I have had a lot on my mind recently. Since I last posted, a lot has happened. The election came and went, and as I predicted, the Conservatives lost, and the Liberals have a majority. Trudeau has become our newest Prime Minister and I had hoped that our country could come together a bit more. Guess I had my hopes too high, but many of the same old arguments have heated up again. I thought that anti-Muslim sentiments were on the decline again, and then on November 13 there were brutal terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris. Since then, anger and fear are being stoked, and social media is erupting with debates and arguments all over again. About a week before that there was a policy clarification from the church that has led to a fair bit of controversy and grief. It basically states that children of same-sex couples must wait until they are 18 before they can be baptized. Naturally those who champion same-sex marriage were quick to denounce it, and from within the church there are some who are confused, hurt, upset, or angry about it. Finally, on November 13, after over three months of steady temple work, my father was able to come down and have a special temple experience. I will address all of these items, leaving the best until last.
First, the election. Sigh. This sort of thing is making me tired. I used to have a blog called "The Reluctant Voter", and I am seriously considering starting it up again. On all sides I see one thing in common: people just don't like other people. I miss the days of proposition instead of opposition...oh wait, we never really had those days, did we. Basically, the majority of those vocal are saying that whatever anyone else offers up, if it is from a party they are opposed to, they oppose it. I get that some people are strongly affiliated in one party ideology, but those who are able to successfully and consistently advocate for their party without constantly demeaning or insulting the other side are few and far between. People say they will give Trudeau a chance, but within a week the attacks are up again. This is frustrating me to no end. It works both ways. Trudeau can do no good for some, and Harper did no good for others. I have basically come up with a theory that is so far holding water: if you cannot see the good that someone of a different political stripe can do, then you are not rational enough to have a healthy political discussion.
Second item: anti-Muslim feelings on the rise. It appears that every generation has at least one disenfranchised group. Women, blacks, Hispanics, gays, Jews, they have all had their own battles against discrimination. Lately, it is Muslim people. Since the Paris bombings (well, actually before, because of the first point, but since November 13 it has intensified), the anti-Islamic sentiments in Canada and the US continues to grow. This is particularly frustrating for me, as the new target are Syrian refugees which are trying to find somewhere safe to live. Europe is swelling to capacity, and North America is facing backlash from some of its citizens for their governments wanting to take in a small fraction. As I see it, there is a legitimate balance between security and compassion that must be met, but there is a level of fear that I have not seen since 9-11. This is causing otherwise rational people to respond in ways that shock me a bit. Don't get me wrong, many of those who are expressing concern with how quickly the refugee time table is moving raise some legitimate concerns, and many are not hateful, just cautious, but others are raising questions in my mind that are borderline hateful and racist. I have had some less than pleasant exchanges with some. People are acting in ways that cause me to pause and question their logic. For example, a Facebook friend posted a picture of refugees, which then asked the question: "Would Islamic countries welcome millions of Christians?". I posted my feelings on the post. I suggested that the question is irrelevant. If the answer was "yes, they would", then we should be doing the same for Muslims. If the answer, as I believed it was implied to be, was "no, they would not", then I figured what better reason than to accept Muslims into our countries because it was the right thing to do. If the only way that we would let Muslim refugees in was because they were letting in Christian refugees, or if we used the rational of they wouldn't do it for us so why do it for them, then in both cases we should be ashamed of ourselves. He told me that his post was just a joke, and I should lighten up. I asked him to explain the humor to me. He then deleted my comments. No worries. I myself have deleted more than a few comments off of my Facebook posts and will argue that he has the right to do this, but I really wonder about his sense of humor if that was indeed the case. Regardless of it all, I just want to say that Syrian refugees are in a tough spot. We, in Canada, are in a position to help a small number of them, and we should. This is not about helping our own, because I think all of humanity counts as "our own". I welcome them and find the majority of security fears to be easily solved, but that is for another day's discussion.
Third item: the real reason people are upset with church policy. A few weeks ago the church updated their policy on the baptism of children of same-sex marriages in the church. The policy is that they must wait until they are 18, even if they have the permission of their parents. My church has taken a lot of heat over the last several years about our stand on same-sex marriage. For those who are unfamiliar with it, I will try to explain it. We believe that God instituted marriage to be between man and woman only. We believe that any sexual relation outside of the bonds of marriage is a sin, and a grievous one at that. We believe that to be attracted to members of the same gender is not a sin, nor does it cause people to be bad people. We believe that like anyone else, people who have same-sex attractions are not to be persecuted. The church has championed many public initiatives that work for equal work and living benefits for members of the LGBTQ community. We also believe that while popular opinion may influence certain laws to be made or changed, they will not change God's laws. So when this policy was announced, there was some angst about it. Some people on Facebook expressed much chagrin over this, explaining how they were in doubt and feeling that this was a step backward. Others stood tall and supported the brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and then made the mistake of adding "and if you don't like what they say, then get out!". Again, I sigh. Some members of the church (many, but not all, were inactive for years) sent in letters asking that their names be removed from the Church's membership. That saddened me, but so be it, they made their choice. Many with doubts about this have stayed true to the faith, and that gladdens me. I will say my peace on this subject. I believe that President Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God. I have received confirmation from the Holy Ghost on this subject. I know he speaks God's will. I appreciate how this policy appears to others, but this policy is not really what is at the heart of the matter. To be honest, it is about whether or not people have the testimony of living prophets on the earth today or not. If you do not believe that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today that receive revelation from our Heavenly Father, than I do not see what I can say to help you accept this policy. I could talk about how this policy is no different than for those children of polygamous families, or the policy of not baptizing Muslims who families threaten to kill them. I could talk about how the brethren make this policy that are actually trying to keep the best interests of the children in mind. After all, why put them in a position where they learn one thing on Sunday at church, and then go home to live where the opposite is practiced. I can talk about how all the blessings of the gospel will be given to all that are worthy in spite of such circumstances, but what it all boils down to is the answer to this question: do you believe that the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are living prophets? If the answer is no, I can't help you accept the policy without addressing that issue first. If the answer is yes, then we can talk about faith and the importance of prayer to help you understand God's will. There have been a few policies that I personally did not agree with, but then I simply said: "thy will be done Lord" and kept on in my growth in my testimony.
Fourth, and best item: temple blessings. November 13 will be a dark day for many because of terrorist attacks. For me, it is the day that my family moved on step closer to eternity. Several months ago I was able to find many ancestors on my father's side of the family. This is exciting for me, because it allowed me to do the temple work for them. Again, for those who read this that are not of my faith, allow me to explain. In our church we believe there are sacred ordinances that are necessary for a person to achieve eternal salvation. Some, such as baptism, we can experience outside of our temples, while others, such as eternal marriage, can only be performed in our temples. The temple marriage allows Heather and I to be married, not until death do us part, but for eternity based on our worthiness. Many of our ancestors, however, do not receive the chance in this life to receive these ordinances. It is then up to us who have received these ordinances in this life to perform them for our ancestors in proxy. As an example, my father was baptized on behalf of his father, who is deceased. If my grandfather accepts the ordinance, then what my father did will be legitimate in the eyes of God as if my grandfather had done it himself. If the ancestor chooses to not receive these ordinances, then they will not count. For the last three months I have been to temple many times, performing these ordinances for my father's ancestors, some going back over ten generations. On the 13th, my father and I went together to the temple to do the ordinance work for his parents. In the evening, Heather, Dad, myself, the Olers, Ursula Jennings, the Coulthards, and Heather's parents gathered to do all the sealings. We ended the evening with my father being sealed to his parents for time and eternity. It was a beautiful day and an experience I will never forget. The only thing that would have made the day perfect was if Violet could have been healthy enough to be there, but her hip is in bad shape, so a day like this would have been too painful. Regardless, I am eternally grateful to have these temple ordinances done. Despite all the negativity from points 1-3, this more than makes up for it all. I am grateful for the many people who have helped out to make this day what it was. I look forward to finding even more names on the Andrews side.
So, with that, here are Ten Goals I have for 2016:
10. Attend every week (average)
9. Perform minimum of 30 endowments for male ancestors
8. Perform 200 sealings
7. Find the parents of my great grandparents Andrews
6. Attend the temple with 4 friends
5. Attend four endowment sessions with Heather
4. Take Amy and Connor to do baptisms at least once
3. Find 25 more ancestors to get ready
2. Help one other person find ancestors
1. Be worthy every time I enter the temple.
