Today’s MCS guest post comes to us from Katie L., a “thirtysomething wife, mother, writer, runner, believer, and lover of good food and bad movies” who blogs at http://standingsittinglying.wordpress.com.
A few weeks ago, Brent wrote a wonderfully evocative Mormon in the Cheap Seats post in which he described the path of unorthodoxy.
It begins, he said, when you look out the window and realize that people from a variety of traditions claim spiritual experiences as profound as those we claim in Mormonism. Once you see that — really internalize it — you arrive at the edge of a critical decision: will I conclude that my experiences are better, somehow, than theirs — more authentic, more true? Or will I conclude that my spiritual experiences are not fundamentally different from a Hindu’s, a Protestant’s, a Muslim’s, a Jew’s?
The way you answer this question determines the direction your spiritual journey will take.
It is a fundamental fork in the road.
Those of us who choose the latter are plunged into a new paradigm in which truth is not necessarily determined by the rubrics set forth by our religious culture; instead, we’re left to grope around in the dark a little. A major distinction that Brent drew in his post is that while Mormon orthodoxy is currently characterized by knowing (“I know this church is true”), this second path emerges when we admit our not knowing.
It’s important to note that this is not just a Mormon phenomenon. What is happening in Mormonism is a microcosm of a massive global shift. For most of human existence, we have been separated by distance, language, borders, and customs. We assumed that our way was the best way, because it was the only way we knew — the only way that was possible for us to know. But advancements in technology have given us unprecedented views into other ways of life. We have seen beauty and humanity in what we previously would have regarded as Other. This has challenged our most basic assumptions about what is “normal,” “correct,” and “socially acceptable.” At the risk of getting overly technical, you might call the old path of knowing “modernism”, and the emerging path of not knowing “postmodernism”. (NOTE: this is a massively oversimplified explanation of this story, but go with me. . .) :)
I believe it is difficult to overstate the impact this is having on the world. It is a social paradigm shift analogous to the Enlightenment. Postmodernism asks an entirely different set of questions than modernism. It is not as concerned with abstract truth claims as it is with impact and meaning. Of course, to the modern mind, which is very invested in “getting it right,” this is unthinkable. To the modern, if it isn’t “right,” it isn’t useful. And so we find ourselves in the middle of an intense ideological battle. The stakes are high.
Mormonism, of course, has felt the repercussions.
As an entity, Mormonism is still firmly modern (I believe it’s only a matter of time before it makes the leap, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic). Yet, individual Mormons are becoming postmodern every day. For those of us who make the shift, it leaves us with some serious issues to grapple with: what to do with those who don’t follow us? How can we live from a postmodern perspective in a religious culture that is decidedly, at times stiflingly, modern? How can we love and serve side-by-side with people who do not agree with us on the most basic ways we make sense of the world?
It feels irreconcilable. . .because it is (at least for now).
But perhaps paradoxically, it is precisely because of these irreconcilable differences that Mormonism provides a phenomenal climate for spiritual growth.
Why?
It provides us the amazing opportunity to really love.
Here’s what I mean: although on many levels the world has become more unified, in a couple of important ways we have become more segmented. That is: now instead of segmenting by geography, we segment ourselves by worldview and interests. The New Media has allowed us to find and associate with people who are just like us. This blog is a case in point. Here we are, most of us liberal-leaning Mormons on a liberal-leaning Mormon blog, discussing Mormon topics from a liberal-leaning perspective. That’s not wrong — it’s important to associate with people who share our perspective and with whom we can explore the corners and nuances of a particular worldview — but if we’re not careful, we’ll find ourselves in an echo chamber.
Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matt 5:46-47, ESV)
The real test of love is not if we can love and appreciate people who agree with us. . .but if we can honor and respect people who don’t. If we can accept, with unconditional kindness, those who come to the edge of decision and take the other road. If we can see the best in them. If we can support them in their convictions. If we can embrace them with open arms, even when we see the problems and pain and imperfections of their path (ours has plenty of that, too, of course) — and, perhaps most importantly, even when they do not embrace us.
Is it easy? No. It takes practice, care, and patience. It means getting comfortable enough with who we are, where we are on our journey, and in our relationship with God, to be willing to be misunderstood. It means experimenting with when to speak up and when to be silent. It means making painful mistakes and wrestling with challenging questions. It means having difficult conversations. It may even mean sacrificing the comfort of complete “insider” status.
But like most things worth having, the difficulty is part of what makes it so beneficial.
Real love is never easy, but it is always the better road.
;
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This is absolutely beautiful. I love the idea of learning to love more fully through a spiritual crisis in the church. And especially the notion that, while my way may be the best for me, it is in no way the best for everyone. Recognizing the validity of other spiritual paths opens up a whole new world view. Perhaps someday the church as an institution will be able to do that, and give up the black/white thinking of “we are right, they are wrong”. But until then, we as the people must do our best to take that stand.
What keeps me in the church are the opportunities to serve and love and to put my Christianity into practice. But I so quickly and easily lose that perspective when barraged with normative belief statements.
Thanks for this well-timed and poignant reminder.
Well, this post was very Robert Frost-y! I can hear Garrison Keillor reading “The Road Not Taken”. I think being a free-thinking Mormon is certainly the road less traveled by.
Emperor Akbar said it for me: “now it has become clear to me, that it cannot be wisdom to assert the truth of one faith over another. In our troubled world, so full of contradictions, the wise person makes justice his guide, and learns from all. Perhaps, in this way, the door may be opened again whose key has been lost.”
Wait, is that the Max von Sydow character from Dune?
I believe this is a quote from Salman Rushdie’s _The Enchantress of Florence_.
I love the fact that you see a benefit to the Church as members adopt more liberal beliefs. Of course, the benefit will occur only if the Church can really love members with less traditional views rather than criticizing and marginalizing them.
Course Correction, thank you for your comment.
I definitely see a benefit to the church as members adopt more liberal beliefs, and as conservative members become more open to us. I don’t think we need them to accept us or give us permission before we can claim our space in Mormonism; I believe we can do it by showing up as we are — and standing strong in our principles.
Having said that, I don’t think we can claim our space by force, but “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.” The question I raise here is: can we be the first to bridge the gap by refusing to criticize and marginalize the more conservative members…even when they don’t return the favor?
This is wonderful.
It’s sad that we get caught up in right and wrong, more right and more wrong as a faith. Joseph went to the grove to find out where he should go to gain salvation because the Bible told him to ask God and He would provide an answer as to where to find wisdom.
The challenge is that this right vs. wrong paradigm was constructed at the very founding of our faith in how Joseph structured his sentences in describing his purpose in visiting with God and the Savior and how they responded in turn. At least that is how it is described in the Official Church History version of the account that is printed in the Pearl of Great Price. I’m not disagreeing with the account as most of the written accounts align that God told Joseph not to join any of the other faiths because there were errors in their doctrine. But this concept of we’re right and you’re wrong, is a heavy burden since that clearly is not Christ’s attitude.
We walk a dangerous path, and even Joseph himself acknowledged this, if we claim though that other faiths lack in truth. Or that their adherents cannot possibly experience deep spiritual connections with God. That was not Joseph’s claim (perhaps he was postmodern before we were ever really modern), that is not God or the Savior’s claim. Consider the statement from the First Presidency in 1978 – no not that one, the other one – where they proclaimed God’s love for all of His children:
A very clear message is that truth exists in all faiths and that God as a Father guides many through different paths. The lives of adherents of other faiths can certainly make them eligible for salvation and even exaltation after the necessary ordinances are performed. The First Presidency statement continues with an oblique expression that there are necessary saving ordinances that require authority to be performed and recognized by God and those were restored to Joseph. Exaltation is dependent on access to those ordinances. And that is perhaps the singular point on which I think a Latter-Day Saint can hold a beacon and say here is the authority from God. But it should be a humble and loving statement, never one of degradation. Bring your truths and let us converse with one another concerning the welfare of our souls – that is the invitation.
Now last week I sat and conversed with a 85 year old woman who has been visiting our Ward for several years. She is not a member of our faith but she believes the Book of Mormon is scripture. She believes that there is great truth found in our faith. But she also has a strong attachment to the Baptist faith that reared and educated and taught her what it is to know the Savior. She lives an extraordinary life in simple love and giving to more than one of those who are downtrodden in the world. She considers baptism something she has already accomplished when she committed to Jesus and promised to follow his path so many decades ago. “Were my parents wrong?” she asked. “They trusted the preacher who baptized me and knew he was a man of God.”
How does a bearer of the priesthood respond to that question? The young missionaries sitting next to me would likely have claimed, “No they weren’t wrong, they just didn’t realize that authority is necessary and how that authority is provided matters.” And that is partly what I explained to her. But not before explaining that God recognizes the good acts and heart of each person who comes to Him through faith and love. Ultimately, I explained, the question of authority is something that needs to be examined and sought after. Does a priesthood lineage exist? Can we show an unbroken line from Jesus Christ to the one who acts as with authority? As I departed, I encouraged her to do as her parents had encouraged, not as I encouraged nor as the missionaries who were with me might do. Her father’s last words were, “Stay close to Jesus and everything else will be right.” And that is an indisputable truth. So I simply said, “Follow the Holy Spirit and follow your heart, God will not steer you wrong.”
Paul says we each run a race and we should do so in looking toward the author and finisher of our faith. I have acquaintances who are devout Muslim, devout Catholic, and devout Evangelical each of whom I would say runs their individual race with an eye more single to the glory of God than I currently accomplish. I admire them and learn something new about what it is to have a relationship with God or Allah almost every time we talk.
Within our community and without, there are many truths that can be found and cherished for the knowledge they offer. If i set aside the imperfections in the brothers and sisters around me I find that there is much to love in spite and even because of our differences. That realization has tied me more closely to the Savior rather than unmooring me from this faith.
Alain, thanks for your comment. I may not share your belief in the exclusive necessity of LDS ordinances (I think they are are salvific because they are transformative, but I’m on the fence about their being universally required), but I believe your position is reasonable. I appreciate your openness to the truth of other traditions and religious experiences. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Very nice piece Katie.
Beautiful. Thank you.