families, just like we do. They want to make the world a better place, just like we do."
Indeed.
When was the last time we thanked someone not of our faith for standing up -- for taking the bullet, as it were?
Seven-year-old Joseph Hofheins reacts to eating matzah with horseradish during the bitter herbs part of the Passover ceremony, which also included music and dancing. (Stuart Johnson, Deseret News)
Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS) have long felt a kinship with Jewish brothers and sisters. It’s becoming popular in recent years for Latter-day Saints (LDS) to take their feelings of kinship to a more active level. Some are participating in a Seder in addition to the traditional Easter services and remembrance observed this time of year.
I remember a few years ago a women’s activity at our local unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make Seder plates. We spent the evening decorating the plates and learning the traditions of the Seder. I really enjoyed the activity. It gave me a great appreciation for the common heritage Christians and Jews share.
Latter-day Saints in areas of Utah are developing large activities for this special time of year. The following news-story is from Deseret News:
PROVO — It looked like a traditional celebration of the Jewish Passover on Friday evening at the Scenic View Academy, complete with men wearing yamalkas.
But most of the 200 people at this Passover dinner were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“A Seder for Judah and Joseph” was held as a means for attendees to “learn about the Jewish Passover and its rich symbolism from an LDS perspective,” according to the event’s sponsor, the Isaiah Institute.
“One of the things that we’re trying to do is build those bridges so that both Judah, as well as LDS, and others of different faiths, can come together and begin to really understand that they have a common heritage,” said Robert Kay, who co-narrated the program along with Avraham Gileadi.
Read the entire story at Deseret News: click here
Having now covered the controversy over the Boston Temple, and Mitt Romney's faith, Michael Paulson, a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter, proffered some interesting insights as the keynote speaker at Utah Valley University's April 2-3 conference titled Mormonism in the Public Mind.
In particular, note his second point which predicts that I would blog about what he's written. Click here to get to the second of three posts.
Probably not, but I honestly don't know.
The Vatican may ask Catholics to shun Angels and Demons. Race has - happily -- come to be held sacred in our country; religious beliefs should be as well. Meaning, if the Catholics see sacrilege in Angels and Demons, shouldn't I, as a person of faith, also see sacrilege?
Being an 'angel' to the Catholics as they fight the 'demons' is the right thing to do.
It would also be nice if the next time there's a 'Big Love'-type event, and there will be -- if there were someone out there to show Mormons some love.
Do unto others...
Did any of you catch Joe Fitzgerald's editorial in the Boston Herald?
He's hard-hitting, but I was grateful.
He saw a people -- my people, my faith - being thrown to the wolves, and he said 'This is not ok."
I'd encourage you to read the whole piece, and as you read, ask yourself two questions:
1) Will I send him a quick e-mail to say thank you -- though I can't find an e-mail address. If you find one, let me know. Otherwise, pay the thank-you forward!
2) The next time I see someone not being treated fairly because of their race, religion, ethnicity (one that is different than my own) -- will I figuratively stand up and say 'This is not ok!", even if it's not popular to do so?
Here's an excerpt:
In post-award interviews, Black decided to amplify his condemnation of a faith whose tenets he rejects, explaining how his adoring mother was so different from others in her crowd: “I mean, this is a Mormon woman who should not be accepting or loving . . .”
In other words, most Mormon mothers would rather feed their young to the wolves than watch them stray from the teachings of their church.
Even by Hollywood’s standards, Black’s self-indulgence was unconscionable, denigrating an entire faith to justify his own repudiation of it.
Black’s mother sounds like many Jewish mothers, Catholic mothers, evangelical mothers, Mormon mothers, who, even when their hearts are breaking, have a love that’s unconditional, realizing acceptance does not mean approval.
Indeed, some of their stories have appeared here.
Thank you Mr. Fitzgerald.
If you're looking for a way to introduce the topic of reaching across the aisle, check out Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches.
It begins:
Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches
Had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches
Had none upon thars.
Those stars weren't so big. They were really so small
You might think such a thing wouldn't matter at all.
For a list of more books we can use to teach children (and adults) about Knowing our Neighbor, click here.
Any other books you'd recommend?
If you have any interest in better engaging with others about matters of faith, watch this video of 20 year-old Rachel Esplin being grilled by veteran Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn.
Ms. Esplin is so unflappable, conversational, articulate, and heartfelt, it is easy to forget that were one of us to be asked the questions that Ms. Quinn asked -- we would be hard pressed to do even half as well.
Here's what I learned.
It is ok for us to talk openly, matter-of-factly, about what we believe.
In doing so, we can make friends, build bridges, forge alliances.
As Richard Bushman so aptly wrote -- we (meaning Mormons, Christians - and the devoutly religious generally) are in an era where we need to make friends.
Thank you Rachel Esplin for the tutorial.
This editorial recently appeared in the Deseret News.
Down with bad behavior
Deseret News
editorial
Published:
January 30, 2009
With apologies to Mark Twain, civility is
just like the weather. Everyone talks about it, but no one ever does anything
about it. Meanwhile, rolling clouds of thunderous insults and disrespectful
behavior seem to be invading everywhere from the Internet to the halls of the
Legislature.
That may be because no one knows exactly what
to do. When folks apparently aren't taught proper behavior in the home, it's
hard to give them a remedial course.
But that hasn't stopped local attorney John
Kesler, who strongly believes Americans can exercise free-speech rights and
advocate passionately for their core convictions without getting in the faces
of their neighbors or showing disrespect. Kesler heads a nonprofit group called
the Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community. He has won the support of some
influential Utahns, such as Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham, Gov.
Jon Huntsman Jr. and Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker, among others.
We hope he can get all state lawmakers to
sign on soon, as well. In recent years, committee chairmen have routinely excluded
public comment from hearings on bills or have allowed people to shout down
others who are advocating one position or another. Sometimes lawmakers violate
their own rules of procedure or simply make up their own on the spot.
But boorish behavior is by no means confined
to Capitol Hill. It can be found in many city council chambers and in the
anonymous posts left on virtually any newspaper or blog site. Anonymity is no
cover for bad behavior. It still reflects on a person's character and ought to
gnaw on his or her conscience.
Kesler's group has a set of ground rules for
respectful behavior. Mainly, these have to do with recognizing the rights of
others and their dignity as human beings. Specifically, they call for people to
avoid "intimidation, ridicule, personal attacks, mean spiritedness,
reprisals against those who disagree..."
The things your mother probably taught you,
in other words. And if she didn't, the things you now need to learn.
Kesler deserves support in his efforts. He
would like to present demonstration projects to groups in order to teach them
how to put these rules into practice. That's a good idea, but what a shame that
Americans have to be taught such things.
And what a shame it would be if state
lawmakers don't pass a joint resolution supporting these principles.
© 2009 Deseret
News Publishing Company | All rights reserved
P.S. Kudos to John Kesler, and thanks to Christine Balderas for sharing.
For those of you that haven't seen Pulitzer-prize winning Paulson's year-end review of religion, there are two things of note:
1) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was identified properly, and separately. It's been a tough year for Mormons, but thanks to the press, the media is now more likely to get our name right. I would encourage you to drop Mr. Paulson a line at mpaulson@globe.com to say thank-you.
2) More importantly, in scanning the list of topics that Paulson plans to cover in 2009, you'll note that nearly every religion is facing monumental challenges, from the Catholic Church's struggle to bring all its parishioners into the tent, to the mainline Protestants' disagreements about homosexuality, to the Jewish community's betrayal by one of their own, Bernard Madoff. It is not always going to be the case that our religious brethren and sisters want to work with us, but sometimes they will. When we recognize they face tremendous difficulties just like we do, we may also be more willing to reach out.
There is so much more that binds us than separates us.
May I again share with you the words of Richard Bushman from his book On the Road with Joseph Smith: An Author's Diary? I don't know that any of us could have predicted that Bushman's words would be so true so quickly.
They are as follows:
February 6, 2006 -- I wrote to Elder Holland about a rough patch ahead as animosity to religion keeps growing. I am coming to envision a new persona for the Church as humble followers of Jesus Christ. Instead of speaking triumphantly of the Gospel sweeping the earth, could we think of ourselves instead as the leaven in the lump, standing for righteousnesss and serving others?
I wish we had a long record of kindness and friendship to fall back on, with less stress on proselyting. Then when the storms break around us, we would have friends to turn to. Our covenant with God is to bless the people of the earth. That should be our motto.
Establishing Zion does not mean sweeping vast masses of people on to our membership records but creating a people of God dedicated to blessing others. Joseph and his early followers came forth with lots of triumphalist rhetoric, but I think we need a new voice, one of humility, friendship, and service.
Who will we make friends with in 2009?
It's been a tough few months to be a Mormon -- and I don't even live in California.
There's so much I've wanted to say. But like a young child, I needed a brief time out. I think I'm finally ready to 'use my words'.
It has hurt. It has really hurt to see so many be so unkind and to observe people that I thought were friends of my beloved church, or even friends of mine, to pile on to the unkindness, often by simply saying or doing nothing.
Even so, I've wonder aloud if the vitriol -- even the hate crimes -- would have occurred if we had done a better job of reaching across the aisle. Or if at the very least we would have more come to our defense.
I didn't expect, nor could most Mormons have predicted when Mitt Romney entered the presidential race, that we as a people would be where we are today.
But we are here.
So here's what I hope.
I hope that we have learned something -- that because of this moment -- we will be a little kinder to others, we will find causes we care about, and people with whom we can work shoulder-to-shoulder, eventually finding our hearts knit together as one. Quoting from Elder Eyring's 2008 General Conference talk Our hearts knit as one...
One way I have seen it done is to search for anything on which we agree. To be that peacemaker, you need to have the simple faith that as children of God, with all our differences, it is likely that in a strong position we take, there will be elements of truth. The great peacemaker, the restorer of unity, is the one who finds a way to help people see the truth they share. That truth they share is always greater and more important to them than their differences. You can help yourself and others to see that common ground if you ask for help from God and then act. He will answer your prayer to help restore peace, as He has mine.
That same principle applies as we build unity with people who are from vastly different backgrounds. The children of God have more in common than they have differences. And even the differences can be seen as an opportunity. God will help us see a difference in someone else not as a source of irritation but as a contribution. The Lord can help you see and value what another person brings which you lack. More than once the Lord has helped me see His kindness in giving me association with someone whose difference from me was just the help I needed. That has been the Lord’s way of adding something I lacked to serve Him better.
May we feel to, and find more ways to reach across the aisle -- to truly Know Our Neighbor -- in 2009.
Love this quote by Audrey Hepburn:
"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed, never throw out anyone."
As a missionary in Hong Kong ('84 - '85), I remember Elder Neal A. Maxwell telling the missionaries to never pass by the homeless on the street, that they are worthy of the gospel. Elder Maxwell pleaded with us not to be selective in sharing our message. It was a stunning reminder that everyone has great worth.
I am grateful for those people in my life who picked me up and revived me.
Who can you lift today?
The above painting of Audrey Hepburn is by my cousin Craig Sibley, an Evangelical Christian music artist and all around terrific human being.
With each succeeding General Conference, it seems the prophet and apostles are increasingly focused on how we might build bridges and discover common ground.
I have been especially saddened by the vitriolic comments on-line, not by our detractors, but from our adherents -- active, faithful members of our church.
It was therefore encouraging to hear Elder Hales' talk Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship.
"Experience shows that seasons of negative publicity about the
Church can help accomplish the Lord’s purposes. In 1983, the First
Presidency wrote to Church leaders, “Opposition may be in itself an
opportunity. Among the continuing challenges faced by our missionaries
is a lack of interest in religious matters and in our message. These
criticisms create . . . interest in the Church. . . . This provides an
opportunity [for members] to present the truth to those whose attention
is thus directed toward us.”
We can take advantage of such opportunities in many ways: a kind letter to the editor, a conversation with a friend, a comment on a blog, or a reassuring word to one who has made a disparaging comment. We can answer with love those who have been influenced by misinformation and prejudice—who are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (D&C 123:12). I assure you that to answer our accusers in this way is never weakness. It is Christian courage in action.
As we respond to others, each circumstance will be different. Fortunately, the Lord knows the hearts of our accusers and how we can most effectively respond to them. As true disciples seek guidance from the Spirit, they receive inspiration tailored to each encounter...
The Savior has said, “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me” (3 Nephi 11:29). More regrettable than the Church being accused of not being Christian is when Church members react to such accusations in an un-Christlike way! May our conversations with others always be marked by the fruits of the Spirit—”love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23)...
This is especially important in our interactions with members of other Christian denominations. Surely our Heavenly Father is saddened—and the devil laughs—when we contentiously debate doctrinal differences with our Christian neighbors.
As true disciples, our primary concern must be others’ welfare, not personal vindication. Questions and criticisms give us an opportunity to reach out to others and demonstrate that they matter to our Heavenly Father and to us. Our aim should be to help them understand the truth, not defend our egos or score points in a theological debate. Our heartfelt testimonies are the most powerful answer we can give our accusers...
Many of us have cultivated strong friendships with those who are not members of our Church—schoolmates, colleagues at work, and friends and neighbors throughout the world. We need them, and they need us. As President Thomas S. Monson has taught, “Let us learn respect for others. . . . None of us lives alone—in our city, our nation, or our world.”
What are your thoughts?
What can we do to both engage more with those around us? And engage in a kind, heartfelt way?
I especially loved "Our heartfelt testimonies are the most powerful answer we can give our accusers."
Even within the church, we are fairly divided over the California marriage amendment known as Proposition 8. It's ironic that an internally divisive issue may be the turf upon which we establish common ground with other Christian faiths.
A religion blog wouldn't ordinarily fall under the rubric of Know Your Neighbor, but the Boston Globe's Articles of Faith, written by Pulitzer prize-winning, religion reporter Michael Paulson is in my opinion noteworthy:
1) Over the weekend, Paulson posted an entry titled Mormons begin new Cambridge Building. In this post, he discusses the ease with which approvals have come for this chapel compared to most. It is no doubt in part because most of the neighbors are non-residential, but I also wonder to what extent member involvement in the Cambridge community, which to my knowledge has been reasonably significant, has helped?
This begs the question -- if we (stake presidents, bishops specifically) know that a building may be constructed within the next 5-10 years in a specific neighborhood, is there a task force from the stake involved in developing relationships with local town leaders, zoning officials, historical commissions, neighbors, the press -- so that a new building is a celebration for the entire community, not just Mormons?
Dear neighbors in faraway places --
It's mid-August, and we're going to spend some time visiting with our nearby neighbors.
"Mom, who's your favorite contestant on So You Think You Can Dance?" my 11-year old asked.
"Chelsie."
Recent Comments