knowyourneighbor

Common Ground -- Not always where we'd expect

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.

As discussed in today's Wall Street Journal article (I'm not writing the title because our faith is pro-marriage between a man and a woman, not anti-gay - an important distinction), there may be the opportunity for newfound friendships.

Reverend Jim Garlow, pastor of the evangelical Protestant Skyline Church near San Diego and a leading supporter of Proposition 8, said the following:

I would not, in all candor, have been meeting them or talking with them had it not been for the marriage campaign.  Rev. Garlow said he had developed a 'friendship' with the Mormons he met, although he feels the theological differences remain 'unbridgeable.' But he noted how Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants have formed tight bonds through their joint work against abortion, and he said a similar process might occur with Mormons.

Is it possible for us want to reach out before we need to or are compelled to?

Boston Globe's Religion Blog -- Articles of Faith

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?

2)   Having met Mr. Paulson on several occasions, and read many of his pieces, his unusual lack of bias is striking.  I can't ferret out what his personal religious beliefs are.  This is impressive.  Particularly given that the Mormon faith is so often a religion that is subject to tremendous negative bias.  In short, here is a reporter that tries to find common ground amongst religions, for which I am grateful.

We often express disappointment to those that are not fair, but when was the last time that we expressed our appreciation for those that are, whether by sending them an e-mail, commenting on their blogs, or even linking to them?