tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48462708086222105892024-03-13T04:57:27.163-06:00The Face of the Other"In front of the face, I always demand more of myself."Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-26335799206271754692019-05-06T22:00:00.002-06:002019-05-07T07:18:59.697-06:00Adventures in the Heart of Africa[<i>This post also appears as a guest post on "<a href="http://timsclownalley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tim Torkildon's Clown Alley</a>."</i>]<br />
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Where is the very heart of Africa? The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR-Congo) has a good claim—it’s the second largest country of the continent in area and the fourth largest in population and is located near the geographical center of Africa.<br />
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And at the center of the DR-Congo is a city of some historical and political significance named Lodja. The first prime minister of the DR-Congo, Patrice Lumumba, was born not far (roughly 50 miles [80km]) from Lodja, in the village of Onalua in the Katako-Kombe area of what is now Sankuru Province. Other important political figures have ties to Lodja and vicinity. The area was devastated by the incursion of troops from several nations involved in the Second Congo War (1998-2003).<br />
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Even now, poverty is intense, educational opportunities are limited, and infrastructure is almost non-existent.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Blair Young and Deborah Bassa, wife of filmmaker Tshoper Kabambi</td></tr>
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For the past couple of years, my wife—Margaret Blair Young—has focused her efforts in this area in an effort to bring hope and help in rebuilding. She has created Congo Rising (a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation) to raise funds and organize efforts, and has spent several months living in Lodja. (As of this writing, she is in the middle of a seven-week stay in the city.) Along with other Americans (including her brother Dell and a friend, Dwan Bradley), she has worked with several Congolese citizens, among them Abbé Veron (On’Okundji Okavu Ekanga Blaise Veron), a Catholic priest and rector of the Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lodja.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbé Veron (On’Okundji Okavu Ekanga Blaise Veron)</td></tr>
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Abbé Veron, who, besides being a priest, is a poet, playwright, and philosopher (“the only philosopher of the Sankuru Province!” according to some who know him), received a doctorate in France in the 1990s and won a 50,000 euro prize for his dissertation. (It has been published as <i>Les entrailles du porc-épic: une nouvelle éthique pour l'Afrique</i>.) But because Lodja had been ravaged by war and its aftermath, he returned there and used his prize money to establish schools. He is in many ways the spiritual and intellectual heart of this city in the heart of Africa.<br />
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Working with Abbé Veron and others over the past couple of years, Margaret has provided equipment and supplies to medical clinics in the area, has helped build a cyber café where residents can use laptops we have transported to Lodja, and, along with others in her team, has taught English and other subjects to students at the university. We have also worked to provide scholarships so students can stay in school. We have gone into villages surrounding Lodja, forming relationships and assessing conditions.<br />
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Margaret has interviewed individuals in the area, listening to their personal stories and offering friendship and encouragement—even recording and printing the residents’ stories and providing material and equipment for bookbinding so the stories can be preserved.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center: Tshoper’s great-aunt; Right: Tshoper Kabambi</td></tr>
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Recently, we arranged for Tshoper Kabambi, a pioneering Congolese filmmaker, and his wife and mother to fly from Kinshasa to Lodja so they could meet Tshoper’s great-aunt—the woman who raised his mother but who his mother had not seen for 40 years. That reunion has been filmed and will be part of a documentary—probably the first film primarily in Tetela, the language of this region.<br />
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Once it is finished, we look forward to bringing equipment that will allow us to show the documentary in Lodja and nearby villages. Rebuilding this area is more than just a matter of material goods and medical care, though these are important. It also involves rebuilding the spirit of the people and providing a vision of meaning and possibilities. Film making, which is just now reviving in the DR-Congo, is one of the ways this spiritual rebuilding can take place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tshoper’s great-aunt with Tshoper’s mother, Célestine Aselu</td></tr>
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If you are interested in knowing more about Congo Rising and our efforts in Lodja or about how you can contribute, we invite you to click on this link: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/congo-rising-2019">https://www.gofundme.com/congo-rising-2019</a><br />
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<b>VERSION FRANÇAISE:</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Aventures au coeur de l'Afrique</b></span><br />
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Où est le coeur même de l'Afrique? La République démocratique du Congo (RD Congo) a une bonne prétention: il s’agit du deuxième pays du continent en termes de superficie et du quatrième en population, situé près du centre géographique de l’Afrique.<br />
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Et au centre de la RD Congo, il y a une ville d'importance historique et politique appelée Lodja. Le premier Premier ministre de la RDC, Patrice Lumumba, est né non loin (50 miles [80kim]) de Lodja, dans le village d'Onalua, dans la région de Katako-Kombe de l'actuelle province de Sankuru. D'autres personnalités politiques importantes ont des liens avec Lodja et ses environs. La région a été dévastée par l'incursion de troupes de plusieurs pays impliqués dans la deuxième guerre du Congo (1998-2003).<br />
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Même maintenant, la pauvreté est intense, les possibilités d’éducation sont limitées et les infrastructures quasi inexistantes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Blair Young et Deborah Bassa, épouse du cinéaste Tshoper Kabambi</td></tr>
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Au cours des dernières années, mon épouse, Margaret Blair Young, a concentré ses efforts dans ce domaine afin de redonner espoir et d’aider à la reconstruction. Elle a créé Congo Rising (une société à but non lucratif exempte d'impôts) pour collecter des fonds et organiser ses efforts. Elle a passé plusieurs mois à Lodja. (Au moment que j’écris ces lignes, elle est au milieu d'un séjour de sept semaines dans la ville.) Aux côtés d'autres Américains (notamment son frère Dell et un ami, Dwan Bradley), elle a travaillé avec plusieurs citoyens congolais, dont l'abbé Veron (On'Okundji Okavu Ekanga Blaise Veron), prêtre catholique et recteur de l'Université des sciences et des technologies de Lodja.<br />
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L’abbé Veron, qui est non seulement un prêtre, mais aussi un poète, un dramaturge et un philosophe («le seul philosophe de la province du Sankuru!» Selon certains qui le connaissent), a obtenu un doctorat en France dans les années 1990 et a remporté 50 000 euros. prix pour sa thèse. (La thèse a été publiée sous le titre dans «Les entrailles du porc-épic: une nouvelle éthique pour l'Afrique».) Mais Lodja ayant été ravagé par la guerre et ses conséquences, il y est retourné et a utilisé son argent pour fonder des écoles. Il est à bien des égards le cœur spirituel et intellectuel de cette ville au cœur de l'Afrique.<br />
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En collaborant avec l'abbé Véron et d'autres personnes au cours des deux dernières années, Margaret a fourni du matériel et des fournitures aux cliniques médicales de la région, a contribué à la création d'un cybercafé où les résidents peuvent utiliser les ordinateurs portables que nous avons transportés à Lodja, et, avec d’autres membres de son équipe, a enseigné l’anglais et d’autres matières aux étudiants de l’université. Nous avons également travaillé pour fournir des bourses afin que les étudiants puissent rester à l'école. Nous sommes allés dans des villages autour de Lodja, en formant des relations et en évaluant les conditions.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Des écolières à Lodja</td></tr>
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Margaret a interrogé des personnes dans la région, écoutant leurs histoires personnelles et offrant amitié et encouragement. Elle a même enregistré et imprimé les histoires des résidents et fourni du matériel et des équipements pour la reliure afin que les histoires puissent être préservées.<br />
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Récemment, nous avons pris des dispositions pour que Tshoper Kabambi, cinéaste pionnier congolais, et son épouse et à sa mère puissent voyager de Kinshasa à Lodja afin de pouvoir rencontrer la grande tante de Tshoper, la femme qui a élevé sa mère mais que sa mère n’avait pas vue depuis 40 ans. Cette réunion a été filmée et fera partie d'un documentaire - probablement le premier film principalement en Tetela, la langue de cette région.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ft042FZj2PIt6cIk5V_Yl5e6TrnzT9MuPtxEF-ZC3PlPLpX2apqGlOqYIAqK2N0Vx69YNQQeeIJOiSygLuOJCU4lR-pXqIRBMSmkSVoU-0VtzikoLUdQvUCBMYoGjyRSUXYJB2YHyWg4/s1600/image010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="826" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ft042FZj2PIt6cIk5V_Yl5e6TrnzT9MuPtxEF-ZC3PlPLpX2apqGlOqYIAqK2N0Vx69YNQQeeIJOiSygLuOJCU4lR-pXqIRBMSmkSVoU-0VtzikoLUdQvUCBMYoGjyRSUXYJB2YHyWg4/s400/image010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La grande tante de Tshoper avec la mère de Tshoper, Célestine Aselu</td></tr>
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Une fois qu’il sera terminé, nous avons hâte d’apporter du matériel qui nous permettra de montrer le documentaire à Lodja et dans les villages voisins. Reconstruire ce domaine est plus qu'une question de biens matériels et de soins médicaux, même si ceux-ci sont importants. Cela implique également de reconstruire l'esprit des gens et de fournir une vision du sens et des possibilités. La fabrication de films, qui est en train de renaître en RD Congo, est l’un des moyens de cette reconstruction spirituelle.<br />
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Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur Congo Rising et nos efforts à Lodja our sur comment vous pouvez contribuer, nous vous invitons à cliquer sur ce lien: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/congo-rising-2019">https://www.gofundme.com/congo-rising-2019</a><br />
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-15313136939173549032016-12-26T07:04:00.000-07:002016-12-29T07:49:58.771-07:00Christmas 2016<br />
We had a wonderful Christmas this year, spending lots of time with family. (One thing that made it exceptionally special was that it was our first Christmas with our newest grandchild, Olive.)<br />
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But the whole of the month was enriched with Christmas related activities. My wife Margaret and I sang in two choirs and got to know some heartbreakingly beautiful music. Along with a neighbor and her young daughter, we went caroling and took treats to people in our neighborhood, including a couple visiting from Russia. (To them we sang--in Russian--a carol I learned from my father-in-law 30 years ago.) We took part in online Christmas scripture reading and discussion organized by a nephew and his wife (see <a href="http://everywordbible.com/" target="_blank">http://everywordbible.com</a>). And we took part in the <a href="https://www.mormon.org/christmas/in-25-ways-over-25-days" target="_blank">"Light the World"</a> program of service and Christian discipleship sponsored by the LDS Church.<br />
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One struggle I had during practices for one of the choirs was being struck with sudden and overwhelming emotion while singing several of the songs. One of them--and one of my favorites--is "What Sweeter Music," composed by John Rutter, with words from the seventeenth-century poet Robert Herrick. [See note 1 below for more on this song.]
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One phrase in particular always struck me with particular force: "We see him come, and know him ours." Why does that line affect me as it does? The present tense "We see him come" makes the reality and presence of Jesus Christ feel immediate, almost palpable. And it emphasizes his presence among us: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth."<br />
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But the words that affect me most are "and know him ours." I feel something reciprocal in that: as he is ours, we are also his--we belong to him; his mission is to heal us and deliver us; he has bought us with his blood. But his love for us, his saving work on our behalf, his dwelling among us, have in some sense made him ours. He belongs to us. He became flesh; he took upon him human nature; he experienced human life in all its dimensions, including (through his perfect empathy and love) our grief, our despair, our alienation and sin. That old (by now) pop song "What if God were one of us" is truer than it intends to be, or true in a deeper way. The Son of God is an eternal divine person, but he is also part of the human family.<br />
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I also thought during this Christmas season of that experience now 41 years ago in New York City that I wrote about last year. And I've wanted to share that again. Here, along with the link, I offer my continuing conviction that we are all beings with an eternal nature and destiny, and that Jesus is a real and eternal being whose mission is central to the meaning of our lives and our eternal futures.<br />
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The link: <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2015/12/thoughts-for-christmas-why-i-believe-in_28.html" target="_blank">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2015/12/thoughts-for-christmas-why-i-believe-in_28.html</a> ("Thoughts for Christams: Why I Believe in Jesus Christ").<br />
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<u>Note 1</u>: As long as the following link works, you can hear "What Sweeter Music" here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhnaHgXoto" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhnaHgXoto</a>.<br />
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You'll find the words, as they are heard in John Rutter's composition, further below. They are based on a poem by seventeenth-century poet Robert Herrick titled "A Christmas Carol, Sung to the King in the Presence at White-Hall" (see <a href="http://shakespeareauthorship.com/xmas/herrick.html" target="_blank">http://shakespeareauthorship.com/xmas/herrick.html</a> or <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/331/589.html" target="_blank">http://www.bartleby.com/331/589.html</a>).<br />
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The line "We see him come, and know him ours" comes at 1:57-2:03 in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhnaHgXoto" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhnaHgXoto</a>.<br />
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"What Sweeter Music" (lyrics)<br />
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What sweeter music can we bring<br />
Than a carol, for to sing<br />
The birth of this our heavenly King?<br />
Awake the voice! Awake the string!<br />
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Dark and dull night, fly hence away,<br />
And give the honor to this day,<br />
That sees December turned to May.<br />
That sees December turned to May.<br />
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Why does the chilling winter's morn<br />
Smile, like a field beset with corn?<br />
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn,<br />
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see<br />
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:<br />
'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth<br />
Gives life and luster, public mirth,<br />
To heaven, and the under-earth.<br />
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We see him come, and know him ours,<br />
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,<br />
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.<br />
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.<br />
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The darling of the world is come,<br />
And fit it is, we find a room<br />
To welcome him. To welcome him.<br />
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The nobler part<br />
Of all the house here,
is the heart.<br />
Which we will give him; and bequeath<br />
This holly, and this ivy wreath,<br />
To do him honour, who's our King,<br />
And Lord of all this revelling.<br />
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What sweeter music can we bring,<br />
Than a carol for to sing<br />
The birth of this our heavenly King?Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-38529012933908922032016-02-20T14:19:00.000-07:002016-02-23T09:02:47.437-07:00The Pope, the Constitution, and other newsmakers--and reasons for hope and charity<div class="tr_bq">
<br />
Those who follow current events will know that Pope Francis and the US Constitution have been in the news recently, as have what I consider to be deeply troubling statements by certain public figures.<br />
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<br />
<u>The Pope and Donald Trump</u><br />
<br />
Pope Francis was briefly in the news for criticizing those who propose mass deportation and the building of walls: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel."<br />
<br />
Donald Trump, who has proposed building a wall between the US and Mexico, responded that the Pope's comments were "disgraceful," adding that "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith." Trump's social media director called the Pope's remarks "hypocritical" since there is a wall around the Vatican. (But, it should be noted, there are openings in that wall that allow for easy access to the Vatican.)<br />
<br />
The war of words calmed down as Trump said he liked the Pope and the Pope indicated he has been speaking in general terms and was not trying to advise Americans who to vote for.<br />
<br />
In defense of the Pope, I would say that he is entitled to express his opinions. Of course, as a public figure and the leader of a large religious group, he ought to exercise care in expressing those opinions. But I don't think he intended to question anyone's religious affiliation. Instead, I believe he was using "not Christian" to describe certain attitudes and behavior that, in his view, are not in harmony with the teachings of Christ. And in this case, I agree with him.<br />
<br />
In fact, I believe that religious leaders have an obligation to provide moral guidance. I'm a Latter-day Saint ("Mormon"), and, though I'm glad the leaders of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) work hard to maintain partisan neutrality and are sparing in their involvement in political issues, I'm also glad they have taken positions on some issues, encouraging (for instance) a compassionate approach on immigration and undocumented residents.<br />
<br />
Speaking of religion, morality, and politics, Mr. Trump made another interesting (and I think appalling) statement just yesterday, suggesting that we might want to follow the (possibly apocryphal) example of General John Pershing, who, according to Trump, while seeking to subdue resistance from Muslims in the Philippines, dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood (eating pig's meat is forbidden by Islamic as well as Jewish law) and then "lined up the 50 people and they shot 49 of those 50 people, and he said to the 50th, you go back to your people and you tell them what happened--and in 25 years there wasn't a problem."<br />
<br />
For the Council on American-Islamic Relations, however, there was a problem in Trump's rhetoric, which they said had "crossed the line from spreading hatred to inciting violence." In their view:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By directly stating that the only way to stop terrorism is to murder Muslims in graphic and religiously-offensive ways, he places the millions of innocent, law-abiding citizens in the American Muslim community at risk from rogue vigilantes. He further implies that our nation should adopt a strategy of systematized violence in its engagement with the global Muslim community, a chilling message from a potential leader. We pray that no one who hears this message follows his gospel of hate.</blockquote>
How would religious leaders weigh in on this issue? That depends on the leaders. But I'm confident that Catholic and most mainstream Protestant leaders would find Trump's suggestions offensive, as would leaders of other religious communities. Latter-day Saints leaders have not commented directly on Trump's statement, but they have made statements in favor of tolerance and goodwill among those of different religious traditions and against actions deliberately offensive to others' religious beliefs. For instance, in response to threats made by some Americans to burn the Koran, the Church released a statement saying: “A key tenet of our faith is to accord everyone the freedom to worship as they choose. It is regrettable that anyone would regard the burning of any scriptural text as a legitimate form of protest or disagreement.” (<a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-on-the-burning-of-the-koran" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-on-the-burning-of-the-koran</a>.)<br />
<br />
(For more on Latter-day Saints and Muslims, see a blog I posted over five years ago: <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2010/09/thoughts-on-september-11.html" target="_blank">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2010/09/thoughts-on-september-11.html</a>.)<br />
<br />
<u>The US Constitution</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
The US Constitution is often mentioned in political discussions in the United States. Many with widely different views believe that their own views are more in harmony with the Constitution than anyone else's. I believe the the Constitution is an important and even an inspired document. But it obviously shows the signs of human construction, and it can obviously be interpreted in different ways by different (and all imperfect) human beings.<br />
<br />
I admire the view of those described as "originalists," who think that modern judges should determine the document's meaning in accordance with the intent of the original authors of the Constitution. But even if I were to accept that view wholeheartedly, I would have to acknowledge that the wording of the Constitution did not mean exactly the same thing to every individual involved in its composition or approval and that the best we can do, given our own limitations and the complexities of historical interpretation, is to approximate what we think was the original authors' intent. Even if the original authors had a single, uniform understanding of every word in the document (which they didn't) and even if we could determine that understanding perfectly (which we can't), I think we could still legitimately consider the possibility that changing circumstances might require us to adjust (even if just slightly) what we take to be the meaning of the words.<br />
<br />
Having said that, I think it's interesting that some of those who present themselves as strict constructionists in regard to constitutional interpretation have suggested something that I would (semi-facetiously) describe as revising the meaning of the Constitution without going through the amendment process. What I'm alluding to is the current controversy over whether President Obama should nominate a successor to Antonin Scalia as a member of the US Supreme Court. I believe it's clear that the Constitution indicates he should (that is, not only does he have the option of doing so; he has the duty).<br />
<br />
Here's how the relevant wording reads (from Article 2, section 2):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He [the President] . . . by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint . . . . Judges of the supreme Court. . . .<br />
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.</blockquote>
By the way, Supreme Court Justices have occasionally been appointed without a vote in the Senate during a recess and then approved when the Senate reconvenes. That, however, is not what is at issue now, simply whether the President should appoint a justice (subject to the Senate's consent) while the Senate is in session or should relinquish that duty and leave it to his successor, who will take office almost a year from now.<br />
<br />
The Senate, of course, has the option of approving the President's appointment or rejecting it. Historically, almost all appointments were approved, often by unanimous vote. That changed mainly beginning in the 1960s (with rejection of some nominations by Lyndon Johnson) and especially after the rejection of Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork in the 1980s. Since then, the process of considering and voting on Supreme Court nominations has been increasingly politicized. This is the first time, though, that a strong move has been made to prevent having a President even make a nomination or having the Senate consider the nomination.<br />
<br />
Some have suggested that there's a tradition that presidents don't nominate a Supreme Court Justice in the final year of their presidency. That is not true. For one thing, one of President Reagan's nominations was approved in the last year of his presidency.<br />
<br />
In any case, I see the delay some are calling for to be a kind of "amending" of the Constitution without going through the amendment process. The new wording (assuming that such a process were to take place) would be something like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He [the President] . . . by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint . . . . Judges of the supreme Court <b>during the first three full years of his term. But he shall not make such an appointment during the final full year of his term.</b> . . .</blockquote>
Just to be clear: this is <i>not</i> how the Constitution currently reads. I suppose some would limit the prohibition on a fourth year Supreme Court nomination to a president's second term and allow him to make such nominations during his entire first term. But that seems odd since the fourth year of a first-term president would still be an election year, and the presidential election could still be taken, as some have suggested (<u>but as the Constitution does not</u>), as a referendum on who should fill a vacancy in the court. As for the Constitutional allowance for a recess appointment without (initial) Senate approval, I'm not sure what those pushing for a delay would say.<br />
<br />
I'm confident that if Mitt Romney had been elected president, none of those now calling on President Obama to delay making an appointment would argue for a hypothetical "President Romney" to delay. On the other hand, there very well could be Democrats, in such a situation, calling for delay. I hope that I'm independent minded enough that I would still favor following standard constitutional procedure, even if I wasn't sure I would like the outcome.<br />
<br />
(<u>Another issue</u>: I have wondered whether a delay in filling a Supreme Court vacancy could theoretically be indefinite. That is, could a president indefinitely delay nominating a justice--including a chief justice--and could the Senate indefinitely delay giving consent, not to mention delay even considering the nominee? Such delays could, of course, in some circumstances lead to a constitutional crisis, as could similar delays in following the provisions of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment about filling the office of vice-president when a vice-president succeeds to the presidency after the death, resignation, or removal from office of a president. I've tried to think through this issue in a separate blog post: <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/02/more-on-filling-vacancies-in-supreme.html" target="_blank">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/02/more-on-filling-vacancies-in-supreme.html</a>.)<br />
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<br />
<u>Antonin Scalia</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
I think it likely that Justice Scalia would NOT have been in favor of a year-long delay in filling a Supreme Court vacancy, even during an election year. Besides being devoted to the letter of the Constitution, Scalia regretted the politicization of the court and was on friendly terms with justices who differed from him ideologically. He was especially good friends with Justice Ginsburg and Justice Kagan. In fact, he privately (and indirectly) suggested that President Obama consider Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court, on the grounds that, knowing the President wouldn't appoint an ideological clone of Scalia, he should nominate "someone smart." Scalia specifically mentioned Kagan, probably for her pragmatism and sense of humor as well as her intellect, and in fact, when she eventually became a member of the court, they struck up a close friendship. (See <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/14/opinions/david-axelrod-surprise-request-from-justice-scalia/" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/14/opinions/david-axelrod-surprise-request-from-justice-scalia/</a>.)<br />
<br />
Today, a funeral was held for Justice Scalia. The funeral mass held for him is, of course, very different from the funeral that will be held a week from today for my father-in-law Robert Blair, who died yesterday morning. But as I watched part of Scalia's funeral, I saw some connections. This funeral was celebrated by one of Scalia's sons, who is a priest. In his homily that son taught several truths with which I heartily agree. He expressed great love for his father but also acknowledged that he, like all of us, was a sinner. His father was not yet perfect, he said, or rather Christ is not yet perfected in him--and until that happens in any of us, we cannot enter heaven (or what Latter-day Saints call "the celestial kingdom" or the fullness of God's presence). He referred to his father as an imperfect man who needs further cleansing through God's grace.<br />
<br />
As I assume most readers are aware, Scalia was Catholic, and this allusion to an intermediate state--sometimes called Purgatory--is a distinctively Catholic doctrine, something strict Protestants don't believe in. (The strictly Protestant view is that everyone goes to either heaven or hell immediately upon death.) Also, the funeral mass included a great deal of praying for the dead--something again that Protestants don't generally do, holding that there is nothing we can do for those who have died. In fact, 500 years ago, these issues were at the root of the Reformation.<br />
<br />
Though the Latter-day Saint view isn't exactly like that of Catholics, we differ even more from strict Protestants on these issues. We believe we <i>can</i> do something for those who have died. That in fact is one of the main purposes of temples. There the work of salvation extends to those who have died. It follows that we believe there is an intermediate state between death and final judgment. Joseph Smith taught that "it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave," and a later prophet, Joseph F. Smith, taught (echoing the New Testament teachings of Peter) that the gospel is preached to those who have died that they might prepare to receive the blessings of eternal life. (See 1 Peter 3 & 4 and Doctrine and Covenants 138.)<br />
<br />
C. S. Lewis too believed in such an intermediate state, despite the fact that he considered himself an ordinary Anglican, that is, a member of a more or less Protestant church that theoretically rejected the idea of Purgatory. Lewis stated his view in a book titled <i>Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer</i>, where he says that he believes in Purgatory and that "Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me." He continues: "Mind you, the Reformers had good reasons for throwing doubt on the 'Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory' as that Romish doctrine had then become." Yet, he says, "Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first.' 'It may hurt, you know' - 'Even so, sir.'" Then he says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I assume that the process of purification will normally involve suffering. Partly from tradition; partly because most real good that has been done me in this life has involved it. But I don't think the suffering is the purpose of the purgation. I can well believe that people neither much worse nor much better than I will suffer less than I or more. . . . The treatment given will be the one required, whether it hurts little or much.</blockquote>
I find the language of Joseph F. Smith in Doctrine and Covenants section 138 still more illuminating and more deeply in harmony with the fundamental doctrines of salvation:<br />
<blockquote>
29 And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;<br />
30 But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.<br />
31 And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.<br />
32 Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.<br />
33 These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,<br />
34 And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. . . .<br />
57 I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead.<br />
58 The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,<br />
59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.</blockquote>
The work of salvation is universal, extending to both sides of the veil (by the way, Scalia's son referred to "the veil" being especially "thin" at funerals), extending to the past, present, and future, reaching every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. There is great reason for hope, great reason for charity, even toward those whose words, attitudes, and behavior seem at present something less than fully "Christian." Taken strictly, that would describe all of us.<br />
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-12217846911055396642015-12-28T10:04:00.000-07:002016-12-26T07:06:44.046-07:00Thoughts for Christmas: Why I Believe in Jesus Christ<br />
Today is the fortieth anniversary of one of the most important and memorable days of my life. On December 25, 1975, I was in New York City, where I was attending graduate school. That day I had a set of experiences that has helped shape me and given a foundation for the rest of my life.<br />
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Though I missed my family back in Utah, I decided to stay in New York City for Christmas, given the cost of a flight. I was living in International House, on 122nd Street and Riverside Drive (across from Grant's Tomb). But I spent Christmas eve with a family who lived a few blocks away in Manhattan (on Amsterdam Ave., I believe), one of the few families with children I knew from the church I attended. I stayed the night with the family and spent Christmas morning with them. Being with a family for Christmas eve and morning took away much of the sting of being away from my own family. Then I returned to International House.<br />
<br />
It was a grayish day. I remember looking out of a window and seeing the city looking particularly bleak. For whatever reason I felt bleak inside too: empty, aching, alone. I tried to shake the feeling. I remember going to a common area so I could be around other people. That eased things temporarily. But when I went back to my room, the intensely bleak feelings returned. As time for bed approached, I told myself I would feel better the next day after a night's sleep. And I got ready to go to bed.<br />
<br />
But as I sat on my bed I had the impulse to reach over to my bookshelf and get my scriptures. I opened them to the Gospel of John and started reading in the chapters where Jesus speaks to his disciples following the Last Supper. I don't remember how deliberately I opened to those chapters--it felt almost as if the book opened there of its own accord--but it was the perfect spot for my needs.<br />
<br />
As I read parts of those chapters, I had an experience unlike any I had ever had before. It didn't feel as if I was reading the words: rather, I felt the words being spoken to me. It felt, very clearly and powerfully, as if the voice of Christ himself was speaking directly to me:<br />
<br />
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. . . . I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 1, 6)<br />
<br />
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (15:5)<br />
<br />
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.<br />
"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.<br />
"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. . . .<br />
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (16:20-22, 33)<br />
<br />
Those words--and the voice I felt speaking them--filled the emptiness, brought warmth and life, softened and even took away the ache. I felt something substantial and vital in me, something that had come from elsewhere but that had become part of me, laying a solid foundation--a foundation that I've felt has never left me, despite many challenges and failures I've experienced in the intervening years.<br />
<br />
Then something else remarkable happened. After reading from the Gospel of John, and still in the wake of the experience, I knelt and prayed. I had prayed every night since coming to New York City. But this felt real and alive in a way that my prayers had not usually been. For the past four months, I had prayed every night for each member of my family--my parents and my siblings--but with the passage of time, their names had almost become mere labels. Even my memory of their faces had become vague. But this night--December 25, 1975--as I thought of each of them (Mom, Dad, Nancy, Annette, Larry, Daren, and Lynda), I not only remembered their faces clearly, I <i>felt</i> the essence of who they were; I felt their presence more vividly and substantially even than I usually did when I was with them. Somehow what had happened to me as I felt the voice of Jesus and heard his words had enabled me to know and sense the reality of those who were closest to me in a deeper and more powerful way.<br />
<br />
As might be expected, that way of experiencing things did not continue with the intensity I have just described. In fact, there have been bleak moments since then, times of emptiness and aching and feelings that I have been far away from where I want to be. But the experience of that evening left an indelible mark. I have remembered it clearly for forty years and cannot forget the reality and power and significance of what I heard and felt.<br />
<br />
That is one of the experiences that have made of me a follower of Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
But it was not the first, and has certainly not been the last.<br />
<br />
<u>Age 12 and beyond</u><br />
<br />
The first time I bore my testimony in public--in a Fast and Testimony Meeting (see note 2) when I was 12 years old--I declared that I knew that "Jesus Christ is the Son of God." I still remember the clarity of the conviction I expressed that day (probably in late 1962), which was based on having read the New Testament Gospels. As I had read them, likely as an 11-year-old, I felt very clearly that these were honest reports of events that had actually happened, that these accounts conveyed the experiences of people who had actually known Jesus Christ and had actually experienced the things recorded in the Gospels.<br />
<br />
I have since become aware of theories suggesting that the putting together of the gospels may be more complicated than I had realized at age 12. But I still hold to my early conviction. Even allowing for the collecting and editing of words and information, I sense strongly the reality of the events recorded in the Gospels.<br />
<br />
My reading of scholarship related to the Gospels has confirmed my confidence in them. Of course, scholars differ in their interpretation of the Gospels and of their authenticity, and a plausible case, on purely intellectual grounds, can be made for different views. But I find myself compelled to reject views that start with the assumption that miracles don't happen, that prophecy is impossible, or that God is not a real, personal being. If you start with the assumption that miracles don't happen, then of course you'll be skeptical of the miracles reported in the Gospels. On the other hand, if you are open to the possibility of miracles, if you've experienced them yourself or know of others who have, then the miracles recorded in Gospels are entirely plausible. The resurrection of Christ in particular is well attested, with hundreds of witnesses and with some very specific accounts--from Peter and John racing to the tomb, to the women, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Christ's appearance to ten and then eleven of his disciples, to Paul's encounter with the very Jesus that he was persecuting--that seem to me clearly to have their source in authentic personal experience.<br />
<br />
Are the New Testament texts reliable from a scholarly point of view? In a short but detailed book, F. F. Bruce makes a good case that they are. (See <i>The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? </i>It is well worth reading.) Raymond Brown, a highly respected Catholic scholar, has done solid and insightful work on the Gospel of John in particular that I find far more persuasive than criticism by scholars who are skeptical of that gospel's authenticity. In an essay titled "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism," C. S. Lewis has applied his characteristically penetrating insight (and his sparkling wit) to New Testament scholarship. Both that essay and another titled "What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?" demonstrate how Lewis's expertise as a reader of literature can be used to illuminate the Gospels. (For my own direct response to some of the criticism skeptical of the New Testament text, see another of my blog posts at <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2007/04/text-of-new-testament.html" target="_blank">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2007/04/text-of-new-testament.html</a>.)<br />
<br />
In his autobiography <i>Surprised by Joy</i>, Lewis recounts his conversion to Christianity, based in part on his reading of the Gospels--an experience that convinced him that the events they describe "almost certainly happened" and that also revealed to him the compelling personality of Jesus Christ, a person with a distinctively human and individual character yet through whom shone the light of holiness and divinity. Another discovery that helped lead to Lewis's conversion was the way that the gospel accounts, arising from the down-to-earth Jewish mentality that was hostile to myth, nevertheless carried profound mythic significance. He described this discovery in another essay titled "Myth Became Fact," in which he argues that the distinctiveness of Christianity lies in part in the way a powerful mythic story "comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It <i>happens</i>--at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences." In the New Testament we find God speaking to us, not through the minds of poets writing in mythic or romantic modes, but through living people and real events taking place in the world of concrete human experience. (See note 3.)<br />
<br />
<u>Christ's power, glory, and moral perfection</u><br />
<br />
I've referred to several writers who have supported my sense that Christianity is distinctive among world religions in having its foundation in real events, including resurrection, involving a divine person who "was made flesh, and dwelt among us," a person who was fully human but who also possessed the power and glory of God. Based on my own careful reading, I am fully persuaded that the New Testament accounts derive from eye-witnesses, from people who "beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father," "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). I find further confirmation of the authenticity of these accounts and of the realities they describe in the Book of Mormon--another book of scripture for whose reliability I believe there is solid evidence--and in the experiences of modern witnesses.<br />
<br />
I respond with gratitude and awe to Christ's power and glory. But I choose to follow him above all because of his moral character. I find my own feelings echoing those of Fyodor Dostoevsky, who wrote: "My moral image and ideal is Christ. . . . [T]here is nothing more beautiful, more profound, more loving, more wise, more courageous and more perfect than Christ" (quoted by Richard Freeborn in <i>The Cambridge History of Russian Literature</i>, ed. Charles Moser, page 304).<br />
<br />
Christ's moral perfection--his goodness and love--make him worthy of worship and discipleship. I also experience his moral character, along with his teachings and the example of his life, as a personal call made to me to change, to become what I have it in me to become, to become ultimately like him: perfect in love, obedience, courage, humility, integrity, and wisdom.<br />
<br />
His life and teachings make it clear that this kind of change requires a profound transformation, a kind of death and rebirth, a consecration of my life to his service and the service of those around me. The call to change can seem daunting and overwhelming. But besides exemplifying what I want to become, Jesus Christ is also the central figure who assists us as we engage in the process.<br />
<br />
My feelings about the call to change are incorporated in a poem that I wrote in the 1970s--possibly before that day forty years ago I have described above. The poem plays on the fact that, though we celebrate Christ's birth in December, it may very well have taken place at another time of the year, possibly in the spring--that is, in the same season in which he was crucified and resurrected. Christmas is thus a reminder of his entire life, including his agony in the garden, his suffering at the hands of Roman soldiers, his suffering and death on the cross, and his glorious resurrection.<br />
<br />
The poem is titled "Spring Birth":<br />
<br />
The words that warmed the winter nights<br />
And set a boy's soul listening<br />
Are not now quite so comforting<br />
(Although they warm with stronger fire<br />
And gather in one living Word).<br />
The words are not so comforting<br />
Because they turn my mind to spring —<br />
The first green hints of shoots and stems<br />
That, for full growth, point to the need<br />
Of the death and burial of the seed.<br />
<br />
Winter scenes seem coldest now<br />
As signs of wakening life appear<br />
And hope of spring joins with the fear<br />
Of movement toward another winter.<br />
Even watching the night-time sky<br />
Whose stars seem fixed in place and kind,<br />
1 see a pattern of change designed<br />
By the seasons' steady, slow rotation<br />
And remember a light that touched the earth<br />
To teach the wonder and the pain of birth.<br />
<br />
The morning and the evening star<br />
That in one season rose and fell,<br />
Buried in darkness only to swell<br />
Sun-like in everliving light,<br />
Shines now to urge my following,<br />
Though by a way I fear to go,<br />
A way requiring me to know<br />
Of both the birth and death in spring.<br />
<br />
<u>The help Christ offers</u><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I believe that Jesus Christ is a real, living person, who dwells (as the scriptures record) "at the right hand of God" (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22) and who is "the brightness of [God's] glory, and the express image of his person" (Hebrews 1:3).<br />
<br />
I also know him as one who understands us, loves us, and comforts and heals us. One of my favorite verses in the Christmas carol "Once in Royal David's City" attests to the power Jesus has to understand us, a power that comes from his having experienced the fullness of human life:<br />
<br />
For he is our childhood's pattern;<br />
Day by day, like us He grew;<br />
He was little, weak and helpless,<br />
Tears and smiles like us He knew;<br />
And He feeleth for our sadness,<br />
And He shareth in our gladness.<br />
<br />
There is scriptural support for this view of Jesus. We read in Hebrews 4:1, concerning Jesus, that "we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The Book of Mormon prophet Alma affirms that the Son of God was to experience human life so that he could understand our experience from the inside and so extend mercy and assistance:<br />
<br />
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.<br />
<br />
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11-12)<br />
<br />
I believe it is clear--from my own experience and what I know of human history--that human beings need divine help if they are to rise above their challenges and defects and overcome the powers of evil and destruction and have any hope of coming to the fullness of their possibilities. I believe that Jesus Christ provides that divine help, through his example and teachings and through the fellowship and strength he offers us and which we can obtain if we will put our trust in him.<br />
<br />
There are times when the things we say about Jesus Christ seem to us to be just words, when we seem to be talking to ourselves in the dark. In our capacity for self-involvement and abstraction, we humans seem able to turn everything we experience into nothing more than phantoms in our minds. Yet despite my struggles with this tendency, I have been blessed with a lifetime of events and relationships that tell a very different story--that enable me to affirm with certainty that our experience puts us into relation with things and persons that are "other and outer" (to borrow a phrase from C. S. Lewis), that there are experiences to which we rightly respond with gladness, "Is this not real?" (to borrow a phrase from Alma), knowing that the answer is "Yes!"<br />
<br />
My experience forty years ago, and countless experiences before and after, persuade me that Jesus Christ is all that he claimed to be, all that the scriptures testify he is. I choose, therefore, to believe in him and seek to know him, trust him, and follow him.<br />
<br />
[For related thoughts, written a year later, see "Christmas 2016" at <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2016/12/christmas-2016.html" target="_blank">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2016/12/christmas-2016.html</a>.]<br />
<br />
<u>Notes</u><br />
<br />
Note 1: I started this post on December 25, 2015, and did a very rough and sketchy draft, which I worked into a complete post on December 27, followed by a bit of tinkering on December 28 and later.<br />
<br />
Note 2: Once a month the worship service in the church I belong to--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--is called "Fast and Testimony Meeting." Members are invited to fast for 24 hours and contribute the cost of the meals skipped (or more!) to help people in need. On other Sundays, part of the worship service consists of prepared talks given by designated speakers. But on "Fast Sunday," there are no designated speakers; instead, anyone in the congregation who wishes to can stand and "bear testimony": offer a declaration of faith, sometimes accompanied by a brief sharing of significant life experiences. Often a dozen or more people stand and bear testimony in this way in Fast and Testimony Meeting.<br />
<br />
Note 3: I've borrowed the idea in the preceding sentence from what Humphrey Carpenter imagines Tolkien to have told Lewis as Lewis was struggling to understand the meaning of Christianity. See <i>The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R.
Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends</i> (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979) 44.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-17176073768079285232015-12-21T07:50:00.001-07:002015-12-21T07:51:20.927-07:00The Greatest of These Is Charity<br />
I’ve just had a profound experience this morning: reading inspired words about charity; about specific experiences, actions, relationships, and their effects—and simultaneously feeling challenged and (at least momentarily) transformed, lifted up with a desire to live in the way these words describe.<br />
<br />
Two thoughts:<br />
<br />
(1) The power of words. I became aware of this “address” because my wife Margaret posted a link. But I put off reading the address—it was long; there were no pictures; I would get around to it some other time. I got around to it this morning and am deeply grateful I did. I decided I would copy the address in a blogpost, add some pictures, and maybe make it a bit more inviting to busy and easily distracted people like me.<br />
<br />
(2) The message. The message of this address is absolutely core, central, crucial. Any of us will ignore it at our peril. To quote just a bit of the message:<br />
<br />
“To put it simply, having charity and caring for one another is not simply a good idea. It is not simply one more item in a seemingly infinite list of things we ought to consider doing. It is at the core of the gospel—an indispensable, essential, foundational element. Without this transformational work of caring for our fellowmen, the Church is but a facade of the organization God intends for His people. Without charity and compassion we are a mere shadow of who we are meant to be—both as individuals and as a Church. Without charity and compassion, we are neglecting our heritage and endangering our promise as children of God. No matter the outward appearance of our righteousness, if we look the other way when others are suffering, we cannot be justified.”<br />
<br />
These are the words of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a man whose words and whose demeanor many of us love. In addition to the core message he presents here, President Uchtdorf’s address gives insight into his own heart and also offers remarkably revealing insight into the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson.<br />
<br />
I hope you’ll take a look.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59bdF-HOglV3x3EQ185yGOKosJ-iGD4ViMtNALNi1R6nJXNvbbWfgznvgEUoqfDmhVecJSAoosLeX3ogKiNInMmCaYowG72hikN3KlejxAuE2Tv4qFLwlsGLkEIgb-usjPfnEvDJtlweN/s1600/Uchtdorf-inner-city-dmd_1730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59bdF-HOglV3x3EQ185yGOKosJ-iGD4ViMtNALNi1R6nJXNvbbWfgznvgEUoqfDmhVecJSAoosLeX3ogKiNInMmCaYowG72hikN3KlejxAuE2Tv4qFLwlsGLkEIgb-usjPfnEvDJtlweN/s400/Uchtdorf-inner-city-dmd_1730.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harriet and Dieter Uchtdorf with Salt Lake City Inner City missionaries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: HelamSlab, serif; font-size: 30pt;">The
Pattern, the Path, and the Promise</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #666666; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Transcript of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's
address to the Salt Lake City Inner City Mission, given December 4,
2015.</span></i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[From <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission</a>;
see also <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-gratitude-inner-city-missionaries">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-gratitude-inner-city-missionaries</a>.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">[NOTE: The Salt Lake City Inner City Mission involves over
800 service missionaries who spend between 8 and 30 hours a week joining
members of 185 inner city Mormon congregations in worship and working with
those there to overcome challenges and become more self-reliant. For more
information, see <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/photo-essay-inner-city-service-missionaries">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/photo-essay-inner-city-service-missionaries</a>.]</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
Pattern, the Path, and the Promise<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My beloved brothers and
sisters, my dear friends, it has become almost a negative cliché for speakers
to say, “I’m pleased to be here, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to
address you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, please know of
my tender feelings, that Harriet and I are very pleased to be here among
beloved friends. I have looked forward to being with you, as you truly
exemplify the spirit of this season every day of the year. It is a privilege to
spend part of the Christmas season with you, who give so much of yourselves to
bless those in need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My wish would be
that—instead of only me talking—I could listen to your experiences in which the
Lord has worked through you and you have witnessed the transforming power of
God’s love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My beloved friends, dear
associates in the Lord’s work, as I look out over this faithful group, I am
deeply impressed with your willingness to serve at a time of life when many
choose to simply sit back and enjoy leisure and rest. This year I turned 75,
and I realized that in the Lord’s work we never retire. I am told that some of
you are even in your 80s and that you are still serving with great dedication!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I bring you the greetings
and love of President Thomas S. Monson. As I prepared my remarks, I noticed
that you are serving in about the same geographic area where our dear prophet
and president, Thomas S. Monson, served as a 22-year-old bishop. He often
reminds us of those special days in his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">President Thomas S.
Monson carries tremendous responsibilities, and regardless of being 88 years of
age, he still loves to serve God and fellowmen with all his heart, mind, and
strength. All of his life, when he has seen those in need, especially the poor
and needy, his heart has instantly reached out to them in deeply personal ways.
So much of what he has done has gone unseen and unannounced, and it still does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am a personal witness
that the Lord sustains President Thomas S. Monson in spite of his age. Brothers
and sisters, you should hear President Monson pray for you. In turn, I assure
you, he needs your prayers! All of us in our so-called “golden” years need the
Lord’s help, but imagine the burden that President Monson carries! Those who
work with him each day know how deeply President Monson is involved in every
decision of major importance to the ongoing work of the Lord’s kingdom. His is
the final decision on key matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Regarding one most recent
example, I am a witness that the Lord directly inspired President Monson with
respect to the calling of the three new members of the Quorum of the Twelve, as
Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone had the responsibility to obtain
the Lord’s will on this critical matter, and he did! That’s how the Lord is
leading His Church, and it works wonderfully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, President
Monson is 88 years of age. His walk is not as brisk anymore. He used to swim
swiftly nearly every day; he can’t do this any longer. His short-term memory is
not what it once was, and long work days are becoming tougher for him. I guess
these things sound quite familiar to most of us who are advanced in age. And of
course we who stand closest to our dear prophet love to help our dear friend
and leader.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fortunately, God is at
the helm. The Lord’s divine system of Church government ensures that the Church
is always in good and steady hands. The quorums of the First Presidency and the
Twelve Apostles are the Lord’s pattern for His Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let me be clear:
President Monson is God’s prophet on earth, and the Lord inspires him to lead
us and build the Lord’s kingdom. I love and sustain our dear prophet, President
Thomas S. Monson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I contemplate his life
of service and the service that all of you are rendering at a more mature
season in life, I’d like to share with you a message that is dear to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today I would like to
speak of a pattern, a path, and a promise the Lord has established.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">The Pattern<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When you search the
scriptures and study the Lord’s dealings throughout all dispensations, you will
see a consistent, common pattern. The Lord has always commanded His children to
serve and to love Him and to seek the welfare of their brothers and sisters.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref1"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn1" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[i]</span></a> These
two commandments become one, of course, because those who love God and strive
to serve Him will also find themselves filled with concern for others—to use
Jacob’s words, “weighed down with much … anxiety for the welfare of [their]
souls.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref2"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn2" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[ii]</span></a> They
will certainly not be willing to sit by and watch their brothers and sisters
perish.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref3"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn3" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[iii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Look at those rare
societies that approached to becoming a people of Zion: from Enoch to
Melchizedek to Alma, and on to those blessed disciples in the days following
the Savior’s life, both in Jerusalem and on this continent, to the early Saints
in the days of the Prophet Joseph. All Zion societies have three things in
common: They are of one heart and mind, they dwell in righteousness, and there
is no poor among them.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref4"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn4" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[iv]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That last ingredient is
such a common, fundamental element in these societies that we can rely on the
fact that unless we care for one other—temporally as well as spiritually—we
cannot please God, and it is impossible to become a people of Zion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would even say that we
will not succeed if we only go through the motions of religiosity. We could
cover the earth with members of the Church, put a meetinghouse on every corner,
dot the land with temples, fill the earth with copies of the Book of Mormon,
send missionaries to every country, and say millions of prayers. But if we
neglect to grasp the core of the gospel message and fail to help those who
suffer or turn away those who mourn, and if we do not remember to be charitable,
we “are as [waste], which the refiners do cast out.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref5"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn5" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[v]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Indeed, as one ancient
prophet put it, if we “turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the
sick and afflicted, and impart of [our] substance to those who stand in need …
if [we] do not any of these things, behold, [our prayers are hollow], and
availeth [us] nothing, and [we] are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref6"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn6" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[vi]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We can only have hope of
Zion with “every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things
with an eye single to the glory of God.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref7"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn7" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[vii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To put it simply, having
charity and caring for one another is not simply a good idea. It is not simply
one more item in a seemingly infinite list of things we ought to consider
doing. It is at the core of the gospel—an indispensable, essential,
foundational element. Without this transformational work of caring for our
fellowmen, the Church is but a facade of the organization God intends for His
people. Without charity and compassion we are a mere shadow of who we are meant
to be—both as individuals and as a Church. Without charity and compassion, we
are neglecting our heritage and endangering our promise as children of God. No
matter the outward appearance of our righteousness, if we look the other way
when others are suffering, we cannot be justified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We “meet together
oft”—yes, “to fast and to pray,” to teach and learn, but also “to speak one
with another concerning the welfare of … souls.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref8"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn8" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[viii]</span></a> This
was true in the Nephites’ Zion-like society, and this is the work in which you
are deeply engaged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It should not surprise us
that caring for the needy is such a central part of our faith. A century ago,
President Joseph F. Smith reminded the Saints that “it has always been a
cardinal teaching with the Latter-day Saints, that a religion that has not the
power to save people temporally and make them prosperous and happy here, cannot
be depended upon to save them spiritually, to exalt them in the life to come.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref9"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn9" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[ix]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, this has been the
pattern of our Father from the days of Adam until now. Those who love Him and
strive to walk in the path of discipleship have this in common: they “remember in
all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that
doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref10"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn10" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[x]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Savior, of course,
exemplified this pattern, for He walked among and loved the sick, the broken,
the rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He spent time among the
poor, the unpopular, and the burdened. He knew that it was the sick, not the
whole, who need a physician.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref11"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn11" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xi]</span></a> He
reached out to those who sorrowed and suffered.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref12"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn12" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xii]</span></a> Matthew
tells us that “his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him
all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those
which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that
had the palsy; and he healed them.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref13"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn13" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xiii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He forsook the riches and
honors of men and instead ministered to and healed those who were most in need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">President Brigham Young
summed up this pattern in these words: “The Latter-day Saints have got to learn
that the interest of their brethren is their own interest, or they never can be
saved in the celestial kingdom of God.”<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn14" title="">[xiv]</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvuXD8DnIHCXHoRubLsru_gRxxLAuf3yhtR-KustCdfo8_iIuhK5fg5Z4_IHpskVS-IsoXm5qy5jOcmuml16Tu84r6iINdSUHByOA3FJyY7PprADPdXtB0c-tlchk0LE7iHOfR8HvsZlA/s1600/Refugees-Inner-City-Missionaries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvuXD8DnIHCXHoRubLsru_gRxxLAuf3yhtR-KustCdfo8_iIuhK5fg5Z4_IHpskVS-IsoXm5qy5jOcmuml16Tu84r6iINdSUHByOA3FJyY7PprADPdXtB0c-tlchk0LE7iHOfR8HvsZlA/s400/Refugees-Inner-City-Missionaries.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt Lake City Inner City missionaries with refugees from Bhutan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">The Path<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not only is this the
pattern God has given to His children, it is also the path we must walk if we
wish to please God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are called to follow
the example of the Savior, and it is impossible to do so if we set aside our
compassion and refuse to care for our fellowmen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus “Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref15"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn15" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xv]</span></a> In
Nazareth, the Savior announced His ministry and foreshadowed His work by
saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor.” Preaching the gospel was one part of His
mission. He also came “to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref16"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn16" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xvi]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If we are to be His
disciples, to represent Him on earth, we must follow His path. When I look over
this wonderful group of servants of the Lord, I know that we could fill the
evening with stories of you doing precisely that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let me share just one
such story with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brother and Sister
Misbach had recently moved to a small, quiet town to retire. They were
comfortable. Content. But it wasn’t long before they felt a yearning to do
something more to benefit others. They submitted their names to the Church and
requested to serve as humanitarian missionaries. They were called to serve in
Hyderabad, India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But after they arrived,
they began to feel discouraged and helpless. There was so much poverty, hunger,
sickness, and desperation all around them. In spite of being surrounded by four
million people in that city, they felt completely alone and lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There was so much to do.
And where could they even start?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One day they heard about
a school for blind children and went to visit. The furnishings were so sparse;
children were crowded together in a tiny space. A rope led from the back door,
across a vacant space, to an outside toilet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Misbachs did not know
what to do or where to begin. Nothing in their lives had prepared them for
anything like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But they decided to begin
anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With the help of the
Church and in cooperation with the local government, they built six new indoor
toilets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They acquired braille
typewriters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sister Misbach organized
the children into a choir. They became so good that they entered a talent
competition sponsored by a local TV station and won first, second, and third
place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Years later they went on
their second mission, this time to Nepal. They discovered a leper hospital that
had been founded by Mother Teresa but had since fallen into disrepair. The
Misbachs bound up wounds and provided bandages, blankets, clothing, and baskets
of fruits and other nourishing food. They brought in books for schools and
water for villages. They trained teachers in English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On their third mission,
the Misbachs went to Thailand, where they helped the homeless, the elderly, and
the street children in Bangkok.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brother Misbach said, “We
could have stayed home and been content, but we knew that we were needed so
much more here. As a consequence, we feel much closer to Heavenly Father and to
our Savior.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sister Misbach agreed.
She said, “I wanted our children to understand more than their little world. I
wanted them to understand better the example of the Savior and how He walked
among the poor and ministered to them. And I wanted them to see that we did
what the prophet of God wanted us to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Misbachs’ children
wrote in a letter to them that they couldn’t stop talking to their friends and
neighbors about their parent’s exemplary life in helping God’s children in many
different places around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While the inner city of
Salt Lake may not be as exotic or remote as Hyderabad, Nepal, or Bangkok, the
work you do is just as important to the Lord and to the people to whom you
minister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You are the hands of the
Savior, ministering to God’s children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You are angels of God to
those you serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You are examples to your
families, to me, and to all the world of what a disciple of Christ should do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The following commentary
describes the hearts of the people in the days of Alma the Younger: “And thus,
in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked,
or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not
been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they
were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and
female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons
as to those who stood in need.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref17"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn17" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xvii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Apostle Paul summed
up the entire law of Christ in five words: “Bear ye one another’s burdens.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref18"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn18" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xviii]</span></a> That
is how we fulfill the law of Christ. It is how we fulfill all the law and the
prophets, for “whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need,
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him?”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref19"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn19" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xix]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is our love for God
that kindles our love for those around us. This is the path of discipleship. It
is the path God desires us to walk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzZP-fuw-fBfqIhzBJH9EzHftt29jGx2jffpyHSGA2vwjLGqfqPRQs4No8tk6SvJq-TyZrBUVnlJH5hqvErqWsYgGBJXAhuhBuIU5ME7dIzxmRr1jQoGklfKw6E5KZOES0O7vZGmTTUJD/s1600/InnerCityMissionariesEnglishClass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzZP-fuw-fBfqIhzBJH9EzHftt29jGx2jffpyHSGA2vwjLGqfqPRQs4No8tk6SvJq-TyZrBUVnlJH5hqvErqWsYgGBJXAhuhBuIU5ME7dIzxmRr1jQoGklfKw6E5KZOES0O7vZGmTTUJD/s400/InnerCityMissionariesEnglishClass.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English class in the Salt Lake City Inner City Mission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">The Promise<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At the end of this path,
there is a promise. You here are witnesses that the Lord blesses those who
reach out to bless the lives of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">President Gordon B.
Hinckley once said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I commend most
warmly those who with a compelling spirit of kindness reach out to those in
distress, regardless of whom they might be, to help and assist, to feed and
provide for, to nurture and to bless. As these extend mercy, I am confident
that the God of heaven will bless them, and their posterity after them, with
His own mercy. I am satisfied that these who impart so generously will not lack
in their own store, but that there will be food on their tables and a roof over
their heads. One cannot be merciful to others without receiving a harvest of
mercy in return."<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref20"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn20" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xx]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m sure each of you
could testify that these words are certain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our beloved and Almighty
God, who is aware of the fall of a sparrow, will surely smile upon an
individual and a people who are full of charity and kindness. Surely, those who
“lift up the hands which hang down”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref21"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn21" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xxi]</span></a> will
find that their own hands are lifted up in their time of need. Without a doubt,
those who bring peace to others will find peace in their own hearts. The
merciful will surely find mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes we think that
those we help are the ones who receive the greatest blessings, but I am not so
sure. Something happens within us as we extend ourselves to others. We become
more refined, more charitable, more humble. Our hearts become more receptive to
the Spirit, and the windows of heaven can be opened to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You, your children, and
your children’s children will be blessed because of the compassion you are
showing while serving your mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But as you have
experienced, the blessings do not all come at the end of the path. Often, the
reward is in the doing. When asked why he was so faithful in the Church, one
elderly brother replied, “I’m faithful because it feels good. It makes me feel
right when I do right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I suspect that if I were
to ask each one of you, you would affirm that the work itself is reward
enough—that it helps you feel good, that it feels right when you do right. The
scriptures tell us that as a result of our charitable service, our confidence
in the presence of God will wax strong.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref22"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn22" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xxii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isn’t it wonderful that
we are twice and thrice blessed for our righteous efforts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Truly, our perfect Father
in Heaven opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing to those who
incline their hearts to Him and seek to bless their fellow men. In the Gospel
of Luke, the Savior offers these words of hope: “Give, and it shall be given
unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,
shall men give into your bosom.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref23"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn23" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xxiii]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All I need to do is look
into your eyes and see the Spirit shining in your faces to know that this is
true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believe these promises
hold true today, especially for those who give of themselves so that others may
rise from despair to joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have a beloved
scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Remember the worth of souls is great
in the sight of God … And if it so be that you should labor all your days … and
bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the
kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you
have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy
if you should bring many souls unto me!”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ednref24"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_edn24" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">[xxiv]</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, this scripture is
most often applied to those who are preaching the gospel—and for good reason.
However, I wonder if it does not also apply to the temporal work of saving
people by lifting them up, freeing them from pain, delivering them from
captivity, bringing joy and hope into their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believe it does,
because there is no better way to preach the gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And how great will be
your joy for the blessed and hallowed work you do during your mission
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImBiY-e9KsvLXPGmb4_eNAzLERci8QGOSiwvSE7FmxxDRfBxjQOqYYLt0TJKm-VG7YdYH6TZ_gfqqxBIZ5kDJKB-AymSWa97CbnfXxAjB1T7sVbMA5CMyfkqZxwrwBl4cIrzWxAMajf8E/s1600/InnerCityMissionaries6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImBiY-e9KsvLXPGmb4_eNAzLERci8QGOSiwvSE7FmxxDRfBxjQOqYYLt0TJKm-VG7YdYH6TZ_gfqqxBIZ5kDJKB-AymSWa97CbnfXxAjB1T7sVbMA5CMyfkqZxwrwBl4cIrzWxAMajf8E/s320/InnerCityMissionaries6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assisting with efforts to find employment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">In Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The work you are doing
follows the pattern that God has ordained for His Saints from the foundation of
the world. As you go about this work, you are walking in the path of
discipleship. As you give of yourself to others, surely you will reap the
blessings promised by our Heavenly Father.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the Lord’s
way—not only to care for and lift up those in need, but to refine ourselves in
the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">pattern</span></i>, the <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">path</span></i>, and the <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">promise</span></i> that has existed since the dawn of the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My dear friends, my
beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I feel impressed to bestow upon you an
Apostolic blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I bless you to know that
the Lord knows and loves you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He knows your hearts and
is pleased with your sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He smiles upon you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He will uphold you and
prepare the way for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He will soften hearts and
open doors. He will give you wisdom in your moment of need to transform lives
and sway decisions. He will send His angels before you. And with the help of
heaven, your talents will be multiplied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because you have given of
yourself to others, I bless you to know that you are in the hands of the Lord.
As you lift those around you, the Lord God, the Creator of the Universe, will
lift you up. He will place within you a peace that surpasses understanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He will bless you and
your loved ones in the hour of need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He will spark in your
soul a testimony that will shine brightly within you, and others will look upon
you and know that this is what it means to be blessed of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My beloved friends, I
admire you, I love you. I am grateful for who you are and what you do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #252525; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May you, during this
Christmas season, feel the special warmth and blessings that come from
following the example of the Savior. This is my prayer and blessing for you,
and for your loved ones, in the sacred name of our Redeemer and Master, in the
name of Jesus the Christ, amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn1"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref1" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[i]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
2 Nephi 1:25.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn2"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref2" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[ii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
Jacob 2:3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn3"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref3" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[iii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In
this we emulate God, who is “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn4"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref4" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[iv]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
Moses 7:18–19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn5"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref5" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[v]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Alma
34:29; see also Matthew 25:31–46.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn6"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref6" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[vi]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Alma
34:28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn7"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref7" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[vii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Doctrine
and Covenants 82:19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn8"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref8" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[viii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Moroni
6:5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn9"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref9" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[ix]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith </span></i>(1998),
164.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn10"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref10" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[x]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Doctrine
and Covenants 52:40.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn11"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref11" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xi]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
Matthew 9:10–12; Luke 5:31.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn12"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref12" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
Luke 6:20–21.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn13"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref13" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xiii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Matthew
4:24.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn14"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref14" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xiv]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young</span></i> (1997),
217.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn15"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref15" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xv]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Matthew
8:17.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn16"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref16" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xvi]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Luke
4:18.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn17"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref17" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xvii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Alma
1:30.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn18"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref18" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xviii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Galatians
6:2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn19"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref19" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xix]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 1
John 3:17.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn20"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref20" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xx]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Gordon
B. Hinckley, “Blessed Are the Merciful,” <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Ensign,</span></i> May
1990, 70.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn21"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref21" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xxi]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Doctrine
and Covenants 81:5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn22"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref22" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xxii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See
D&C 121:45.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn23"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref23" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xxiii]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Luke
6:38.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_edn24"></a><a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-uchtdorf-transcript-salt-lake-inner-city-mission#_ednref24" title=""><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #a50101; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">[xxiv]</span></a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Doctrine
and Covenants 18:10, 15–16.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-76895245991832733342015-11-21T19:52:00.004-07:002015-11-22T22:04:34.705-07:00Depression (mild)<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I’ve had to fill out medical forms a couple of times
recently (once for a sleep assessment). The forms asked me to check any
conditions for which I’ve been diagnosed, and that meant, among other things,
checking “depression.” But I wrote in “mild” after the word, because it was
many years ago—and the only evidence the doctor had that I was struggling with
depression was that I told him I was. I tried (in succession) several
antidepressants he prescribed, usually taking very small doses because I’m
hypersensitive to just about all medications. Some seemed to help for a while,
but eventually I decided that each of the “cures” was worse than the disease.
Each left me feeling strange, out of sorts, in some cases a bit emotionally dry
or dead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the doctor suggested that I try non-chemical treatment:
meditation, increased exercise, better sleep and diet. He recommended a book, <i>Minding the Body, Mending the Mind</i>,
which I read and tried to apply. With the help of mindfulness, exercise, and
other things—especially prayer and scripture reading—and with some improvement
in circumstances or in my ability to deal with them, I felt my general
emotional health moved up a notch or two. It occurs to me that another thing
that helped was trying to get my focus a bit more off myself and turning my focus
more to others, especially to loving and serving my wife as much as I could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t think I ever suffered from the serious kind of
depression I’ve seen others struggle with. Even at my worst, I was still
functioning pretty well and often had good stretches. And even now I have
occasional bad days—but usually I have no more than a bad day or two at a time.
Often those bad days can be attributed to sleep deprivation or other
identifiable causes. Usually I can shake the condition within hours or a day at
most. And I experience lots of satisfaction and many moments of joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Earlier today, though, I had an unusually bad stretch of
what I would call genuine depression. Luckily it lasted only a couple of hours.
I started to become aware of it when I started thinking about “what I should do
with my life” and had a strong sense of “I really don’t know.” Intellectually,
of course, I could list all sorts of things that are important to me. But I
didn’t feel emotionally connected, and I felt temporarily lost, as if I didn’t
have a clear sense of direction for moving forward and as if everything I
thought of seemed emptied of value and life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was about midday (on a Saturday—which for good or ill can
seem, more than most days, like a kind of open or empty space). Despite the
time of day, I felt like I wanted to rest, even sleep, and I curled up on the
floor under a blanket. I let my mind drift, and it made some progress toward
harmony (but only part way toward sleep). And I wondered why I was feeling the
way I was. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was cold. Something like winter is on its way. And maybe
my body wasn’t handling the temperature drop very well. (Hoping to remedy that,
I had turned the temperature up before lying down.) Maybe it was something
hormonal. Maybe it was the result of my frequent lack of sleep—though the night
before had been a reasonably good night. And maybe it was the effect of the sleeping
pill I’ve been trying out, again with a very small dose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I felt a bit better after getting up; and even better after
a bit of yoga and exercise and then a shower. But I knew, for several reasons, that
something better was yet to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First of all, I often do my exercise/yoga while listening to
a talk. This time I listened to parts of a couple of talks that helped awaken
hope and expand perspective. (More on that in a moment.) Also, I knew that
getting out of the house would help—and I was getting ready to do that. I would
get a dose of sunshine and activity. My wife and I were attending (separately)
two funerals today. She was already at the funeral of the 54-year-old dentist
we have known for many years, a wonderful young man named Eric Vogel who once
dated my wife’s younger sister and who had spent much of his too-short life
combining dentistry and compassionate service. He is a warm, wise man who
succumbed last Sunday to the cancer he has been suffering from for five years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would soon be attending the funeral of Mary Jensen, a
woman in her 90s who (along with her husband De Lamar) has spent a long,
adventurous, and profoundly meaningful life doing good and valuable things. The
Jensens have known the Blairs (my wife’s family) for many years. Our own little
family—Margaret and I and our children—spent six months with the Jensens in the
United Kingdom helping, along with another couple, run BYU’s Study Abroad
program there. We loved the Jensens and spent many hours talking and traveling
with them. I remember especially that they taught us a card game (I think this
was in Edinburgh), a game I found exceptionally entertaining. But I think the
entertainment came largely from being with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3Jd2nt8x6kfmSO97RibR-FV_LdNyHh0Osut47jAvqzkvcnz33wY_L6bvZNYzI2awA3YwxLNTwltnSKKV3_QH4-HDF10NY4COX8JR3PfFOBPYojAdAiIbvfCM_Lj9Y91SpPAGf5-dPToj/s1600/mary-jensen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3Jd2nt8x6kfmSO97RibR-FV_LdNyHh0Osut47jAvqzkvcnz33wY_L6bvZNYzI2awA3YwxLNTwltnSKKV3_QH4-HDF10NY4COX8JR3PfFOBPYojAdAiIbvfCM_Lj9Y91SpPAGf5-dPToj/s400/mary-jensen1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorabilia at Mary Jensen's funeral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I anticipated that the funeral would lift my spirits. I don’t
know what it’s like for others, but among Latter-day Saints, funerals are often
celebrations and are usually events of exceptional spiritual tenderness and
illumination. I felt that I needed all of that, especially today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can trace a few of today’s minor landmarks on my way
toward feeling greater joy. I remember glancing at a copy of the blue-bound
Book of Mormon I had been reading from earlier in the day and feeling gratitude
for it. I’ve started it again from the beginning (for the 30 or 35<sup>th</sup>
time?) and have felt the power and goodness of each chapter. It also strikes me
(from a rational point of view) as interesting that these first few chapters,
which were part of the book that was translated last, are among the most
powerful. If the book is a fabrication, this part would have had to be put
together quickly on the fly to make up for the lost 116 pages that had been
translated earlier. But if the book’s own account (along with that of Joseph
Smith) is accepted, it was long anticipated that this part of the book would
serve a special purpose and would be intentionally reserved for matters of
special spiritual power and value. Interestingly enough, they’re not only that
(in my judgment) but also among the chapters with the richest evidence of
Semitic origins, including stylistic devices, place and personal names, and
geographic correspondences that have only recently been corroborated. Without
thinking all of this through at the time, I nevertheless felt a wave of
gratitude for the existence of the book and what it had offered me this morning
when I read from it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I did my exercising, I listened to parts of two talks
from the most recent LDS General Conference. Both were from the Saturday
evening session, one I had been less touched by when I first heard it (mainly
because of tiredness) but that I’m finding especially inspiring now that I
listen to it again. Today I listened to the last part of a talk by Henry B.
Eyring that recounts, among other things, experiences of his great-grandfather
(also named Henry), who joined the LDS Church in March of 1855 and was sent as
a missionary to the Cherokee Nation in October of the same year. Three years
later, he was made president of the mission (he wrote: “It was quite unexpected
to me to be called to that responsible office but as it was the will of the
brethren I cheerfully accepted, feeling at the same time my great weakness and
lack of experience”). A year after that, wondering how long he should stay, he
wrote to Church headquarters, and not hearing back, he decided to “[call] upon
the Lord in prayer, asking him to reveal to me his mind and will in regard to
my remaining longer or going up to Zion.” In response, he dreamed that he
returned, met with Brigham Young, told him he had “come of my own accord, but
if there is anything wrong in this, I am willing to return and finish my
mission.” In this dream, President Young responded: “You have stayed long
enough, it is all right.” (All of this, by the way, comes from original letters,
journals, and reminiscences dating back to the 1800s.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In his journal Henry wrote, “Having had dreams before which
were literally fulfilled I had faith to believe, that this also would be and
consequently commenced at once to prepare for a start.” After arriving in Salt
Lake City (walking most of the way), Henry met with Brigham Young and told him,
“I have come without being sent for, if I have done wrong, I am willing to return
and finish my mission.” President Young responded, “It is all right, we have
been looking for you.” Henry later recorded, “Thus my dream was literally
fulfilled.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My own response—exercising while listening to this—was “It’s
nice to know that spiritual things are real.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then listened to the first part of a talk by President
Thomas S. Monson and felt, much more strongly than when I had first heard it,
that what he presented was absolutely genuine prophetic guidance: simple,
clear, direct, essential. As always, it was offered in President Monson’s
genial, upbeat voice, but it was a pointed explanation of why a loving God
gives us specific direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After showering and dressing, I headed to Mary Jensen’s
funeral. At the gathering before the funeral I was able to talk with her
husband briefly and tell him of our love. I asked how he was doing. He said he
was doing all right now but anticipated it would get harder. I promised we
would keep in touch. I know he is being buoyed up now, but in a few weeks the
loss will hit him much harder.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJjG04n5TWuuNV70dM06J7EeviwNyWKO2qzdfEE4g_ybvbk5MGSJnJZ_YeIBxvqBaJFkx0zM1Yg31fKjBN1UQ2hBqhZjVAf9N_vTw8Bj8oVxfusBu28BWrUJ7LP7OpLUdpiYC2-ca2eRU/s1600/mary-jensen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJjG04n5TWuuNV70dM06J7EeviwNyWKO2qzdfEE4g_ybvbk5MGSJnJZ_YeIBxvqBaJFkx0zM1Yg31fKjBN1UQ2hBqhZjVAf9N_vTw8Bj8oVxfusBu28BWrUJ7LP7OpLUdpiYC2-ca2eRU/s400/mary-jensen2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evidences of a life well lived</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s so much of the funeral that would be worth recording,
but I’ll save that for another day. For now, I’ll note a few things that
especially affected me. All five of Mary’s children spoke, and a foster
daughter from Peru gave the opening prayer, partly in English, partly in
Spanish. There were two beautiful musical numbers, with professional quality
strings and piano (“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “O Divine Redeemer”). The
children gave a vivid, entertaining, inspiring portrait of their mother and of
their life as a family, including travel around the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What struck me most toward the end, though, were some
questions and reminders that connected with my earlier feelings of temporary
meaninglessness and directionlessness. The youngest daughter (who is now a
middle aged adult) asked, “What do we treasure? What is of most worth?” As I
searched for an answer to those questions, what occurred to me was, first of
all, service and relationships, and then learning. It’s all part of a package,
though: learning to love, learning what’s important, learning how things work,
and choosing to serve—but all ultimately with the aim of forming and sustaining
relationships.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Jensens' bishop, a biologist by profession, spoke about patterns
and especially a pattern involving relationships. He suggested that
relationships are at the foundation of the great struggle between good and
evil: God seeks to strengthen and seal relationships; the Adversary seeks to
destroy them. He reflected on the experiences of Alma the Younger, who was
engaged in destroying relationships, including relationships between people and
their Savior, and who after being stopped by an angel, revealed his extreme
isolation by expressing his desire to be “banished” or “extinct.” But then,
after turning to Christ for redemption and healing, he longed to be in the
presence of God—to be restored to intimate relationship. And he went on to
serve as a restorer of relationships himself as he did missionary work. Mary
Jensen (the bishop said) had become a “fountain of righteousness,” engaged in a
pattern that began with testimony, then joining in a relationship of trust and
love with her husband, the two of them then sharing that love with others, in
their family and throughout the world. He noted that he and Mary’s husband had
given her a blessing a week ago and that, with the veil very thin, they were
privileged to see what awaited Mary beyond the veil: glorious relationships and
the continuing good she would be engaged in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final speaker was the new stake president—my young
brother-in-law Jim Blair—and his brief but powerful remarks reminded me again
that this kid I first knew as a teenager has become a great and good man. After
noting the friendship between the Jensens and the Blairs, he shared two
thoughts. First: Those who spent time with Mary Jensen felt better as a result,
and wanted to be better and knew they could be better. He compared the feeling
to what the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt after speaking with the
Savior: “Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His second thought was for Mary’s husband, De Lamar. This
has been a celebration of a woman who lived about as well as she could, who was
(as the bishop said) a “fountain of righteousness.” His promise to De Lamar was
based on Ephesians 2:14: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” The Savior, President
Blair said, has made you one: the two of you (he testified) will be together,
and your family will be bound together because of the covenants you have made.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqtAbhHzATEA2ZoGvwJRfhIv0Wq68HyY6Yr7LrOjM7X7OLHzmeq1ikQezNohBWyo_z9oE2Qnz9_8tsvBKEnYqBMp_0doWguEQzCuirfYc-g_O0KPUmC2KtKBI3G_TQlFQEqoI3o1iVzAN/s1600/jim-blair%2528upright%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqtAbhHzATEA2ZoGvwJRfhIv0Wq68HyY6Yr7LrOjM7X7OLHzmeq1ikQezNohBWyo_z9oE2Qnz9_8tsvBKEnYqBMp_0doWguEQzCuirfYc-g_O0KPUmC2KtKBI3G_TQlFQEqoI3o1iVzAN/s320/jim-blair%2528upright%2529.JPG" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Blair (brother-in-law, new stake president, really good guy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was emotionally and spiritually tenderized and nurtured
during the funeral and left it feeling alive and well. But I also pondered my
weaknesses (my laziness and selfishness especially) and my desire and need to
serve and love, and following those feelings, stopped at someone’s home to say
hello and tell them I hoped I would see them at church tomorrow. (It was the
family of a girl I baptized and confirmed a member of the Church a week ago.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I arrived home, I was happy to greet my beloved wife,
who is spending much of the day grading papers. She told me that Eric Vogel’s
funeral was probably the most powerful and inspiring she has ever attended. I
gave her a brief report of Mary Jensen’s funeral. She’ll give me a fuller
report of Eric’s tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I don’t feel perfect. It’s still cold. I too have papers to grade and
don’t especially feel like doing the grading. But life is good. There is great
reason for hope and happiness. And (as I pondered earlier in the day) there must
be a reason things are sometimes hard. It must be true, it must necessarily be
the case, that we have to experience the bitter—and the cold and lonely and desolate—to
know and appreciate the sweet, warm sense of meaning and belonging.</span>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-90148997697171320522015-07-18T13:37:00.000-06:002015-07-18T17:19:13.412-06:00Surprised by FaithOver the past couple of months I've had a feeling that I need to write a book about my faith. (Part of that feeling may come because I'm also writing an academic book on Shakespeare--and you know how being obligated to do one thing makes doing almost anything else suddenly attractive.)<br />
<br />
Here's a draft of the beginning of my proposed book, which I may called something like <i>Surprised by Faith: Why I Believe What I Believe and Can't Help Wanting to Share It</i>:<br />
<br />
Sometimes I am surprised not just by what I believe but that I believe at all. We live in a world that in many ways is hostile to belief in anything except the prevailing views and attitudes of contemporary culture, views and attitudes imposed on us through media and in many other ways. But I cannot deny the reality and goodness of things I have experienced, even if they seem strange or foolish to those who are attuned mainly to the dominant culture. To be true to the things I have felt and witnessed, I find I must refuse to yield myself to many of the world's prevailing intellectual and cultural currents.<br />
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Of course, I am influenced by contemporary culture, and there is much (perhaps too much at times) I value and enjoy in it. In this, as in other things, I find I must be discerning. I must test what surrounds me and hold to what is good and not allow myself to be damaged or swept away by what is not. In general, I think it’s healthy to be skeptical of what is popular. Sometimes popularity represents a genuine response to things that are good and true. Sometimes it stems from a relatively mindless collective complicity in a cycle of imitation, based not so much on the quality of what is popular as on the craving not to be left out. Sometimes popularity has causes more complicated than either of these. Few—even among those trying to make choices with care— think through their grounds for valuing or rejecting what is popular very deliberately, and when examined, these grounds often turn out to be opaque or inconsistent. Many of us spend a good deal of our lives with “a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about” in our heads, as C. S. Lewis put it (<i>The Screwtape Letters</i>, Letter 1). Today, I think, “a dozen” would be a very low estimate.<br />
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So how is it possible, as Charles Dickens phrased it, to believe in “seeing visions in the age of railways”—or to update the question, in an age of space travel and the Internet? (See Charles Dickens, “In the Name of the Prophet—Smith!,” <i>Household Words</i> 3.69 [19 July 1851]: 385.) To me such belief seems far from impossible, and not even all that strange. But many people react otherwise, not only to a belief in visions and angels, but to belief in miracles, the literal reality of bodily resurrection, the idea that God is actively involved in the affairs of the world, and the idea that a particular organization—a church—might act with his authority and be an instrument to accomplish his work.<br />
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I want to acknowledge and respect the experiences and feelings of others. The world is much larger and more complicated than any of us can comprehend, and we’re more likely to see things truly if we listen to each other. So I offer this, not as the final word on anything, but as my view, based on long thought and experience. I think I understand something—even from the inside—about why it can be hard to believe. I have useful things to share, I think, about why belief makes sense—even why particular beliefs make sense.<br />
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Along with all that is confusing and challenging in this world, I can bear witness of the reality of spiritual things, the value of every human being, the goodness of much that is taking place in this world, and the truth and value of certain ways of living. I can share the reasons for my conviction that we are spiritual beings, that our lives have meaning and purpose, that there is a loving God who is actively involved in our lives, that God has worked and continues to work through human beings, that revelation from God continues, that God’s transforming power is made available in specific ways for the blessing of his children, and that the scriptural claims about Jesus Christ and his reality and role are true. And I can share my reasons for being confident not only that these things are true but that they matter. Even the mere possibility that the things I’ve listed are true raises issues of unavoidable importance to everyone living on this planet.<br />
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For me, belief is an essential step from the start and remains essential from beginning to end. It is valuable because it makes happiness and hope and love and goodness possible. I want to share my faith because I believe it opens the door to exciting adventures, in this world and the world to come, including, for me and many others, membership in a vibrant institution that is accomplishing remarkable good in this world. Faith also opens the door to relationships that can bring great joy and wonderful blessings, relationships that can endure beyond this life and serve as the foundations for a heavenly life.<br />
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To put it simply, faith opens the door to all that we could possibly want and all that we most deeply need, to all that is most truly and transcendently valuable and good. I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn’t want to consider, at least, the possibility of opening that door.<br />
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[I'll keep working on the book . . . and let everyone know when it's done.]Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-17535666567783110212015-04-19T15:17:00.002-06:002015-04-22T08:31:19.331-06:00Stake Conference weekend, April 2015: Magical moments, promptings, tender feelings<div class="tr_bq">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapel in the Provo Utah Central Stake Center (including a magnificent pipe organ)</td></tr>
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It's early afternoon on Sunday, April 19. I'm at home following wonderful--inspiring, empowering--Stake Conference meetings for the Provo Utah Central Stake. The following is not a detailed account but a few notes about some of the highlights.<br />
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First, some definitions and background:<br />
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Definition 1: "Stake" = an ecclesiastical unit in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprising several wards (congregations).<br />
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Definition 2: "Stake Conference" = a series of meetings, usually held twice a year in a given stake, to which members of the stake are invited.<br />
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Some background: The Provo Utah Central Stake is one of the oldest stakes in the LDS Church. Established in the 1850s, it was the first in Utah Valley. All stakes now in the valley (and there are dozens of them) trace their origin back to this stake. That means that in the High Council room in our Stake Center are pictures of stake presidents going back to pioneer times (the 1850s). Since moving into the stake in 1983, I've served in various callings in the stake and wards in the stake, including counselor in the stake presidency from 1997-2007, with President Lewis Billings and then with President Brian Wolsey. Later (from 2009-2015) I served as bishop of ones of the wards in the stake.<br />
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I'm now an assistant clerk in my ward and also serve as an ordinance worker in the Provo Temple.<br />
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<u>On my own (temporarily)</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
I've been alone for the past few days, except for my 29-year-old son, who lives (more or less on his own) in our basement. My wife, Margaret Blair Young, left on Wednesday for an almost week-long trip to Denver and Seattle. She flew to Denver (staying with her sister Lisa), then left early Thursday morning for Seattle so she could attend a meeting titled "Women’s Leadership in the Great Lakes of Central Africa" sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Seattle. Speakers included Roger A. Meece, former ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Muadi Mekenge, program director for sub-Saharan Africa – Global Fund for Women; and Whitney Williams, Founder and CEO, williamsworks, and co-founder and vice chair of the board for Eastern Congo Initiative (a non-profit organization founded by Ben Affleck). Margaret had a great time, made important contacts, and learned more about the Congo (and learned that the speakers share her vision of the Congo and its potential).<br />
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How I was involved: I looked up the meeting partly to see where it was located so I could help Margaret find it (long distance, by phone). I noticed that registration for the meeting was required and wondered if Margaret had registered. She thought she had but wasn't sure.<br />
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So I called the World Affairs Council of Seattle about an hour and a half before the meeting was to start, discovered that she had joined the organization but not registered for the meeting (which was sold out), and told them she had flown there especially for the event and that it would be very sad if they didn't let her in. They told me they were pretty sure there would be at least one absence and that they should be able to admit her--which they did. I was happy to smooth the way for Margaret to make it to the meeting. She was in Seattle ONLY for that day and mainly for that one event.<br />
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Flying back to Denver was even more of an adventure. Snow had fallen in Denver. It took Margaret 3 hours (with the help of an airport worker) to find where she had parked her sister's car. Then it took another hour and a half (part of the time lost) to make it to her sister's house--at 5 or 6 in the morning. She got a few hours sleep and went on to have good days in Denver. On Saturday, she attended presentations given by her friends Terryl and Fiona Givens--about faith and doubt and the wonders of life. (The newspaper article linked here gives a flavor for what they're all about: <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566746/Scholars-Terryl-and-Fiona-Givens-discuss-life-love-and-their-new-book-The-God-Who-Weeps.html?pg=all">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566746/Scholars-Terryl-and-Fiona-Givens-discuss-life-love-and-their-new-book-The-God-Who-Weeps.html?pg=all</a>,)<br />
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Margaret is still in Denver. She'll return on Tuesday, in time for her to join me in serving in the Provo Temple.<br />
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<u>Magical moments</u><br />
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Like most men in the Church, I'm a home teacher: I visit the homes of several members, offer my help, and try to be their friend. I wanted to make sure the people I visit knew (and remembered) that we wouldn't have regular church meetings this weekend but would have stake conference instead. I started--a couple of days or so ago--by taking a letter from the stake presidency (copied in part below) to my home teaching companion, John Dalley. He was under the weather, so I left the letter with his dad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Dalley (center) on the day of his baptism in Sept. 2014, with the sister missionaries on one side and me and Rod Elwood on the other.</td></tr>
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Later, while walking our dog, I found John outside and asked if we could visit some of our assigned families on Sunday. If all goes well, we'll be doing some of that today. This encounter with John--and later with people I visit as a home teacher--felt magical for a couple of reasons. The weather has been gorgeous, and it's nice to get out and about. The other reason is that it's often VERY hard to find these people--to find them at home or even get hold of them by phone. Running into John was the first in a series of magical moments.<br />
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I spent much of the day on Saturday in my pajamas, grading exams while (part of the time) watching selected episodes of <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i>. About 4:00 p.m. I got dressed and ready to locate some of the people I visit as a home teacher. I had called and texted the first one (who lives across the street) without getting a response. I knocked on her door, which started her dog barking, and hearing that (but not my knocking) brought her to the door and we had a nice conversation on her doorstep. <br />
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I then drove a couple of blocks away and knocked on another door, waking up another woman I visit, which led to another brief chat, at the end of which she was almost willing to smile. Then I drove to another woman's apartment. I called her (got no response), rang the doorbell, left a copy of the stake presidency's letter at her door, and was back in my car--when she pulled up behind me, just returning home along with her kids. We had a nice conversation and set up a possible time to meet on Monday.<br />
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By then, it was just about time to attend the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference. But to keep up the theme of magical encounters, I'll skip ahead to a post-meeting event. I went to a local grocery store to get a few supplies. Just as I was checking out, another woman I visit appeared, along with her son. This woman works at the grocery store and works the night shift (till midnight) all this week. So this really was the best way to visit with her. Her son (about 20 years old, stationed at Camp Lejeune) was here briefly because of his father's life-threatening hospitalization--so this was a rare chance for me to meet him. He asked me how he could arrange to have missionaries visit a friend of his in Spain, and so I could help him with that task, I gave him my phone number and e-mail address.<br />
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I don't know if I've effectively conveyed how these various encounters felt to me: they just seemed to fall into place. I was in the right place at several moments to see people it's usually much harder and more awkward to locate. I felt somehow that, by going out when I did, by having the desire to be out there and available, I had been allowed to play my part in a little episode of happy encounters, events that had lifted up all of us who were involved and strengthened our bonds.<br />
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I kept thinking--in connection with these encounters, but also the one young man's desire to contact missionaries and a host of other things I'm involved with--that when you feel the impulse to do something good, you need to do it. Resisting or putting things off is generally not a good thing. (This reminds me of Ivan Karamazov's resolve to report Smerdyakov's confession--but then his decision to put it off till the next day, a delay that proved to be fatal. You <i>Brothers Karamazov</i> fans out there will know what I'm talking about.)<br />
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<u>This weekend's Stake Conference</u><br />
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So . . . before the grocery store trip, I attended the Saturday 6:00 p.m. adult session of Stake Conference. There were four speakers, President James Pettersson, Sister Tiffany Sorensen, Bishop Dana Dean, and President Edward Carter--each of whom gave very real, very genuinely felt and honestly expressed, very inspired and inspiring talks, the first three mainly about effectively using ward councils. I was especially affected by the last speaker, President Carter, our stake president, partly because he involved us in a discussion, partly because of the topic. Actually, he brought up several things, including some legal issues related to religious freedom (he's a journalism and legal scholar--has published articles about the Supreme Court, etc.--so he had some useful insights).<br />
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But the main topic was how the sacrament (the sacrament of the Lord's Supper) can help us achieve lasting conversion. The discussion was powerful and thought provoking. I got to stand and read some verses from 3 Nephi 18, one of which I had a hard time getting through because it struck me with great emotional force as I was reading it. (That verse is 11, the words of Jesus in connection with the wine to be drunk as part of the sacrament: "And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you." I've read those words many times before, but reading them out loud, during a Spirit-filled meeting, was especially powerful.)<br />
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Earlier in the day I had felt a bit depressed--from inadequate sleep and from being alone, separated from Margaret for several days. But the magical moments of meeting people and the powerful Stake Conference meeting turned my feelings around--lifted me up, renewed me, made me feel in harmony with the flow of life, made me feel, "Yes, this is the way I want to feel. This is the way I want to live." I anticipate the usual ups and downs. But I hope I hold on to the memory of this weekend and its reminder of what life can be like.<br />
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Which leads me to Sunday: I was asked to be the chorister--the music leader--for the 7:00 a.m. priesthood leadership session. I got to the meeting 10 minutes early so I could put up the hymn numbers and be ready. I think I did a decent job (though nothing like the expert job Carol Dean had done leading the music the evening before). I heard several good talks about caring for those in need and lasting conversion. What struck me about a couple of them was the personal approach. One talk was entirely the life story (with ups and downs) of an unnamed person--I'm guessing maybe the speaker himself. And President Carter, before talking about teaching and ministered, talked about his life--about his ambition to do something great but the feelings he and his wife kept having to turn down what might have led to opportunities to be part of the newspaper world in Chicago or work in a major law firm. He said he's come to feel that the seemingly small and simple things in life--raising a family, serving others--can be among the most powerful and meaningful.<br />
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I had a brief break before the next session--the 10:00 a.m. general session. I was to be there at 9:30 a.m. to be a greeter at one of the chapel entrances. I loved doing that--greeting people, shaking hands. At the end I got to return to the door and hand out cards with the stake's vision and goals for the year.<br />
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The talks were excellent (on self-reliance, conversion, answering difficult questions). President Carter again was a bit personal, talking about the challenges of the past four months (tearing a tendon, the death of a young brother-in-law, having an operation, waking up during a night after the operation in momentary panic, feeling abandoned and hopeless). But for me, some of what made the meeting powerful was the music. Several numbers were done by a choir of Primary children. Those numbers had a supernal spiritual clarity and power. My favorite was one with this chorus:<br />
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God gave us families<br />
To help us become what he wants us to be.<br />
This is how he shows his love,<br />
For the family is of God.</blockquote>
Set to music--and with the children's voices and all the thoughts and feelings that poured through me as they sang--this was like a vision from heaven. I felt the truth and power of what was sung through my whole being.<br />
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The other number that struck me was a congregational hymn in the middle of the meeting. We stood and sang "How Firm a Foundation," verses 1-5 and 7. This hymn has special meaning to me because we often sing it in family gatherings at my parents-in-law's home, and it's a favorite of my father-in-law, especially the last verse. As I sang it along with hundreds of other people today, my emotions threatened to overwhelm me at several points, and I dug the nails of one hand into my palm to help me focus and keep singing.<br />
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Of course, I don't want to embarrass myself by bawling--but I'm grateful that my feelings are tender, that I'm responsive to truth and goodness and beauty, that tears flow as sweet, warm feelings come. Those who know me will attest that I'm a thinker--that logic and analysis are a big part of who I am. But I've increasingly come to feel that knowing truth is more like direct apprehension than analysis. That is, when we see light--when we see objects illuminated by light--when we see and feel the freshness and beauty of the world, we are experiencing reality more truly and fully than when we analyze the experience. Likewise, the feelings we have about truth, about love, about people, about life--the felt insights into what is real and good: this is to experience reality more fully and directly than a logical analysis would provide, whatever the value of such analysis.<br />
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<u>After the conference meetings</u><br />
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At the beginning of the 10:00 a.m. session, names were presented for us to sustain (give our approval for) priesthood ordinations. One name presented was Joshua Carter, President Carter's 18-year-old son, to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and be ordained an Elder. Because I'm the Carters' home teacher--and because until recently I was their bishop--I was invited to take part in the ordination after the end of the stake conference session. It was a sweet event, with both Joshua's mother and his father becoming emotional. I joined the circle as President Carter ordained his son. Afterwards, Joshua and I embraced. I've known him and met with him--and hiked and camped with him--for the past 4 1/2 years, more or less--since he was about 13, I think. So we have a strong bond.<br />
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After returning home, I felt I wanted to get down in writing some of what I had experienced during stake conference weekend.<br />
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In the spirit of my feeling that I should follow a good impulse when it comes, I interrupted the writing of this blog to Skype with my son Michael, when I noticed he was online. We had a great talk--and since he was visiting my daughter Kaila, I also got to see my grandchildren, Oliver, Alex, and Gabby, and reminisce (among other things) about being present by phone when two of them were born. (I called from England just as Kaila was giving birth to her first child, Gabby; and my wife and I called from the airport in Beijing, as we prepared to return to the US, just as Alex was being born.)<br />
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Later in the afternoon, I visited with my daughter Julie and her boyfriend Travis (they came over so Julie could photograph and digitize an amazing painting we have--a creation of Chiloba Chirwa). And I did some home teaching--with John Dalley (see above); and upon dropping John off at home, chatted with Leon Harward (a neighbor) about his fishing exploits. He showed me a photo of a 15-pound German brown he caught recently. I'll be heading off soon to spend time with Margaret's parents and extended family, and then I'll spend some time later this evening with my son Rob.<br />
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So the magical moments continue. I have plenty of work to do--tasks to be accomplished. And it's important for me to do them, mainly because whether I do will affect the welfare of people. But I hope I leave space open for the promptings of the moment and to enjoy what each moment brings.<br />
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<u>Appendix: Stake presidency letter and Stake vision and goals</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
The stake presidency wrote a letter inviting people to attend Stake Conference. It includes the following paragraphs:<br />
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The faith that we have in Jesus Christ can motivate righteous action, help us overcome challenges and give us strength to persevere in obeying god's commandments. Jesus Christ, under direction of His Father, is the Creator. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the entire world. Yet he understands each of us, in our trials and blessings, personally and intimately.</blockquote>
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One of the great blessings of our time is the many things and people to testify of Jesus Christ and His gospel. We have the Holy Ghost to guide us in truth. We have scriptures that lead us to Christ. We have modern prophets who receive revelation and teach God's will today. We have the priesthood ordinances, including in the temple, to give us access to eternal covenants and blessings. We are under divine mandate to share these blessings with all of God's children, and we have been asked to lift the poor and needy; comfort the afflicted; teach the gospel in our families; perform vicarious ordinances for our ancestors; and share our testimonies with those around us. In this stake conference, we look forward to rejoicing with you in these opportunities.</blockquote>
Here are the stake vision and goals for 2015:<br />
<blockquote>
Vision:</blockquote>
<blockquote>
We are children of God with divine destinies and eternal potential, and we will achieve exaltation in God's Celestial Kingdom, through the Atonement of Christ, as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, obey the commandments, make and keep sacred covenants through priesthood ordinances and participate in the work of salvation.</blockquote>
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Goal No. 1--convert baptisms: Families pray for missionary opportunities, invite friends for meals and FHE.</blockquote>
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Goal No. 2--temple ordinances: All youth do temple baptisms and 10 percent of members submit names.</blockquote>
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Goal No. 3--gospel teaching: Families teaching gospel in weekly FHE, daily prayer and scripture study.</blockquote>
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Goal No. 4--retention: All new converts have calling, friend, and word of God and each ward finds 5 families to bring back to church participation.</blockquote>
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Goal No. .5--self-reliance and assisting the poor and needy: Families commit to live the law of the fast.</blockquote>
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-73331760180138234112014-11-28T14:27:00.001-07:002018-02-05T10:16:59.907-07:00What makes "Glorious" Mormon (and Mormonism glorious)I want to start by saying that "Glorious" is a good song--a dang good song. It's beautifully constructed, engaging, deeply felt, with intelligent, inspiring lyrics. One indication of its quality is the fact that it still sounds fresh after having enjoyed (or in some cases suffered from) being covered over 400 times in various styles, from country to choral, by performers ranging from a 4-year-old to the PS22 Chorus in Staten Island. I haven't heard all 400 covers, but I've heard a good number of them.<br />
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But I want to focus here on what is "Mormon" about the song. The song uses no uniquely Mormon language and can be enjoyed even by those who find nothing in it specifically religious. In fact, when I first heard the song, I wondered where it had come from and whether the writer was a Latter-day Saint. The more I've listened to it, though, the more I've felt that (whether the writer intended it or not) it beautifully expresses much that is distinctive about Mormonism--much that is not just culturally but doctrinally and spiritually foundational to the living and understanding of life associated with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<br />
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That is not to say that it isn't also universal, conveying much that all or most human beings can relate to. I believe, in fact, that much of what makes the Latter-day Saint understanding of life so powerful and appealing is that it responds to needs and aspirations deeply woven into every human heart. <br />
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My reasons for focusing on what is "Mormon" about the song include wanting to understand something about Mormonism and its role in the world. The song was, after all, selected for the culminating moments of the Church's first venture in releasing a feature film in commercial theaters. That film, <a href="http://meetthemormons.com/#/filter-all/page-1" target="_blank"><i>Meet the Mormons</i></a>, is also a remarkable phenomenon, rising as high as the 9th most successful film at the box office in the United States soon after its release, ranking 11th in the nation during its first weekend (despite a very small turnout on its first Sunday) and 10th in the nation during its first full week. <br />
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<a href="http://meetthemormons.com/#/filter-all/page-1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiklc9rVzCLz6bhKfUEcb4cU48eR_WBtwiZujTaGxSTZ-KYH-_3TaaZfOitSsMvwF_bMr0op0kNF1OG3ZZUnIgbYzGpbWxdOI-3iTPuk3aIsyow1Qrr6iJxY9eho8zUDGkJm7X88glGvk/s1600/meet-the-mormons1.JPG" width="200" /></a> A disclaimer: My wife appears briefly in the first segment of the film. But I would love the film even without that. It offers a powerfully authentic portrait of what it is like to be a Latter-day Saint, including the challenges, the joys, the impulse to serve and bless and connect with others, the cultural diversity and sense of community, and the moments of redemption and transcendence. (You can read my review of the film at <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4003774/reviews-2" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4003774/reviews-2</a> (or alternatively at <a href="http://www.imdb.com/user/ur1937246/?ref_=tt_urv" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/user/ur1937246/?ref_=tt_urv</a>) and <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meet_the_mormons/reviews/?page=27&type=user&sort=" target="_blank">https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meet_the_mormons/reviews/?page=27&type=user&sort=</a>.) After segments about six extraordinary--but in some ways typical--Latter-day Saints, we hear David Archuleta singing "Glorious" against a collage of images from the film. The song serves in some ways as a summary of the film's message, especially the idea that each human being is important and plays a significant role in the symphony of life.<br />
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After a little searching, I discovered that the composer of "Glorious" is Stephanie Mabey, a gifted young performer and songwriter with a Latter-day Saint background. (You can learn more about her work <a href="http://www.stephaniemabey.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://stephaniemabey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/stephaniemabey" target="_blank">here</a>; and you can listen to the original version of "Glorious," her version, at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ShP9JaK0nw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ShP9JaK0nw</a>.).<br />
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The song was first popularized (though I only just learned this) by being included on a CD for EFY (Especially for Youth) 2012, where it is sung by Russ Dixon. (His version is at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diUZI1AkISM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diUZI1AkISM</a>.) I also discovered some of the many covers of the song, many (though not all) of them prompted by David Archuleta's announcement of a competition to appear in a "supercut" of the song--a version that would include bits and pieces from many renditions. Here's a link to the "supercut": <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/glorious-video-compilation-features-amateur-singers-around-world?cid=HPTH112014496" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/glorious-video-compilation-features-amateur-singers-around-world?cid=HPTH112014496</a>. I'll provide links to other versions below, near the end of this post.<br />
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To consider what is "Mormon" about the song (as well as what is universal), let's start with the lyrics:<br />
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There are times when you might feel aimless;<br />
You can't see the places where you belong.<br />
But you will find that there is a purpose;<br />
It's been there within you all along<br />
And when you're near it,<br />
You can almost hear it.<br />
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It's like a symphony: just keep listening,<br />
And pretty soon you'll start to figure out your part.<br />
Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies<br />
In each one of us.<br />
Oh, it's glorious.<br />
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You will know how to let it ring out<br />
As you discover who you are.<br />
Others around you will start to wake up<br />
To the sounds that are in their hearts.<br />
It's so amazing, what we're all creating.<br />
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It's like a symphony: just keep listening,<br />
And pretty soon you'll start to figure out your part.<br />
Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies<br />
In each one of us.<br />
Oh, it's glorious.<br />
<br />
And as you feel the notes build, ah,<br />
You will see:<br />
<br />
It's like a symphony: just keep listening,<br />
And pretty soon you'll start to figure out your part.<br />
Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies<br />
In each one of us.<br />
Oh, it's glorious.<br />
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What will strike many as typically "Mormon" about the song is its optimism. Mormons are known for their positive--some would say naively positive--view of life. Yet as anyone would know who has any real experience with Latter-day Saints, we are well acquainted with heartache, struggle, and confusion. It's true that many Latter-day Saints don't realize how many others around them have just the same sorts of struggles they themselves are going through. Yet these are not problems we refuse to talk about. There are many ways we can confide in and seek help from others. And sermons by Church leaders as well as in our local congregations often touch on afflictions and trials and how to deal with them. What gets us through is genuine faith that there is a God--a perfectly wise and loving God--who is in charge, and hope that everything will work out if we are faithful.<br />
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The song captures both the idealism and the realism of the Mormon approach to life. Yes, we sometimes feel aimless and isolated. But we believe that if we keep at it, we'll find meaning and connection. That leads to another set of distinctively Mormon elements in the song: the understanding of life--and even eternal life--as a process, a process of discovery and growth and creation. In some views, but not the Mormon one, the world is essentially finished: God's creation is complete, and all we can do is accept our place in it--if we can even do that. The Mormon view is fundamentally different. Creation is ongoing, and we are taking part in it. We have been endowed with agency--the ability to choose and act--not simply to accept what is already finished but to participate in the creation of the world, to establish relationships that can be eternal, to take an active part in the divine project of salvation and exaltation. God has established a perfect plan, but he invites us to take part in bringing that plan to fruition.<br />
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"Glorious" celebrates not just the world we live in but the process of discovery and creation that we are invited to engage in. "You will find that there is a purpose . . . you can almost hear it . . . just keep listening . . . you'll start to figure out your part . . .": all these phrases call to mind the Latter-day Saint understanding of personal revelation, the process of attuning ourselves to God's voice and to the divine meaning woven into the world, a process that requires us to "study it out in our minds" and recognize confirming insight and feelings. Along with our own individual discoveries, we seek to awaken others--not forcing insight on them, but helping them to hear what is in their own hearts. The comparison of revelation to music is apt: knowledge is not so much abstract formulation, arrived at as the product of mechanical, rule-driven logic, as it is direct, first-hand recognition of light and truth, something resonating within us, like a voice: "I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost" (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2).<br />
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The song also hints at our eternal natures, which in some fundamental way partake of light and truth. The understanding of purpose and meaning that we seek is somehow within us and always has been: "It's been there within you all along." For "man is spirit" and "was also in the beginning with God" (Doctrine and Covenants 93:33, 29). We bring with us something that not only recognizes but contributes to the meaning and beauty of the world. There are "melodies in each one of us"--spiritual melodies, characteristics deriving from our divine parentage and witnessing to our divine potential. We are the offspring of God and (as Spencer W. Kimball put it) have within us "the seeds of godhood." In the words of Lorenzo Snow, "There is the nature of deity in the composition of our spiritual organization; in our spiritual birth our Father transmitted to us the capabilities, powers and faculties which He Himself possessed--as much so as the child on its mother's bosom possesses, although in an undeveloped state, the faculties, powers, and susceptibilities of its parent." The song is not explicit about all of this, but it certainly affirms our essential spiritual natures.<br />
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Yet besides celebrating what is glorious about each of us, the song also celebrates our connection with others. In fact, the song does not say "we're glorious," but instead "it's glorious": the whole plan, the whole process of ongoing discovery and creation. It's "amazing, what we're all creating"--all of us, working together. Each of us has a part, but a part in a symphony in which we seek to join with others in harmony and cooperation. As you figure out how to let what is within you "ring out," others will also "start to wake up," sense what they can contribute and join in the music. We all seek to offer the melodies within us to a much larger enterprise, a symphony of creativity, love, and joy.<br />
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As often happens with popular songs, people hear words and phrases that are not there. Many have thought the song "Glorious" says, "Everyone plays a piece in their own melodies," as if the point was for each of us to express our individuality by playing a separate piece. Someone told me that this led them to imagine cacophony as everybody discovered and played "their own thing." But that's not what the song says. "Everyone plays a piece"--end of phrase--"AND there are melodies in each one of us." Yes, we each contribute something, and it is something that no one else can do in quite the same way. Yet it is only a "part" of the larger "symphony." "There are melodies in each one of us," melodies that derive from our spiritual natures and our divine heritage, but we contribute these melodies to a larger tapestry of harmonious sound. Rightly understood, the song affirms both individuality and community--something essential to the Mormon understanding of life and of eternity. We believe we are unique and eternal individuals. Yet our lives have meaning only through relationship with others. God's purpose is the exaltation of his children, yet that exaltation is brought about not only through the unfolding and transformation of their individual natures but through their being joined together in familial relationships. In the practical life of Latter-day Saints in this world, there is a similar emphasis both on individual agency and on responsibility and familial and communal connection.<br />
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In these and related ways, the song "Glorious" beautifully expresses what might be called the spirit of Mormonism--the sense of engaging in a glorious process of awakening, of self-discovery and communal cooperation, of struggle and hope, of appreciation and creation. It speaks to the immediate here and now while also opening us to a vision of eternity--in fact, suggesting that eternity is unfolding within the here and now. In all of these ways and in all of these dimensions, "it"--including the world, our lives, our relationships, our eternal prospects--is "glorious."<br />
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Having said all of this, I recognize that not all of this is utterly unique to Mormonism and that much of what I find in the song may be different from what others will find. (By the way, the term "Mormonism" isn't used much these days--but I've found it a useful shorthand for the view of life widely shared by Latter-day Saints and affirmed by our scriptures and other authoritative sources of doctrine.) Still, though not entirely unique, the tone and ideas expressed in "Glorious" have as a whole a distinctly Mormon flavor, and at least some of what the song expresses and implies comes close to being unique to Mormonism.<br />
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That is not to say that there isn't much that is glorious in other understandings of life--Catholicism, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Judaism, Buddhism, to name a few. And in fact, there is much overlap among these various approaches to life, as well as distinctive insights in each that can contribute to a deeper and richer vision of the complex diversity of human experience and of what lies beyond current human experience and understanding. But I've chosen to emphasize what is distinctive and glorious about Mormonism because it is the view I know best--and because I believe it has its roots in divine revelation--and also because I'm writing about a song that I believe is attuned in many ways to the Mormon understanding of things, especially when heard or sung by those familiar with that understanding.<br />
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Now, a couple of personal notes and then links to some of my favorite covers of the song "Glorious."<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, David Archuleta sings the song near the end of the movie <i>Meet the Mormons</i>. So far I've seen the film three times, and each time I've felt the song beautifully sums up the film's message of service, relationship, love, faith, and individual worth. You can hear this rendition, along with clips of scenes from the film at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytW_rgr0RM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytW_rgr0RM</a> (I've also embedded it further below).<br />
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A few weeks after the film came out, my son Michael was skyping with my wife and me and shared a link to another version of the song, one sung by the One Voice Children's Choir. The song spoke to him, he said, because he's trying to find his part in the symphony of life--a part that will allow him to serve and bless other people. We were touched by those feelings that came from our son's beautiful heart--and we were also moved by the One Voice Children's Choir's performance. Part of what makes that performance so powerful is that individual members of the choir sing various parts of the song--yet they all come together as a group as well. As individuals sing, we focus on their beautiful, divinely beautiful, faces. But we also hear them join together in glorious harmony. You can listen and watch at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nomxXk6Q1rk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nomxXk6Q1rk</a>.<br />
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Having heard that version, we began to run into yet others including eventually the "fan supercut" that combines various renditions (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrNlWR1-5lQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrNlWR1-5lQ</a>). Among the dozens of versions I've listened to, some are much better done than others. Yet something apart from the quality of the performances has touched me as I've listened. Part of what has drawn me to the many covers of "Glorious" is the way so many of them open windows into the inner lives of individuals and families--their loves, their yearnings, their struggles. Many of those who submitted covers are young, very young--many between 8 and 18, not to mention the 4 and 6 year olds. I see in them such profound goodness and longing. The song seems to provide many of them a way of expressing their hopes and desires and connecting with others. Hearing them give voice to the song has given me a glimpse into their spiritual natures, into what in each of them is precious and eternal and associated with divinity.<br />
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While I love many of the renditions--and will share some of my favorites in a playlist below--I want to focus on the "fan supercut" for a moment because it reveals another distinctive element of Mormonism: the desire to reach out to, and celebrate, and connect the entire human family. Though the film <i>Meet the Mormons</i> has been shown only in the United States so far, the invitation to do a cover of the song "Glorious" reached far beyond the nation's borders. There were responses from Latin America, Caribbean islands, Asia, and Europe. Among those chosen for use in the "fan supercut" were contributors from Canada, China, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as the United States. Among participants from the United States, there was some attempt at ethnic and stylistic diversity. The finished product deliberately used contributions that would reflect the diversity among Latter-day Saints--and in the human family--including a 4-year-old, many teenagers, and a few older adults. In addition, the fan supercut included two covers performed by signing for the deaf. (They didn't choose my favorite sign language performance, though, one by a young deaf girl: see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbLI_dr_M6g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbLI_dr_M6g</a>.)<br />
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In a similar way, the film tells the stories of a variety of Latter-day Saints: an African-American bishop in Atlanta (that's the segment in which my wife appears); the coach (of Samoan extraction) of the Navy football team; a mother (and kick boxer) in Costa Rica; an American pilot, known as the "candy bomber," who helped sustain West Berliners during the 1949 airlift; another man, a native Nepalese, who does humanitarian work in Nepal; and (in the most moving, heart-wrenching segment) a woman who, after rough years as a single mom, now has a beautiful family and is sending her oldest son on a mission. The film includes scenes in Costa Rica, Germany, Nepal, South Africa, and various parts of the United States--including the White House. The film's cinematography is superb: there are stunning scenes from around the world, reminded us that God's creations are indeed glorious.<br />
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Some might cynically suggest that this emphasis on diversity is a public relations ploy. But in reality it is a fundamental element of Mormonism. It is an essential teaching of the Church that we are all members of God's universal family, that we are all brothers and sisters. The Church has been commanded from the beginning to share the gospel with the entire world. We believe that God's plan of salvation provides a way for all the human family to be saved--those who have lived before Christ as well as after, and those who never heard the gospel message in life as well as those who did. Though we have done so imperfectly, it has been the impulse of Latter-day Saints as a people to respect and love and connect with people of all nations. A few years ago I re-read (this time in French) a book highly respected by Latter-day Saints, the book <i>Jesus the Christ</i>, first published in the early twentieth century. I was pleased to find in the book a strong emphasis on universal outreach and on the belief that "God is no respecter of persons." So this is not a new idea among Latter-day Saints.<br />
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In fact, our scriptures express the idea clearly: "Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men?" (2 Nephi 29:7); "the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word" (Alma 29:8). The Book of Mormon teaches that God invites all to come to him: "all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden"; "he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; . . . and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:28, 33). This clear statement of God's universal love for his children is one reason many Latter-day Saints felt uncomfortable with the racial restrictions that formerly operated in the Church and rejoiced when they were lifted.<br />
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That sense that we are sharing life together, that we are "members of one another," is also expressed in the song "Glorious." All that is said there is true, by implication, for every human being: "Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies in each one of us." The film too expresses this view and affirms that we all have a part to play in this exciting and often challenging adventure in which we are all taking part.</div>
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(Another <i>Meet the Mormons</i> Trailer)</div>
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Here are two of the versions I mentioned above, plus one other, one of my favorites, performed by the PS22 Chorus of Staten Island, New York--another evidence of the wide appeal of the song.<br />
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David Archuleta (with clips from the film <i>Meet the Mormons</i>):</div>
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One Voice Children's Choir:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nomxXk6Q1rk" width="560"></iframe>
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PS22 Chorus (for more on this group, see <a href="http://ps22chorus.blogspot.com/2014/10/ps22-chorus-of-2015-is-glorious.html" target="_blank">http://ps22chorus.blogspot.com/2014/10/ps22-chorus-of-2015-is-glorious.html</a>):</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YUiJO_0wmm0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Finally, I'm going to link you to a playlist with a few other of my favorites. Here it is:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLJzJSEuDBz7opHYX6SvGbkyXLTQhIRE-t" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmmGe5-n-qQ&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7opHYX6SvGbkyXLTQhIRE-t" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmmGe5-n-qQ&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7opHYX6SvGbkyXLTQhIRE-t</a>
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-84479634582957308412014-11-07T11:08:00.001-07:002015-02-06T11:28:22.407-07:00When I turned 64: The Great Beatles PartyMy wife and I have been talking for years about what would happen when I turn 64. Of course, it would have to be a Beatles party. Well, the party took place this past Monday, November 3, 2014.<br />
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Margaret planned the event, invited lots of people, prepared food, and served as the hostess. I helped too. I couldn't restrain myself. I created a playlist of <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">my favorite<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-playlist.html">64 Beatles songs</a></span></b></span></span>, came up with ideas for Beatles themed foods, and created a quiz--only part of which we had time for on the evening in question.<br />
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And then it happened. The official tally of people who came is 52. Three came only briefly, and not everyone was there at the same time. But most were. So we had over 40 people in our home for a couple of hours. <br />
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As people came, we asked them to identify the food items in the dining room, living room, and kitchen by Beatles song and album or otherwise guess why they were relevant. We also asked them to cast a "secret ballot" indicating their favorite Beatle, their favorite Beatles song and album, and their least favorite Beatles song and album. (A few people refused to pick a least favorite album, or said they didn't have one.) I originally had the ballot ask people to pick their two favorite Beatles songs, but then when I tried to fill it out myself, after starting with 15 favorites and narrowing it to eight, I finally couldn't bear to list fewer than five favorites. So I changed the ballots to allow everyone to pick up to five.<br />
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About a half hour after the official start time of 7:00 p.m., I asked everyone to gather and find out the Beatles-related meaning of all the food items. Someone in the group knew the answers to just about all the questions I asked (actually, most of the answers came from three or four people who had crammed lots of Beatles information into their heads)--except for the question, "Why do we have 64 candles on a pie instead of a cake?" The fairly obvious part of the answer is that I was turning 64 and that we were thinking of the song "When I'm 64." But why a pie?<br />
<br />
Phil Snyder (a friend of many years and currently the chair of BYU's English Department) reminded everyone that Paul McCartney had an album titled <i>Flaming Pie</i>. OK . . . he was on the right track. But where did that title come from? As a very select group of readers may know, the answer is this. In 1961 John Lennon explained in an interview where the name "Beatles" had come from:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It came in a vision--a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, "from this day on you are Beatles with an A."</blockquote>
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After revealing the meaning of the food items, we had a blessing on the food (offered by Mary Elwood, an amazing lady who lives in the neighborhood) and got people eating. Some had already partaken of treats that were set around the rooms in various spots: peanuts, truffles, dark chocolate coconut almond candies, apples, and tangerines. <br />
<br />
But it was time now for the main dishes: rice, scrambled eggs, gluten free spaghetti, red pepper in a bed of humus and parsley (<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-themed-food.html">more on what that was all about below</a></span>). We also had two kinds of herbal tea: mint and vanilla hazelnut--neither of which many people had because we got so busy socializing that we failed to uncover the containers. Other items that none or few partook of were pepper, mustard, and orange marmalade.<br />
<br />
But there were quite a few takers for the remaining sweets: strawberry pie; another pie made from vanilla pudding, chocolate bars, and marshmallows; cookies made from cornflakes; and boxes of chocolates Margaret got from See's but patterned after the British product known as Mackintosh's Good News. (<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">More on that later</span>.)<br />
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<br />
So . . just to whet your appetite:<br />
<br />
What do scrambled eggs have to do with anything?<br />
<br />
Which song mentions lemonade?<br />
<br />
Five songs mention tea; can you name them?<br />
<br />
Which song mentions peanuts?<br />
<br />
Which song mentions rice?<br />
<br />
Which two songs have a connection with Kellogg's Cornflakes?<br />
<br />
And how about marshmallow pie? marmalade? tangerines (connected with two songs)? truffles? strawberries? apples?<br />
<br />
Which songs mention honey?<br />
<br />
And can you think of anything spaghetti would have to do with the Beatles?<br />
<br />
For answers, see <span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">The Beatles themed <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-themed-food.html">food items</a> </span>link below.<br />
<br />
(By the way, our daughter Jules and her boyfriend Travis noticed we were a bit thin in the main dish department and went out and got a bunch of pizzas. This pleased many, especially some of the young people.)<br />
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In the background through much of the evening, I had my playlist of 64 favorite Beatles songs playing. We never got around to the <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">rest of <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-quiz.html">my quiz</a></span> or to counting the ballots and announcing the results. (But <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-secret-ballot-results.html">the results</a> will be revealed later in this post!</span>)<br />
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But we did have one other major activity. My son Robert--also a Beatles fan and quite well informed--decided to get me a present, one of the kind that keeps on giving: Beatles Rock Band for Xbox. (It's his Xbox, so I don't know what we'll do when he moves.) So part of our sizable congregation went downstairs to sing along with the Beatles. I was busy saying goodbye to those who had to leave--including an unhappy 8-year-old who had not gotten a turn with the singing downstairs. So I promised him and his family--the Westovers (including Paul, a colleague and friend of mine who is remarkably knowledgeable about the Beatles, especially considering that he's a long ways away from being 64)--that we would invite them over for a Beatles Rock Band session sometimes in the near future.<br />
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<br />
Among those who attended were colleagues from BYU, members of our local church congregation (for which I'm still serving as bishop), and relatives. (<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">I'll provide <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turn-64-guest-list.html">a link</a> to a full list below.</span>) One family weren't able to spend as much time with us as they (and we) would have liked because they performed a special service for us: they picked up our former foster son, Tyrece Traylor, from the care center where he staying and had to get him back there back a predetermined hour. The family I'm referring to are the Kennedys: Sheila and Branden and their sons T. J. and Justice. It was great having them at least for part of the evening, along with Tyrece, who had lots of fun--including time with the Beatles Rock Band downstairs.<br />
<br />
Something else important happened (upstairs) before the party ended. Among the relatives who attended were nieces and nephews and several siblings-in-law (Dell Blair, Jen Lambert, and Traci Blair). Along with Traci, was her daughter Sophie, who (at age 16) is just about as big a Beatles fan as I am at 64. I had asked her to bring her ukulele and sing for us. She insisted on having us join her in singing, which made it all the more fun. I believe she started with "Yesterday." I don't remember if she did anything else--except to accompany a special number that had been prepared by the Sabeys--nephews and (in some cases) their spouses: Brian and Dia (they also brought their infant child Zina [short for Alsina]), Josh and Sarah, and Matt (not married--but he distinguished himself at the party by making me a guitar out of balloons, i.e., a genuine "air guitar"). They had written a song that they sang to the tune of "Yellow Submarine":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In a town known as Provo Lives a man we all adore,<br />
And we'll tel l you of his life Now that he has reached age 64.<br />
Well he studied in the East till he gained a few degrees,<br />
Wed his student, had some kids, Now he's past age 63! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chorus: We're all glad Bruce has past age 63, past age 63, past age 63.<br />
We're all glad Bruce has past age 63, past age 63 happily. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And his wife is still on board! he has lots of friends around the world,<br />
And the karaoke plays (do do do do do doo do doo do do do do do do do do do!) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(Chorus) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Though it's not a life of ease--Every spare second spent bishoping--<br />
He will be forever Young, though he's past age 63! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(Chorus)</blockquote>
</blockquote>
All right, yes, very clever. But more than that, I felt amazingly blessed to have these beautiful young people (each averaging about a third of my age) showering me with wit and affection. I felt surrounded by the warmth of their love.<br />
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As the evening wound down a bit, I took a turn going downstairs, and joined Jules, Travis, the Elwoods, and Traci and Sophie in singing with the Beatles. At least one other friend was downstairs--Yoko Stevenson--and yes, she is named after Yoko Ono. She told us that, unfortunately, she needed to leave--and so I started singing, "I don't want to spoil the party so I'll go . . ." (Again, I'm tempted to say I couldn't help myself.)<br />
<br />
My singing of "I don't want to spoil the party . . ." was without accompaniment (I don't think it's on the Beatles Rock Bank list). But soon I took my turn singing along with the Beatles. I sang "When I'm 64" and am delighted to say that, having set the bar at the "expert" level, got a score of 98%. I got a bit lower on other songs, partly because I wasn't very good at the oohs and ahs and yelling and general silliness that comes in the final stretch of several of them.<br />
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As we passed 9:30 and parents started persuading the remaining young people they needed to get home, it was clear the party would finally have to end. Margaret and I were left with lots of leftovers and lots of good memories.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4ngMQ-8Bk9XhvdnXsCcPRoAvoNpwYrRWATMAcR_sJDedWlPlWKVS821f5jFJc8ZgGtdPIFUiYUsIgovTTGb_REX3YLk9EyYcKrzwXrWRhA-HTWD65iOYuOuZPJhbwhTp4lC1YwhgaDo4/s1600/Me&others-jules.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4ngMQ-8Bk9XhvdnXsCcPRoAvoNpwYrRWATMAcR_sJDedWlPlWKVS821f5jFJc8ZgGtdPIFUiYUsIgovTTGb_REX3YLk9EyYcKrzwXrWRhA-HTWD65iOYuOuZPJhbwhTp4lC1YwhgaDo4/s1600/Me&others-jules.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left: I'm ready to blow out 64 candles; guests in the background. <br />
On the right: My daughter Jules checks out my tummy; I'm wearing the Sgt. Pepper's shirt gifted me by the Snyders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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**********************<br />
<br />
For more details, check the following links:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">The playlist of my 64 favorite Beatles songs</span>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4_TXuU9ars&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7qxCpAYHo-LHsQOTz3k0f9r&index=1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4_TXuU9ars&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7qxCpAYHo-LHsQOTz3k0f9r&index=1</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(and for a list of the songs: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-playlist.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-playlist.html</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The fabulous 52 people who attended</span>: <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turn-64-guest-list.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turn-64-guest-list.html</a><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">The Beatles themed food items</span> (including items mentioned above and others): <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-themed-food.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-themed-food.html</a> (Among other things, you'll find out more about Mackintosh's Good News chocolates--and whatever we . . .or I should say Margaret . . . made out of a red pepper, humus, and parsley.)<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">The rest of the Beatles quiz</span> (the part I didn't actually get around to asking): <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-quiz.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-quiz.html</a><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">The results of the "secret ballot"</span> (favorite Beatle, favorite Beatles songs and albums, and least favorite Beatles songs and albums--and besides getting the overall results for the group, you'll find out what MY votes were): <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-secret-ballot-results.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-secret-ballot-results.html</a><br />
<br />
For those who don't want to go to the trouble of getting the FULL results, here are <u>partial results</u>:<br />
<br />
(1) <u>Favorite Beatle</u>: Paul won by a landslide (13 out of 25 votes)<br />
<br />
(2) <u>Favorite Beatles songs</u>: The winner was "Eleanor Rigby," followed by "Here Comes the Sun," "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "Blackbird," and five other songs that tied for 6th place ("Penny Lane," "Something," "A Hard Day's Night," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "I Will").<br />
<br />
(3) <u>Favorite Beatles albums</u>: The winner was <i>Abbey Road</i>, followed by <i>Revolver</i> and three others that tied (<i>Rubber Soul</i>, <i>Sgt. Pepper's</i>, and <i>Let It Be</i>). Interesting results. In the post that accompanies the full results, I ponder why I think the results are a bit skewed--meaning distorted a bit by many voters' lack of thorough knowledge of all the albums.<br />
<br />
(4) <u>Least favorite Beatles song</u>: The clear winner was "Revolution 9" (on the "White Album")--which, as someone pointed out, is not really a song. There was no clear consensus for second place, though one odd result (explored if you follow the "secret ballot" link above) was that some songs had votes as both favorite and least favorite. Someone also pointed out that most of the votes were for well-known songs that people didn't care for. Only those who know all 211 songs we have listed on the ballot might be aware of how bad a few of the more obscure songs are.<br />
<br />
(5) <u>Least favorite Beatles albums</u>: Again there was a clear "winner"--<i>Yellow Submarine</i>. The only problem is that it's not really an album in the sense the others are. It has only four new songs, repeats two from other albums, and then has orchestral music by George Martin. I should probably have asked what your least favorite album is <i>other</i> than <i>Yellow Submarine</i>.<br />
<br />
As you may have noticed, only 25 of our 52 guests cast ballots. I guess that's a fairly good percentage as far as midterm elections go. I have to say that the group's votes don't exactly match mine--I'm referring to the ballots cast at the party, not the actual midterm election that took place the following day (though I wasn't entirely happy with the results of that election either). But to learn how I voted (in the Beatles "secret ballot"), you'll have to go the link listed above.<br />
<br />
*******************<br />
Finally, <u>some related links</u>:<br />
<br />
Margaret has already published a post about the party on her nationally known "Welcome Table" blog. See <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/welcometable/2014/11/the-great-beatles-birthday-party-a-quiz/">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/welcometable/2014/11/the-great-beatles-birthday-party-a-quiz/</a>.<br />
<br />
I also noticed that about a year ago, shortly before my 63rd birthday, I had another Beatles post--a fun one playing with song titles: <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-day-in-life-of-beatles-fan.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-day-in-life-of-beatles-fan.html</a><br />
<br />
And then there's the Stake Picnic Beatles interview from many years ago: <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducing-beatles.html">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducing-beatles.html</a><br />
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-58387128394169480022014-07-10T12:44:00.000-06:002014-07-11T06:50:27.105-06:00Young Women's Camp 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the great pleasures of my life has been attending bits and pieces of Stake Young Women's Camp over the years, usually held at Camp MIA Shalom near Fairview, Utah, about an hour and a half from where I live. The week-long camping experience is organized and run by the women of the stake--including many of the young women--and includes fun, craziness, music, adventure, and spiritual peace and power.<br />
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This year I got to attend as the bishop of my ward. I was invited to make it in time for lunch on Wednesday, July 2, take part in a hike, followed by dinner, help present a skit, and then join with the leaders and young women from our ward in a testimony meeting around a campfire. Several years I have brought cobbler I've made for this last event, but this time I brought Klondike bars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj9fTqSWJk_3yRsAVlDb1dYHshDZ-AlV54HUx8VvjnaQFnjFeqKEK3tNO6tvvnp8-y4VsgOy1X6kZ2f3RXheiPcF4WeljBvu9gu2lJ1defaDLVklARNBq6Kn98Bct-Sz346R4wOdd12SD/s1600/gps-device.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj9fTqSWJk_3yRsAVlDb1dYHshDZ-AlV54HUx8VvjnaQFnjFeqKEK3tNO6tvvnp8-y4VsgOy1X6kZ2f3RXheiPcF4WeljBvu9gu2lJ1defaDLVklARNBq6Kn98Bct-Sz346R4wOdd12SD/s1600/gps-device.jpg" height="200" width="123" /></a>The hike was lots of fun. We did geocaching--my first time doing that. We were given the coordinates, along with hints, and then (using GPS devices) needed to find ammo boxes, each of which contained a log book for us to sign, stickers, and a story to read.<br />
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Each box was associated with one of the Young Women values (faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity, and virtue). The story in each box had to do with one of the values and was printed on paper of the color associated with the value. We left candy in each of the boxes, the idea being that the candy would be of the color associated with the box's value. (There's actually a Wikipedia article explaining all of this: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Women">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Women</a> )<br />
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In the evening everyone from Provo Utah Central Stake gathered for singing and other activities--including skits performed by the bishoprics of each ward.<br />
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There are currently 6 wards--geographical divisions of the stake: Pioneer 1st, Pioneer 2nd, Pioneer 4th (that's the ward of which I'm bishop), Pioneer 5th (aka Pionero quinto, the Spanish-speaking ward), Rivergrove 1st, and Rivergrove 2nd. The other skits including a clever one based on the Studio C "Lobster Bisque" routine, off-key singing accompanied by throwing candy, singing "Cielito Lindo" with everyone joining in the chorus, pie throwing, and an amazing magic act.<br />
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I was the only bishopric member from my ward able to come, so I recruited Brian Grimsman, one of our Young Men leaders who had come for the day. I told him while we were driving to the camp. (He drove; the others in the car included me, Brian's wife Cody, and Courtney Bulsiewicz.) We thought there was a chance my first counselor, Mike Hoffman, would make it, but he wasn't able to. But it turns out Brother Grimsman was a godsend--he is a natural ham, and he does an expert job at saying "lobster bisque" in the bizarre Studio C pronunciation we needed for the skit. For any who are curious, I've copied the skit at the end of this post.<br />
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After the evening's entertainment, we gathered as ward groups. We built a fire, I shared Klondike bars, and then I gave a brief message (about how perfection is a process that will continue even after this life, and that we must be "patient until [we] are perfected"). Then we had a testimony meeting in which everyone said something. It was dark by the time we finished (about 9:40 p.m.), and those of us who were not staying the night got ready to leave. (They close the gates at 10pm.) And I arrive home about 11:20pm.<br />
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I have lots of fun photos on Facebook, which you'll find by following this link: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872/media_set?set=a.10152174535405060.1073741841.506575059">https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872/media_set?set=a.10152174535405060.1073741841.506575059</a> (I hope this works--even for people who are not my "friends.")<br />
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Here--for your enjoyment and illumination--is the skit Brian Grimsman and I performed:<br />
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[It began with me speaking:] I’m not sure we’re really following the rules: we sort of forgot about the skit until last night; one of my counselors is out of town for the summer, and the other wasn’t able to come. So this is not a member of the bishopric; it’s one of our Young Men leaders, Brian Grimsman. Anyway, we decided to do a skit about coming up with our skit; so imagine us last night trying to decide what to do.<br />
<br />
(B=me, Bruce Young; G=Brian Grimsman)<br />
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G: So what should we do for our skit?<br />
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B: Well, you know I teach Shakespeare, and there are lots of funny things in Shakespeare.<br />
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G: I'm not sure that would work for Young Women’s camp. You know, the language, and explaining the story, and all that.<br />
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B: I think you're right, unfortunately.<br />
Hey, I know. Back in 1997 at a Stake Picnic, I did a skit with my son, who was 10 years old at the time,<br />
and he interviewed me and I answered every question with the title of a Beatles song. <br />
You’ve heard of the Beatles, right? <br />
<br />
G: Yeah. [we should have had him say: yeah, yeah, yeah]<br />
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B: I happen to be an expert on the Beatles.<br />
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G: No, I don't think that would work. That is so YESTERDAY.<br />
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B: (singing) Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. <br />
(speaking) Seriously, I think I could pull it off--with a little help from my friends.<br />
Get it? No? Ok. So what do we do.<br />
<br />
G: We could tell jokes.<br />
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B: My wife tells me I'm really awful at tellinig jokes.<br />
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G: OK. But . . . do you know any jokes?<br />
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B: Sort of. OK--you know what a kleptomaniac is? I ask because I told this joke at stake youth conference and nobody got it.<br />
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G: A kleptomaniac is a compulsive thief, somebody who is always stealing things.<br />
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B: OK. And you know what a pun is, right?<br />
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G: Of course. <br />
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B: Something with a double meaning, right? OK. So do you know why you should not use puns with kleptomaniacs?<br />
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G: No, why?<br />
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B: Because they're always taking things, literally. Literally, right? [BTW, this joke was apparently the creation of my nephew Brian Sabey.]<br />
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G: Uh, yes. I think you kind of explained the joke a little bit too much. Speaking of "literally," though, have you ever heard of Captain Literally on Studio C?<br />
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B: Yes. Oh, that’s perfect. We could rip off a skit from Studio C. I hear another of the bishoprics is planning on doing that.<br />
<br />
G: Yeah, that could work.<br />
<br />
B: You know my wife is actually friends with Mallory.<br />
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G: Is she on Studio C?<br />
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B: yes. She’s actually been in our house, literally. (Oops, sorry.) <br />
<br />
G: So which skit could we rip off?<br />
<br />
B: Well, one of my favorites is the one about lobster bisque. Lobster beh-issk. I can’t say that very well. [BTW, it turns out Brian Grimsman knows the Studio C skit and can say “lobster bisque” just like the actor on that show.]<br />
<br />
G: OK.<br />
<br />
B: Actually ... this is really true ... I was at Zupas the other day, and I actually said: Do you have have lobster beh-issk. [Every time I was supposed to say this, I pointed to Brother Grimsman, and he said the word.] And they said yes. And then they said they also had mushroom bisque too. So I asked them if they had different kinds of mushroom beh-isssk. And they said, no, they had only one kind. And the guy behind the counter, the server, said—seriously, he literally . . . I mean, he actually said this: we only have one kind, and we don’t have any bisque made with poisonous mushrooms.<br />
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G: Well, you know the poison cooks out, right?<br />
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B: I’m not sure it really does.<br />
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G: OK. Well. So what are we going to do for the skit? It looks like we can’t pull off a scene from Shakespeare, we’re not very good at telling jokes, Beatles songs will probably go over their heads, and if we do Studio C, they’ll just think about how much better those guys are than we are.<br />
<br />
B: Well, maybe we could try bribing the judges. [Another bishopric had thrown candy at both the audience and the judges as a kind of “bribe,” so this was an allusion to them.] Anyway, it says here (in this letter from the stake Young Women’s presidency) that the young women like to see their leaders having fun.<br />
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G: I think that maybe means making fools of themselves.<br />
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B: All right. I have an idea. Let’s do rock-paper-scissors, and then just one of us has to make a fool of himself.<br />
<br />
G: OK<br />
<br />
[rock-paper-scissors; the loser does a trick]<br />
<br />
[I lost and did a “magic trick,” using my fingers as rings that got interlinked and then unlinked, while Brother Grimsman provided musical background.]<br />
<br />
[Afterwards, the panel of “judges”—several of the Young Women—grilled me, mostly about whether I really thought they were not up to understanding the Beatles or Shakespeare, and I assured them I knew that they and everybody else there knew all about those things. We were just short on time to prepare anything. Unbeknownst to me, while I was trying to butter up the judges, Brother Grimsman was behind me, pantomiming the action of shoveling—I guess suggesting I was digging myself a deeper hole, or more likely that I was piling it higher and deeper. Anyway, his action had people in stitches and probably helped ensure our 3rd place finish.. That and—as I later learned—the fact that I was so much more relaxed than they had remembered me being last year. Which was true.]<br />
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One final note: For any who are curious about Studio C, here's a link:<br />
<a href="http://www.byutv.org/show/c68c4e4f-6322-4a23-8b8e-a5be75b70635/studio-c">http://www.byutv.org/show/c68c4e4f-6322-4a23-8b8e-a5be75b70635/studio-c</a><br />
<br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-58466025924381938982013-09-11T17:28:00.001-06:002013-09-13T14:46:16.732-06:00Syria, Partisanship, and The West Wing<br />
My wife and I are on our second time through <em>The West Wing</em>, a television series about the hypothetical presidency of Josiah Bartlet. Several episodes in season 4, which we’re currently watching, deal with genocide in the fictional African country of Kundu and culminate in the declaration of the Bartlet doctrine—that the US will intervene for humanitarian reasons, not just when threatened directly—and in President Bartlet’s decision to send troops to Kundu to stop the violence.<br />
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Besides the series itself, two recent occurrences made me think of parallels between <em>The West Wing</em> and the current situation in Syria. One was a remark made by a local commentator on KSL radio last night (Sept. 10) after President Obama’s speech on Syria. The commentator said the current situation “is like an episode of <em>The West Wing</em>.” The other is a moment in one of the television episodes when President Bartlet asks rhetorically, “Why is a Kundunese life worth less to me than an American life?” A speech writer named Will Bailey responds: “I don’t know, sir, but it is.” On the evening of President Obama’s speech I heard a national commentator make a similar remark. He noted that the President, trying to persuade the nation to take action, had described the horrific suffering and death in Syria, including that of children. The commentator said that Americans are a compassionate people but that the children who are suffering and dying are Syrian children, not American children. Hence our relative lack of enthusiasm for helping them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L7RVvg4Q_OTGEDlHF9iLY9GmY3SZvtimVylBIQtNsBdste7xr6XjOgziatGfDOpS6Z_c9HSFkxWmd2J0DS4gVC9QBw78doD6gDELFIiNllcmr1zX20kEk03Kc-I6uOWpjVF96610kEIJ/s1600/seaborn-smaller-westwing-cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L7RVvg4Q_OTGEDlHF9iLY9GmY3SZvtimVylBIQtNsBdste7xr6XjOgziatGfDOpS6Z_c9HSFkxWmd2J0DS4gVC9QBw78doD6gDELFIiNllcmr1zX20kEk03Kc-I6uOWpjVF96610kEIJ/s320/seaborn-smaller-westwing-cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An image of some <em>West Wing</em> characters <br />
(Pres. Bartlet is at the center, Will Bailey at the far right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It has been interesting that so many, including many who enthusiastically supported the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, have opposed taking military action in Syria. Perhaps Americans have become war weary. Perhaps we have learned something from the mixed results of these earlier adventures. I suspect that some are inclined to criticize and oppose anything President Obama does, no matter what it is. (I realize that many on the left did the same to Bush during his presidency. I didn't, and I'm not happy with those who did.) I happen to be on the e-mail lists of both left-wing and right-wing political action groups, and so it has been interesting to get messages from both sides opposing strikes on Syria. The right-wing messages have been especially vociferous, claiming that the President, acting with ulterior motives, is “taking over TV” to sell his plan and sending out his “minions” to make the case for war. The group sending these messages reports that 97.5% of its members oppose strikes on Syria. Just eight years ago, this same group called opponents of the war in Iraq “reprehensible” and condemned them as unpatriotic for sending a message that “Americans are losing their will to fight.” They organized pro-war demonstrations to counter anti-war protests.<br />
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The world of politics is nothing if not filled with paradox and irony. I’ve been pleased to see Republicans who strongly supported war in Iraq now argue against military action and in favor of patient diplomacy—though I can’t help remembering that calls for much more serious action in Iraq, and with much less solid justification, were accepted by virtually all Republican politicians and by perhaps 80% of the nation. I also recall how often, over the past ten years or more, the traditional preference for diplomacy by Democrats has been decried by Republicans as naive and weak. Current arguments that action against Syria is not required by our immediate national interest could also have been used against our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq—and indeed against many US military actions over the past century. I accept as valid the argument that strikes on Syria may be dangerous and produce unintended negative consequences—an argument made by any number of both liberal and conservative commentators and political cartoons. Yet when the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, similar dangers were largely ignored.<br />
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Whatever our partisan bias and whether we support military action in Syria, I hope we can agree that Syrian children matter as much as American children and that something must be done to respond to the terrible things happening in Syria. In an article that will soon appear in a book titled <em>Latter-day Saints and Contemporary Issues</em>, I argue in favor of peace and against war, except in the most extreme circumstances. But I acknowledge that sometimes war may be necessary to prevent horrific violence and suffering:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Perhaps another condition that might justify intervention is a breakdown of civil order that threatens innocent lives. As thousands have been slaughtered in Rwanda, Darfur, and elsewhere in recent years, I have wondered whether nations working together could have done more, including the use of armed force, to prevent bloodshed.</blockquote>
At the same time, I argue that our discussions of war and peace ought to be peaceable, especially when we have been invited as Latter-day Saints to “be one” and to value our brothers and sisters of all nations. As I conclude in my essay:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We must “renounce war and proclaim peace” in our personal lives as well as in nations and the world at large. We must do so not only by seeking peaceful solutions to world problems but by being peaceable in all our relationships and our communications.</blockquote>
(The entire essay may be found online at <a href="http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm">http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm</a>.)<br />
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The situation in Syria is both horrifying and complicated. It is not only natural but useful for there to be different views on what we ought to do. We need a national dialogue on the subject, but it ought to be one that involves listening as well as speaking and respect and humility rather than name calling and scoring partisan points at any cost. I am heartened that a diplomatic solution may be found to at least one element of the complicated conflict in Syria. I am hopeful that diplomatic efforts will be successful. In the meantime, I am also hopeful that we can all summon up as much humility, honesty, intelligence, compassion, and goodwill as we are capable of and engage in productive, civil conversation on this and other vital issues. The problems we face are serious. We are much more likely to find solutions if we can somehow learn to work together.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-60994049815640415582013-06-26T17:10:00.002-06:002013-07-11T07:44:32.306-06:00"The Miracle of Faith, The Miracle of Love" Revisited<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Note</u>: In 1986 I wrote an essay titled "The Miracle of Faith, The Miracle of Love: Some Personal Reflections" that was published as part of the book <em>A Thoughtful Faith: Essays on Belief by Mormon Scholars</em>, edited by Philip Barlow. A few years ago, Phil asked for addenda to the essays to be published as part of a reissuing of the book. I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote in response to that request, in part because I was going through a bit of a dry spell, and by the time the reissuing was supposed to take place, I wanted to express my thoughts differently. Fortunately for me (though maybe not so happily for the project), publication was delayed by several years. So I was able to completely rewrite my addendum. The original essay may be found at </span><a href="http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/faith.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/faith.htm</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">. Here is the addendum</span>:<br />
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This essay has had an interesting afterlife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have regularly given copies to my students, numbering now, after 30 years of teaching, in the thousands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My wife has had students in many of her classes read the essay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a time, the English Department at BYU gave copies to graduate students who were marrying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for a time, the essay was part of a collection used in BYU’s Honors writing classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who have read the essay have sometimes passed on copies to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve even gotten e-mail requests for copies from strangers. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Given its wide distribution, I’ve wondered about its effect on readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The essay has a double focus: religious faith and the miracle of love, including the way it can bring two people together in marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some readers have found the essay helpful in overcoming their resistance to a relationship of closeness and commitment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some who have felt quite ready for such a relationship have shared the essay with a friend or a “significant other” who was hesitant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally my wife and I have attended a wedding reception where the bride or groom has said, “Thank you so much for that essay!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Hearing such words, I’ve always felt a little nervous, hoping that any marriages that have been encouraged by the essay have been good ones, have thrived and lasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been consoled, though, when I’ve remembered that the essay acknowledges the difficulties that come with marriage and with life in general—“the antagonism” that “springs from fears and dark fantasies” and that can lead to resentment, hostility, and blindness; the tendency so many of us have to resist intimacy and love; the fact that “good things must often come through a process of struggle and disappointment and patient waiting” and that “Some things some of us desire will not come at all in this life.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The essay also deals with the broader question of self-doubt—the worries so many have about their capacity for happiness and for love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To that aspect of the essay, a common response I’ve gotten from students and other readers is this: “How did you know what I was thinking and feeling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How have you managed to describe feelings that I thought were intensely and uniquely mine?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My answer has been that apparently we all share similar fears and doubts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I’ve described them accurately, that’s because I chose to be as honest and open as I could about what I myself had experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt compelled to make that choice once I took on the task of writing about realities as powerful and sacred as faith and love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few readers have not felt this kinship with the feelings I’ve described.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember one smart, ambitious young man who said, “Everybody else seems to be able to relate to what you’ve written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several years later I saw him again, and he told me he had changed his mind about the essay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He now felt it spoke to his own inner experience because he had now encountered and lived through the kind of challenges the essay describes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Besides marriage and the problem of self-doubt, the essay deals with other challenges that life brings to thoughtful human beings, including the question of whether there is any essential or eternal meaning or purpose to it all and, specifically for Latter-day Saints, whether the things our beliefs point to are in fact real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a wise and loving God who concerns himself with us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a plan of happiness that offers access to fulfillment in this life and to an eternity of joy and progress?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are the instruments by which God brings about his purposes—his divine Son, his Church, the ordinances and covenants of his gospel—truly and reliably his?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is divine power available to assist us in dealing with suffering, loss, and discouragement and in overcoming what seem the most appalling and massive of obstacles to happiness and love: namely, death—our own and that of loved ones—and evil in the world and in ourselves?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The point of the essay is that the evidence in favor of all of the positive realities is abundant, but that we must open our eyes and hearts to the evidence and be willing to trust in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find myself attracted to the idea, proposed by Terryl Givens and others, that the evidence for and against the restored gospel is about evenly divided, precisely so that we will be able to exercise faith freely and not be compelled to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intellectually, this idea makes a lot of sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, I find myself persuaded daily, once I open my eyes to it, that I am always surrounded by evidence of the reality of joy, love, goodness, and beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever difficulties my mind has in making sense of the complexities of the world around me, I am struck by the immense and absolute reality of my own existence and that of others, by the sense that there is profound meaning to our struggles and yearnings and hopes, and by the likelihood, at once astonishing and reassuring, that there is something enduringly meaningful in our lives and in the universe in which we are living them.</div>
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This essay was first published a year after I was married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then my experience of life has included years of reflection, study, Church service, and professional work, with its accomplishments and disappointments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has also included the blessings and challenges, some of them heart-wrenching, that have come with marriage and family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned from marriage and parenthood that I am not always as nice a person as I had supposed—in fact, that in many ways, I am deeply flawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned through experiences that have embedded it in the core of my being what I had already believed in theory: that love is far more than pleasant or excited feelings, that it demands active and determined commitment and caring, even when I don’t feel like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned that humility and repentance are essential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than just words or themes for talks, these have become the daily necessities of facing myself and my behavior, feeling the pain of my failures, including the harm I have inflicted on others, and seeking to undergo deep change. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Such experiences have modified and deepened my understanding of the issues taken up in the essay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet in general I still happily affirm the essay’s main argument and in fact affirm it with greater confidence, based on years of living and testing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith—trust in and openness to the possibility of good things—is required for happiness and fulfillment; it provides the grounds for loving relationships; it “is the power to see, to choose, to act, and to enjoy, and . . . requires an abandonment of narrow certainties, preconceptions, defenses, and fears.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we step forward prior to full understanding, faith enables us “to see things that are real and good and then to have those things become fully real in our lives.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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In fact, in the years since the essay was published, at some moments when I have struggled with difficult issues or circumstances, I have reread my own words almost as if they were written by someone else and have found them helpful and comforting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite flaws in the writing—some wordiness, perhaps too abstract, complicated, and inwardly focused an approach—I have found that the essay succeeds in opening my eyes and heart both to a hope in future possibilities and to an awareness of present realities, to the goodness and beauty and preciousness of the world and people and spiritual realities that surround me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I confess that in the years that have passed since the essay was published I have not always felt as affirmative as I sound in the essay. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My moral and spiritual state and often simply my moods—feelings of worry or exhaustion or antagonism—have had a profound impact on the degree to which I’ve been able to enjoy the Spirit and experience spiritual things as real.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet through the difficult stretches when I’ve felt spiritually out of tune, I’ve taken comfort in C. S. Lewis’s idea (expressed in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Screwtape Letters</i>) that it is in our times of spiritual dryness that we most truly choose, that when we look “around upon a universe from which every trace of [God] seems to have vanished,” and ask why we have been forsaken but still obey, we are then especially “growing into the sort of creature He wants [us] to be.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am, at least when I am most honest and humble, more open to possibilities than I was when I first wrote this essay—more open to different ways of seeing and understanding and explaining and to the limitations of my present understanding—and at the same time more deeply, firmly convinced of certain basic things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both intellectual study and spiritual witnesses have assured me of the inspiration and authenticity of the scriptures, including the Book of Mormon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am confident of the truth of the doctrines of the restored gospel about who we are and what we can become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful to witness the exciting unfolding of God’s work for the blessing of his children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the entire human family are brothers and sisters of divine parentage and that our calling as members of the Church is to love and bless all of God’s children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I am aware of the human limitations and imperfections of Church members and leaders, all the more from having served in positions of leadership myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet I am certain of the sincerity and goodness and am grateful for the love and willingness to sacrifice and serve demonstrated by many members and leaders of the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have witnessed instances of undeniable inspiration and spiritual power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am confident that the Church is being led by divine inspiration, that we are as a people making progress toward what God expects us to become, and that enormous good is being done to bless God’s children around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen the Church at work as I’ve taken part in memorable sacrament meetings in London, Paris, Beijing, and Patzicia in highland Guatemala; as I’ve traveled with my family through the Baltic states when my father-in-law was serving as mission president; as we’ve spent a year in the LDS community of Laie, Hawaii; and as we’ve communicated with missionaries serving around the world—all of this in addition to powerful general and regional Church meetings, meetings in my home ward and stake, and other gatherings and events, powerful not only in what I’ve felt but in the ways my mind and heart have been stretched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own ward, which I know intimately, is the setting for Spirit-filled meetings, daily acts of compassion and service, and abundant goodness in members’ actions and relationships.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the same time I have many questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is much I do not understand, and there are things that are hard to make sense of or deal with, including both intellectual and practical issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to deal with such questions and problems with patience, faith, and humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My efforts have consistently been blessed with new—deeper and more expansive—understandings so that what sometimes seemed most troubling has provided a path to some of the most precious things I’ve learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful for the challenges to my capacities and understanding since they help me see how far I have to go and give me opportunities for continued inquiry and growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am most frequently aware of my own need to grow in goodness and caring for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recognize my need for divine assistance if I am to move forward in the long road of progress still ahead of me. </div>
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If I were to change one thing in the essay published almost thirty years ago, it would be to put greater emphasis on charity, on “the pure love of Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith—reaching out and moving forward with trust—is essential; hope is essential, a vibrant hope that the promised blessings will come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as the scriptures tell us, the greatest of these is charity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learning to love in the pure, Christ-like way suggested by this word transforms us individually and binds us together with our fellow human beings and with our Father and his Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My efforts to love and serve others—family and friends, the wonderful and struggling people I’ve worked with in the Church, and the similarly wonderful and struggling people I’ve encountered in other ways—have confirmed the truth of an idea expressed in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Brothers Karamazov</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this great novel by Dostoevsky, people come to the Elder Zosima filled with needs and worries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zosima tells one of these, a woman struggling to believe, that she can overcome her doubts and come to the faith she desires “by the experience of active love,” not just by dreaming about love but by trying to love those around her “actively and tirelessly.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The active effort to love can have just this effect, in part because it changes our outlook and our desires.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe in Jesus Christ as the perfect embodiment of charity, as of every other virtue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At age twelve, bearing my testimony for the first time in a public meeting, I said that I knew Jesus is the Son of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still remember the clarity and power of that conviction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though spiritual fog has obscured my vision in varying degrees over the years, that conviction has remained with me, and I believe my acquaintance with the Savior has deepened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I still have much to learn, I am convinced that this divine Person who is the foundation of my faith is absolutely real, that he did and taught the things recorded in the scriptures, and that I will some day meet him face to face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When my essay was first published I had just embarked on the experience of marriage and anticipated bringing children into the world, pursuing a professional career, and enjoying the other adventures life would bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve now experienced much of what I anticipated, along with many surprises and challenges that have stretched me and sometimes brought anguish as well as growth and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My life and the lives of those I love have included problems and losses that could leave us bound in chains of regret and hopelessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have faith—an assurance in which I have heart-felt and enduring confidence—that all damage, every mistake, every hurt, every evil can be completely healed and overcome through God’s power and love, expressed and made available through the atonement of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as we are willing to see and act with faith, there is always hope, hope of the most glorious of possible futures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No blessing we could possibly imagine will be withheld as long as we are willing to move forward with faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, along with anticipating further adventures in this world (and I am very actively involved in many of the concerns of this world), I look forward to the eternal fulfillment of those things in which I have put my faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to coming to know my Heavenly Father and my Savior more fully and directly and to enjoying an eternity of sweet association with family and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope to share, with those I know and love and with a multitude of others I will yet come to know, the feast of joy that faith makes possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-71332601262154956012013-01-20T21:34:00.004-07:002013-01-20T21:35:32.937-07:00Some favorite inaugural momentsI'm not thinking of favorite moments in the inaugural ceremonies I've seen--though I might be able to dredge up some interesting memories if I made the effort--but rather favorite passages in some of my favorite inaugural addresses.<br />
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I'm thinking of ones I've been somewhat familiar with for much of my life (for instance, John F. Kennedy's and Lincoln's second), ones I've become more familiar with recently (such as Lincoln's first), and one I just looked at today (Jefferson's first--though I have heard one sentence from it before).<br />
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Let's proceed in chronological order, starting with Jefferson's first inaugural address (see <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson%27s_First_Inaugural_Addres">http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson%27s_First_Inaugural_Addres</a>s for a transcript). Here, commenting on the very rough political campaign through which the nation had suffered, is a passage that has quickly become one of my favorites, especially the part I've highlighted:<br />
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During the contest of opinion through which we have passed the animation of discussions and of exertions has sometimes worn an aspect which might impose on strangers unused to think freely and to speak and to write what they think; but this being now decided by the voice of the nation, announced according to the rules of the Constitution, all will, of course, arrange themselves under the will of the law, and unite in common efforts for the common good. All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression. <span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. And let us reflect that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered, we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions. . . . [E]very difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. </span></blockquote>
I had heard this last sentence before, but not with what leads up to it.<br />
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Lincoln's first inaugural address is remarkable, responding temperately and even affectionately to the storm of anger and suspicion his election had provoked. (See <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln1.asp">http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln1.asp</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln's_first_inaugural_address">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln's_first_inaugural_address</a>.) Here are some selections:</div>
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Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences, is either party without faith of being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of Nations, with His eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal of the American people. . . . </blockquote>
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In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to "preserve, protect, and defend it." </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. </span></blockquote>
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And of course, Lincoln's second inaugural address is justly famous, one of history's most moving and eloquent expressions of humility and compassion (see <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln2.asp">http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln2.asp</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_second_inaugural_address">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_second_inaugural_address</a>):</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. . . . Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">. . . Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.</span></blockquote>
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John F. Kennedy's inaugural address fall short of this last one of Lincoln's, yet is one of the most memorable of the 57 or so that have been delivered over the past two hundred plus years. (See <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/kennedy.asp">http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/kennedy.asp</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy%27s_Inaugural_Address">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy%27s_Inaugural_Address</a> --and listen at <a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm">http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm</a>.) Some of my favorite passages:</div>
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Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. . . . Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.<br />
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So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.</blockquote>
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Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.<br />
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Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens ... and to let the oppressed go free."<br />
. . .<br />
Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are--but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.<br />
...<br />
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.</blockquote>
</div>
<br />
All of these passages take on much of their meaning from the times in which they were first spoken. But they also take on meaning from the character of those who spoke them and from the connection we feel over time with the speakers and their audiences and the generous desires that moved them to speak and listen.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-6831394940321363432013-01-04T10:13:00.001-07:002013-01-04T10:16:48.101-07:00Attending to the poor and suffering: should it always be purely voluntary?In one of my other blogs ("Welcoming the Other"), I recently published a post about our obligation to attend to those who are poor or suffering. Because I feel strongly about this topic, because I managed to sum up my thoughts in a way that I think makes sense, and because all of us need reminders and encouragement as we seek to live responsible and meaningful lives, I've decided to post a link here:<br />
<a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2013/01/attending-to-poor-and-suffering-should.html">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2013/01/attending-to-poor-and-suffering-should.html</a><br />
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-83260314042546016442012-09-24T10:02:00.001-06:002012-09-24T13:47:57.478-06:00Can we still be friends . . . even if one of us votes for Romney and the other for Obama?A couple of days ago I saw some photos of the presidential candidates and their families and wondered, "What does an Obama supporter think when looking at a photo of Mitt Romney playing with his grandchildren or of Ann Romney serving in a soup kitchen? What does a Romney supporter think when looking at a photo of Michelle Obama playing with a child or of Barack Obama embracing a serviceman?" I suspect that many have a hard time restraining their hateful feelings, even when the photos are apparently candid and politically neutral. And even if the feelings are not hateful, the response may be cynical, more concerned about how the photos are functioning as pieces in a political chess game than about appreciating them as images of real human beings living their lives.<br />
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Well, it may be too much to hope that people can have positive or even respectful feelings toward both of the major candidates--by which I mean the Republican and Democratic ones. (My apologies to the Green or Libertarian party supporters who would like me to give their candidates equal time.) But perhaps it's within the realm of possibility to hope that friends who support different candidates can still be friends after the elections are over.<br />
<br />
What leaves me a bit uncertain even as I begin is that there are those who think the election of one or the other of the candidates will be a disaster of virtually cosmic proportions--that the election of Romney or Obama will mean the triumph of evil over good and will threaten the very existence of our nation and of any kind of world worth living in. I admire the passion of such people, but sincerely believe they are not fully in touch with reality. My own best thinking, coupled with the attitudes of people whose wisdom and inspiration I trust, leads me to believe we can look forward to the future with confidence and hope no matter which candidate is elected. The sort of fearful and heated imagination that links the election of a particular candidate to an imminent disaster on a massive scale betrays a distorted sense of the true nature of things and incapacitates a person for the real work of engagement with others in finding solutions to problems. (I have tried to avoid actually using the word "crazy.")<br />
<br />
For the rest of you, I want to make my argument for why you can still respect and even continue to like and enjoy your friends who favor <em>the other candidate</em>. My purpose here is not to argue that one candidate is better than the other. (I make my case for my own view on that matter elsewhere.) Here I just want to argue that a reasonable person of goodwill can end up favoring either of the major candidates.<br />
<br />
I have had some personal association with one of the candidates and have followed both closely for a number of years, trying to assess both their personal characters and their political positions. In my considered opinion, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are decent, reasonable, intelligent men of goodwill. They are both good fathers and faithful husbands (and we've had passable presidents who have been neither). Both have leadership skills, energy, commitment, and a desire to accomplish positive things. Both, of course, have significant flaws, but not flaws greater than we can reasonably expect in candidates for president. And honestly, I think we could have done far worse--there are others who have shown interest in the presidency who are far less capable and admirable than the two most of us will be choosing between.<br />
<br />
Obama's and Romney's positions and proposals are at different points on the political spectrum, but neither is truly extreme, and I'm relatively confident that in the real life workings of national life, their proposals will moderate further as they seek the enlist the support of the American people. In addition, anything they do will be influenced not only by public opinion but by the competing authority of the legislative and judicial branches. Assuming that some degree of cooperation can be established between the president and Congress, any legislation that comes into being will need to be acceptable to both.<br />
<br />
To be more specific: Both candidates know that the federal debt is a pressing problem, and both think they have a plan for dealing with it. Both support the view that the nation must be militarily strong, though they differ on some details of how that strength can be best maintained. Both want to protect American interests abroad and encourage the positive aspirations of people around the world. Both want to encourage prosperity at home. Both favor individual responsibility and creativity, while also acknowledging the need for some kind of safety net for those truly in need. Neither is proposing radical changes to our economic or political systems. Though the differences in their approaches are certainly significant, these differences are relatively minor when viewed from a broad perspective of historical and global understanding. And reasonable arguments can be made for both candidates' approaches.<br />
<br />
So I guess what I'm proposing is that we try to lower the temperature, get in a frame of mind where we can actually consider the candidates' positions fairly and intelligently, and do our best to assess for ourselves who we think has the best approach and will do the best job. We can share our views and make our arguments and perhaps even listen, with a desire for understanding, to the views and arguments of others. But we don't need to descend into a frenzied state of contention and vilification or into a hardened state of cynicism and contempt.<br />
<br />
We can respect the decisions of our friends, even when they differ from our own. And we can remain friends not only after the election is over, but even during the season leading up to it.<br />
<br />
An addendum: One factor that makes this sort of peaceable approach difficult for some is that some ultimate values are at stake, the sort often tied to religious beliefs and commitments. For those who share my religious affiliation, I'll be creating an additional post explaining how I believe we can differ politically, even when we share--or are pretty sure we share--the same faith and moral values. Stay tuned . . . Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-23695774872568941062012-07-04T22:07:00.000-06:002012-08-26T19:56:41.631-06:00Of Patriots and Patriotism<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today is July 4; hence my thoughts on patriotism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A “patriot” is someone who loves his or her
country, making patriotism a worthy virtue and even a natural one, something
like loving one’s family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But love of
family and of country comes in many varieties and can be used and abused in
many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I want to ponder a few
of those uses and abuses.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">First, one of my least favorite abuses: turning “patriotism”
into a political issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The politicizing
of patriotism, of which we’ve seen plenty, especially over the past decade,
seems to me one of the most <u>unpatriotic</u> things one can do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arguing over who is most patriotic, who is
most truly “American,” and using claims and counterclaims of patriotism and
lack of patriotism as a tool for partisan gain—these are a lot like Christians
arguing and fighting each other over the question of who are the truest
followers of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“For verily,
verily, I”—meaning Christ himself—“say unto you, he that hath the spirit of
contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention,
and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another”
(3 Nephi 11:29).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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In a similar way, to turn love of country into an issue that
divides citizens against each other is deeply ironic—and unfortunately, it damages the very country one claims to love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, this is not a sensible way for
people to show their love for their country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A country consists of many
things, including a shared history, traditions, institutions, and values—as well
as a geographical location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But above
all a country consists of the relationships among its citizens, what Lincoln
called “our bonds of affection.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True
patriotism seeks to nurture and strengthen those bonds, not strain or break
them.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Another abuse of patriotism—or to put it more kindly,
misunderstanding of it—is to confuse patriotism with self-centered, competitive pride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The partisan conflict over patriotism is
pretty much a way of claiming, “I’m more patriotic than you are.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as with all self-exaltation, the result
is really self-diminishment: among other things, those who exalt themselves are
abased by the way they make themselves mean-spirited and dim-sighted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as many have pointed out, Pride is the
"Great Sin" because it puts human beings into competition and even enmity against
each other, as well as against God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True
patriotism requires humility (realizing one’s dependence on things much greater
than oneself), generosity (toward one’s fellow citizens), and gratitude (for
all the blessings that come with the place, people, and history that constitute
one’s nation). Pride, of the sort I've just described, is incompatible with all of these virtues.</span></div>
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But that doesn't mean patriotism is simply acquiesence in the current conditions and actions of one's nation. I believe that true patriotism not only allows but requires
raising questions about problems and evils within the nation—as long as the
questions are raised in a spirit of civility, respect, and cooperation (along
with those virtues of humility, generosity, and gratitude already
mentioned).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The point of raising the
questions is to help bring about constructive change, to work with others to
find solutions, not just to criticize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One reason for civility and humility in this enterprise is that, first,
I can’t be sure I have a perfect understanding of either the problems or the
solutions, and, second, even if I did, I couldn’t solve the problems
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to work with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the essence of what it means to be
part of a community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a community
doesn’t work very well when one segment has complete power while
disenfranchising the rest or when “compromise” becomes such a dirty word that
politics becomes nothing more than a perpetual civil war.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Pride” sometimes means something more benign than the “great
sin” I’ve described.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may (to quote
the Oxford English Dictionary) refer to feeling “gratified, pleased, glad”—or (as
I believe C. S. Lewis put it) feeling warm-hearted affection because of the
good things one sees and experiences, including the good in others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be “proud” of one’s family can mean to be
grateful for belonging to it and to enjoy the affection and other blessings
that come with it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It also means to feel and act on responsibility to serve the others in one's family. </span>The problem comes
when family pride becomes a matter of competition and enmity, when one family
pits itself against others (à la <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romeo
and Juliet</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I believe the same thing is true of patriotism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should be glad to belong to our nation; we
should feel warm-hearted affection for our fellow citizens; and we should seek to serve our fellow citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if national pride becomes a matter of
pitting one nation against another, such pride partakes of the evils of “the
great sin.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are members of humankind,
citizens of the world, as well as citizens of our own country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should ask God to bless the people of all
nations, not just our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should
seek the good of all, not just ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not to do that is to endanger our nation even as we seek to exalt
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we are all members of one
another, to demean the rest of humankind as we seek to exalt ourselves will end
up damaging us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I believe it will
also diminish the effectiveness of God’s protective care because, with the wrong kind of pride, we put
ourselves into a wrong relationship with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps that is one reason an ancient prophet said of a proud people: “the
pride of this nation . . . hath proven their destruction except they should
repent” (Moroni 8:27).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was referring
to the Nephites, in reference to whom it was said later: “beware of pride, lest
ye become as the Nephites of old” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:39).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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One of my favorite sayings of Joseph Smith is one reminding us of God’s generous and universal love: “while one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men.” The implication is that, while we have a special responsibility for our own family and our own nation, because they are closest to us, at the same time we should seek the good of all humankind and see all as our brothers and sisters. We all, in fact, belong to the most expansive of families, the family of God. </div>
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I also love both of Lincoln’s inaugural addresses. I’m especially fond of the second one (the one that includes "with malice toward none" and other remarkable expressions of charity and humility). Only in recent years (partly because our nation’s current president loves to quote from it) have I become familiar with Lincoln’s first inaugural address and have begun to have similar feelings about it. Lincoln spoke knowing that his election had provoked negative feelings among many of his fellow citizens, especially in the South. He hoped to avoid the civil conflict that ended up taking place. It is remarkable that, in the situation he faced, he sought to “speak the truth with love.” Among other things, he said: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”</div>
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I am happy to say I count Lincoln as a great patriot, one of the greatest who has lived in the nation I am blessed to belong to. I am also grateful for many other true patriots, including our nation’s founders. I’ve enjoyed reading about them, even reading many of their words. They were imperfect human beings, yet great ones and ones who acted with courage and inspiration. I feel very confident in saying they would not recognize themselves (at least not much) in some of those who claim to be their successors—I’m thinking of so-called “Tea Party patriots,” among others, many of whom don’t seem to know much about the founders or about the details of the Constitution they claim to be defending. I’m grateful for the Constitution, including the many remarkable elements that have made it of enduring value to the nation, including the capacity built into the Constitution for the document to be amended and interpreted and improved.</div>
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Other patriots include, of course, those who risk their lives for the common good, through military service and in many other ways. But all of us should be patriots. Some of the greatest patriots, I believe, are parents who seek to nurture their children; teachers and others who seek to encourage the blossoming of all that is good in those they work with; and those who use their means and skills, whether in the "private" or the "public" sector, in service of the common good. Many are acting for the good of others simply because that is who they are. Maybe the truest patriots are those who don’t call themselves patriots, who are not even aware of the splendor and depth of their patriotism. </div>
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-81175594997370521342012-01-20T10:39:00.003-07:002012-01-23T15:52:46.279-07:00Godly character, change of heart, and forgiveness of sinsWell, you can't say I don't try to take on big topics. I was prompted to consider this subject--godly character, change of heart, and forgiveness of sins--when I read an article on Patheos by Francis J. Beckwith titled "Better to be an adulterer than a Mormon?: Evangelicals, Gingrich, and Romney" (<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/returntorome/2012/01/better-to-be-an-adulterer-than-a-mormon-evangelicals-gingrich-and-romney/#comment-57152" target="_blank">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/returntorome/2012/01/better-to-be-an-adulterer-than-a-mormon-evangelicals-gingrich-and-romney/#comment-57152</a>). Beckwith reflects on a visit to Utah including discussions with faculty at BYU and with the LDS Public Affairs office in Salt Lake. Beckwith is sympathetic with the idea that moral character may count for more in a president than correct theology or even the status (according to a given theology) of being "forgiven."<br />
<br />
One reader, Michael Bauman, left a comment questioning Beckwith's stance and suggesting that, if God forgives and regenerates a sinner, then past sins should not disqualify someone from being president--a position I pretty much agree with. Otherwise, what would all the parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son mean--not to mention Christ's statement, "Neither do I condemn thee; go thy way and sin no more"? But Bauman thinks either that Catholic forgiveness is superior to other kinds of forgiveness or that--even if people are equally forgiven in God's eyes--being a Catholic and having an understanding of Catholic theology would make someone a better president. As he puts it, "All other things being equal, it's better to be a forgiven Catholic . . . than a forgiven Mormon . . ."<br />
<br />
Reading the article and the comment prompted me to add a comment of my own--a rather long one, which I reproduce here:<br />
<br />
Obviously the questions raised in this article are complicated. For instance, what factors make for the best president? The truest and most nuanced theological understanding? The best moral character? Will the best president be the person theoretically (according to one's theology) most likely justified in God's eyes, despite serious character flaws? And then there are factors less tied to theology, like leadership skills, knowledge of domestic and international issues, experience, etc.<br />
<br />
The story about an Evangelical Protestant preferring an adulterer or a murderer over a Mormon likely includes the proviso, "As long as the adulterer or murderer has confessed Christ as his Savior." In the view of many Evangelicals, such a confession--either before or after the adultery or murder--would guarantee justification and salvation, on the grounds of "once saved, always saved" (also known as "the perseverance of the saints").<br />
<br />
I'm not Roman Catholic, but it appears from the comment made by Michael Bauman that a murderer or adulterer who has been absolved by priestly authority would, in the Catholic view, be better off than a non-Catholic who had never committed those sins or who had committed them and repented but lacked absolution.<br />
<br />
Here's my problem with both the Evangelical and the Catholic response: does notional and even emotional reliance on Christ (as expressed in the Evangelical acceptance of Christ as Savior) guarantee a change of heart? does going through the actions of confession and penance and receiving official absolution guarantee a change of heart? And is God interested in such a change of heart, perhaps even more than simple freedom from sin? Could it be that the means either Evangelicals or Catholics propose for obtaining forgiveness are valuable in God's eyes primarily as a way of starting someone on the path toward that change of heart? And--back to politics--is a regenerate heart more important in a president than correct theology or even than officially "absolved" or "saved" status?<br />
<br />
I'm sure many Evangelicals would agree that merely assenting to Christ's role as your Savior doesn't finish the process God intends. And I assume absolution is not, in the view of thoughtful Roman Catholics, merely a magical action that changes a person without any serious engagement on their part. If the state of a person's heart is what ultimately matters, then none of us really knows to what extent any of the candidates have obtained divine forgiveness or how far along they are in the process of becoming what God would like them to be.<br />
<br />
A few final questions. Do Evangelicals and Catholics believe that non-Evangelicals and non-Catholics--perhaps even Mormons--can experience peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and improvement of character, even without what they consider a correct theological understanding or (in the Catholic view) without priestly absolution? <br />
<br />
If such absolution is required, then no non-Catholic can claim to be forgiven of past sins. Michael Bauman suggests, though, that there might be such a being as "a forgiven Mormon." If that means someone forgiven according to the Mormon view, then that would be someone who has faith in Christ, has sincerely repented (meaning changed in outlook and behavior), and is seeking to be obedient to God's commandments--all of this accomplished with God's enabling grace, leading to forgiveness of sins and change of heart through God's redeeming grace. This process is nicely summed up in the Mormon belief that Christ will save people FROM their sins, not IN their sins [see Alma 11:37; Helaman 5:10]. Is such an understanding theologically correct--or close enough--from an Evangelical or Catholic point of view? And how does its correctness or lack of correctness translate into reality? In other words, do Evangelicals and Catholics believe that Mormons who engage in the process I've described can really be forgiven? <br />
<br />
For political purposes, the point of these questions is this: Can we know--without knowing the hearts of the candidates--who among them, Protestant, Catholic, or Mormon, is really forgiven in God's eyes and, beyond simply having been absolved of past sins, which of them has the godliest character?Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-53608593642945236372011-06-07T10:49:00.004-06:002012-01-20T10:43:41.964-07:00Much to blog aboutSo much to blog about, so little time! I've wanted to say a bit about the death of Osama ben Laden, about the delightful experience of getting to know <em>Doctor Who</em>, about my wife's trip to Atlanta and St. George, and about preparing for my own trip to England and the Czech Republic, and about many other things--and I will at some point spend some time with some of those things, if only to remember some of the rich and challenging parts of life I've been living.<br />
<br />
But for now, I'll point to blogging I've done elsewhere. Since last reporting on <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/">"Secret Memo"</a> (a blog on which I put some of my opinions, political and other), I've posted about six items there, notably including "A Letter to Jon McNaughton" (<a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2011/05/letter-to-jon-mcnaughton.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2011/05/letter-to-jon-mcnaughton.html</a>) and "Respecting the President / Political Bullying" (<a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/09/respecting-president-political-bullying.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/09/respecting-president-political-bullying.html</a>).<br />
<br />
I've also created another blog: <a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/">"Welcoming the Other"</a>. Entries have included "A little bit about this blog" (<a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-bit-about-this-blog.html">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-bit-about-this-blog.html</a>) and "King Benjamin on helping the poor (<a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/12/king-benjamin-on-helping-poor.html">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/12/king-benjamin-on-helping-poor.html</a>). Though I haven't done much with this blog, I think it may be worth copying one of the entries here.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><strong>A little bit about this blog</strong></u> (from "Welcoming the Other": </span></span><a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-bit-about-this-blog.html"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-bit-about-this-blog.html</span></a><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [Sept. 25, 2010])</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just created this blog as a place to put things that don't seem to fit in my other ones. My original blog, </span><a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The Face of the Other,"</span></a><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> has philosophical (and non-philosophical) musings and reports on personal and family events. It is also fed to </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Wilson-Young/e/B001JRTDYC/"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">my author page</span></a><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on amazon.com.</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a couple of explicitly political blogs, started in the election season of 2008.</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I have a blog called </span><a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Secret Memo"</span></a><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> where I discuss odd or controversial matters, or just things I don't want to put in the other blogs.</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I have plenty of spots to put things. But I felt a need to start this new blog for two reasons. One was that I wanted a generic space that didn't have the suspicious-sounding title or sometimes odd content of "Secret Memo," but also that wasn't being fed to my author page (as "The Face of the Other" is). Also, I like to be careful about what appears at the top of "The Face of the Other," given that it is my prime and original blog.</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second reason is that it occurred to me I needed a space for more pragmatic concerns. "The Face of the Other" is more contemplative--even though (as its subtitle suggests) contemplation ought to lead to action, given that my encounter with others makes me aware of my responsibility ("In front of the face, I always demand more of myself").</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I need to go beyond <i>knowing</i> that I am responsible to <i>act</i> responsibly. And so I've titled the new blog "Welcoming the Other." The subtitle of the current blog comes from an interview with Emmanuel Levinas ("Dialogue with Emmanuel Levinas," <i>Face to Face with Levinas</i>, ed. Richard A. Cohen, somewhere on page 26 or 27). The full passage includes the following:</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am defined as subjectivity, as a singular person, as an "I," precisely because I am exposed to the other. It is my inescapable and incontrovertible answerability to the other that makes me an individual "I." So that I become a responsible or ethical "I" to the extent that I agree to depose or dethrone myself--to abdicate my position of centrality--in favor of the vulnerable other. As the Bible says: "He who loses his soul gains it." . . . It is not that I wish to preserve . . . the idea of a subject who would be a substantial or mastering center of meaning, an idealist, self-sufficient cogito. . . . Ethical subjectivity dispenses with the idealizing subjectivity of ontology, which reduces everything to itself. The ethical "I" is subjectivity precisely insofar as it kneels before the other.</span></i><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another passage (this one from Levinas's book <i>Totality and Infinity</i>) illuminates what's involved in <i>welcoming</i> another person:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To approach the Other in conversation is to welcome his expression, in which at each instant he overflows the idea a thought would carry away from it. It is therefore to <i>receive</i> from the Other beyond the capacity of the I, which means exactly: to have the idea of infinity. But this also means: to be taught. The relation with the Other, or Conversation, is a non-allergic relation, an ethical relation; but inasmuch as it is welcomed this conversation is a teaching. Teaching . . . comes from the exterior and brings me more than I contain. (51)</span></blockquote><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's another one, harder to figure out if you don't already know something of Levinas's thought: "The relationship between the same and the other, my welcoming of the other, is the ultimate fact, and in it the things figure not as what one builds but as what one gives" (<i>Totality and Infinity</i> 77).</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And another: "[Though the Other calls the I into being, this call] leaves room for a process of being that is deduced from itself, that is, remains separated and capable of shutting itself up against the very appeal that has aroused it, but also capable of welcoming this face of infinity with all the resources of its egoism. . . ." (216).</span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a particularly wild one--but crystal clear, pretty much, once you start to get a feel for Levinas:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is only in approaching the Other that I attend to myself. This does not mean that my existence is constituted in the thought of the others. An existence called objective, such as is reflected in the thought of the others, and by which I count in universality, in the State, in history, in the totality, does not express me, but precisely dissimulates me. The face I welcome makes me pass from phenomenon [i.e., "a reality that lacks reality, still infinitely removed from its being"] to being in another sense: in discourse I expose myself to the questioning of the Other, and this urgency of the response—acuteness of the present—engenders me for responsibility; as responsible I am brought to my final reality. This extreme attention does not actualize what was in potency, for it is not conceivable without the other. Being attentive . . . presupposes the call of the other. To be attentive is to recognize the mastery of the other, to receive his command, or, more exactly, to receive from him the command to command. When I seek my final reality, I find that my existence as a "thing in itself" begins with the presence in me of the idea of Infinity. But this relation already consists in serving the Other. . . .</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . This [the face to face] is not a play of mirrors but my responsibility, that is, an existence already obligated. It places the center of gravitation of a being outside of that being. The surpassing of phenomenal or inward existence does not consist in receiving the recognition of the Other, but in offering him one's being. To be in oneself is to express oneself, that is, already to serve the Other. The ground of expression is goodness. To be kath'auto ["in or according to oneself," i.e., having reality in onself] is to be good. (178-79, 183)</span></blockquote><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's enough Levinas for now, and certainly more than enough of an explanation of why I've started this blog.</span>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-67087153432104868462011-01-13T17:34:00.004-07:002011-01-14T12:28:51.969-07:00Two speechesOver the past 24 hours, I've heard two good speeches. One was from Condoleezza Rice, the other from President Obama. I would give Dr. Rice's speech an A or A-; I would give the president's an A+ or an A++.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuHhWC86ulHKQrgg5tGD0DoOu-YUBej3b-hs4Qfxzl4dW4W9f6XG54oWT1v3Lgg6LrZmZC4Et579_lvlhjtpFMv5ZV60_vrJpbuJKaGw6emibrPEdpvaCjB4xdHXFny6Wylfc3aSwv6gv/s1600/rice2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuHhWC86ulHKQrgg5tGD0DoOu-YUBej3b-hs4Qfxzl4dW4W9f6XG54oWT1v3Lgg6LrZmZC4Et579_lvlhjtpFMv5ZV60_vrJpbuJKaGw6emibrPEdpvaCjB4xdHXFny6Wylfc3aSwv6gv/s320/rice2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, spoke at a forum assembly at BYU. The Marriott Center was packed--and she did a good job. She spoke about the American ideal that anyone can become what they want to become, about the need to improve our educational system, about the importance of both faith and intellect, about the importance of family, about the value of optimism ("things that seemed impossible at the time may, as we look back, seem inevitable"). She spoke about the value of traveling to other countries and learning other languages and about our responsibility as a nation to help others throughout the world. <br />
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There were a couple of things I resisted: I don't believe reducing regulations on business is an unadulterated blessing--we all depend on reasonable regulations that protect our health and safety and the integrity and fairness of the system. But I agree that excessive regulation can hamper creativity as well as efficiency. On another point, though I agree with what she said about the value of democracy, I believe there are significant problems associated with trying to export our version of democracy to the rest of the world, especially when it involves overthrowing other governments by violence. (I'm happy to say that, in this speech, she didn't endorse the method I've just mentioned.) On the other hand, she spoke about America as a nation of immigrants and about the vital importance of welcoming immigrants that suggested a liberal or at least moderate outlook on that issue--an outlook I share. In fact, as I thought about it, I realized that some extreme conservatives may dislike her for being too moderate.<br />
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Overall, her speech was not partisan. (Of course, given the hosting institution, it was not supposed to be.) I was happy to be there in person, to be (as she entered) only a few feet away from her, to stand to honor her, and to applaud her sensible and inspiring words. I have long admired her. Despite her participation as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State in some decisions I disagreed with, I understand she played a moderating role at that time. She is a woman of wisdom, intelligence, faith, and goodwill.<br />
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The other speech I listened to was last night--President Obama's speech in Tucson in response to the attack on a peaceful assembly in that city that led to the death of six people and the wounding of others. It is one of the great speeches of which I am aware, powerful, eloquent, consoling, inspiring. How I wish for a softening of the hearts of any who, out of partisan bias, are inclined to resist the goodness and truth of the words that were spoken and the spirit in which they were spoken.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7s3ZciIosPRNIbRewiRmPGqsRsTPPL1az1xH2i5aMgnb8IMJgJdYpdTwYFW_5tJXnvQApsFSNXOAEw6ZCNDMIK3CWGPbl6e5oQnK8XFI8AaPF6VrlrXPPQeeINIPqy6Lle5GH1KioBMR/s1600/obamatucson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7s3ZciIosPRNIbRewiRmPGqsRsTPPL1az1xH2i5aMgnb8IMJgJdYpdTwYFW_5tJXnvQApsFSNXOAEw6ZCNDMIK3CWGPbl6e5oQnK8XFI8AaPF6VrlrXPPQeeINIPqy6Lle5GH1KioBMR/s320/obamatucson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I won't try to summarize the speech here. You can watch it here-- <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41048443">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41048443</a> -- or read a transcript here-- <a href="http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/12/president-obama-speaks-at-memorial-honoring-victims-of-arizona-shooting/">http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/12/president-obama-speaks-at-memorial-honoring-victims-of-arizona-shooting/</a>.<br />
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I'll just give a few excerpts. As I noted on my Facebook status earlier today: "It's easy for all of us to pick sides and try to keep track of who's winning and who's losing. It is the measure of a truly great leader that he or she can lift us above this way of thinking and help us see each other as fellow members of a community, even as brothers and sisters, members of the human family, sharing in each other's sorrows, joys, and hopes." That is what President Obama did last night, at least for those willing to listen and feel.<br />
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The excerpts:<br />
<blockquote>. . . at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.<br />
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Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. . . . <br />
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Yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.<br />
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But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other. That we cannot do. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let's use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.<br />
. . .<br />
. . . we are reminded that in our fleeting time on earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.<br />
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That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires. . . .<br />
. . .<br />
The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better – to be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, it did not, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.<br />
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We should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.<br />
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They believe and I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that's entirely up to us. And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.<br />
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That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. . . . She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism, vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.<br />
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I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.<br />
. . .<br />
May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.</blockquote>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-9783144472811943812010-11-18T21:52:00.002-07:002010-11-18T22:09:17.604-07:00Introducing . . . the Beatles!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-Z-TkerxzyOZrVak6VkFMbXUYKWCY3u_NfFajGeXaSFA9nozLC0h1JhUykIRy614Ln7r6KNyvSihyphenhyphenwiP4UzE2hFjyPnhX16hvlllXnjTXbu_QHxylhpsfO6A7qS-0zojYS-eN_N5M527/s1600/RubberSoul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-Z-TkerxzyOZrVak6VkFMbXUYKWCY3u_NfFajGeXaSFA9nozLC0h1JhUykIRy614Ln7r6KNyvSihyphenhyphenwiP4UzE2hFjyPnhX16hvlllXnjTXbu_QHxylhpsfO6A7qS-0zojYS-eN_N5M527/s320/RubberSoul.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I thought I'd take advantage of the "life-changing" announcement that the Beatles are now on iTunes to reveal at least a little of the role they have played in my life. It turns out that Margaret and I experienced a Beatles related event today: we attended an academic lecture--a remarkably good and illuminating one--titled "American through the Beatles." It was given by Trent Hickman, one of my colleagues in the English Department at BYU, born (pretty much as I had guessed) in 1970, the year the Fab Four broke up. (I wonder if calling them "the Fab Four" is as hokey as calling Shakespeare "the Bard." I'll have to think about that one.)<br />
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I first heard "I Want to Hold Your Hand" about 47 years ago, and though I didn't know initially who was performing, I was very taken by this fresh and exciting new sound. But then during most of 1964 I resisted the Beatles, partly because they were so popular, partly (as a 13-14 year old) because I prided myself on my rationality. But then in September of 1965, I heard "Ticket to Ride" on a bowling-alley jukebox in Payson, Utah, and was captured by the song's marvelous fusion of lyricism and anguish. Then came the movie <i>Help!</i>, with its zany fun and appealing music. And then in short order came "Yesterday" (how could I resist!) and <i>Rubber Soul</i> (still possibly my favorite album). I became not only a Beatles fan but a Beatles "expert" (i.e., I was so obsessed I soaked in everything I could about them), and my life became intertwined with their music for the next four years. In February 1970 I started a mission* (arriving in Paris in April), and so I took a break from the Beatles just about the time they broke up. But I could swear I heard "Let It Be" before I left home. (Much later, in 1996, I heard it sung by a street singer in Paris, near St. Germain des Pres.)<br />
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After returning to the US in 1972, I followed Paul McCartney somewhat (solo and then as a member of Wings) for a few years. As I remember it, I started re-collecting some Beatles music on cassette tape during the 1980s. Then came CDs (and I gradually got a complete collection); then the Beatles Anthology CDs (and TV specials) in the 1990s. Somewhere along the way I also collected a complete set of remastered vinyl records. More recently I've kept up on some of the reissuing of the Beatles' oeuvre and have continued to follow Paul's career in particular, though with some attention to the others. Of course, I remember learning of John Lennon's death in 1980: I was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the time.<br />
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Now for (possibly) the most unusual event in my life related to the Beatles. Sometimes during the summer of 1997, our stake* held a picnic in a park near our home. I had recently been called as a counselor in the stake presidency and was going to introduce myself to the stake by taking part in a little presentation on the stage that was set up in the park. My son Rob was 10 at the time (and precocious, as he still is). He interviewed me, asking a series of predetermined questions, I answered entirely (or almost entirely) with lines from Beatles songs.<br />
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I'm going to reproduce the entire interview here. But first--just so everyone knows--I will acknowledge that, as with all (earthly) passions, my passion for the Beatles has the potential to be an unhealthy obsession. I try to keep enough detachment to remember the <i>relative</i> unimportance of all this and to remember that the Beatles' influence was a mix of good and bad.<br />
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But musically, they were marvels. Apart from a handful of their music that I don't like, they produced a large body of high-quality work, and the best of their work ranks with some of the best music the world has seen (and I'm including what is commonly called "classical music"). As people, as a cultural phenomenon, and as a source of music, the Beatles somehow conveyed an energy, vitality, freshness, and sense of passion and joy rarely seen.<br />
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By the way, for those who wonder what the heck a "mission" and "stake" are, I'll provide answers at the end.<br />
<br />
THE INTERVIEW (R=Robert Young; B=Bruce Young):<br />
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R: <em>Hello, my name is Robert Young. I'm about to do a live interview of </em><em>the newest member of the Stake Presidency, Bruce Young.</em><br />
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<em>I need to give you a little background first. He's a member of </em><em>Pioneer 4th ward. But he's spent most of the past year out of town </em><em>and just got back in May. For 6 months of that time he was helping </em><em>direct a BYU program in England. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Some people think it is his interest in Shakespeare that qualified him </em><em>for this work, but the truth seems to be that he was chosen because he </em><em>is one of Utah Valley's foremost experts on the Beatles. For that </em><em>reason we've asked him to answer all questions with quotations from </em><em>their songs.</em><br />
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<em>Is that true, President Young?</em><br />
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B: Yes it is, it's true.<br />
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R: <em>Speaking of England, what did you think of the Queen?</em><br />
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B: Her majesty's a pretty nice girl, but she doesn't have a lot to say.<br />
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R: <em>President Young, could you explain why you left Provo last year?</em><br />
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B: You know if you break my heart I'll go, but I'll be back again.<br />
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R: <em>I understand you were in Massachusetts for the first part of this </em><em>year. How did you feel when you got back?</em><br />
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B: It's been a long time, now I'm coming back home. I've been away now, oh how, I've been alone.<br />
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R: <em>I understand there was a fire in your home last year. Did that affect </em><em>where you lived for a while?</em><br />
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B: We all live(d) in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine.<br />
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R: <em>So it wasn't long after your return that President Billings called you </em><em>up to talk to you. What was the first thing he said?</em><br />
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B: When I call you up, your line's engaged. I have had enough, so act your age.<br />
<br />
R: <em>So what was your response the night you found out about your call to </em><em>the stake presidency?</em><br />
<br />
B: Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as if there here to stay, oh I believe in yesterday.<br />
<br />
R: <em>What did you feel after you had some time to think about it?</em><br />
<br />
B: Help! I need somebody. Help! not just anybody. Help! you know I need someone. Help!<br />
<br />
R: <em>So how are things going now?</em><br />
<br />
B: It's getting better all the time. (better better better)<br />
<br />
R: <em>What helped make the difference?</em><br />
<br />
B: Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.<br />
<br />
R: <em>I understand you sometimes come home fairly late on nights when you </em><em>have stake meetings. How do you feel when you come home? </em><br />
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B: It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log.<br />
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R: <em>Do you have any idea how long you will serve in this position or when </em><em>you might be released?</em><br />
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B: When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now.<br />
<br />
R: <em>Well, sir, it looks like you've lost your hair already.</em><br />
<br />
B: Look! what your doing!<br />
<br />
R: <em>Let me ask you a few questions about your life and your family.</em><br />
<br />
<em>How did you feel about yourself before you met Margaret?</em><br />
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B: I'm a loser, I'm a loser, and I'm not what I appear to be.<br />
<br />
R: <em>So how do you feel now?</em><br />
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B: I'm in love with her and I feel fine.<br />
<br />
R: <em>How many children do you have?</em><br />
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B: Your mother should know (whoo-oo), your mother should know.<br />
<br />
R: <em>Do you have anything to say to Margaret?</em><br />
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B: You know how much I love you, you know I always will.<br />
<br />
R: <em>I understand your oldest daughter is old enough to date now. And I </em><em>understand you have a policy that she shouldn't date the same boy </em><em>twice in a row. What do you say if she asks for an exception?</em><br />
<br />
B: You know I told you before, no, you can't do that.<br />
<br />
R: <em>She hasn't go her license yet. When she does, do you have something </em><em>to tell her?</em><br />
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B: Baby you can drive my car.<br />
<br />
R: <em>I understand you have a 10-year-old red headed son who is pretty </em><em>smart. How do you feel about him?</em><br />
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B: A bad little kid moved into the neighborhood (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-oo-doo-doo) He don't do nothin' right just sit there, 'n' look so good. (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-oo-doo-doo)<br />
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R: <em>What is your 8 year old daughter's name?</em><br />
<br />
B: Julia, Julia.<br />
<br />
R: <em>She likes to jog with you, but has a hard time keeping up. Is there </em><em>anything you say to encourage her?</em><br />
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B: You better run for your life if you can little girl.<br />
<br />
R: <em>Do you have anything to say about your 5-year-old son Michael?</em><br />
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B: Slow down, your movin' way too fast. You gotta give me little lovin', give me little lovin', whoooo, if you want our love to last.<br />
<br />
R: <em>Do you have any final things to say?</em><br />
<br />
B: I don't want to spoil the party so I'll go. I would hate my disappointment to show. There nothing for me here, so I will disappear. <br />
<br />
R: <em>Do you think we could have another live interview with you next year?</em><br />
<br />
B: Don't bother me, leave me alone, don't bother me.<br />
<br />
R: <em>Well, maybe we'll check with you later and see if we can get you to </em><em>change your tune.</em><br />
<br />
B: We can work it out, we can work it out.<br />
<br />
[The end]<br />
<br />
*mission: i.e., a two-year mission for <a href="http://mormon.org/">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a>; I served in the France Paris Mission, which included (at that time) most of western France.<br />
<br />
*stake: an organization in <a href="http://mormon.org/">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> encompassing several wards (congregations), corresponding more or less to a diocese in Catholic church government. The stake presidency consists of three men, a president and a first and second counselor. I ended up serving for three years as second counselor to Lewis Billings and then another seven years as first counselor to Brian Wolsey.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-30324917986282548922010-09-11T08:48:00.008-06:002016-11-14T10:32:07.344-07:00Thoughts on September 11September 11 brings me memories and mixed feelings. I find myself pondering good and evil, life and death, love and hate, suffering and heroism, tragedy and redemption. I also find myself distressed by the anti-Muslim feelings that rise among many on this day—feelings that are unfortunate and unfair in so many ways and that I believe are <i>especially</i> out of place on 9/11. Why?<br />
<br />
(1) Muslims as a whole did not perpetrate the terrorist acts that took place on this day. <br />
<br />
(2) Most Muslims condemn such terrorist acts.<br />
<br />
(3) Muslims were among those killed on 9/11.<br />
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(4) Islam is one of the great religious traditions and has helped inspire much goodness and some of the world’s greatest cultural achievements. It is the foundation of the lives of millions of good people.<br />
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(5) While Christians naturally disagree with Muslims on many issues (as they also disagree with Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others, as well as with many of their fellow Christians), true Christianity—in my view—requires respect for others, including respect for the freedom of others to believe and live differently. We can discuss our differences, but should do so with civility, charity, and humility.<br />
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(6) Latter-day Saints in particular should extend respect and understanding toward Muslims because we have been misunderstood and persecuted in much the same way they have. Furthermore, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have worked to build good relationships with Muslims and have stated that there is much that is good, true, even inspired in their religion.<br />
<br />
(7) Above all, <u>to make 9/11 an occasion for antagonism and hatred toward Muslims is to partake, in some degree, of the same spirit that motivated the terrorists on that day</u>.<br />
<br />
The Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas dedicated one of his books (<i>Otherwise than Being</i>) to those he was closest to among the victims of the Nazi terror—but also to “the millions on millions of all confessions and all nations, victims of <u>the same hatred of the other man</u>, the same anti-semitism.” (Emphasis added.) Any hatred of others is evil in essentially the same way, whoever the others are that we choose to hate and whatever excuse we make for ourselves. Hatred has always tried to justify itself.<br />
<br />
But <i>any</i> hatred of others damages the very foundation of our spiritual and moral existence: hatred refuses to heed the call to goodness—and service and respect and responsibility—that issues from the face of every other human being. As Jesus put it, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one”—which clearly means <i>any</i> one—“of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.”<br />
<br />
When two of Jesus’ disciples wanted him to call fire down on a village that had rejected them, he responded: <strong>“You know not what spirit you are of. For the Son of Man has come not to destroy men’s lives but to save them”</strong> (Luke 9:54). Would he say the same to Christians who want to burn Qurans or whose hearts in any other way are bent on destruction or disrespect?<br />
<br />
Every major religion and ethnic group has had members guilty of horrific acts; none of us wants to be, or should be, judged by acts committed by our co-religionists that we object to. And none of us wants to be told there is something wrong with our religion (supposedly revealed by such acts) when our own understanding of our religion in no way justifies the acts. That is exactly the situation in which most Muslims find themselves. <br />
<br />
My own experience—and the experience of others I trust—confirms that most Muslims are good people and that their religion is part of their goodness.<br />
<br />
<u>Latter-day Saint attitudes toward Muslims and their religion</u><br />
<br />
As noted above, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have called for respect and understanding among those of various religions, including Islam.<br />
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Within the past few days the Church released a statement in response to the threat made by some Americans to burn the Koran on September 11: <strong>“A key tenet of our faith is to accord everyone the freedom to worship as they choose. It is regrettable that anyone would regard the burning of any scriptural text as a legitimate form of protest or disagreement.”</strong> (Source: <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-on-the-burning-of-the-koran" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-on-the-burning-of-the-koran</a>.)<br />
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The same attitude is expressed in earlier statements. The First Presidency of the Church made a statement on February 15, 1978, "regarding God's Love for All Mankind," that includes, among other things, the following:<br />
<br />
<strong>"The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals. </strong><br />
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<strong>"We believe that God has given and will give to all peoples sufficient knowledge to help them on their way to eternal salvation."</strong>(quoted by James E. Faust, "Communion with the Holy Spirit," <i>Ensign</i>, May 1980, 12)<br />
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As mayor of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith—first prophet and president of the Church—issued the following statement: <br />
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<strong>“Be it ordained by the city council [of] Nauvoo that the Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter-day Saints, Quakers, Episcopalians, Universalists, Unitarians, Mohammedans, and all other religious sects and denominations, whatever, shall have free toleration and equal privileges in this city.”</strong><br />
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Joseph Smith taught that God’s love for his children is universal:<br />
<br />
“The Mussulman [Muslim] condemns the heathen, the Jew, and the Christian, and the whole world of mankind that reject his Koran, as infidels, and consigns the whole of them to perdition. The Jew believes that the whole world that rejects his faith and are not circumcised, are Gentile dogs, and will be damned. The heathen is equally as tenacious about his principles, and the Christian consigns all to perdition who cannot bow to his creed, and submit to his ipse dixit.<br />
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<strong>“But while one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men,</strong> causes ‘His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’ He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men, but, ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India. He will judge them, "not according to what they have not, but according to what they have," those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right.” (From <i>Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith</i> pages 217-18.)<br />
<br />
Recent Church members and leaders have worked to establish positive relationships with people of other faiths, including Jews and Muslims. The Church has partnered with Muslims to provide disaster relief and to engage in scholarly work. [See the comment below with links to an article about some of this work.]<br />
<br />
Another example: President Boyd K. Packer has become friends with Dr. Alwi Shihab, a Muslim and an important figure in the government of Indonesia. Invited by President Packer, Dr. Shihab gave an address at Brigham Young University on October 10, 2006.<br />
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You can read the introduction by Pres. Packer and the address by Dr. Shihab at the following site: <a href="https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/alwi-shihab_building-bridges-harmony-understanding/">https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/alwi-shihab_building-bridges-harmony-understanding/</a><br />
<br />
Here are some excerpts from Pres. Packer's introduction:<br />
<blockquote>
Ahead of us, indeed already all around us, is the world of Islam. Christianity and Islam will clasp hands in cooperation and understanding or clench fists in confrontation and prejudice. <br />
<br />
. . . We have witnessed two watershed events: September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center terrorist attack brought Christians and Muslims into confrontation. The December 27, 2004, tsunami opened opportunity for Christians and Muslims to cooperate. The first was a wake-up call; the other pushed us out of bed. <br />
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. . . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expresses ‘special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race, or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father.’ <br />
<br />
. . . Knit together by world history and by Old Testament history and doctrine, the Church and the Islamic world can see each other as People of the Book, indeed Family of the Book. <br />
<br />
Church members and Muslims share similar high standards of decency, temperance, and morality. We have so much in common. As societal morality and behavior decline in an increasingly permissive world, the Church and many within Islam increasingly share natural affinities. <br />
<br />
Muslim scholars point out that the Quran does not restrict Paradise to Muslims. The Quran rewards all those of faith who perform righteousness and believe in the after-life. The Book calls Jesus Christ Messiah, Son of Mary, and by the names Messenger, Prophet, Servant, Word, and Spirit of God. <br />
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It is important that we in the West understand there is a battle for the heart, soul, and direction of Islam and that not all Islam espouses violent jihad, as some Western media portray. <br />
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It is as well important that friends in the Islamic world understand there is a battle for the heart, soul, and direction of the Western world and that not all the West is morally decadent, as some Islamic media portray. <br />
<br />
. . . Alwi, a devout Muslim of Arabic ancestry, and I, a Christian and devout Mormon, have agreed to symbolically walk arm in arm into the future. Together we hope to build a bridge. Except what that symbolizes is accomplished, all of us face a very dark and very dangerous future. <br />
<br />
Now I introduce Dr. Alwi Shihab with a title which I borrow from another venerable Islamic leader and cleric (whom we both know and love), Abdurrahman Wahid, former president of Indonesia—Gus Dur. I apply that title to you, Alwi. You know that by interpretation it means ‘Dear Friend.’ </blockquote>
<u>Some closing thoughts</u><br />
<br />
Now to add a few more words about my own experience: For several years, I have taught excerpts from the Quran (or Koran) in courses at Brigham Young University. I’ve found much in it that is inspired and good. In my view, it might be described in much the same way the Apocrypha is described in section 91 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “There are many things contained therein that are true, . . .; There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. . . . Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited” (verses 1-6). <br />
<br />
Even more significant is the goodness I have found in the individual Muslims I have met. Whatever our differences in outlook and custom, we are brothers and sisters, children of a common Father. September 11 is a day to reaffirm that bond and pledge ourselves to work against hatred and in favor of respect, compassion, and goodwill. It is the <i>wrong</i> day (as if any days were right for this!) to promote fear, anger, and contention.<br />
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For more on Islam from a Latter-day Saint point of view, I recommend the following:<br />
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<a href="http://www.byui.edu/perspective/v4n1pdf/v4n1_peck.pdf">http://www.byui.edu/perspective/v4n1pdf/v4n1_peck.pdf</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=bbaba1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD">James A. Toronto, “A Latter-day Saint Perspective on Muhammad,” Ensign, Aug 2000, 51</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=68ea615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD">James B. Mayfield, “Ishmael, Our Brother,” Ensign, Jun 1979, 24</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=f8818c6a47e0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD">Orin D. Parker, “A Life among Muslims,” Ensign, Mar 2002, 50</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=e82bd7630a27b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD">Joseph B. Platt, “Our Oasis of Faith,” Ensign, Apr 1988, 39</a>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-21885013172839298692010-09-10T16:47:00.002-06:002010-11-19T08:59:02.439-07:00The relative worth of Troilus and Cressida--and of art and literature in generalArtists, writers, and lovers of art and literature sometimes find themselves depressed or irritated by what they consider the simplistic and narrow-minded judgments of those who object to some of what they love.<br />
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A discussion of this issue recently took place on a website called "Dawning of a Brighter Day" sponsored by the Association for Mormon Letters. I'm adding here two comments I made. (See <a href="http://blog.mormonletters.org/post/2010/09/03/Brother-can-you-paradigm.aspx">http://blog.mormonletters.org/post/2010/09/03/Brother-can-you-paradigm.aspx</a>.)<br />
<br />
The first comment has to do with a switch that was made on the BYU theater schedule from <i>Troilus and Cressida</i> to <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>. The second comment is more general.<br />
<br />
(1)<br />
. . . [F]irst, on <i>Troilus and Cressida</i>: When I learned it was going to be performed at BYU, I was surprised, but I added a requirement in my Shakespeare syllabus for my students to see it. (Now I'm requiring them to see <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>--mainly I want them to experience live Shakespeare.)<br />
<br />
I was surprised because I had a hard time imagining the large audiences drawn from students and the community for a main stage production being ready to have a good experience with one of Shakespeare's oddest and most astringent plays. I thought it might work better on a smaller stage for a more self-selecting audience. But (I thought) I guess it depends mainly on how it's done. The play can be done in any number of ways, from something approaching a romantic combination of sweetness and pathos (with plenty of dark undertones, to be sure) to something unredeemably harsh and cynical. For myself, I'd prefer something somewhere in the middle.<br />
<br />
I saw a powerful production of the play in England some years ago, one that may have been a bit harsh for BYU but that otherwise came close to the right balance for me--except that there were moments so overwhelmingly erotic that I don't believe I could experience such moments very often without real danger and damage. Anyone who could handle them better than I could must be a lot stronger than I am, or else self-deceived or far gone into desensitization. Though the production has found a place firmly in my memory, I seem to have survived intact. Am I a better person for having seen the play? I don't know. "Better" can mean so many things, from wisdom to sensitivity to compassion to strength. <br />
<br />
I already knew the play pretty well. Professionally I need to know it: it has a significant and peculiar place in the Shakespearean canon. Seeing the production added a few nuances to my Shakespearean expertise. Like most of what Shakespeare wrote, the play is a masterpiece in its particular niche, though not as moving or profound or enlightening (by a long shot) as plays like <i>Macbeth</i> or <i>King Lear</i> or <i>The Winter's Tale</i>--or <i>Measure for Measure</i>, to take a play with closer affinities to <i>Troilus and Cressida</i>. <i>T&C</i> helps shatter naive idealism about love and war, but apart from that, I find it harder to make a case for its value than for most of Shakespeare's plays.<br />
<br />
Even kept intact, I can imagine it performed at BYU in a way that might work, though some of Pandarus's lines might cause some squirming, and it would be hard to imagine audiences knowing quite how to handle Thersites, with his constant stream of invective and vulgarity.<br />
<br />
I don't know much about how it was decided not to do the play at BYU, but from the little I know, I doubt it was done (entirely) in a simplistic way depending on "Platonic" binaries. The play really is problematic.<br />
<br />
Of course, so is <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, though not in the same way or to the same degree as <i>T&C</i>. Plus it has a place in the cultural consciousness that <i>T&C</i> lacks. It will be interesting to see what's done with <i>R&J</i>. I can imagine anything from a sensationalist soap-opera style production to a profoundly sympathetic and illuminating rendition of the play. That's one of the perils and gifts of live theater: the moral value depends in great measure on the particularities of the production and unfolds (often surprisingly, unpredictably) in the very moment the performance takes place.<br />
<br />
(2)<br />
General thoughts: I agree with much in Eric’s post and in the comments. But I also find much said that, even while objecting to oversimplification, tends to simplify the issues and to characterize alternative views as naive, erroneous, and simplistic when there are in fact intelligent versions of them worth attending to.<br />
<br />
In practice, I sometimes find myself on one side or another. I have recommended a film I consider wonderfully moral but which is then objected to by at least a few viewers, who of course I imagine to be narrow minded and judgmental. (Mostly, I just feel sad that they don’t see what I see in the film.) On the other hand, I find myself depressed and sickened by language, images, and assumptions in films that I want to, and to some extent do, enjoy. I have a son who objects to any editing of films, presumably including editing for airlines and for television. But as for myself, I am deeply grateful for effective editing that spares me being assaulted by things that deaden my sensitivities and make my inner life harsh, dissonant, confused, and ugly. My wife and I find deeply disturbing the thought of certain music going through our younger son’s mind. On the other hand, I love and teach works of literature that are challenging and, in their own way, disturbing (I would say redemptively disturbing) as well as inspiring and edifying.<br />
<br />
How much damage do we need to risk as part of the process of learning and growth? As some have noted, our whole mortal experience is based on the assumption that some risk is required. But I see people who have acquired a taste for destruction—for the tang of chaos, violence, and lust—minus any discernible progress toward light and goodness.<br />
<br />
C. S. Lewis, who loved literature and music with a passion, who was eclectic in his tastes and exceptionally intelligent and learned, nevertheless placed literary and artistic values much lower than ultimate ones. “If we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.” Of course, a souvenir is not the same as awareness. A souvenir is something we cling to, or that clings to us—like the lizard on the oily man’s shoulder in <i>The Great Divorce</i>. When it comes right down to it, Lewis argues, “the salvation of a single soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies in the world.” Happily, we don’t normally have to choose one or the other—and in fact, remembering how infinitely less important the entire world of arts and letters is than any one person allows that world to reveal itself at its most delightful, illuminating, and enlivening; whereas clinging to music, art, and literature as if they were our salvation (like idols of a sort) kills them.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-38139253535722576812010-08-20T10:06:00.001-06:002010-08-20T10:07:34.405-06:00Heaven and HellThe following are thoughts about heaven and hell originally posted on <i>Times and Seasons</i>: <a href="http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2009/07/what-death-can-teach-us-about-heaven-and-hell/">http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2009/07/what-death-can-teach-us-about-heaven-and-hell/</a>. <br />
<br />
In this post, I draw on insights from C. S. Lewis as well as scripture and other sources.<br />
<br />
C. S. Lewis has many intriguing things to say about this topic--or rather this cluster of interrelated topics: why there's a hell, whether it's eternal, whether redemption from hell is possible, what essentially life in heaven and hell might mean, whether heaven includes or allows for association with friends and family, how different heaven might be from life as we know it here, etc. My comment can only scratch the surface of what he has to say (which of course I look at with the coloring and emphasis provided by my Latter-day Saint point of view). I'll give here just a few tidbits.<br />
<br />
On family in the afterlife: Besides questioning and deflecting hope of family reunions in the afterlife, Lewis also apparently longed for such a possibility. He wrote in <i>The Four Loves</i>: “We may hope that the resurrection of the body means also the resurrection of what may be called our ‘greater body’; the general fabric of our earthly life with its affections and relationships. But only on a condition . . . : nothing can enter there which cannot become heavenly.” (In LDS terms, a truly celestial marriage could only be a marriage that had become truly celestial.)<br />
<br />
On our “small-minded expectations”: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. . . . We are far too easily pleased” (“The Weight of Glory”).<br />
<br />
How different heaven might be from life as we know it here: By what Lewis calls “transposition,” all (perhaps) that is familiar to us might continue but be transformed and lifted to transcendence. We may “be hardly more surprised by hitherto unimagined differences than by hitherto unsuspected similarities. . . . When I know as I am known I . . . shall see how the transcendent reality either excludes and repels [the categories/concepts/realities I’m familiar with], or how unimaginably it assimilates and loads [them] with significance. Had we not better wait?”--i.e., wait and see. (All this is from “Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism”; see also “Transposition” and much of <i>Miracles</i>.)<br />
<br />
On the same question from LDS sources, I just read a verse the other day that blew me away, though I’ve read it many times before: “For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee” (D&C 133:45). So we hope for something far beyond our present capacity to imagine. Yet Joseph Smith also noted the similarities: “that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:2).<br />
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On “second chances” with implications for friends and family (this is me now, though Lewis has things to say on this as well): If God is love and if that love is essentially and supremely an absolutely unqualified concern for the welfare of others, then desiring the salvation of all (“not willing that any should perish” [2 Peter 3:9]) is part of what it means to be godly. (By the way, one of my favorite definitions of hell is from <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i>: “the torment of no longer being able to love.”)<br />
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Given God’s power and love, I believe that all will eventually have as many blessings as they can possibly (which among other things means “willingly”) receive. Any sort of permanent hell would thus require a person’s firm, knowing, and irrevocable choice (I believe this view is supported both by the scriptures and, as it happens, by Lewis). Or perhaps a permanent hell might also result as a person, through a series of choices, undergoes such a change of nature as to be unable any longer (ever) to choose to allow God's redeeming and transforming power to operate. (This last sentence is packed with all sorts of assumptions and speculations--but it does for me hint at what it might mean to be unredeemable.)<br />
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Short of these terrible possibilities, both the scriptures and the Spirit suggest to me that there's ALWAYS hope. John H. Groberg gave a talk on that theme that repeats the phrase "there's always hope" 40 times (<a href="http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6901">http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6901</a>). I endorse that view and would add, the story’s not over yet and won’t be for quite a while.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846270808622210589.post-8958803679780519652010-08-02T15:47:00.003-06:002010-09-08T09:27:44.685-06:00A change in status?On my Facebook profile, that is. I changed my political view from something like "I like to think I transcend partisan politics (hah!)" to "Moderately liberal, mildly progressive, and somewhat conservative." That was my somewhat playful way of saying that I don't think these big labels, which engender so much distrust and contention, are really polar opposites. Each of the words means lots of different things; each has its own history and its own connotations; none of the words is truly an antonym for any of the others.<br />
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So I do in fact favor an open, free, pluralistic society, based on civility, tolerance, justice, respect, and goodwill (one meaning of "liberal") and have political positions on some, but not all, issues that are commonly considered "moderate" or "moderately liberal." In general, I favor "progress" (who doesn't?), but with the caveat that not every change is really a change for the better. And I do favor conserving what is good (though not everything is good simply because it is old or traditional). And even when changes are made, I believe they need to be made carefully, with respect for the organic texture of social and spiritual reality. So I guess that makes me "somewhat conservative." (I greatly admire Edmund Burke, one of the great "conservative" thinkers of history.) But at the same time, I find some typical "conservative" positions of the moment (as well as some typical "liberal" positions) abhorrent. (For more on this--a statement I recently discovered by Dallin Oaks--see the third comment below.)<br />
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I didn't throw in "radical" since I believe extreme political views tend to be impractical, arrogant, and destructive. Yet if the word "radical" is taken in its literal sense (having to do with the "roots"), I think we have to at least think our problems through "radically" and consider what "radical" solutions--ways of getting at the roots of problems--would mean.<br />
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Which reminds me: I've just been rereading some of the dispute between Erasmus and Luther on "free will" (Erasmus believed there is some measure of human free will; Luther didn't). I'm more Erasmian in my style--looking, with modesty, for a moderate, reasonable stance that accords with the complexities of real life. Yet I admire the boldness and bluntness of Luther, who was absolutely sure he was right and who couldn't stand what he thought was Erasmus's wishy-washiness. Luther certainly had immense impact on the world, but I think some of what he did was destructive and hindered rather than enhanced human understanding and improvement. I hope Luther and Erasmus have become friends again and have come to accept a much larger, deeper, richer, and excitingly real reality than either of them could have imagined during their mortal lives.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com3