Forgive me if my faith and trust in politicians and the law hasn't always been very strong.
I was born in 1978. Just two years before I was born, there was a law in force in the state of Missouri that made it legal to kill any Mormon on the spot. Just because. It was an extermination order put in place by the State’s Governor in 1838. In 1976, the law was rescinded. In 1976, the law was rescinded.
Governor Boggs had a personal disdain for Mormons. (This was nothing new...they had already been kicked out of Palmyra, New York and Kirtland, Ohio.) But the Governor felt threatened by their growing communities and industry. My people were killed simply because of what they believe. And it was legal. The law allowed it.
So they left Missouri and found a home in Nauvoo, Illinois. It didn’t take long for persecution to find them there either. Again, the State’s Governor was not fond of them; particularly, Joseph Smith, the Mormon President. Ultimately, Smith was arrested for treason (because he formed his own militia in order to defend the city of Nauvoo against others trying to harm his people--the law did not protect them.) Joseph Smith was killed by a mob while in Carthage Jail in 1844. An innocent prisoner, a loving father and devoted husband, an extraordinary man who lived his life according to good principles, and he was unprotected by the law of the land and was killed, because of his beliefs. My great-great-grandfather was with him, John Taylor. He received gun shot wounds yet survived and following Brigham Young, he later became the 3rd President of our Church after the Mormons landed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Governor Ford confessed that it was good for Mormons to have been driven out of the state and that their beliefs and actions were too different to have survived in Illinois. He said “that some people expect more protection from the laws than the laws are able to furnish in the face of popular excitement.” Five men were tried for the murder of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. They were all found not guilty. The man who led the defense team later became a U.S. Senator.
On so many levels, there is a silent outcry of injustice in our Mormon history as a people. Yet, it remains silent. Lives have been lost in this great country because of religion. And it is often overlooked, forgotten.
So try to imagine, if you will, the idea of the possibility of a Mormon being elected President of this great country, to Mormons. Not to the general public. But to one who belongs to this history which I have shared. Imagine, the feelings we felt. And it was so close. So close.
So for me, I have not lost all hope in America. But I feel a great sense of loss for a victory that would have meant more to me than to one who does not share my beliefs, my history.
You see, I have read friends’ blogs. I have seen their comments. I have witnessed how there is still animosity, misinformation and tolerable persecution toward my people because of what they believe. Yet, when it comes to sexuality, women’s choices, or legalizing harmful drugs, how dare I judge others because of what they believe. And I am a bigot.
As Mormons, we hold our heads high. We honor those whose lives were lost because of their faith. We strive for that same kind of faith. Stalwart faith. Nothing wavering. We will have faith in our religion and in our country and we will stand taller because of it. I couldn't be more proud of my Faith and my Heritage. We have not sought revenge or retribution. My ancestors fought for a freedom of religion even when it was not honored, and then they turned around and served the very country in which their freedoms were taken.
Because I am a Mormon, I will obey, honor and sustain the law. I will support my country’s President. I will fight for freedom. I will teach my children civility. And I will continue to teach them their history; that in spite of the injustices of this world, we move forward in faith with an eye single to the glory of our God.
Because that is what we, as a people, do.
Showing posts with label Joseph Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joseph Smith. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Bursting the Bubble
I grew up in one of my favorite places on this earth. I love my hometown of Snohomish, Washington. We lived in the same area my whole childhood and my friends didn't change much from the time I was pretty young. They are amazing people. However, for the most part, there were not many Mormons. The LDS population was small, particularly in my age group and most of my friends belonged to another faith, or no religion at all. I recognized from an early age that we were different and I felt it.
Boy, do my kids have a different life.
I realized it a few years back when my daughter started assuming everyone on the planet was a Mormon. When I'd tell her specific people were not (mostly famous people!), she looked at me as if there was something wrong with them, like she didn't believe me. I began to see that my kids thought every single person they knew was a Mormon. To be fair, here in Utah, most of the people they know are of our same faith! Last summer we were visiting a good friend of mine and her family out of state. On the drive home, I heard my kids talking about whether or not these friends were LDS. When I chimed in to say that they were not Mormons, my daughter said, "but they seem like it...they are really nice people."
In an instant (and a panic) I was ready to make that 12 hour drive back home to Utah, pack up the house and move anywhere BUT there...far, far away from so many other LDS people!
Somehow, without me even aware, my daughter had made the assumption that in order to be a good, nice, decent person, you had to go to church; but not just any church, OUR church, and somewhere along the line her perspective became so contrary to reality that I didn't even know where to begin with it! How did this happen? Admittedly, it wasn't the first time I had heard this perspective, and it has always bugged me, but from my own daughter???
Good thing we got it out in the open! This was a reason I have feared raising a family in Utah. I didn't want my kids to miss out on something I experienced growing up: diversity. There just isn't much of it here. You have to look harder, that's for sure. As much as I would love to live elsewhere, this is home and this is where work is... there are many great and wonderful things about living here, too, but I have been worried about this issue. I knew after this conversation and a few others that we needed to make a greater effort to teach our kids that we are all God's children, no matter our religion, culture, race or beliefs. Brandon and I have shared countless stories of our friends and being in their homes and the goodness of those families. We've talked about differences and that they are okay; that we need to be tolerant of others beliefs and hope that they are accepting of our own. We never need to be ashamed of what we believe, and we need to stand for what we believe is right, but its okay if others don't agree. I've talked about some of my friends who have never been to any church and how they are great people! I've made an effort for the kids to get to know the one person we know in our neighborhood who is not a member of our church so they can see that she is a wonderful person. We've talked about never making others feel unloved because they are different. There are a handful of people in the area who are not LDS, and I'm sure it is not easy for them to be such a minority. Hopefully this open communication is working and the paradigm is shifting in their little minds!
In the 1800's, a newspaper editor contacted Joseph Smith and asked him what the members of the LDS church believed. Joseph's response came in the form of a letter with thirteen articles of faith.
Here is number twelve:
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
Some of the most charitable people I knew growing up were not of my faith. I feel privileged to have been raised among hardworking, family-oriented people who lived Christlike lives and had a powerful influence for good on me. I am grateful for such good people. I don't think any less of them for not believing as I do.
Because I am a Mormon, I believe we are all God's children. God doesn't have favorites and His Light and goodness abide in each one of us.
Boy, do my kids have a different life.
I realized it a few years back when my daughter started assuming everyone on the planet was a Mormon. When I'd tell her specific people were not (mostly famous people!), she looked at me as if there was something wrong with them, like she didn't believe me. I began to see that my kids thought every single person they knew was a Mormon. To be fair, here in Utah, most of the people they know are of our same faith! Last summer we were visiting a good friend of mine and her family out of state. On the drive home, I heard my kids talking about whether or not these friends were LDS. When I chimed in to say that they were not Mormons, my daughter said, "but they seem like it...they are really nice people."
In an instant (and a panic) I was ready to make that 12 hour drive back home to Utah, pack up the house and move anywhere BUT there...far, far away from so many other LDS people!
Somehow, without me even aware, my daughter had made the assumption that in order to be a good, nice, decent person, you had to go to church; but not just any church, OUR church, and somewhere along the line her perspective became so contrary to reality that I didn't even know where to begin with it! How did this happen? Admittedly, it wasn't the first time I had heard this perspective, and it has always bugged me, but from my own daughter???
Good thing we got it out in the open! This was a reason I have feared raising a family in Utah. I didn't want my kids to miss out on something I experienced growing up: diversity. There just isn't much of it here. You have to look harder, that's for sure. As much as I would love to live elsewhere, this is home and this is where work is... there are many great and wonderful things about living here, too, but I have been worried about this issue. I knew after this conversation and a few others that we needed to make a greater effort to teach our kids that we are all God's children, no matter our religion, culture, race or beliefs. Brandon and I have shared countless stories of our friends and being in their homes and the goodness of those families. We've talked about differences and that they are okay; that we need to be tolerant of others beliefs and hope that they are accepting of our own. We never need to be ashamed of what we believe, and we need to stand for what we believe is right, but its okay if others don't agree. I've talked about some of my friends who have never been to any church and how they are great people! I've made an effort for the kids to get to know the one person we know in our neighborhood who is not a member of our church so they can see that she is a wonderful person. We've talked about never making others feel unloved because they are different. There are a handful of people in the area who are not LDS, and I'm sure it is not easy for them to be such a minority. Hopefully this open communication is working and the paradigm is shifting in their little minds!
In the 1800's, a newspaper editor contacted Joseph Smith and asked him what the members of the LDS church believed. Joseph's response came in the form of a letter with thirteen articles of faith.
Here is number twelve:
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
Some of the most charitable people I knew growing up were not of my faith. I feel privileged to have been raised among hardworking, family-oriented people who lived Christlike lives and had a powerful influence for good on me. I am grateful for such good people. I don't think any less of them for not believing as I do.
Because I am a Mormon, I believe we are all God's children. God doesn't have favorites and His Light and goodness abide in each one of us.
Monday, October 17, 2011
It did or it didn't
I was a teenager when I sat in an office across from a woman who
questioned me about my life. She was searching for answers; clues, to
find out if there was anything hidden behind what others could see.
This was her trade, her occupation, her gift. It was her job to uncover
something that might help my parents understand me. I admit, I was not
an effectively communicative teenager but have since wondered, does such
a teenager exist?
I don't find myself not liking people very often. This woman was an exception.
I didn't like her.
She asked me basic questions about my life...where I went to school, who my friends were, what I liked to do, what I was good at...those were the questions leading up to what she really wanted to know.
I distinctly remember her asking me if I ever used drugs or alcohol. If I had had sex. If anyone had sexually abused me. If I had ever been in a fight at school--(this one was downright laughable).
To each question, I answered:
No.
Never?
No.
Not even once?
No!
Long pause. She jotted down some notes. Then finally looked up at me and said, "I'm going to need you to give me a name of a teacher who I can call so that I confirm that all you've told me is true."
This was humiliating! Surely, I knew I had never been in a fight at school, that I was often teased because I stayed far away from what most kids were doing in high school, that there was nothing wrong with me, that I wanted nothing more than to get out of her office! The last thing I wanted was for her to call one of my teachers and ask these questions. My word meant nothing. I left her office feeling horrible.
I've thought back on that time and realize now that the reason I felt so awful then was because this woman saw me as someone other than who I knew I was.
Joseph Smith was just a boy of 14 years when he began to question his life. Like today, there were many different voices and he wanted to know which one was Truth. How could all of them be right when they contradicted each other? At 14, he prayed to know which religion he should join. In 1820, he had a vision where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him not to join any of them. From that day on, Joseph was instrumental in establishing Christ's church upon the earth once again.
In his own words, Joseph said, "I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other -- This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!"
As most people know, this started a lot of controversy in the religious world. Controversy that remains today. Joseph Smith was hated, persecuted, tortured and eventually, he was unjustly killed.
I have heard this story my entire life.
Does it seem preposterous that he had seen a vision? Yes it does. Was I there to witness it? No, I was not.
Yet, he said it happened. His life is a witness that it did. He went on to be a great leader and the church has grown exponentially since its early beginnings. His life was given in service to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His life was taken by men who conspired against him because they saw him as someone other than who he knew he was.
Here are Joseph's own words in response to the accusations he had to bear:
"Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation."
This personal example I've shared is nothing compared to the frustration that Joseph Smith must have felt. I tasted a tiny bit of what it felt like to have someone see me as someone I was not; where her doubt was more important than belief; where a need for confirmation from another witness was more important than my word alone.
Put yourself in his shoes. If Joseph did see God, how could he have denied it?
I do not worship Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ is the head of the LDS church. Joseph was a great instrument in restoring truth to the earth. Because of him, I have many blessings. I will forever be grateful to him; yet he is not, and never will be my God.
Either Joseph saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, or he didn't.
Because I am a Mormon, I believe he did.
I don't find myself not liking people very often. This woman was an exception.
I didn't like her.
She asked me basic questions about my life...where I went to school, who my friends were, what I liked to do, what I was good at...those were the questions leading up to what she really wanted to know.
I distinctly remember her asking me if I ever used drugs or alcohol. If I had had sex. If anyone had sexually abused me. If I had ever been in a fight at school--(this one was downright laughable).
To each question, I answered:
No.
Never?
No.
Not even once?
No!
Long pause. She jotted down some notes. Then finally looked up at me and said, "I'm going to need you to give me a name of a teacher who I can call so that I confirm that all you've told me is true."
This was humiliating! Surely, I knew I had never been in a fight at school, that I was often teased because I stayed far away from what most kids were doing in high school, that there was nothing wrong with me, that I wanted nothing more than to get out of her office! The last thing I wanted was for her to call one of my teachers and ask these questions. My word meant nothing. I left her office feeling horrible.
I've thought back on that time and realize now that the reason I felt so awful then was because this woman saw me as someone other than who I knew I was.
Joseph Smith was just a boy of 14 years when he began to question his life. Like today, there were many different voices and he wanted to know which one was Truth. How could all of them be right when they contradicted each other? At 14, he prayed to know which religion he should join. In 1820, he had a vision where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him not to join any of them. From that day on, Joseph was instrumental in establishing Christ's church upon the earth once again.
In his own words, Joseph said, "I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other -- This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!"
As most people know, this started a lot of controversy in the religious world. Controversy that remains today. Joseph Smith was hated, persecuted, tortured and eventually, he was unjustly killed.
I have heard this story my entire life.
Does it seem preposterous that he had seen a vision? Yes it does. Was I there to witness it? No, I was not.
Yet, he said it happened. His life is a witness that it did. He went on to be a great leader and the church has grown exponentially since its early beginnings. His life was given in service to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His life was taken by men who conspired against him because they saw him as someone other than who he knew he was.
Here are Joseph's own words in response to the accusations he had to bear:
"Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation."
This personal example I've shared is nothing compared to the frustration that Joseph Smith must have felt. I tasted a tiny bit of what it felt like to have someone see me as someone I was not; where her doubt was more important than belief; where a need for confirmation from another witness was more important than my word alone.
Put yourself in his shoes. If Joseph did see God, how could he have denied it?
I do not worship Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ is the head of the LDS church. Joseph was a great instrument in restoring truth to the earth. Because of him, I have many blessings. I will forever be grateful to him; yet he is not, and never will be my God.
Either Joseph saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, or he didn't.
Because I am a Mormon, I believe he did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)