For this week's spiritual thought, I've decided to touch on current events and present this urgent call to repentance. This post is written in terms that my Latter-day Saint friends will understand, but what I say here applies to all Christians equally.
During these uncertain times, tensions and anger have risen to dangerously high levels. Never before have I seen so much entrenchment, hatred, and even violence. Members of the two major parties see each other as enemies like never before. In particular, we appear to have disagreements over who has won the last national election to such a degree that violence erupted last week, and will, with near certainty, erupt this coming week.
So alarming has this trend been that the prophets of my church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have warned us and given us council on several occasions. In June 2020, President Nelson condemned the "looting, defacing, or destroying public or private property."
During the October 2020 General Conference, practically all talks touched on current events and the rising hatred. Several times we were reminded to "Love Your Enemies." In particular, Pres. Oaks gave a whole talk just on that subject alone. Here's a summary.
In November 2020, President Nelson launched the week-long #givethanks campaign. He suggested that the best way to navigate through our current hard times is to have a thankful heart. I think the effort did help somewhat, and there's no reason not to continue.
In addition, the Church puts out its usually periodic statements about political neutrality and the importance of voting. Here is the latest statement. If you check earlier years, you'll see these statements always contain variants of the following council:
Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties, and members should seek candidates who best embody those principles.
While the Church affirms its institutional neutrality regarding political parties and candidates, individual members should participate in the political process. Please strive to live the gospel in your own life by demonstrating Christlike love and civility in political discourse.
I believe the instructions from our Church leaders are clear. There is no official Church party. In each party, principles can be found that are compatible with the gospel. And, we should always be demonstrating Christlike love, including civility in our political discourse.
And they have said it not once, but several times over the past. I believe they are very concerned over us and want us to do the right thing. Also, I would bet that my Christian friends from other denominations are receiving similar council, except for a few more militant churches.
Also, note that these leaders mention that we "should participate in the political process." And they are not asking us to refrain from protesting peacefully. They're just asking us to be respectful toward each other, refrain from violence, and remember Christlike love and civility. Indeed, I have had several productive conversations with "opponents" over the last few months. We don't always succeed in convincing the other person, but I think we end up having a better understanding of the opposing view.
Yet, I am distressed to see so many self-proclaimed Christians (not just members of my church) choosing to ignore this council. I see posts comparing one candidate to God and another to Satan, and posts saying "If you believe this, there's no way we can be friends." I see plenty of angry ad hominems lobbed at other people. There are even plenty of posts along the lines of, "If you voted for this person, you're going to have trouble at the pearly gates."
If you need any proof or reminder of this, I invite you to check out the latest announcement by the Church on their Facebook page, and peruse the comments. And then you will see what I mean. It is a very sad irony that the prophets call for peace, love, respect, and understanding, and the majority of responses are just the opposite.
On the one side, Trump is lifted up as God's chosen -- like an idol, someone who can do no wrong, and who is believed beyond all other considerations ... a devotion I've never before witnessed. Not Reagan, not Clinton, and not even Obama.
And evidently ... not even President Russell M. Nelson. People would rather set aside this warning and council in defense of their man. Anyone speaking against Trump is a heretic worthy of hellfire.
On the other side, Trump is a symbol of hate and evil. He can do no right. Even Republicans who helped Trump get into power are complicit and need to be removed from office. I've even had one friend on Facebook post: "If you are a member of the Republican Party, then this is all your fault. You can defriend me."
I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle: Trump is not all good, but he's also not all bad. That's why we should try much harder to understand our opponents (not "enemies"). We don't need to agree, but understanding can go a long way, and beneficial answers can be found to help everyone.
But from what I'm witnessing, this is not happening right now. It's why I ask in the title: where have all the Christians gone? Because, in all honesty, I don't see very many right now.
I should probably mention that in my most immediate area, by far, most of my church friends are being quite reasonable -- I think we have a great ward. They are also not posting that much on social media -- so I'm pretty sure that what I see is really a minority of "loud" disgruntled Christians who are posting and not being very Christian.
Most urgently, though, I want you to consider this. It doesn't take a prophet to guess what's going to happen in the next few days. Thousands of armed troops will be protecting Washington DC. Who knows how many people will come to participate in armed protests? You know that these two will not mix very well. There is going to be death ... somewhere. And I'm not certain how many peaceful protestors may be caught in the middle.
I get that many of you are passionate in what you believe. You feel that you need to do something about it. Perhaps you wish to stop the transfer of power. Or perhaps you're planning on staging a counter protest. Either way, just make sure not to be this dog ...
You may find yourself in a sudden situation where you cannot avoid losing your life. And then it's too late.
Or ... you can choose to listen to the prophets now ... remember who you are ... bring out the Christlike love ... turn on the spirit of gratitude ... love your enemies ... and live to discuss these matters another day.
I believe we can get through this and persevere... as long as we act like Christians.
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