Tuesday, April 8, 2014

On OW, Love, and Kindness. Or thoughts after a 14 hour day at work and in Grad School on a lingering Socio-Religious-Political issue.

Now, I rarely if ever post blogs about serious topics, much less religious/political ones, so please bear with me. Additionally, there are about a bajillion and one blog posts, Facebook posts, Google+ posts (for all 13 people using it), and the Tweets about this topic. But, it's been bothering me all day, so I'm going to throw my voice into the fray. I am not going to argue the merits or doctrinal basis of either side. I do not agree with many of the posits of OW (Ordain Women), and I do not particularly like the methods currently being employed by that group. However, I am shocked and saddened by the responses I have seen from other LDS church members towards them.

We were reminded over and over during conference that we are Christ's church, and are supposed to show his love and kindness. We take his name upon ourselves. That is to be taken literally. Christ never mocked, belittled, or treated others with scorn. These are our brothers and sisters. We are to show love and try to understand their feelings and experiences. It does not matter if we are referring to a small percentage of the population. I think I remember some story about sheep and Christ going out of his way to find a single one out of a hundred who felt unheard or abandoned. If you think you are following a single doctrinal point better than another person, great, but you are not better than them. We all make mistakes, follow the wrong path, and accidentally cause harm towards others. But, we are all equal in the sight of God. He loves all of us, regardless of the choices we make. We are happier when we choose to follow him and draw closer to him, and we will never find contentment in degrading others.

Basically, stop making fun of people's dearly held beliefs, especially if you do not agree with them. Be respectful and be loving. I apologize if I sound preachy, I don't mean to. Also, I'm super tired and not articulate, so forgive me. Beth out.