As a child I remember visiting St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Standing in the church some adult told the story of a brave priest who stood up to popular opinion and left the door to the church unlocked so that the homeless would have a place to sleep in the heart of the big city. I looked around what appeared to me to be a fancy church and I could understand why people would want to protect it. I also through that the priest had the right idea. There, in a city filled with palaces and museums, was one place where no matter how poor you were, no matter how low you were on the social scale, no matter how damaged you might be, there was one place that would let you in on a cold night.
Now, I understand that there were risks in the priest's behavior. Risks to the building and risks to the random individuals that might enter it. But it was still the right thing to do.
We have a chance to do the same thing. With winter approaching Provo I can see the need for a refuge for those who have nothing. Perhaps one of our leaders will be as brave as that English priest and suggest that when the new temple is finished we could open, if not its doors to the homeless, at least the doors of the parking garage*. Each night after the temple closes a group of brethren could volunteer to let the homeless sleep in the lower levels of the garage where the depth of the earth will insulate the ground and keep the people from freezing. Early in the morning as the temple opens the homeless could wander out, the area could be cleaned, and the temple patrons could park. It wouldn't take many people to support the operation and the cost would be minimal.
Who knows, if it works they could try something similar in Salt Lake City with the big new mall that sits empty between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am.
*As I recall, from time to time the homeless in Provo were housed in the Hotel Roberts which stood close to, if not exactly where the new temple parking garage will be built.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
How Can You Promise Me Heaven?
How can you promise me heaven when you can’t provide on
earth?
How can you promise choirs of angels singing praise when my
ears ring with the sound of my neighbors mocking of the poor.
How can you promise mansions in heaven when we have no
shelter for the homeless?
How can you promise infinite wisdom when our leaders vote to
destroy our education system?
What makes you think we will live united above when down
here we can’t abide those who cross borders, are gay, or don’t look like us?
How can you claim we can progress forever when you can’t see
past the number of piercings in my ears or the color of my shirt?
How can you promise divine forgiveness when our politicians
pass petty laws to punish those who make difficult personal choices they
disagree with.
Why do you promise a future of charity and love from the pulpit when so
many voices in our community promote greed and fear?
Why do you extol the potential of women in the next life when
you exclude them from leadership today?
How can you promise me heaven when you can’t provide on
earth?
Monday, March 12, 2012
Really
It is great that the Church took a strong stand against racism recently (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/racial-remarks-in-washington-post-article).
Now I hear that the Church owns a radio station the airs Rush Limbaugh (http://www.bonneville.com/?nid=42).
I'm happy that we are working to put racism behind us. It looks like we will have to keep working on our respect for women.
(Don't even get me started on what our "LDS" legislators are doing to our hope for education.)
Now I hear that the Church owns a radio station the airs Rush Limbaugh (http://www.bonneville.com/?nid=42).
I'm happy that we are working to put racism behind us. It looks like we will have to keep working on our respect for women.
(Don't even get me started on what our "LDS" legislators are doing to our hope for education.)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Skinny Genes
So I hear some kid in Idaho is all worked up because some girl at BYUi has skinny genes. She can't take a test. She is embarrassed at school all because of her skinny genes. And I figure, hey, why is it anyone's business if she has skinny genes. In today's world, lucky her. Leave her and her skinny genes be!
Turns out they were talking about pants.
Now that is even sillier.
Turns out they were talking about pants.
Now that is even sillier.
Monday, December 12, 2011
TBM, TBML, HASM, or FPR? Now add BCM
It is time for a new Mormon acronym. Let's go with BCM for "Business Card Mormon." A BCM is the type of person who will not acknowledge any scripture outside the one verse that suits their immediate need. The one verse that possibly supports some passionately held typically worldly view. Hence, they can carry their scripture(s) to church on a business card. They don't need all those other verses, chapters, books, etc.
There are a great number of BCMs in the blogosphere at this time. Sometimes you can even meet them in person if you pay attention at church.
Try this, enter a blog discussion that is looking at immigration in the United States. If you try and say anything about charity, kindness, families, or common everyday respect for other humans--BAM! Someone drops the 12th Article of Faith and there can be no further discussion. The 12th Article of Faith is all that matters. If you mention anything else the BCM will imply that you are something of an apostate, unpatriotic, and lacking in any understanding of the gospel. The "gospel" of course being that one verse the BCM likes. Now, some people might read, oh, say the 13th article of faith, with its mention of being benevolent or doing good to all men. Some people might even read the Book of Mormon and learn from the stories of pride, humility, charity and migration. In fact there is nothing stopping us from using all the scriptures from Genesis to the proclamation on the family. But the BCMs appear to know better.
I suspect that BCMs do not read the scriptures much, or at least they don't do so with charity in their hearts. In fact, I suspect that the current crop of BCMs are influenced more by the still small voice of cable "news" and talk radio than a more spiritual guide. But that is just my assumption. I don't have a favorite scripture to back it up.
There are a great number of BCMs in the blogosphere at this time. Sometimes you can even meet them in person if you pay attention at church.
Try this, enter a blog discussion that is looking at immigration in the United States. If you try and say anything about charity, kindness, families, or common everyday respect for other humans--BAM! Someone drops the 12th Article of Faith and there can be no further discussion. The 12th Article of Faith is all that matters. If you mention anything else the BCM will imply that you are something of an apostate, unpatriotic, and lacking in any understanding of the gospel. The "gospel" of course being that one verse the BCM likes. Now, some people might read, oh, say the 13th article of faith, with its mention of being benevolent or doing good to all men. Some people might even read the Book of Mormon and learn from the stories of pride, humility, charity and migration. In fact there is nothing stopping us from using all the scriptures from Genesis to the proclamation on the family. But the BCMs appear to know better.
I suspect that BCMs do not read the scriptures much, or at least they don't do so with charity in their hearts. In fact, I suspect that the current crop of BCMs are influenced more by the still small voice of cable "news" and talk radio than a more spiritual guide. But that is just my assumption. I don't have a favorite scripture to back it up.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Vote, vote while you can
In Utah there is a law requiring you to present I.D., like a drivers license or a concealed weapon permit, before you can vote. Identification costs money. Identification requires you to have transportation to the government offices that can issue your identification. In the past, two hundred years ago, only property owners could vote. In the near future it looks as though in Utah only owners of automobiles will have the vote.
In Utah I’ve heard that there is a new law allowing towns to cancel elections if there are no opposing candidates on the ballot. This sounds good. It saves money. But what happens when one person, and only one person decides to run against an opponent? Now they have to justify the cost of the entire election simply because they wanted to live within their rights. It sounds like euthanasia for democracy. If your election is weak is it really best to just let it die?
When you add those laws to the recent secret meetings on redistricting Utah (our right wing leaders insist that they aren’t secret meetings, its just that they are the only people who can attend), their attempts to block access to communication by office holders, and some people’s concerns that democracy is equal to socialism, it appears we are well down the road to losing our voice.
If we don’t vote out the far right soon we may find that it is no longer an option for us.
In Utah I’ve heard that there is a new law allowing towns to cancel elections if there are no opposing candidates on the ballot. This sounds good. It saves money. But what happens when one person, and only one person decides to run against an opponent? Now they have to justify the cost of the entire election simply because they wanted to live within their rights. It sounds like euthanasia for democracy. If your election is weak is it really best to just let it die?
When you add those laws to the recent secret meetings on redistricting Utah (our right wing leaders insist that they aren’t secret meetings, its just that they are the only people who can attend), their attempts to block access to communication by office holders, and some people’s concerns that democracy is equal to socialism, it appears we are well down the road to losing our voice.
If we don’t vote out the far right soon we may find that it is no longer an option for us.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Purse & Script
Recently a number of blogs (here and here) have looked at the ideal of perfection and the trouble it causes. Those blogs made me ask myself where do we get our ideas of what perfection is?
Consider the scripture Matthew 5:48 which tells us to be perfect. What is perfect? Whose idea of perfect should we follow? I submit that we can look at the ten commandments, the simple straight forward commandments, to get a good idea of what perfect is in God‘s eyes.
Are you killing people? Are you messing with your neighbor’s spouse? Do you steal or lie? Do you respect you parents? Do you put God first?
There is nothing in the scriptures that tell you to have a clean kitchen, to bake you own wheat bread, to make center pieces for church lessons, or to wear a white shirt. I think our ideas about perfection come from two sources: The consumer driven world we live in. The world of TV shows and intense consumer marketing. And a church that once, a century ago, that was near financial bankruptcy but now has all the money it needs. That money pays for buildings, books, manuals and travel. That purse and the scrips it pays for create a environment where more and more content heads our way to show members just how perfect they should be. But that content may not be helpful. In fact, it may be a distraction.
Pause for a moment an ask yourself, “Do I need all the material items of my culture to be perfect?” Things like granite counter tops, smart phones, another pair of new shoes, and four wheelers. The answer is no. Now, ask yourself, Do I need a church building and manuals to be perfect according to the scriptures?” Once again the answer is no. Jesus didn’t hand a manual to the woman by the well. He didn’t gather the twelve to a last supper in the cultural hall. He let the world take care of the world and he lead by the spirit.
We are a people who are blessed with abundance. An abundance of goods and an abundance of expectations and rules. I admit I enjoy the abundance of goods and I chafe are the abundance of rules. But, like a child who has been given so may birthday gifts, we try to carry them all around with us. We carry the social expectations of for both materials goods, behavior appropriate to our status, and a tightening number of pseudo-religious rules on dress, conduct, and lets face it, politics.
I suspect that bit by bit we have burdened ourselves with so many cultural ideals (scripts) of perfection that we can do nothing but fail. Sadly, I don’t think God really cares about most of the things we worry about. May I suggest we take a look at the many things we have been told to worry about beyond the commandments and that we evaluate each of them. Is this something God really cares about? (Does God worry if I wear flip flops, does he want me to conform to Republican politics, should I clean my bathroom more than once a week) Think about it. Pray about it. Is it something that effects my purse or my soul? Is it something God asked me to do or am I following the script some person wrote to fill their own need? When we've looked at the things we worry about, we can take the things we don’t need and throw them out. Each person will find a different list that fits their life. Each person will add more or discard other items as they progress (for all I know you can't enjoy church if your bathroom isn't clean, so you keep that on your list if you need it).
In the end I think we will find that the only way to hold to the iron rod is if we unload our burdens so we can keep one had free to hang on. And the only way we will be able to walk through the straight and narrow gate is if we unload the extra burdens that block our ability to more forward. In fact, if we unload enough of our own self-imposed burdens we might find we have a hand free to help someone else.
Consider the scripture Matthew 5:48 which tells us to be perfect. What is perfect? Whose idea of perfect should we follow? I submit that we can look at the ten commandments, the simple straight forward commandments, to get a good idea of what perfect is in God‘s eyes.
Are you killing people? Are you messing with your neighbor’s spouse? Do you steal or lie? Do you respect you parents? Do you put God first?
There is nothing in the scriptures that tell you to have a clean kitchen, to bake you own wheat bread, to make center pieces for church lessons, or to wear a white shirt. I think our ideas about perfection come from two sources: The consumer driven world we live in. The world of TV shows and intense consumer marketing. And a church that once, a century ago, that was near financial bankruptcy but now has all the money it needs. That money pays for buildings, books, manuals and travel. That purse and the scrips it pays for create a environment where more and more content heads our way to show members just how perfect they should be. But that content may not be helpful. In fact, it may be a distraction.
Pause for a moment an ask yourself, “Do I need all the material items of my culture to be perfect?” Things like granite counter tops, smart phones, another pair of new shoes, and four wheelers. The answer is no. Now, ask yourself, Do I need a church building and manuals to be perfect according to the scriptures?” Once again the answer is no. Jesus didn’t hand a manual to the woman by the well. He didn’t gather the twelve to a last supper in the cultural hall. He let the world take care of the world and he lead by the spirit.
We are a people who are blessed with abundance. An abundance of goods and an abundance of expectations and rules. I admit I enjoy the abundance of goods and I chafe are the abundance of rules. But, like a child who has been given so may birthday gifts, we try to carry them all around with us. We carry the social expectations of for both materials goods, behavior appropriate to our status, and a tightening number of pseudo-religious rules on dress, conduct, and lets face it, politics.
I suspect that bit by bit we have burdened ourselves with so many cultural ideals (scripts) of perfection that we can do nothing but fail. Sadly, I don’t think God really cares about most of the things we worry about. May I suggest we take a look at the many things we have been told to worry about beyond the commandments and that we evaluate each of them. Is this something God really cares about? (Does God worry if I wear flip flops, does he want me to conform to Republican politics, should I clean my bathroom more than once a week) Think about it. Pray about it. Is it something that effects my purse or my soul? Is it something God asked me to do or am I following the script some person wrote to fill their own need? When we've looked at the things we worry about, we can take the things we don’t need and throw them out. Each person will find a different list that fits their life. Each person will add more or discard other items as they progress (for all I know you can't enjoy church if your bathroom isn't clean, so you keep that on your list if you need it).
In the end I think we will find that the only way to hold to the iron rod is if we unload our burdens so we can keep one had free to hang on. And the only way we will be able to walk through the straight and narrow gate is if we unload the extra burdens that block our ability to more forward. In fact, if we unload enough of our own self-imposed burdens we might find we have a hand free to help someone else.
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