I hope to publish this in BYU's Student Review, but with obvious editing for length and possibly language. This is the first draft, written after reading several replies to posts (that I found quite respectful and moderate) by Mormons in online journals. I realize it is rather forceful and that is why I hesitate posting it, but this issue is very close to me. If someone wants to change, improve, repent then you should forgive and forget. Whisper words of wisdom: Let it be.
“Persecutions
may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the
truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent”
I was first
enticed to memorize the “Standard of Truth” by a snickers bar when I was
fourteen. Years later I realized the depth statements, like this, have within
Mormons. This standard states that an absolute truth of God will be shared to
everyone everywhere until God says it is enough and that nothing can stop it. Ever
since Joseph Smith originated the document in the Wentworth letter, Mormons,
especially missionaries, identify themselves as the truth going forth.
So how can
someone not aligned with mainstream Mormons (member or not) manage disagreeing
with the conservative Mormons, the self-proclaimed embodiment of this truth?
Powerful verses, such as the Standard of Truth, are used to indoctrinate the
flawlessness of the future for Latter-day Saints. To oppose ideologies like
this is not just some philosophical or religious debate to many Mormons; it is
a personal attack on their identity and potential. It would be like telling an
Israeli Jew that they should give back East Jerusalem or telling a Muslim that
Mohammad was not the last prophet. We take offense when our concepts of eternal
laws or prophecies are disagreed with.
Yet, direct and disagreeable opposition to
Mormon doctrine and culture seems like the only option for dissenters. I have
seen Mormons give in to Sunday School doctrines and ignore any misgivings they
receive from other members, friends outside of the church, and the Spirit. I
really disagree with that method, because when you close yourself off from
further light and knowledge you lose what you have already (and not everything
I learned in primary is true doctrine. Sorry). But a far worse option I see
many people choose is to leave the church or never learn about it because they
are offended by some phrase in a talk or line in an outdated book, once treated
as a source of doctrine.
I see the
church described in the Standard of Truth as a herd of buffalo. It is big. It
consumes the very earth beneath it as it moves toward its goals. No amount of
force can do much to alter or stop the path of the herd. Its momentum is too
great. It is made up of too many individual members. False thoughts shared
decades (or months) ago have shifted our path and it seems no outside force can
reverse the change. But that is one point the Standard of Truth makes, “no
unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” The unhallowed, the
unholy, the hateful, the spiteful cannot stop this herd from moving and
growing. And it is just as Joseph Smith said in the Wentworth letter, “Persecution
has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame…”
If you remove yourself from the church, from the herd, and then try to alter
its course then you shall fail. It is not that we are not wrong sometimes but
that we are so proud to be opposed to the world, even if the world is our
friends or family.
Since I am
talking about cattle and Mormons, I think sheep is an appropriate matter to
bring up. A bellwether is a sheep that is chosen within a flock to initiate
movement and direction. It is still within the herd, but the others trust it to
lead, to think. People of all sorts simplify their lives by choosing areas
where they can act more and think less. We assign ourselves bellwethers in the
workplace (often our bosses), in fashion (celebrities), in entertainment
(Oscars), and throughout our lives. This is not a bad thing, because no one can
control everything. So imagine the impact you could have by being a bellwether
within the flock. You would still have to look, sound, and smell like a sheep,
but really, you would not have to think like the other sheep. But really, you
are leading the flock to green pastures and living waters. But really, you are
avoiding the pitfalls that infest the elitist lands of Utah and the
self-contained Mormon policies and politics. If you disagree with Mormon
doctrine, policy, or tradition imagine what you could do if you became a
trusted bellwether within a flock, instead of aggressively opposing the church
and its members.
For me, one
moment that helped me move in a better direction was in the spring of 2012 when
“It Gets Better, at BYU” videos were published on youtube.com. I recognized a
lot of friends in those videos. I have never hated homosexuals. And I cannot
say I did not make some assumptions about a few of the people I knew who shared
their stories in those videos. But those videos moved me to stop being
complacent as friends and family members insulted homosexuals and their
desires. I was changed by people in my flock to be more supportive of love and
more understanding of individual’s challenges.
(these are the two endings I came up with)
In a way, I suppose I am encouraging you to
be a part of the church, to make yourself acceptable, so that you can have an
influence, a voice. Would you rather be allowed to look differently or think
differently?
So, to those insisting on insulting the
attempts of Mormons to empower women or support homosexuals or see both sides
of international conflicts, maybe if you
spend more time with the herd being a bull (or heifer), you’d have to deal with
less of the s*** you wallow in by measuring our every step and mistake. Please,
help us move in a better direction instead of throwing the crap at us that some of us are trying to move past.
