by no one in particular

Created on: July 07, 2008

In Mark chapter 7, Jesus speaks about the traditions of men superseding the word of God and the damage this does. This I fear may be the undoing of the LDS faith. While every religion has at it's foundation cherished doctrines, the traditions of conservatism in the Mormon Church have nothing to do with their doctrinal stance on many issues. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at it's core is a wonderful faith. They respect and honor Jesus, family, civic responsibility, and the history of their way. The beliefs of the church are not at issue in this article, the traditions and the social pressures among members is what will be considered.

I sat in church on Sunday years ago and listened to a story about a family of "converts", the Mormon term for new members. This family was poor and had very little in a material way and were described as wonderful loving people with a great family life. The missionaries had completed the discussions with the family and they were baptized. Sunday morning the men of the family arrived at church looking somewhat odd, as they were wearing borrowed clothing of the Elders. The girls and the mother were dressed in less than fancy apparel as well. With shirts too big, and ties hanging too low, the family members were confirmed members of the church. The brother that was conveying the story went on to describe a conversation with the bishop of this ward, the term used for the local congregation. The bishop commented on the disheveled appearance of this poor farm family asking why they were wearing such ill fitted clothing and not properly dressed. The response chilled my bones. Don't worry bishop, the brother recounted, we will whip them into shape and turn them into upstanding members of the church.

Why is the clothing the financially struggling rural family wore, part of whipping them into shape and making them "upstanding members"? Jesus said "come as you are", while of course a person should attempt to be clean and neat when going to church, not having a white shirt and tie or new pretty clothing should have no bearing on their standing in the church. This attitude is prevalent in the church. On many occasions I have seen parents bring their non churched kids with them on Sunday in "inappropriate" clothing and seen them shamed, pointed at, and even told to come back properly dressed next week. What should be paramount is the hearts and souls of people, not their appearance.

In one of the church publications for young people,

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