No tragedies here

One of the more widely read Mormon blogs By Common Consent recently published an entry titled The Sabbath and the Tragic Commons which asks the question "Is it neighborly in an area of Mormon dominance to decline invitations to shared family events on Sunday?"

My response is three-fold:

1. In a corridor of Mormon dominance, when we choose to participate (or not) due to our religious beliefs, there is the risk of being exclusionary. Ironically, during the early days of the church, a "circle the wagons" mindset allowed our community to survive. But today, the reverse is true. Our survival and growth could depend on finding common ground, becoming inclusionary.

2. Sam MB's entry skirts an important and far-reaching question. Which is -- why is it that there is an "us vs. them" mindset in the first place? Each of our cities and towns include people of all different religious persuasions, including no religion at all. Are we, as Mormons, so different that we can't find any common ground within individuals outside the comfortable cocoon of our faith? Aren't there other people in our community that want to do good and be good just like we do?

3. If the answer is yes, and I believe it is, and we therefore determine to draw a circle of commonality around us (who don't do birthday parties on Sunday) and them (who do), the question of hurt feelings will be largely moot. Because while "us vs. them" must by definition disagree, "we" agree.

So here's what I'd encourage us to do.

The next time we go to a community event, let's have enough real conversations to find someone with whom there is potentially meaningful common ground.

I'm going to a fundraiser for my kids' school on Saturday evening; I'll report back.

Will you?

Comments

[Whitney Johnson]

Aaron --

To answer your question, our family has made the decision to not go to birthday parties on Sunday, particularly when it is an event that would pull just one family member away.

I purposely didn't say where I came out in the blog entry because to me that's not the point. The point isn't where you come out, but to have enough of a relationship with people that we can have the conversation as to where we come out and no hurt feelings.

What about you?

[Aaron Hutchins]

My brain is clearly tired from all of the law school reading I'm doing. I missed your stand on this: kids party on Sunday or no kids party on Sunday? You can continue (as should we all) the search in the community for like-minded neighbors and break down the us v. them wall, but in the meantime, where do you stand? And what do you say to either the child and/or the neighbor?