With the news of women attending the priesthood sessions of general conference and the news of gay marriage being legal in Utah there was much outrage. I think it's misplaced rage and I'll explain why later in this post but first here are some examples:
"O.w. say that attending was an act of faith. Really? So when the general authorities ask you to not attend a priesthood only meeting, and you show up anyways, that's an act of faith? More like disrespect." 59 likes on that comment btw.
"I would rather go out to dinner with my girls than go to the priesthood meeting. They missed the talk today about apostasy? I believe they are on that road."
"Haha, sorry but the part where they say they just want to be with there husbands makes them sound clingy, and suffocating. Maybe the husbands just was a break from the clingy wives??""Why would anyone who supposedly has a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ make demands of The Lord? Can't quite wrap my head around that at all." 167 likes on that.
The only demand made is to petitionThe Lord for an answer not to dictate their wishes but to know that would require fact checking the ordain women site.And here are the reactions of non Mormons;
"If I were LDS, I would be embarrassed from reading the comments here. Snarky, insulting, and depreciating of your fellow church members despite the fact that the leaders of your church decided to allow them to attend. It smacks of an attitude that says, "I'm such a better Christian than they are and I'm so proud of it." Perhaps you should phone the presidency and tell them that you know better than they, and that they are to have those awful women removed immediately..."
"I am not LDS and every comment on here only makes me more certain that I've made the right decision. I have missionaries coming to my house preaching the Mormon religion is accepting, compassionate, forgiving and most of all NON-JUDGMENTAL.Yet all I have seen on here is Mormons bashing each other and being extremely disrespectful to those who supposedly hold the same values. This is proof that there is a major difference between spirituality and religion and the God I believe in would never want anyone to treat others this horribly, especially in his name.""Non Mormon here. I'm reading these comments and I have to say that you all seem like a really spiteful and nasty group. I can't see myself ever wanting to be part of this."
I am fond of saying the Gospel spreads best through fascination rather than coercion or force. What we as members say and do and the way we treat others is not just what Christ will judge us by but it's the way the rest of the world judges us.If we are truly charitable, non judgmental, and loving then others are more likely to want to be a part of our church. But when so many members show their true colors when lambasting those whom they disagree with then we push others away rather than bringing them in with our supirior doctrine.And those who support same sex marriage face similar snarky, hateful, spiteful and denigrating comments as well as people refusing them service over it due to "religious freedom." How does mistreating others because you believe their marriage, their politics or their lives are sinful and inferior have anything to do with your freedoms? The right to mistreat people is not based on the teachings of Christ. President Uchtdorf said that Mormonism is big enough to house members of every stripe. Doubts or not we are all welcomed. This is something Christ said that is relevant here:
Matthew 25 King James Version (KJV)
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
So think of it this way; when we mistreat and condemn others that is how we are treating Christ, disrespecting others is to disrespect Christ. How can we genuinely claim discipleship with that sort of behavior?
The vitriol in our culture that I've seen in the last week reminds me of Catholics and Protestants or Sunnis and Shias. Hatred, putting others down, snarky and spiteful behavior and comments are not Christlike.
Dr. Martin Luther King said that love is the only force capable of turning an enemy into a friend.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Dr.King
We win hearts and minds when we act as Christ did. Doctrine and scripture are important but I think how we treat ourselves, how we speak to and about ourselves and others matters more. How much love and compassion we share with others is how we live out Christs commandment to love others as He loved us.
And when we encounter this behavior it's not enough to call out how wrong it is but we must extend love as well. Often those who hurt come from hurt. Often those who are so hateful have not known love themselves.
As Dalin H. Oaks said last weekend:
"When our positions do not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results graciously and practice civility with our adversaries. In any event, we should be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or nonbelief, and differences in sexual orientation."
