I was really disappointed by a recent article on Mormon Mentality entitled “The Missionary Work I Didn’t Do.” The author details speaking to a neighbor who expressly told her that she was dissatisfied with her Church. Because she feels that the Church is sexist, she concluded that it would have nothing to offer her neighbor and failed to invite the missionaries or pass along a Book of Mormon.
The think this, unfortunately, completely misses the point of missionary work. We do not simply offer a social club, moving services, or opportunities for fellowship. There are lots of great places one can go to get all of those things. Instead, we offer individuals something that they can get nowhere else. We offer ordinances necessary for salvation and exaltation performed with proper priesthood authority. There is no greater blessing that we can offer our friends and neighbors.
As have many other LDS Bloggers, this week I have been reflecting on the pending disciplinary proceedings for John Dehlin. However, as it happens I also visited South Florida this week where I grew up and spent most of my childhood. As such, I have also been reflecting on the nature of faith and testimony and my own faith journey.
As I reflected on my long windy path, through belief and disbelief, theism and atheism, and my eventual embrace of the Restored Gospel, I came to better appreciate that faith is never a static thing, we are always constantly either strengthening or weakening our faith. Moreover, unexpected experiences can deeply shake our faith or shatter it. We are never as secure or as sure in our faith as we think.
The events of the last supper most recently discussed by President Uchtdorf at conference powerfully illustrate this point. When the Savior told the disciples that one of them would betray him, they all turned inward and asked “Lord is it I?” Implicit in this question is the fact that it very possibly could have been any of them, or any one of us. We may as Peter declare boldly that we will never forsake the savior or the faith we hold dear, but as with Peter we may find ourselves in the very situation that causes us to waver however briefly.
When I was in high school, I was very secure in my faith in God. Although in that period I began seriously investigating both Christianity and Judaism, my faith in a personal and loving deity was very strong. I wrote an essay for my English class about a personal spiritual experience which I declared made it so that I could not doubt the existence of God. I was convinced that my testimony of God was secure beyond any doubts. Continue reading →
This week, Republicans took back the Senate as well as several state houses and across the country. This victory has variously been described as a wave or a flood. I gratefully celebrated on Tuesday night as the election results came in. Yet, that celebratory spirit turned a bit sour as I read the now infamous post, Good riddance to Harry Reid, the Mormon Senate leader, by member and current Bishop Mark Paredes. I don’t know brother Paredes personally, bu I have greatly enjoyed some of the other posts that he has written on other topics and appreciate the vital role he is playing in reaching out to the Jewish community. Nevertheless, I think Paredes’s post is needlessly divisive and ultimately misguided. While many have already written on this topics, in light of the national attention given to this post, I feel that I should also share a couple of thoughts on the subject.
First of all, I would urge everyone to read Elder Oaks’s masterful talk from this most recent conference entitled Loving Others and Living with Differences. Elder Oaks specifically talked about rancorous discourse in politics. Continue reading →
My wife, daughter and I were able to about a month ago attend the first sneak preview of Meet the Mormons during Education Week. In fact, it was my three month old daughters first movie ever! I meant to post about my experience at the time, but for some reason never got around to it. Since the buzz for the film has really been intensifying as a result of the theatrical release in two weeks, I figured it was about time to rectify my delay and to write about the film.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, Meet the Mormons is the new First Presidency approved film which will be released in theaters nationwide Oct. 10. It focuses on the stories of 6 members all across the world. For the uninitiated, Elder Holland did a fantastic introductory video for the film which I highly recommend watching
I was pretty excited when I heard about the film, though a bit apprehensive as well. I wasn’t really sure if the right balance could be struck between proselytizing tool and uplifting film. On the whole, I think the film struck the balance really well. If anything I think the film might have gone slightly too far in the direction of entertainment. My only criticism is that I don’t think someone watching the film would come away knowing what specifically makes our church unique. I think they would come away knowing that we are good people that attempt to follow our savior Jesus Christ. I hope that they would come away with a desire to gain that purpose and meaning that other members. I am less sure, however, that they would have a glimpse of what makes our Church special (prophets, Book of Mormon, knowledge of Plan of Salvation etc.).
Outside of that critique, I thought Meet the Mormons was a highly entertaining and worthwhile film.
There is an introductory section as well as six stories. I will share a few thoughts about each. (Note, since I saw the movie more than a month ago, my order may be slightly off).
Introduction- The introduction features man on the street interviews with New Yorkers in Times Square asking them questions about our church. The answers are interspersed with video from popular culture including South Park. It was pretty amusing to see the Church using a clip from South Park in its film, but it totally fits the way the Church responded to the Book of Mormon the musical. I thought this segment was overall a good way to set up the need to let me members tell their own stories. It felt a bit stiff at times, but was a successful way to get started.
The Bishop- Jermaine Sullivan : Sullivan is an African-American Bishop in Atlanta. He is an academic counselor by profession and has a really beautiful family. My favorite thing about this segment was the focus on the diversity found in Sullivan’s ward. I really liked how the members interacted. Atlanta is a very diverse city and this segment really showcased that members come from all walks of life.
The Fighter – Carolina Muñoz Marin : Marin and her husband both live in Costa Rica. She is actively involved in kickboxing competitions with the help and support of her husband. I loved that their family situation was non-traditional and yet both are shown as devoted parents as well as actively involved in charitable work. Marin and her husband have a really dynamic marriage and are really energetic and fun to watch.
The Coach – Ken Niumatalolo : This was a really entertaining segment focusing on Niumatalolo who is the coach of the football team at the Naval Academy. My favorite part of this segment was hearing those on the team and those that work with Niumatalolo talk about how much they respect his decision not to hold official practices on Sunday. Because he respects his players, he tells them that they are allowed to practice as much as they want on Sunday, only informally. Even though his job his high stakes and high pressure, it is clear that the Gospel deeply influences him and that he is a shining light to those around him.
The Humanitarian- Bishnu Adhikari : Adhikari is an individual who has really allow his faith to transform his life. He is a convert living in Nepal and lives a pretty extraordinary life. I like his discussions of the challenges he faced in converting to a new faith in a very traditional society. I also love that Adhikari dedicates his life to charitable works and to giving impoverished individuals a leg up. This story was slightly weaker only because Adhikari is a bit too difficult to relate to. So few people can dedicate their whole life to humanitarian work. I admired Adhikari, but also felt that he was a bit unrealistic (even though he is a real person).
The Candy Bomber – Col. Gail Halvorsen (Ret.): Halvorsen has an amazing story that I think will resonate with some audiences deeply. Certainly, his example of charity and faith during WWII is inspirational. I loved hearing him talk about how his faith influences his choice. It was also nice to see an older member of the church talk about how the Gospel has been a large influence on his whole life. On the other hand, just as with Adhikari’s story, I felt like Halvorsen was a bit too idealized or larger than life.
The Missionary Mom – Dawn Armstrong : This is by far my favorite segment and it is definitely the one that I have seen getting the most buzz. Armstrong was a convert to the Church when she hit rock bottom. She details her conversion powerfully and explains the joy that the Gospel has brought to her life. Her conversion is powerful in and of itself. What makes her story even more powerful however, is that Armstrong has now become a mother ready to send her own son off on a mission. We see her joy and agony as she prepares to let her son go off for two years. I really loved absolutely everything about this story. Armstrong and her son were both at the screening that we attended (he returned after serving a faithful full time mission), and it was really great to see them united and happy. This story was a perfect choice to finish the movie and it is the one that emotionally resonated with me most deeply. I think more than any other story, this one shows the power of the Gospel to truly transform lives.
Overall, despite some mild criticism, I loved the movie. If you were skeptical or on the fence, go and see it. Share the videos with your friends and bring them to see it. It’s definitely one of the best films that the Church has produced. It has amazing production values, a great soundtrack and technically shines. Emotionally, some of the stories were especially strong. The members featured are highly diverse, and yet all are united in their devotion to the Gospel. This film is highly highly recommended.
The recent Hobby Lobby decision has been widely praised in the conservative media and greeted with deep alarm among the left. Yet, in reality the decision was a modest one that will likely have almost no impact on the employees of Hobby Lobby or Conestoga Wood. Indeed, the most likely outcome is that the government simply offers to religiously motivated for-profits the same accommodation that they are currently offering churches and religiously affiliated hospitals whereby upon certification of a religious objection, the health insurance providers cover contraception at no cost to the employer or employee.
So why is this case nevertheless a big deal? Why should members of the LDS Church and other people of faith celebrate the ruling? The threshold question in this case was whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which congress passed in the early 90’s to protect religious people of conscience applies to religiously motivated for-profit companies as well as churches and other people of conscience.
In other words, the key question is whether individuals who form for-profit entities lose the ability to assert religious freedom claims under the RFRA. For the dissent, because “an individual separates herself from the entity and escapes personal responsibility for the entity’s obligations,”[1] by incorporation, that individual cannot argue that a government requirement violates his/her individual conscience. In other words, because the law removes personal liability from most business decisions, the dissent suggests that an individual should be expected to compartmentalize or separate his faith and his business activities. Continue reading →
