The third installment...
Scripture: Moses 7:21
While many aspects of Mormon culture today benefit its members, such as service, a fair number also provide negative feedback. One such aspect is that which demands perfection now. Mormon culture teaches members that they ought to be perfect in every aspect of their life (and be humble about it) right now. Rarely, indeed if ever, does this teaching provide a benefit to members, but rather puts most in fear of acknowledging and/or admitting to their short comings for fear of rejection.
What we ought to realize and teach each other is that perfection takes time, and further that expecting perfection in this life time is completely unrealistic no matter how biographers portray church leadership. Recently, as I read through the story of Zion I found this comforting principle nestled within the verses. Many people teach the story of the city of Zion (Enoch) as a short process: Enoch preached to the people and immediately they all repented and immediately the city was taken up. However, scripture records that it took time for all of the people to repent and then “Zion, in the process of time, was taken up”. [Emphasis added.]
I think that this is a nuance that most people miss, but one that would probably benefit (aka “de-stress”) many people. It is true that we have a limited amount of time and should always be perfecting the saints, but this does not mean that we should all be perfect saints holding hands and singing hymns. It also does not mean that we should feel any shame, or shame others, for missing perfection in some, or all, areas of our life. We can not control the more or less arbitrary standards, like grades, used to measure perfection in many areas of our lives. We can control our progress in spiritual matters, and we can seek the guidance of our Heavenly Father to not only know where we stand at this moment, but what more we can do to become more perfect and more like him. Rome was not built in day; Zion was not built in a day; we will not become perfect in a day, but one day we will be.
**Update: We discussed in class this week that Enoch had 400 years to perfect the city, yeah, I'd say that fits my point.
Scripture: Moses 7:21
While many aspects of Mormon culture today benefit its members, such as service, a fair number also provide negative feedback. One such aspect is that which demands perfection now. Mormon culture teaches members that they ought to be perfect in every aspect of their life (and be humble about it) right now. Rarely, indeed if ever, does this teaching provide a benefit to members, but rather puts most in fear of acknowledging and/or admitting to their short comings for fear of rejection.
What we ought to realize and teach each other is that perfection takes time, and further that expecting perfection in this life time is completely unrealistic no matter how biographers portray church leadership. Recently, as I read through the story of Zion I found this comforting principle nestled within the verses. Many people teach the story of the city of Zion (Enoch) as a short process: Enoch preached to the people and immediately they all repented and immediately the city was taken up. However, scripture records that it took time for all of the people to repent and then “Zion, in the process of time, was taken up”. [Emphasis added.]
I think that this is a nuance that most people miss, but one that would probably benefit (aka “de-stress”) many people. It is true that we have a limited amount of time and should always be perfecting the saints, but this does not mean that we should all be perfect saints holding hands and singing hymns. It also does not mean that we should feel any shame, or shame others, for missing perfection in some, or all, areas of our life. We can not control the more or less arbitrary standards, like grades, used to measure perfection in many areas of our lives. We can control our progress in spiritual matters, and we can seek the guidance of our Heavenly Father to not only know where we stand at this moment, but what more we can do to become more perfect and more like him. Rome was not built in day; Zion was not built in a day; we will not become perfect in a day, but one day we will be.
**Update: We discussed in class this week that Enoch had 400 years to perfect the city, yeah, I'd say that fits my point.
No comments:
Post a Comment