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I got a wonderful email last night from a member of my gospel doctrine class in reference to the WoW lesson I taught last Sunday. The last portion of the lesson, I focused on not judging others and used the scripture in Mark 7:18-23 where Christ teaches that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart that can defile him. A portion of the email read: “
I think that the important part of what you brought out regarding our judgment of others who use or are addicted to substances was a teaching which needs to be more widely understood in the church- Especially in the older LDS settlements of Utah ,Arizona and Idaho.I could write a book or two about the divided community that I grew up in. These prevalent judgmental prejudices drove several of my neighbors from the church. Sadly, their families still remain apart from the church today.
Thanks for the extra effort that you are putting in as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. May the Lord continue to bless you and inspire you.”
Totally made my day.
That’s wonderful MayB. Like Elder Bednar has been reported as saying about BYU’s Honor code – Perhaps the most Christ-like application is in how we respond to individuals that do not adhere to our standards. It is responses like that that keeps us doing what we do. I am happy for you. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: God continue to bless you in your calling, May.
MayB wrote:I could write a book or two about the divided community that I grew up in. These prevalent judgmental prejudices drove several of my neighbors from the church. Sadly, their families still remain apart from the church today.
This really paints a mental picture. I think what we could use is people WRITING those books.
I’m glad you had such an encouraging experience!
Excellent — I find that preaching against the judgmentalism in LDS culture is one track on which the unorthodox member can openly traverse during lessons at Church. The scriptures support eradicating judmentalism, and LDS culture is full of it (as are most environments that have a common culture). I would like to add that other lesser taught topics I have taught that are well-received include the role of personal conscience in filtering the many messages we hear at church — including the sometimes conflicting messages we receive from leaders.
I love getting these kinds of notes. There really are people out there who appreciate authenticity and thoughtful discussion. Way to go!
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