Mormons Just Believe: A Lighthearted Departure

"What the ƒ⩏⋤⋉ is this?!"

The Tony Award winning Musical, The Book or Mormon, is a religious satire.  It pokes fun at organized religion, makes light of things some may consider too sacred, and in parts, it's down right filthy.  But having only seen bits and pieces and reading the reviews, the one thing it doesn't seem to do is attack Mormons personally.  They celebrate their strengths even if they make light of their weaknesses... something a lot of us actually do even with our family and friends.

The few doctrinal errors and over-generalizations aside, I think this song sums up the religious experience for many.  Feel free to interpret this however you want.  I believe those for and against can take away a message here.  Personally, I think it's just fun and entertaining.

The Morality and Ethics of Redemption

Blasphemy:

The act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. 

Heresy:

Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine.  Opinion profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted.

I would like to clarify something for those exceedingly troubled by my personal views.  I am not a blasphemer.  I am a heretic.  While I am sure there are some who make little distinction between the two and find both vile and beneath contempt, I use the word heretic in its proper context and with its true meaning.

I have spoken of Jesus as the archetypal man; the one to emulate to overcome error and realize immortality.  I have also spoken to my belief that christ and redeemer aren't titles for a divine third party but actually reflect introspective metaphysical roles we must learn to take on ourselves for ourselves; as the fabled Jesus did.

Many Christian traditionalists have taken severe issue with my views and some have asked for clarification as to why I would believe such things.  Now, I will attempt to be clear and direct but I trust you will not feel it reflects judgment on you.  It is not my purpose or intent to condemn your revered beliefs.  I only wish to share mine.  I do not claim a higher understanding.

To put it succinctly, I consider vicarious redemption by sacrifice to be immoral... be it animal, human, or divine in nature.  It is reminiscent of an archaic custom practiced by primitive societies where they would ritualistically pile the sins of the tribe on an animal and drive it out into the wilderness to perish.  In so doing, they would rid themselves of their sins.  This is the etymological basis for what we know as scapegoating.  I find the idea that through the punishment of another life my sins can be forgiven to be reprehensible.  It nullifies personal responsibility; the one thing on which all morality, ethics, and our very integrity depend.

This is why I embrace the gnostic tradition of many early Christians and view Jesus not as God but as teacher.  He didn't take away our responsibility.  He didn't undo our errors.  He didn't have a need to forgive us.  He did, however, demonstrate a philosophy for undertaking all of this.  Redemption isn't a single quantitative act.  It's an ongoing qualitative journey of self.

"It is his capacity for self-improvement and self-redemption which most distinguishes man from the mere brute."

 ~ Aung San Suu Kyi - Freedom from Fear

Forget Me Not

A Lesson in Personal Perspective

One artist of the faith I greatly admire is Dieter Uchtdorf.  While he does embrace much of the orthodox dogma I reject, he spends much of his time speaking to the more founding principles of the Christian movement.  In doing so, he engenders a respect and inclusiveness not always representative in orthodoxy.  For these reasons I consider him my favorite among LDS theologians.

Due to his polished and eloquent nature, instead of paraphrasing, I'd like to share a few excerpts from one of his uniquely focused addresses given to the Relief Society.  Dieter outlined his five pedals of the Forget-Me-Not.

Forget Not to be Patient with Yourself

"I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.  Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not. 

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does. 

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  It’s wonderful that you have strengths.  And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses. 

Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey."

Forget Not the Difference Between the Good and Foolish Sacrifice

"An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something good for something of far greater worth. 

Every person and situation is different, and a good sacrifice in one instance might be a foolish sacrifice in another. 

How can we tell the difference for our own situation? We can ask ourselves, “Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?” There are so many good things to do, but we can’t do all of them. Our Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective." 

Forget Not to be Happy Now

"There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings—we hope and seek after things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”  The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear. 

This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life. 

The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

Forget Not the "Why" of the Gospel

"While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the “why.” When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet."

Forget Not the Lord Loves You

"Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!"

As I struggled to sum up my feelings at the close of this General Conference, an unlikely source of clarity presented itself in his untimely death.

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." 

~ Steve Jobs - 2005 Commencement Address, Stanford University

We need not be limited by another's thinking.  Ideas are fluid and are only limited by our imagination and intellect.  Wisdom may be found anywhere we have the patience to look.  Because one intends to lead us down a particular path of particular thinking, that doesn't mean we must necessarily go.  We can learn to follow our own intuition and find our own path.  But it's important to remember not to be too focused on our own trailblazing and ignore the insights of other travelers we meet on those rare occasions our paths do cross.

Conference is an exchange of ideas.  They are not set by established dogma.  We are free to ponder and interpret them as our personal experience and need requires.  This is how I left Conference.

Conference: An Intricate Weave

The School of Athens by Raphael
The Apostolic Palace, Vatican City 1511

Philosophy is to empirical knowledge as axiom is to theorem and poetry is to prose.

Our technology has advanced sufficiently that we are now able to test the veracity of much of our surviving mythology but faith and religion are much more than just a collection of stories.  They are a collection of philosophical ideals wrapped in allegory.  In our science biased world, we want to treat religion as a form of empirical knowledge; something to be proven before it is accepted.  This, in our current stage of intellectual evolution, misses the point entirely.

By its very nature, philosophy is magnificently adaptable.  It is an intricate weave of logic and reason, fiction and fact whose resulting complexity lends itself to near infinite range of interpretation and perspective.  It can broaden the mind and lift the soul.  In essence, it can add meaning and dimension to every day living... all without requiring fiduciary evidence.

I don't need to be a believing devotee of the faith to find Conference useful.  I do, however. need to be a respecter of the artist to fully appreciate his work.  This is how I head into Conference.

“Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.” 

~ Alan Moore, V for Vendetta