A friend of mine sent me a message today that she assumed I would not like. She announced that she had decided to become a wiccan. I was unclear why I would disprove of this choice since she has thus far in her life been agnostic and so wiccan faith represents in my estimation an increase in faith and gravitation towards some religious belief even if one with which I am only superfluously familiar and of which I am not necessarily a fan. She told me it was a belief that "members of your religion don't look kindly upon".
People who attend church with me might feel that way. As I already said, I view it as a victory for faith because now she believes in something. I have known this girl for almost five years and get to finally see her embrace some kind of a faith. Some of the people with whom I attend church like to pick and choose the parts of the Faith in which they believe. I shared with my friend this quote which is one cornerstone of our religious belief:
It is also why we so staunchly support religious liberty and the Constitutional amendment that vouchsafes it.
There are many in my Faith who think it their mandate and orders to enforce other people to believe like they do. If they read yesterday's entry, they will see that I believe in freedom to choose, and SO DO THEY. Honest confession of our Faith's tenants includes the ability for men to choose their own adventure. While I believe that eventually every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, nowhere in what I have read has it ever ordered us or informed us that it will be compulsory. Everything I read speaks contrary to compulsion.
My attitude sets me apart as a member or as a leader. If I were in a position of responsibility, I would divest my personal beliefs from my policy. A politician's first duty is to the Constitution. A bureaucrat's first duty is to the LAW. If you disagree, you lobby to change it, but you always obey it. I have neither mandate nor authority to impose my beliefs on others or to legislate morality, yet there are those of my Faith who believe exactly that, that they are to create a Theocracy.
If that were true, why would God have gone to such great lengths to write the Constitution? If that were true, then why protect religion in general? How convenient of them to memorize that Article of Faith as a youth and forget it now that they are adults. They should do well to remember this:
Our Constitution as well as our Articles of Faith specifically protect the right of people to worship the Almighty as they choose. I am glad my friend is a wiccan. My best friend is a Deist. I have friends who are Jews, Quakers, Methodists, Catholics, etc. I have no friends who are Born Again Christians. They always unfriend me when they discover my Faith. I am glad they believe in something. Those who believe in nothing tend to fall for anything.
On a hike a few months back, one of the attendees said I was not a very good adherant of my faith. When I asked him why, he told me it's because I actually do the things I say I believe instead of giving them lip service. I asked him, "So doesn't that mean I'm good and the others aren't very good?" It was a matter of his perception, and just like my friend today, they expect things of me by convention instead of codification.
Be you. Do what you do. Accept the consequences, as will I. I follow the admonition of Abraham Lincoln who said: "I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
Worship as you will. Enjoy that right while you can. Fight for it if you are inclined. I will be glad of your company on that front whatever your religious affirmation.
People who attend church with me might feel that way. As I already said, I view it as a victory for faith because now she believes in something. I have known this girl for almost five years and get to finally see her embrace some kind of a faith. Some of the people with whom I attend church like to pick and choose the parts of the Faith in which they believe. I shared with my friend this quote which is one cornerstone of our religious belief:
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. --Joseph Smith
It is also why we so staunchly support religious liberty and the Constitutional amendment that vouchsafes it.
There are many in my Faith who think it their mandate and orders to enforce other people to believe like they do. If they read yesterday's entry, they will see that I believe in freedom to choose, and SO DO THEY. Honest confession of our Faith's tenants includes the ability for men to choose their own adventure. While I believe that eventually every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, nowhere in what I have read has it ever ordered us or informed us that it will be compulsory. Everything I read speaks contrary to compulsion.
My attitude sets me apart as a member or as a leader. If I were in a position of responsibility, I would divest my personal beliefs from my policy. A politician's first duty is to the Constitution. A bureaucrat's first duty is to the LAW. If you disagree, you lobby to change it, but you always obey it. I have neither mandate nor authority to impose my beliefs on others or to legislate morality, yet there are those of my Faith who believe exactly that, that they are to create a Theocracy.
If that were true, why would God have gone to such great lengths to write the Constitution? If that were true, then why protect religion in general? How convenient of them to memorize that Article of Faith as a youth and forget it now that they are adults. They should do well to remember this:
“Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.” (David O. McKay, Conference Report, October 1939.)
Our Constitution as well as our Articles of Faith specifically protect the right of people to worship the Almighty as they choose. I am glad my friend is a wiccan. My best friend is a Deist. I have friends who are Jews, Quakers, Methodists, Catholics, etc. I have no friends who are Born Again Christians. They always unfriend me when they discover my Faith. I am glad they believe in something. Those who believe in nothing tend to fall for anything.
On a hike a few months back, one of the attendees said I was not a very good adherant of my faith. When I asked him why, he told me it's because I actually do the things I say I believe instead of giving them lip service. I asked him, "So doesn't that mean I'm good and the others aren't very good?" It was a matter of his perception, and just like my friend today, they expect things of me by convention instead of codification.
Be you. Do what you do. Accept the consequences, as will I. I follow the admonition of Abraham Lincoln who said: "I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
Worship as you will. Enjoy that right while you can. Fight for it if you are inclined. I will be glad of your company on that front whatever your religious affirmation.
No comments:
Post a Comment