are we misusing Mormonism?
Sometimes (and by “sometimes” I mean very often), I get frustrated with fellow Mormons. I am self-aware enough to acknowledge my massive impatience and intolerance I have for the intolerance of others. I am very much imperfect and some of my biggest faults lie in these personality traits of mine, impatience and intolerance of intolerance. Oh, the hypocrisy; trust me, I see it. However, let me expand.
Over the past few years I have seen and heard fellow Mormons accuse the LGBT+ movement of harboring a secret desire to normalize pedophilia (I promise you, no LGBT person I know is looking to legalize pedophilia marriage). Some have also said talking about LGBT+ matters will “cause our children to become” gay or transgender, as if that’s how it works. Even more have said that the LGBT+ community is ruining our society. And the language and mocking I have seen directed toward Caitlyn Jenner has been revolting.
I have seen Mormons use racist language towards the Black Lives Matter movement, they have talked about children of God with vile words that drip with hatred and judgement. This has caused my heart to ache for my brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of police brutality and racist judgments.
Some fellow Mormons have used fear mongering to justify their desire to be armed with weapons at all times, claiming that President Obama has “ruined” the country and is now coming for our guns. Firstly, America may have some issues but I promise you, it is incredibly far from ruined. Secondly, having gun control laws is no where near the same thing as President Obama coming around to our homes and taking all of our guns. That’s not what is happening. Gun control is not Nazi Germany, nor is it equal to slavery or abortion, that is insulting on many levels but that is another subject for another day.
Even more recently, I have heard Mormons spit hatred in the proverbial faces of refugees, choosing to shun and judge instead of love and serve. Others have simply chosen not to see the refugee crisis and turn a blind eye. These people are our literal brothers and sisters. Do we not have numerous pleas from the Savior asking us to feed His sheep and clothe the naked?
I fear that we, as Mormons, don’t fully grasp the Gospel or prefer to make it in our own image. We decide which scriptural passages fit our political ideas and shun the rest. We manipulate our theology and doctrine to justify our judgments and inhumane actions.
I love the Gospel, the actual Gospel. Not the “pick and choose whom you love or what commandment you follow, Jesus hates gays, go-back-to-your-country, women stay home and shut your mouth, gun toting, war mongering, if you have sex before marriage you’re a licked cupcake” Gospel. The Gospel of “as I have loved you, love one another (even the illegal immigrant, unemployed, or gay, lesbian, transgender “another”)”, the Gospel of “the law of consecration, I will share my loaf of bread with you (even if others think you’re “lazy” or undeserving of my bread), lay down your weapons of war, judge not your neighbor, let them without sin cast the first stone, woman are beautiful without lipstick, for the love of all that is good serve each other” Gospel.
For that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Young Mormon Feminists 
5 Responses to “are we misusing Mormonism?”
I fear that we, as Mormons, don’t fully grasp the Gospel or prefer to make it in our own image. We decide which scriptural passages fit our political ideas and shun the rest. We manipulate our theology and doctrine to justify our judgments and inhumane actions.
This. You nailed it. Once in a Relief Society meeting, some woman went off on ‘Those women’ in a very disgusted tone when referring to the Ordain movement and how they got what they deserved in being xed. I raised my hand and told the room how I couldn’t believe the borderline glee some in the church had when they trashed these women. That it wasn’t Christ-like at all. Another time a teacher brought up Prop 8(seriously, can’t some people just let that go?) and again I raised my hand and said how they were God’s children too and that he loved them and that it wasn’t our place to judge them. The noise in the background trying to drown me out–one actually said, “So tell us what you really think about those gays” really disturbed me.
I do believe in the gospel– God’s gospel and not the parts that some pick and choose or twist for their own interpretations.
Whenever judgment comes up in religious discussion, I think Elder Oaks’s “‘Judge Not’ and Judging” is the most instructive talk I’ve read on the subject. Summarizing it doesn’t do it justice, but the idea of not making final judgments and making righteous judgments that focus on facts rather than people are some key points that stand out to me.
To the author, I find it interesting that we get frustrated with other people for judging unrighteously and judge them in the process. Is it a righteous judgment to judge others who judge? Even further, is it a righteous judgment for me to judge you for judging others who judge? The king in Christ’s parable forgave a 10,000 talent debt. We all have this 10,000 talent debt. Let’s forgive our fellow servants for the 100 pence errors they make towards us, such as judging us or others. By this I don’t mean that it isn’t good to write articles like this to instruct others not to judge, but let’s not become guilty of that which we fight against.
Your lost me right from the beginning with intolerant of intolerance. O the hypocrisy… I know several Mormons and they seem to be the most tolerate people I know, you being Mormon probably know more than I, but what I have found about the liberal side or “those gays” as you put it mocking the intolerance is that they want acceptance of their beliefs but refuse to accept the beliefs of those that reject them… hypocrisy to its core, I don’t care you hate guns, why should I hate guns because you do? I don’t care if you hate gays, why should I have to hate them? Can’t we just accept that some people are different and love them anyway because they are human beings? That seems to be the attitude of the Mormons that I know. Maybe you need to branch out and associate with the Mormons that actually practice what Christ taught. They might help you a bit in following your own religion instead of being intolerant of anyone… just accept them as a human and love them despite of your differences.
As for your meme, I too would have been confused if I lived in that time and was struggling with the higher law that Christ was implementing because they grew up with the 10 commandments (not worshiping other gods) and thinking that homosexuals were possessed by demons and burning cities of people who did these things… and if Christ is the person I believe in he would have explained himself with love helping the people he loved understand these changes, not responding with such an intolerant sarcastic remark… ok rant over
There’s an important political distinction to be made here, as well. I have plenty of non-Mormon friends who post similarly extreme right-hand views on gun control, President Obama, Black Lives Matter, and gay marriage. While many Mormons are more Republican leaning, this does not mean that these reactions are only coming from the Mormon community. Certainly, we should be better and a higher standard since we claim to be “followers of Christ”, but If we’re going to talk about people jumping to judgement, let’s remember that this is a humanity problem, not just a Mormon problem.
Being a Mormon does not make someone into a Tea Party homophobic racist, and if these people ever claim that it does, then they have certainly missed the main point of their religion. Judgemental fingerpointers are found in every demographic, so please don’t treat this issue as an issue of religion when it is more an issue of global perspective and basic social skills.
Furthermore, I’m not sure from what group the author is getting all these opinions, but as someone who goes to BYU and lives in the middle of literally thousands of Mormons, I’d like to reassure any intimidated readers that such inconsiderate people – while they do exist – are hardly the norm and definitely the minority. They do (unfortunately) exist, but they aren’t representative of all of us.
I am a tea-partier, and I am not a homophobic racist. Please explain to me evidence of any known tea-partiers that are.