President Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the Church, said: “We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you.” (“The Sabbath—A Delight,” Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4–5).
Using the LDS Ward Library
When looking for a picture to show in Sunday School, the ward library is sure to have an image. Plenty of Scriptures are available if not all the students have them. There is also a collection of Presidents of the Church manuals for Relief Society and Priesthood meetings. A well used copy machine exists for handouts and the latest Conference Report lesson. Occasionally there might be a video produced by the LDS Church to pass the time or make a short point during class. It also has pencils, paper, and even crayons if the occasion requires. These are the most common uses on any given Sunday for the small room often taken for granted staffed by familiar faces.
Maybe “library” is the wrong name at times. It is a place of resources more than reference or reading material. The collection of books is small and often of old vintage. Almost none of them are ever checked out. Books of any consequence can easily be found in the local public library. There are some places owned by the LDS Church that do have good collections. It isn’t surprising the Brigham Young University in all of its franchises probably has the best and most number of Mormon reading and resources for average members. That includes writings that its critics would not believe would be carried. Scattered all over the United States are college seminary libraries of varied quality. Good as these places might be, they are few and far between. The problem with public libraries can be a lack of control over what might be available, even for Mormon majority populations. The needs of ward members are not always the same as the community they belong. Continue reading
Chewed Gum and Charity
Recently Elizabeth Smart noted that one thing that kept her from escaping her tormenters was a comment taught her by a teacher. The teacher noted that women were like a piece of gum. When they lost their virginity, they ended up like a piece of chewed gum that no one would ever want. Having been violated, she felt no one would want her, and so did not cry out when she heard rescuers near by.
I am very glad she made such a statement, to help young women realize they are not pieces of gum, who are only useful if they stay in their wrapper, never to be used; and then once used, only good to be tossed out. Instead, they are like a gold coin. No matter how scratched or dirty it may become, it is still worth its weight in gold.
That said, some bloggers and Facebook posters have tried using her statements to attack the scriptures (notably Moroni 9) and some General Authorities, including President Elaine Dalton for statements regarding the importance of virtue and chastity.
I would like to comment on these. First off, it is sad that some would take a quality and qualified statement by Elizabeth Smart, and twist her meaning to fit their own agendas (not all bloggers have done this, but several have).
Second, we all need to stop a moment, put the politics behind us, and consider something of equal importance in all of this: the concept of charity. I would hope no one would take my words out of context. I frequently see certain people raging against the machine, whether scripture or church leaders, simply because of a statement that goes against their own grain.
I would suggest we grant that ancient writer, or the modern speaker, a little bit of charity. Are we understanding them in the way they want to be understood? Are we seeking to understand and not misunderstand? Are we uncharitably seeking a political advantage by creating a crisis, where none need be? Are we seeking to find a reason to leave the Church, being offended by an ill-chosen word?
I can understand people struggling with Moroni 9:9’s view of chastity. However, have we thought charitably about a few things? First, Mormon lived in a different world than us. Second, did Mormon originally use the word “chastity”, or was it a word ill-chosen by the near illiterate Joseph Smith (in whose time, the Victorian era, chastity and virtue were very important)? Is there a more profitable way for us to read it? I recall Moroni fearing in Ether 12 that Gentiles would mock the words of the Book of Mormon. The Lord stated that those with charity would embrace them and use them properly. Mormon and Moroni risked their lives and toiled for decades to provide us with the Book of Mormon. Such was their charity for us. Should we not provide them with equal consideration?
The same goes with our modern leaders today. I do not think for a moment that Elaine Dalton considers any young woman to be a chewed up piece of gum, regardless of what some posters have intimated. Can we not show charity to the church leaders, even as we seek forgiveness and charity from God?
Perhaps the day will come when we will stand at the judgment bar with Moroni (Moro 10), and the Lord will ask us what we’ve done with the Book of Mormon and the living oracles. Will we be found with charity in that day? Or will our politicking and digging a pit for others destroy us?
The God Series: Teaching my son to pray
As I mentioned a few days ago (HERE), my essay for the Kveller.com series on teaching children about God, has been published. The editors of the blog titled my post, How a Mormon mother teaches her child how to pray. The link is HERE. I wrote about teaching my son to pray. How do you, or how have you taught your children about God, the gospel, and the things that Mormons believe?
Guest post: Fanning old flames and plural sealings in the temple
This is a guest post by IDIAT, who describes himself as “just an old guy who’s been trying to figure out plural sealings for 30 years.”
Consider the example of the young couple, Andy and Amy, who date their last year of high school, but then, as mission time approaches, Andy works and readies himself for his mission, while Amy goes to BYU. Their long distance romance fizzles, Andy leaves on his mission, and Amy is sealed to an RM. Andy returns home, marries a young lady, and continues on with life. Happens every day. But then, Andy and Amy happened to be widowed by the time of their 30th high school reunion, at which point they are re-introduced.
The old flames are fanned. And within 6 months of meeting one another again, they remarry. Of course, because Amy’s previously sealed and living, they can’t be sealed in the temple. But at the relatively young age of about 48, they both have plenty of marriage in mortality time left, so that their marriage endures for another 35 years. Now, to put more spin on the facts. When Amy’s husband died, he left her in such good financial shape that she could live well and provide for their kids. When Andy’s wife died, he also got a sizable amount of life insurance. Andy works until he’s 55, then retires because of all the money they have. Their children are now either finishing college or off missions and some grandchildren have been born to the older children. They spend their time visiting adult children, hosting large family holiday dinners and so forth. Then they make time to start serving missions together, and are both healthy well into their late ’70’s. Then, as they wind down to their early ’80’s, children, grandchildren and now great grandchildren call them blessed. They ask their children to seal them together after the appropriate time has passed. They pass away around age 85, having been married to each other about 35 years. Per their parents’ request, Amy is sealed to Andy vicariously.
Now, is there anyone who would say that Andy and Amy’s remarriage to one another was “immoral” or somehow along the line of breaking the covenants of their first sealings? I doubt it. Continue reading