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I recently attended a Relief Society event where we had 2 classes to choose from to attend. One was on ways we can serve the poor and the needy. The other class was being taught on the importance of doing our genealogy work. I excitedly headed over to the room where I could learn of new ways I could serve the needy. I was dismayed when I realized that 85% of the women were all attending the genealogy class. It really got me thinking. Do you ever feel this church puts a far greater importance on doing the work for those who have passed, than serving the living. When I asked my husband about this his reply was “Well, what we can do for the dead is so much more important than anything we could ever do for the living.” This attitude really frustrates me. But I believe it really is the general attitude of the church. Look at the rate we are building temples. I think temple attendance and doing the “work” for others is on the top of the list of things the leaders emphasizes every week. Personally, I prefer to serve the living. If it were up to me, 100% of what we pay as tithing would all go to humanitarian services instead.
My mother is a perfect example of what I am talking about. She LOVES working on her family history. I think this is cool. I do not have a problem with this. Here is were my problem lies… my mother cares more about the dead than the living. For example… a few years back I was pregnant with my fifth child. My pregnancies were all very difficult and I was required to stay in bed for the last 4 months.(Hard to do when you have 4 other kids who need you) I later found out that during this time my mother traveled to Salt Lake (where I live) 3 or 4 times to work on genealogy. She was very careful to make sure that I did not know she was coming because she did not want my family’s needs to distract her from the very important work she was doing at the family history center. As you may have been able to sense, I am still a little bitter.
I am just wondering… If our church spent as much time and money on programs that served the poor and the needy as they do on programs that focus on the “eternal ordinances” of the dead, how might the world be a better place today? I may be venting a bit over things I shouldn’t, after all… the LDS Humanitarian Center is AMAZING! It really is an impressive program. I guess I just have never really had the testimony of the importance and necessity of temples, and the work being performed there. I have been trying to figure out temples out for a long time now and the more answers I get, the more unsure I become. I have concluded that everything that goes on inside is purely symbolic and therefore have a hard time believing that the work done there will truly be “required” in the next life.
As I read the King James Version of the Bible, Matthew, Chapter 8, it is clear that Christ set His priorities on administering to the living. He healed those with leprosy, cerebral palsy and cast out evil spirits. He rebuked on of His followers who asked it he could first go and bury his deceased father. Christ said, “no”, let the dead bury the dead. Missionary work to those living was to be the first priority. Now, that sounds harsh, doesn’t it, the “let the dead bury the dead” comment. But, this young man had been called on a mission by Christ Himself. Missionaries are often not released to go home and attend family funerals. We should follow Christ’s example and make sure that our own priorities are those that Christ set.
Ok, my grandkids are finally asleep and I am going to relate a personal story. I have epilepsy (grand mal seizures). Most of the time, I’m ok, just fine. Sometimes, I’m not. I fell once and I couldn’t breath for about 4 1/2 minutes because I fell face down into a laundry basket and my face was covered in clothes. What I felt is a little hard to describe. I couldn’t see a single thing. Everything was in total and complete darkness. I couldn’t hear a sound. I was totally enveloped in silence. I felt no pain, no sensation of any kind. I then began to feel a warmth, a comfort, a peace which grew closer and closer. I felt this overwhelming feeling of love and joy envelope my soul. I felt the sweetest feeling. I knew He was there. I could feel the Savior’s presence. I called for Him. He answered that He was right there beside me and assured me that He would not leave me. I rested, He told me to rest and that I would be ok.
As I laid there, I suddenly felt the presence of another Spirit. I felt a Spirit of a young women who was also dying. She was so terribly frightened. I could feel her anguish as it emanated from her spirit. I called out to her to comfort her. I told her that the Savior was right there with us, that He was holding out His arms to her to comfort her and protect her. Her spirit cried out that she was alone and could not feel Him. She didn’t know He was there. She couldn’t feel Him. No, no, when you don’t have a mortal body, you can’t “feel” Christ, not physically. You can’t see Him or hear him because you no longer have eyes or ears. What you have is your faith. I told her to pray, pray to Him. She did not know how.
I called out to the Lord as to why this young women was so fearful and would He not comfort her as I could not. He spoke to me, “she would denies me in life, will deny me in death”. “She who knew me not in life, will know me not in death”. The Savior was standing right there with her, and she didn’t even know it.
I called to her once more. I told her to believe, to have faith and to know that He was there and that if she would do that, she would feel His presence and be comforted. She called back to me. “Why did you know teach me in life”? I saw you every day in life and yet you never talked to me.
I lived. We both did. She recovered from a near-fatal drug overdose (she had tried to take her own life). I recovered from my seizure.
Why hadn’t I taught her while she was living. Heck, I saw her almost every morning in the gym. We worked out together. Why didn’t I take the time to talk to her. I didn’t know that she had been so depressed. I didn’t know. The Savior was trying to tell me that I needed to reach out to the living. I needed to teach the living.
When I die, and I will be dead one day, that is the time to reach out and teach those who have died. I can teach the dead at that time. There is no such thing as damnation as long as we can still believe in Christ. Faith is alive. It lives!!! He lives!!! That is what He means by putting our faith in living works, not dead works. I have a new interpretation of Christ’s admonition of “let the dead bury the dead”. It is that we should let the dead minister unto the dead. In other words, let those that have died in Christ teach those that have dead without Him. This experience changed my priorities forever.
The Church just added helping the poor and the needy as its fourth official focus. I think “The Church” gets it and is trying to take steps to make it more obvious to the membership – who, btw, do a fabulous job overall serving each other instinctively and others when asked. I think the Church is trying to get us to serve those outside the denomination much more actively – MUCH more actively, and I have seen this attempt multiple times in the last few years. Flowerdrops, With my new (well, not that new anymore) perspective, I feel with you that the Father would not have me spend too much time anymore on the legalistic forms of redeeming the dead. At the same time, I see that temple work is a great way for the saints to give themselves for something greater than themselves that has zero worldly value. That, I think you would agree, is a good thing.
However, it does trouble me that our zeal for temple work and genealogy work might give us excuses to harden our hearts to the suffering of our brothers and sisters all around the world who need a loaf of bread, a blanket, or a safe bed. And I think you have personally lived that trouble.
I’m afraid that temple work has become a much larger phenomenon in the LDS Church that even Joseph Smith envisioned. As I see it, temple work goes beyond the obvious purposes of legalistically redeeming the dead, spiritually binding hearts to family, and providing a sacrifice to holiness, but also some more troubling organizational pieces of our LDS widget system.
The LDS widget system works by pointing us to the temple, then measuring certain performances to qualify us for the temple. When we are young, the temple is an aim–“I will be worthy to enter the temple.” When we are old, the temple is a standard, “I have a current recommend.” All our doing and teaching is, from the Howard Hunter perspective, aimed at the temple, and the temple provides a unique structure to our religion. Because of the temple, we really avoid extra-marital sex. Because of the temple, we really don’t drink. Because of the temple, we really pay 1/10 to the church, and church properties are debt free. Frankly, I find it a fascinating system when I get into my religion-building mindset.
But here’s the rub, as you suggest. In the end, is our non-drinking, tithe-paying, garment-wearing lifestyle especially true to the spirit of the Good News? Are we seeing our neighbor like ourselves? Are we finding the pearl of great price? Is our treasure great in heaven?
Good question.
Dear Tom, Just for a moment think about this:
THE CURE
With both Leprosy and Buruli ulcer, early diagnosis is absolutely critical.
There is no greater gift to a victim of leprosy or Buruli ulcer than telling them, “You’ve been cured!”
A life-changing gift of $300 today will completely cure one person from leprosy.
It costs an average of just $65 to diagnose and provide antibiotics to treat a child if Buruli ulcer is detected early enough. But the cost of delayed treatment rises to $647 for aggressive antibiotics, extensive surgery, skin grafts, and necessary rehabilitation — a cost too high for poverty-stricken families who typically earn just $1 or less per day.
Now, I have asked myself, what would Christ do? I have asked myself, do I spend time and money doing ordinance work for the dead, or, do I give money to help cure leprosy? There was just something about the way that Christ healed the lepers that inspired me. I just need to do what is in my heart. Perhaps it is different for others.
I also want to post this address by Elder Oaks because it shows a different perspective: I’m reading The Lord’s Way by Elder Oaks right now, and on p. 110-1 he directly responds to this issue:
The Savior taught the preeminence of the spiritual over the temporal. When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly ointment, Judas asked, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” Jesus’ reply taught a great principle to his followers: “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.” Thus, while the care of the poor was important, its importance should be seen in a spiritual context. In this instances, there was something more important to do with this ointment than to give its value to the poor. The things of eternity, including what Jesus could teach his followers concern the salvation of their souls and what he could do for them by his death and resurrection, were more important than the temporal care of the poor. Indeed, one reason we have the poor “always . . . with [us]” is to give the rest of us the spiritual testing and growth that come when we minister to their needs.
The preeminence of the spiritual over the temporal, which Jesus taught, has many applications in our own day. For example, it explains why our church spends great sums preaching the restored gospel and building temples to perform the ordinances of eternity rather than (as some advocate) devoting these same resources to temporal concerns already being pursued by others, such as preserving the environment, researching cures for diseases, or administering to other physical needs that can be accomplished without priesthood power or direction.
I think that these different things fulfill different things in people. I think attending the temple does something different than family history work also. I have peaceful and thoughtful time when I attend the temple and I feel the spirit there more often than not. I don’t do family history work but I believe it fulfills something different to the soul. Maybe it helps people feel connected to other people or understand themselves better. I don’t know but I think it is different. Helping the needy builds love for others. I think it helps us become more like Christ than the other two. I would rank them in importance helping the needy, attending the temple, family history work. But I think that most of the GAs would agree. I definitely hear more about helping the needy at church than family history work. However, the church is made up of people and for many helping the needy is much harder. Helping the needy is either giving money or spending time working with people that are probably in a different social strata. A lot of people aren’t comfortable helping at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Attending the temple just takes time and it’s a solo activity. Same for family history.
I believe that helping the needy is the most important and brings the most personal fulfillment. But it requires many to expand their personal boundaries.
Tom Haws wrote:Flowerdrops,
The LDS widget system works by pointing us to the temple, then measuring certain performances to qualify us for the temple. When we are young, the temple is an aim–“I will be worthy to enter the temple.” When we are old, the temple is a standard, “I have a current recommend.” All our doing and teaching is, from the Howard Hunter perspective, aimed at the temple, and the temple provides a unique structure to our religion. Because of the temple, we really avoid extra-marital sex. Because of the temple, we really don’t drink. Because of the temple, we really pay 1/10 to the church, and church properties are debt free. Frankly, I find it a fascinating system when I get into my religion-building mindset.
Good question.
I agree the temple is not about work for the dead but about controlling current members. I think we would be a much better organization if we did not have such an obsession with the dead and put all our energy into the living. The dead are not going anyplace but with the living we only have a finite amount of time to enhance their situation. I have always dreamed of the church getting involved in local charities. Working with other faiths to help the poor. But we always go it alone and the youth do some token service project to satisfy the commandment to help the poor. Imagine what we could do in the church if we really put all our resources toward it.
Cadence wrote:But we always go it alone and the youth do some token service project to satisfy the commandment to help the poor. Imagine what we could do in the church if we really put all our resources toward it.
Imagine if wards that adopted Save The Family as a long term charity partner were more common. Our stake has adopted the state mental home. They only go once a year. But it’s a step in the right direction. A token is not enough.
MWallace,
Thanks for your even-handed messages. I agree with both of them. Religion building and religion stewarding is not easy. As my old stake president used to say, “It’s easy to have an opinion when your opinion doesn’t matter.”
I think there is beauty in connecting to our ancestors. Learning how they lived, the mistakes they made, their triumphs and trials. I think it can be wonderful and special. There is beauty in the symbolism of a never-ending chain of human family. Many find this in a meaningful way through genealogy and, yes, temple work. It is most certainly for the living.
I do believe that because of some of the doctrines of the church we can have a sort of blase attitude about the poor, needy and suffering. I admit that I suffered from it before my change. Yes, I wanted to help in my token ways…but it was never the priority it sould have been.
Part of it stems from the belief that the ordinances are more important than food or any earthly thing.
Another is that “it will all work out in the end.” Believing everything will be made right by God in the afterlife alleviates the urgency to help people now.
Some may have the erroneous belief that people deserve their suffering. If they would just ______ they would be blessed.
Saying that it is wrong to spend money on temples and temple work because EVERY penny should go towards the poor and to relieve suffering is a feeling I can relate to, but feel might be wrong-ish (not saying anyone here advocates that). I would put down the mall, hunting preserve and real estate projects of the arms of the church before genealogy and temples. Not only that, but if the numbers coming from the British Isles are any indication, we aren’t spending all the money flowing into the Humanitarian Fund each year as it is. Perhaps we can put hope in the new mission of the church that has been announced. I don’t know.
Amen, Justme Here is a copy and paste:
SALT LAKE CITY 18 July 2008 Utah is leading the world in genetic research because of the Utah Population Data Base (UPDB), a unique combination of state vital statistics, other medical profiles and genealogical records from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“More human disease genes have been discovered in Utah than in any other place in the world,” explained Ray Gesteland, vice president for research and a genetics professor at the University of Utah.
That’s because the Church’s family history records provide invaluable information to a host of University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute researchers involved in genetic data studies. The records tying one family to another and yet another provide a resource to medical personnel attempting to tie a genetic marker or cluster of markers to another generation.
End of Copy and Paste
That is true!! Utah is home to Myriad Genetics, Associated Regional and University Pathologists and a host of other leading genetic research companies. Why?
Of course the reason that genetic researchers settle in Utah is that we have a well-educated work force and people who can readily give researchers and accurate and complete accounting of ancestors to the 4th, 5th and even 6th and 7th generation. It’s a bonanza of genetic field information. My former spouse suffered from schizophrenia caused by a mutation on the long arm of chromosome 5. He had his genealogy and researchers immediately traced him back to Canada, England and Denmark. Researchers in England and Denmark where able to identity others with this marker. People have been tested and treated even before symptoms arise because this form of mental illness is highly treatable. Genealogy is definitely for the living!
The former head of the Utah Genealogical Society was a Quaker women. Interestingly enough, Quakers do not believe in baptism by immersion or in taking oaths, hence they do not participate in Temple Ordinances – but they do believe in genealogy. This is what unites us, all of us. This is the “Spirit of Elijah” that unites us to each other, living, dead, Mormon, Quaker or any other faith.
Old-Timer wrote:The Church just added helping the poor and the needy as its fourth official focus.
Ray, has this been published?Here is the link that was referenced on various blogs: Wow… Thank you all for the wonderful and thought provoking comments on this thread. MWallace…. I loved the personal story you shared. Beautiful!
This is a subject that I have been thinking long and hard on. In church I have often been told that the best thing I can do for my children is lets them see me go to the temple often. My mother did this. I am not sure it had the positive effect it should have had on me because I often felt her church life was much more important to her than her family life. She spend very little quality time with us. (I have a close friend who refuses to accept any church callings because he does not want to be like his father of whom he never saw, unless he was being physically beaten by him. He is a GA!)
Anyhow. I homeschool my children. Service is something I try to make part of our daily lives. I personally think that the best thing I can do for my children is to let them see me serve others and involve them. I made an interesting observation recently when I was going over all the service projects my daughter has done over the last 2 years in YW while we were working on her Personal Progress Program. Every single church organized service she has ever done had limited their service to serving only The Church and its members. ex… baptisms for the dead, working at the cannery, cleaning the stake property, raking leaves at elderly (members) homes, writing letters to the missionaries, etc…
The focus of our service still seems to be primarily serving WITHIN our organization. As a church we are improving but we still have far to go. Fortunately I do believe that Pres. Monson is the right man to lead us in this direction. Serving is what he has always been known for, and inspiring the church to reach out to others, will likely be his legacy. I am hopeful of the direction we are heading, and I pray that those outside of the church, and in need across the world will begin to feel and be flooded with the positive effects of our service.
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