Writing Under the Influence

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), a practicing mormon, was recently arrested in Virginia for driving under the influence. Senator Crapo had previously said he doesn't drink, stating publicly in 2010 that he would celebrate the passing of a measure reducing taxes on small beer brewers with root beer because he doesn't consume alcohol. As I read about Senator Crapo's very public break from what were apparently strongly held beliefs, I was reminded of a passage from Grant Palmer's The Incomparable Jesus:

If Jesus visited our various religious societies today, which of our prescriptions about behavioral minutia, to which we assign near-commandment status, would Jesus call "traditions of the elders"? Dictating and repeating a code of conduct for individual behavior on almost every occasion encourages Church members to engage in unrighteous judgement of others. Such judgement creates an atmosphere of tension, causing some to feel unaccepted.

In others it breeds hypocrisy, with people outwardly pretending conformity even while they secretly violate these near-commandments. The multiplication and emphasis of such rules blurs the distinction between significant commandments and trivial observances, making them seem of equal importance, especially among young people. Having observed these consequences first-hand during his formative years, Jesus rejected this approach to religion in his new church. He taught the things that mattered most and left the remainder to individual choice.

I'm honestly not sure what Jesus would think of how the Word of Wisdom has been applied since 1921, when Heber J. Grant made adherence an absolute requirement to enter the temple. BYU historian Thomas G. Alexander points out that while the original Word of Wisdom as a "principle with promise" was given by revelation, there is no evidence that any church leader, including President Grant, has claimed a separate new revelation, or even a spiritual confirmation, of changing the Word of Wisdom from "a principle with promise" to a commandment.(1) What is clear is that the near-commandment status of the Word of Wisdom does encourage church members to engage in unrighteous judgement of others, as evidenced in this case by the reactions of some of Senator Crapo's mormon political peers.

Palmer's second point - that the church's prescriptions about behavioral minutia make unequal "near-commandments" seem equal to commandments, especially in young people - seems spot on. Some of my children's strongest reactions to "sinning" have been toward strangers disobeying words of wisdom they know nothing about. "Daddy, that man is DRINKING BEER!" was a passionate response certainly not distilled instilled in them by their parents. Imagine if the one "sinning" was grandpa, as is the case for Senator Crapo's three grandchildren. They must be wondering what they should think, but there is no question in my mind what Jesus is thinking. Disappointment because he drove drunk, endangering the lives of others, but also love and forgiveness towards a man who almost certainly is under a lot of political pressure and who knows what else.

When these sorts of things happen, let it be a reminder to us to not reduce our religious life to a pattern of performances and of obedience to a few rather unique things in our church, but rather to live more like Jesus lived. To love and forgive others.

(1)Thomas G. Alexander, "The Word of Wisdom: From Principle to Requirement", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 14:3 (1981) pp. 78–88.

Mormon Crushes 2012

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by Scott Heffernan (bio)

Jerry Seinfeld helped familiarize us with the concept of a non-sexual crush. And we thank him for it. Last year I submitted to you my list of Mormon Crushes. A Mormon Crush is a passionate respect for the way one approaches Mormonism and faith. I like the term crush because it captures the fleeting attraction I sometimes feel after hearing someone speak or reading their words.

I used the same criteria as last time:
• They must be somewhat of a public figure.
• They must be living.
• No general authorities at or above the level of seventy.

While my admiration of last year’s crushes hasn’t gone away, here is a list of people who caught my attention in 2012.

Dan Wotherspoon
Dan is best known as host of the Mormon Matters podcast. He was also editor of Sunstone magazine for eight years. Dan is a true religious scholar with various degrees in philosophy and religion. Mormon Matters is a fantastic podcast. It has great guests and great discussion. Dan is a good moderator, which is why I sometimes forget how intelligent he is and how much I enjoy his take on things. He has an unabashed passion for Mormon doctrine that I find contagious. His idealistic attitude towards Mormonism and its potential makes me contemplate and appreciate my own faith more deeply.

Giveaway 24: Winner

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Apologies for the delay, here is the winner of James Goldberg's The Five Books of Jesus.

Eric Gifford (link to comment)





Read our recent interview with James.
Read James's blog, Mormon Midrashim.

If you didn't win, purchase The Five Books of Jesus now.

5000 Days

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We asked Rick Stevenson, director of 5000 Days, if we could share part of his Christmas letter with our readers. He agreed. Please support this project by buying or downloading the LISTEN series or TWO BROTHERS movie.

As I interview kids turning 12-15 in my 5000 Days project, I find so many of them growing more disillusioned every year. They lose their joy and with it their high expectations. Part of this is just growing up, becoming a teenager and learning the realities of the world. But in an age of political polarization, economic implosion and institutionalized terrorism, what are we supposed to do with all of the bad news?

We found a pretty good answer during our trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in October. My family was with me helping set up the ninth country in the 5000 Days Project. While interviewing the kids there we came upon a fascinating fact. The ancient colonial town has no less than 238 celebrations a year where people fill the town square and affirm the joy of being alive. That’s more than four celebrations a week and, astonishingly, they treat each celebration like it’s the only one to happen all year. They dance, they play music ... and they do it all as families in a multigenerational sort of way. Grandma is right in the middle of it all. Life is messy in Mexico and things are somewhat dysfunctional by our standards. And the people are generally poor, very poor. Yet they are happier than we are. They are grateful for what they have rather than disappointed by what they don’t have.

It seems to me that we have a choice. We can check out or go numb when faced with the preponderance of bad news before us or we can choose to feel it, to feel empathy -- because maybe our humanity depends upon it. And maybe we can take in the bad as long as we’re also celebrating the good through our acts and outlook.

When I was a small boy, my favorite book was HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON. It spoke to me because Harold was a boy who was not content to lie around and let the world determine things for him -- in his case, bedtime. He actually took his purple crayon and drew up his own adventure. He wanted to take a walk so he drew a road. He wanted to swim so he drew a lake. He started to drown so he drew a boat. He was getting hungry to so he drew some pies upon which to feast. You get the picture.

Harold realized that while he could not fully control the events of the world (bedtime), he could control his reaction to them. He realized that HE was the author of his own life, the illustrator of his own adventure, the ultimate arbiter of his own choices. He was empowered by the fact that he had in his own hands the tools to determine whether “I would become the hero of my own life or whether that station would be held by another.”(David Copperfield, Charles Dickens)

Just like the teens in my 5000 Days Project, there are lots of things reminding us out there of how powerless we are. There are few things reminding us of the power we possess by being the authors of our own lives ... by making the bold, self-dependent choices every day that define us and may in turn help redefine our world.

The Duchess of Cambridge and the Culture of Pregnancy Nosiness

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by ldsbishop (bio)

Just as Britain was sinking into the depths of a winter depression after a summer celebrating the Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Wills and Kate for those of you that get your Royal news from supermarket tabloids) performed the most solemn of duties to ensure the Commonwealth has an heir to the throne likely to survive into the 22nd century.

Ever since the former Kate Middleton walked out of Westminster Abbey with her new husband, there has been endless speculation as to when a bun might start baking in the Royal oven. A stream of "is she, or isn't she" stories have appeared in the gutter press since the Royal wedding night. Recently, that speculation was finally ended when it was announced that Kate was in hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum and expecting a baby. The world's media camped outside the hospital as the poor Duchess heaved inside.

Church members are taught the "decision as to how many children to have and when to have them is extremely intimate and private and should be left between the couple and the Lord. Church members should not judge one another in this matter" (Handbook 2, 21.4.4). However, I've observed that the speculation the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received on a global scale also occurs on a much smaller scale in most wards and branches.

When Mrs. ldsbishop and I moved into a small ward soon after getting married, we were seen by some as a one-couple team that would stock the ward's Primary for a new generation. Below are just a few examples of that pressure:

1. Mrs. ldsbishop is lactose intolerant and would occasionally get bouts of nausea if she had too much dairy. When she was serving on the YW presidency she suffered an attack and overheard her fellow counsellor remark to the YW president "She's pregnant, I guarantee it."

MMM Sermons: The Tender Mercies of the Lord

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by Saint Mark (bio)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call them "talks," but most (non)Christians call them sermons. This is a series of sermons that many Latter-day Saints love and believe. I hope these sermons promote and perfect your faith as they do mine. Read or watch the entire sermon here.

Anyone who has heard Elder David A. Bednar speak knows that Elder Bednar has a unique delivery. From his "you and I" phrasing to his ability to dive beneath the surface of the scriptures, Elder Bednar became an Apostle of Jesus Christ and sent a positive ripple throughout the LDS membership. That sanctifying ripple began with The Tender Mercies of the Lord, a talk given in April 2005 General Conference.

Staring at us the entire time, this phrase in the introduction of the Book of Mormon was never fleshed out as meaningfully as it was when Elder Bednar walked us layer by layer through the meaning and implication of what exactly are the tender mercies of Jesus Christ. Our thought process and lexicon have never been the same since.

Elder Bednar's words helped me to expand my paradigm of the workings of God in my life and to recognize His tender mercies. Gratitude is more a part of my life and I have Elder Bednar and God to thank for that.

Comparative Importance

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

Image by Mike McCune.

Whenever two or more people participate in something, there sometimes comes the question as to whose part is most important? Whose service is more essential? Who could get along best without the others? This question of comparative importance can occur in communities, in business, in athletics, even in families.

Working mothers or fathers who come home tired at the end of the day could feel that theirs is the most important part and that what happens in the household is more or less a routine matter.

But then sometimes the household becomes disorganized when the one who is most responsible for its activities is absent or ill – and the indispensable nature of the so-called “routine” household tasks becomes sharply apparent.

Children can also take things for granted or feel imposed upon by their parents. But later, when they have their own families, they quickly realize (hopefully) the weight and the work that was carried for them by others.

Husbands and wives cannot safely suppose that the work of one is above that of the other, or that both do not need each other. Nor can children. And so it is in all society. Innumerable people, most of whom we never know, provide for us comfort and safety and innumerable services. Literally there is no such thing as an independent person.

All of our lives have become so intertwined that the comparison of Paul seems more and more true: "For the body is not one member, but many … And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you …"

The fact is that the whole of life is so dependent upon the performance of others that all of us need all of us. So, this holiday season, let us all be grateful for the services of others.

Happy holidays from Modern Mormon Men.