Teach Us Tolerance and Love
I once again write about my biggest Mormon pet-peeve--actually my two biggest Mormon pet-peeves. First, something that I've learned in Utah, is that there is way too much holier-than-thou going on in some parts of the Church. I still love being a member of the LDS Church, and I still believe that it is a perfect Church, but that doesn't mean that everyone always does what they should. I grew up outside of Utah. So, I was completely awestruck by the attitude towards non-Mormons that Mormons have. I just want to shake them and and say, "How could you do this? How could you, whose ancestors were burned out of four states, be so terrible towards others? Not fifty years ago, that was us. And how can you now do that to others?" I have sat, listening to the thoughts about diversity from honestly good people thinking, "Holy Cow. You are that Mormon I used to claim didn't exist!"
Let me remind all that the hymn "In Humility Our Savior" includes the phrase, "teach us tolerance and love." So why do we spit out the word "tolerance" with so much vehemence? Christ loved everyone, and he accepted everyone. And we should be doing that too.
That being said, my second pet-peeve: "Let's not judge." I agree with that statement, but not with what you mean. There is right and there is wrong. And nothing will ever change that. The problem isn't that you say, "Let's not judge." It's that when you say, "Let's not judge," what you mean is "Let's not discern." People love to bring up the story of the woman caught in adultery. Christ does not condemn her, but he doesn't say, "Whatever you want to do is peachy. Don't judge each other." Instead, he says, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more." He still chastens her. He still tells her that was she was doing was wrong. Because it was.
Christ loved everyone , but he didn't just say, "Whatever" when he saw all the money-changers in the temple. His indignation towards their sin did not diminish his love for them. But love did not diminish his out-rage at their wrong-doing.
I will continue to discern. I can look at something that someone does (or something that I do) and say, "That was wrong." That's not judging. Judging is passing final judgment upon another. And the reason we shouldn't judge is because we are not equipped to do so. Justice is an eternal principle. And if we had perfect knowledge, we would be perfectly within our rights to judge all we want. The problem is we don't have perfect knowledge. Thus, we cannot exact out justice, and thus we cannot distribute true mercy, either. Instead, we just have to let God do the judging and move on.
This doesn't mean that you can't like that person and disagree with what they do. An example: I had homosexual friends in high school (gasp!). I went to high school in Seattle, so what do you want? I don't agree with their actions. But they were still my friends. And they knew I didn't think it was right. But I also had friends in high school that smoked pot and drank alcohol, and they knew I didn't think that was right either But we just didn't talk about it in that context. And they didn't smoke or drink when I was there, and they didn't try to press it on me. And the same went for homosexuality.
So, here's the thing: Let's love and embrace everyone. But you don't have to be loosy-goosy about right and wrong for want of love.
There was a talk by Russell M. Nelson about this a few years ago, if you want to read it.
Let me remind all that the hymn "In Humility Our Savior" includes the phrase, "teach us tolerance and love." So why do we spit out the word "tolerance" with so much vehemence? Christ loved everyone, and he accepted everyone. And we should be doing that too.
That being said, my second pet-peeve: "Let's not judge." I agree with that statement, but not with what you mean. There is right and there is wrong. And nothing will ever change that. The problem isn't that you say, "Let's not judge." It's that when you say, "Let's not judge," what you mean is "Let's not discern." People love to bring up the story of the woman caught in adultery. Christ does not condemn her, but he doesn't say, "Whatever you want to do is peachy. Don't judge each other." Instead, he says, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more." He still chastens her. He still tells her that was she was doing was wrong. Because it was.
Christ loved everyone , but he didn't just say, "Whatever" when he saw all the money-changers in the temple. His indignation towards their sin did not diminish his love for them. But love did not diminish his out-rage at their wrong-doing.
I will continue to discern. I can look at something that someone does (or something that I do) and say, "That was wrong." That's not judging. Judging is passing final judgment upon another. And the reason we shouldn't judge is because we are not equipped to do so. Justice is an eternal principle. And if we had perfect knowledge, we would be perfectly within our rights to judge all we want. The problem is we don't have perfect knowledge. Thus, we cannot exact out justice, and thus we cannot distribute true mercy, either. Instead, we just have to let God do the judging and move on.
This doesn't mean that you can't like that person and disagree with what they do. An example: I had homosexual friends in high school (gasp!). I went to high school in Seattle, so what do you want? I don't agree with their actions. But they were still my friends. And they knew I didn't think it was right. But I also had friends in high school that smoked pot and drank alcohol, and they knew I didn't think that was right either But we just didn't talk about it in that context. And they didn't smoke or drink when I was there, and they didn't try to press it on me. And the same went for homosexuality.
So, here's the thing: Let's love and embrace everyone. But you don't have to be loosy-goosy about right and wrong for want of love.
There was a talk by Russell M. Nelson about this a few years ago, if you want to read it.
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