Love One Another

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." --John 13:34, KJV.

The entire world has become a battle. No one is exempt, everyone must take a side. If you don't actively take a stance you are assigned to one, or assumed to support one or the other. Any stance you do take immediately assigns you to five other labels related.

 Allow me to give a few hypothetical examples:

Gertrude stays politically neutral on social media, but frequently posts pictures of her six-month baby. She expresses her gratitude for her child and is one of those over-happy Instagram mommies. Gertrude's friend, Penelope, assumes that Gertrude doesn't care about women's rights because she is obviously pro-life, or anti-choice. She is so happy about her baby she can't possibly support abortion.

Charlie's friend Fred came out as gay on social media. He "liked" the post, and immediately was attacked by a conservative friend. He was asked if he was also gay, and if he had evaluated his morals lately.

Bob is white. Bob posts a #bluelivesmatter on his Facebook to support the policemen in his area. Immediately he is attacked, called a racist and a hater. Because he supports police, he cannot support black people. He must be a white supremacist or a secret KKK supporter.

These may seem extreme, but it's a real thing happening today. The media has made everything divided, a definite line in the middle of every single debate, and that has made it so all of us assign labels to different opinions, whether we mean to or not.

One of the biggest enhancers of these divisions comes in the form of political correctness. Dallin H. Oaks in his talk "No Other Gods" from October 2013's General Conference, calls political correctness a modern form of "idol worship", or putting something before God. Not that we should be rude or insulting to those around us--Jesus commanded us to "love one another" without any stipulations. However, denying the existence of sin in an effort to make everybody happy is putting our comfort before God and His commandments.

Please enjoy this comedic sketch about the perils of political correctness. (It is a joke, I promise.)

I know this sketch is humorous and, again, an example taken to the utmost extreme, but it serves a point: When does the un-defining of terms stop? Anymore, "man" and "woman" are very ambiguous terms. And yet, that does not stop the battle. Instead of a battle between men and women it has become a battle between supporting transgenderism and maintaining the integrity of birth gender.

The most puzzling thing to me is that while "man" and "woman" are quickly becoming meaningless words, "black" and "white" are becoming increasingly emphasized. While gender doesn't matter, black lives do, but not "all lives matter", because that's offensive. Black lives do matter, but is it wrong for me to say my son's life doesn't because he will be white? (If you've met me and my husband, we'll be lucky if he tans at all and doesn't glow in the dark, we both come from such good Irish stock.) It's not his fault both his parents are paler than pale, and yet if I say his white life matters I'm a bigot, a racist, putting down the lives of black people.

Let me make something clear: I have opinions. I do. I love and respect policemen, though that does not mean I want them killing black people. I don't want anyone killing any people. I support marriage between a man and a woman, and I have my issues with open-gender bathrooms. However, that doesn't mean I think transgender people are bad people, or that people in homosexual relationships are evil. I just know what I believe is true and how I want my son's world to be.

I believe that God has decreed certain things and that going against those commandments is a sin. However, no one is perfect. I cannot condemn the transgender community because God loves them just as much as He loves me, and I have just as many sins to overcome as they do. We all do, they are just different sins. Our repentance and obedience is between us and God. I will do what I believe is right--and that includes loving everyone.

God is the judge. We are not. We are entitled to our beliefs, morals, and opinions, but not to shame or judge others for theirs. Someone who supports Trump is not entitled to call a Clinton supporter an idiot, and vice versa. There are lines in the sand on every conceivable issue, but that doesn't mean everyone on the other side of the line is evil or stupid or bigoted or even ignorant. Showing love toward everyone doesn't mean folding over and not standing up for what we believe, but it also doesn't mean shouting down everyone else's opinions.

When we remember that we are all brothers and sisters, children of a loving and perfect Heavenly Father who sees us all as children, struggling to learn and obey and grow, maybe then we will be more loving, more charitable, and more forgiving. That is what the world needs more of today: charity and forgiveness. Let's start that today, and maybe the defining lines in the world's battles will become a little less important than loving others.

Nephites and Lamanites

In the earliest chapters of the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel are shown to ignore the commandments of God and hate their brother Nephi. This eventually causes the separation of the Nephites and the Lamanites. 

In 2 Nephi 5:20-24, when the Nephites and Lamanites first separate, it is explained that the Lord put a curse on the Lamanites:

"Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence.

"And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

"And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.

 "And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.

 "And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey."

This doesn't seem fair for the Lamanites, does it? They were cursed because of the sins of their fathers. Aren't we taught that God punishes us for our own sins, and not those of our ancestors? Article of Faith #2 says, "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." Shouldn't this apply to the Lamanites as well?

I propose that there is a difference between consequences for our parents choices and consequences for our own choices. The Lamanites for generations after Laman and Lemuel, the original dissenters, died were cursed with dark skin and lived with no knowledge of God. However, I do not believe that in the eternal scheme of things they will be judged by those same things that caused them to be cursed. 

Just before he died, Lehi taught and blessed each of his sons, including Laman and Lemuel. The following is from 2 Nephi 4: 3-7,9.

 "...he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my firstborn, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.

 "For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

 "But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

"Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

"Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever.

" ...wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed shall be blessed."

The children of Laman and Lemuel lived with the consequences of the teachings of their fathers. They did not know God, and they were constantly at war with the Nephites. However, this was temporal. Those sins that they committed because of their upbringing were answered upon the heads of Laman, Lemuel, and their wives. Just because a Lamanite was born, lived, and died with no chance to hear the word of God and repent does not mean they will go to hell. 

God loves all His children, Nephite and Lamanite, and does not cast out souls on a whim. While we may live with the consequences of our parents's decisions, we will be judged by our own decisions in the circumstances we were in. 

This still applies to us today. A child can be labeled a never-do-well because of their parentage or the area where they live. This deeply influences how they perform. God knows their circumstances and what they are capable of. He does not see them as a never-do-well. If they choose to truly be a never-do-well and cheat, lie, or steal, that's different. They chose that path, and that is a consequence for their own actions, not for their upbringing. 

So often in our society we see this struggle today. Are kids in the ghetto are more likely to get shot or to shoot someone because they're bad or because of their environment? Are white people innately racist, or are they being punished because of what members of my race did a hundred years ago? Are we punishing the children of same-sex couples by not letting them get baptized until they are 18, or is it to help them live what they covenanted without turning against their parents? 

God is the perfect judge, because he knows everything: Our hearts, our minds, our desires, our upbringing, our fears, our struggles, and our triumphs. I cannot judge a single Lamanite in the Book of Mormon, but God can. He can judge every single one. Everyone, Nephites and Lamanites, Jew and Gentile, believer and atheist, will stand before God and know that He knows them. We don't have to worry about God being biased or racist or misunderstanding. Our decisions are our decisions, and He knows every one. He loves us. That is why we should love each other and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Not all white people are racist. Not all atheists hate Christians. Not all ghetto kids flunk high school. Not all Nephites were righteous. Not all Lamanites were wicked. If we do our best to become the most Christ-like we can, that will get us to heaven. That is how we show God we want to live with Him again. The other things don't really matter.

Let Freedom Ring

"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows." 
--George Orwell, 1984.

Why would anyone deny that 2+2=4? If you have two donuts and you buy two more you obviously have four. Or if you have two children and then have twins you then have four children. Even more than that, if you are two years old and live for two more years you are then four years old. With all these examples, why would anyone argue? Isn't this a basic math equation, an absolute in the world of mathematics?

If there was someone who believed that 2+2=5, what would you do? Would you tell them that that is not correct and kindly help them find the right answer to the equation? What if they told you that they believe that five really is the answer and that you are wrong for saying four is the only correct answer?

We live in a world where absolutes are hidden, questioned, and attacked. Telling anyone they can't do something because that's "not the way it is" is an affront to everyone's right to everything, and therefore you are a bigot for saying so. News sources love to jump on anything anyone says that is politically incorrect or a freudian slip because that is what makes the news today: Whose rights are being infringed upon today?

Not that I'm saying there's anything bad about making sure people have rights. Each and every person on this earth is a child of God, and therefore have the rights. According to the founding fathers, we all have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (The Declaration of Independence). The Book of Mormon tells us that "[men] are free to choose" (2 Nephi  2:27). Everyone on this earth has the right to live and to make their own choices. But what happens when our freedom begins to infringe upon the freedom of others?

The past few years there have been huge movements in the LGBT community. Gay marriage has been legalized, bathrooms declared ungendered, and the first LGBT national monument created. This has been thrilling to those in the LGBT community and its supporters. However, not all the changes have been good.

There are multiple accounts of bakers who feel baking a cake for a gay or lesbian wedding goes against their religion are fined large amounts of money for refusing their services (one example showed $135,000). Instead of LGBT rights being denied, religious rights are considered unimportant by the courts. So whose rights should have been upheld?

My answer: Both! I don't agree with gay marriage, but that doesn't mean anyone should be cruel to those who live that lifestyle. However, most stores have a policy that allows them to refuse service to anyone, and that doesn't just mean they disagree with the marriage they are being asked to make a cake for. The couple could have found a different bakery, taking their business and money elsewhere. The baker did not need to be fined exorbitant amounts of money for wanting to stick to their religious beliefs. I have no doubt LGBT-only bakeries will be opened soon, and that they will not be considered bigoted for only serving those couples. However, a Christian baker who will only serve traditional marriages isn't just labeled a bigot, but their name is completely ruined after having been sent to court and fined. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/court-ruling-colorado-baker-refused-gay-wedding-cake/)

The goal with this post isn't to argue over the right and wrong of this rather outdated example, but to show how focusing on the freedoms of one specific people takes away the freedoms of the others. Honestly, I'm afraid I will lose friendships with this new blog, but I cannot be silent any more. Everyone deserves to be loved, yes, but "everyone" means blacks, Muslims, gays, and women only anymore. I feel badly for my husband: He is a white, straight, Christian, politically conservative man who has no hope of ever being listened to because his entire existence labels him a bigot, a homophobe, and a white supremacist. He deserves to be loved and respected just as much as any of the LGBT's who are gathering for a rally.

I'm not denying the existence of right and wrong. In my mind "2+2=4" is just as basic as the fact that a family is made of a man and a woman. But that's not the point of this post. The point is that at the rate we're going, 2+2=4 could go the same way as man+woman=family: It could become outdated, discriminatory, even dangerous.

If "freedom is the freedom to say two plus two makes four" without fear, then it is also the freedom for me to say on social media, "God lives, He has decreed right and wrong, and He has a plan for all of us" without fear. That's what this is: This is the beginning of my freedom without fear, because I know that there is a right and wrong, and that God loves every single one of us, no matter how much wrong we choose, and we all choose it. The point is that, along with our freedom to choose wrong, we are also free to choose to return to God. That is the most wonderful freedom of all.