So I spent yet another Sunday teaching teenage girls the truths of things that I’m not so sure are true. If I don’t have The Church, what will I believe in? I don’t think I agree with any other church and so this makes for some slow going in the faith building department. The thing I like about The Church is that, at least in my experience, they don’t talk bad about other faiths and religions… at least in a church setting. I appreciate the live and let live stance on faith. Of course, all this changes when talking with just about any member outside of a church environment. I remember an older gentlemen who insisted to me that the Catholics were the great and abominable church, the one that would spawn the anti-Christ or whatever. It is in this respect that I am different than almost anyone I know. I don’t care what you do or don’t believe. As long as you don’t hate on me, do what you want.
It is with some other beliefs of The Church that I cannot agree with, and where their hands off approach to all things political has been challenged. Proposition 8 was a hot button with The Church. Gays getting married was an affront to God and everything he intended in humankind. After all, didn’t he destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their blatant acts of homosexuality? Actually, if you actually read the story, it’s only like half a page and it’s not just homosexuality that’s the problem. I think it’s mostly the killing, robbing, raping and other things that ticked off the Maker. Anyways, this story, the basis for all biblical homophobia ends with the hero sleeping with his own daughters as they wait out the apocalypse in a cave. Real morality tale, I tell you.
Okay, so back to Prop 8. Local leaders of The Church usually go on at every election and voting time to read a letter from Church Headquarters about how they won’t tell you how to vote, so don’t tell people how to vote and act like it’s from the church. On this particular election, however, a letter was read stating how it was against the family to allow gay marriages, and so therefore to support Prop 8. To me, that ended all political neutrality. I was highly offended as I felt that gays have the right, as do all individuals to get married. I understand that it is against the beliefs of The Church to participate in homosexual activities, but to tell me how to vote rubbed me the wrong way. I have a wonderful sister who happens to be gay. I am not going to limit her right to happiness by supporting legislation that demonizes her. To me, God would not deny happiness to so many of his children.
It didn’t help that when I asked around and did some reading, I found out that The Church that won’t tell you how to vote, will, however, donate a crap load of money to defeat the passage of the 14th amendment. So, I belong to a church that until the 1970’s treated blacks as second class citizens withheld the benefits of full membership, now believes that gays are trying to destroy the sanctity of marriage. It would not completely surprise me if they changed their stance on same sex marriage within ten years of a federal law allowing gay marriage just as they did with civil rights. Let’s just say that I’m not willing to wait ten years.
So last Sunday I taught my girls like I do every Sunday. I set up a lesson that is laid out in a manual, but try my best to persuade them to be open minded and realize that not everyone is like them, or holds the same belief systems. I think that in these moments, I am doing the girls a great service in helping them realize that even though they believe that they belong to the only true church on the planet, so does everyone else.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, for me, I did not stay with the Church long enough to be put in a similar position. However, I think I would have done a similar thing: instill a morality that runs parallel with what the Church wanted you to teach but also leave it open for thought. If the "students" are strong in their faith in what is taught, they will come back to the Church's answer, but at least you haven't sacrificed your personal feelings to get them there.
ReplyDeleteAs for Prop 8, when it was in the news, I was really surprised about the vocal opposition to it, and even more surprised towards the end when the Church's stance truly came forward. I also find it ironic that a Church that would not allow for African American males to hold the priesthood until the mid to late 70s now sees a large percentage of their growth from outside North America in Sub-Saharan Africa. I do also agree that the Church's teachings have always been adjusted based on the political climate (hello losing polygamy for statehood!).