Let me take you on a side trip quickly...
In Disney's California Adventure, there is a street which is set up to look like what I assume would be a major street in LA with theaters and things like that. Half way down the street, it's roped off, and if you go a couple of feet beyond that rope, the street turns into a mural.
Obviously when you are close to the mural its easy to see, by from the other end of the street, it's hard to tell where the street ends, and the mural begins.
So with that in mind, lets go back to the topic of conversion...
If we go back 10 years or so, I was 100% converted to the LDS Church. While I cringe at some of the stuff I said to people while a missionary, at the time, I had bought the entire street.
The problem is, the more I got into it, the closer I seemed to get to the mural at the end of it. And the closer I got to the mural, the more I realized that what I thought was the rest of the street was just a facade hiding a corporation setup to gain wealth and power.
I have no doubt in my mind that I was 100% converted to the gospel as taught by the LDS Church. At times I remember even saying that I had a sure knowledge that it was all true. And from my vantage point at that time, I honestly believed that.
I loved the ideals of eternal and unchanging truth, of acceptance of the entire human race as brothers and sisters and following the example of Christ. I still love those ideals, but as I've gotten further into it, I see that the LDS Church uses these to hide it's true motives.
Yes, there is much good done by the Church, but unfortunately a little beyond that good lies a dirty warehouse which has been covered with an image of goodness.
I was converted to something, absolutely. But when I got closer, that something wasn't a reality.
That probably makes minimal sense to anyone reading, but I find it quite ponderous.
Now the question is...
Do I leave the street and look for those ideals I believe in elsewhere, or do I work with others to try and get the warehouse removed and built the rest of the street so that it's no longer a facade, but a true realization of the the ideals....
And I swear, I'm not on any mind altering drugs this morning either!
Do you want to be happy today, in the moment? The church is a behemoth of an organization and like unto all large organizations, it won't respond favorably or quickly to change. Fortunately, the church has shown an impressive aptitude for turning 180 degrees in a relatively short time span (email me for examples if needed). Unfortunately, that relatively short time span is likely longer than you and I have remaining breath.
ReplyDeleteChange will not occur from the top down. Change will only occur when membership trends begin to falter and adjustments are made to retain or attract new tithe payers. Thus, if you can handle the fight and possible failure, begin with the people and the leaders will follow (I think this blog is a great start). If you want peace in the moment, go to Chili's and order their blackened chicken sandwich with a Bud-Light draft (mild barley drink) and savor the success and freedom of your new life!
Can you guess where I'll be tonight?
Also, the Disneyland mural is the perfect, absolutely perfect analogy! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Preston.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of change though... I'm aware of some recent changes, such as the lifting of the Priesthood ban, but from what I understand, the reasons for this were the threat of withdrawal of government funding for BYU.
It all comes down to money, and I'm just not sure that my meager donation has any effect at all.
I could be wrong, but change seems to be based largely on making money for the organization. I see that as a huge problem, so helping to promote change through financial means, would only serve to increase to problem. If that makes sense.
At the end of the day I think I'm headed towards peace at the moment... So would you recommend Bud-Light?
Koda, I hear you loud and clear on the money angle. I graduated from Utah State with a business degree in finance and have leveraged that knowledge into running my own business (www.teardrop.com - yes I'm a shameless marketer). I struggled for a long time to understand where the church was coming from on a number of issues. Then, one day, I had an epiphany of sorts or perhaps it was a prompting from the spirit. The thought "popped" into my mind to view the church as a business....and WALA!!!!! All of my immediate questions were suddenly answered and they conveniently fit into a nice little package with no mess. Viewing the church (any organization) as a business has helped give me context to otherwise confounding issues.
ReplyDeleteBud-Light. I don't want to turn this into a beer blog, but I'm not against offering my opinion on mild barley drinks since it is highly relevant to the mormon culture (D&C 89:17), at least it used to be. I do enjoy Bud-Light very much. However, for my regular consumption (one to two beers per day as recommended by my doctor for heart health...really!) I go with whatever is in the $15 to $17 range for a 30 pack. My mother and the church taught me to be wise and frugal with my money so I always chase the deal. As far as recommendations go, I'm currently in the middle of a Miller High Life case, which I'm enjoying. The one before that was Busch Light (my grandad's favorite, not my favorite, but not bad either) and the one before that was Miller High Life Lite. Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino enjoyed many PBR's (pabst blue ribbon), which I think I'll try next. Damn Satan's influence through Hollywood murals! After limited exposure to local micro-brews, my current favorite is Squatters "Captain Bastards", but beware it is pricey.
All this being said, a couple weekends ago while in Vegas at the craps table I was being served whatever drinks I wanted for free.....if it's free, then I'll take a Corona with a lime stuffed down the neck any day! Ah Mexico!
At the end of the day, EVERYTHING comes down to funding!....and for me, I'm choosing SERENITY NOW!