Exploring the important religious questions from a Mormon (LDS) perspective. Focus on ancient history, early Christianity, and Mormon doctrine/practice.

Tonight I watched a taped episode of Frontline about the history of the tragedy in Darfur. A couple points that caused reflection:

One interviewee stated, in essence, that the “gods of history” had given mankind another chance to step in and prevent genocide; another chance, referring to the failure of the international community to intervene in Rwanda. His language, of course, caused me to reflect about God, mass sufferings in history, and the test of this life. Who will have to answer for this in the day of Judgment? The Janjaweed? Sudanese leaders? The Chinese? The U.N.? U.S. Business? me?

The power of citizens. We are living in a pivotal moment in history. Citizen groups are becoming powerful enough to sway government, to speak louder than big business dollars, and to have impact at a level greater than the nation-state.  The citizen movement was the only thing keeping Darfur on the agenda, and no matter how disappointing the ultimate outcome the fact that citizens on one side of the are actively fighting for the well-being of citizens in a remote corner of the world is a welcome advancement.

When Christ spoke that core principle, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” how far does my personal responsibility expand?  Where should I put my limited time and resources?  I see bums every day walking to work but then I go into an office trying to support positive change all around the world.  Is one better than the other?

This weekend a constingency of us from Ashoka met with the folks at GOOD Magazine to brainstorm how we can inspire more people to become Changemakers for good.  A Changemaker is Ashoka’s language for describing someone who is self-actualized and views themselves with the power to change themselves, their families, their community, and ultimately the entire society of human kind.  We drew vin diagrams that blended idealism and pragmatism and talked about changing patterns in the last 50 years as a new trend in a large body of socially conscious citizens, etc.

As I listened to these discussions the expressions and language that I heard were, in essence, echoes of Zion.  These are elements that the Utopians have identified across the centuries.  The ways such a society are to be established have already been identified and successfully implemented for short periods of time.  Why short?  Because it is extremely hard work, it takes constant concentration, quick repentance, “prayer and fasting”, “meeting together oft” and the entire group must be fully committed.  But I say the more we can approach that ideal the better and it should be our endless goal, so I whole-heartedly endorse Ashoka’s vision of Everyone a Changemaker.  It is a matter of being and becoming. 

The other day after work I decided to walk through the National Zoo and I came away with a couple thoughts.  First, we humans are not the only ones with cognitive powers.  There was one orangutan that was completely working the crowd, luring everyone away from another ape and then, once he had their full attention, sending them all away in disgust to his own delight as he regurgitated a previous meal and slurped it back up again.  The thing is my nephew gets the same sense of pleasure from showing everyone his chewed up fish sticks.  A particular seal lion also resembled my nephew in his tactics for stalling to go to Continue reading →

In my continued seeking for goodness Friday at work I had the privilege of sitting and listening to Betty Makoni, a reknowned activist for girls’ rights, as she was in the country to receive an award from Amnesty International. I was humbled as I listened to her matter-of-fact description of the problems facing young girls in her country and then completely humbled as I listened and observed her personal drive and remarkable capacity as an agent of change to drastically change the lives of thousands upon thousands of girls and eventually millions as her model is being replicated around the world.

2500 years ago a man named Jacob rebuked a gathering of men who had through their actions abused their wives and children.  He spoke in the name of the Lord saying “I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women and whoredoms are an abomination before me… I have seen the sorrow and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people [and can suffer it no longer’.”  In our modern day men continue to destroy these most precious and tender daughters of God.  Thanks be to God that He has raised up a woman named Betty Makoni to continue this battle for what is right and the only acceptable mode of behavior towards these most precious souls in the eyes of God.

In blogging fashion I will honor with her with links to her story–

Her official website

Her Ashoka Fellow profile

A speech she gave at the Global Philanthropy Forum

From the Global Fund for Women

From the United Nation’s Girls Education Initiative

From the BBC

In a recent post I compared the seeker experience of Siddartra Gautama before he became known as the Buddha, “The Enlightened One” and Enos, the third writer found in the Book of Mormon. The reason I find their stories interesting is that I believe certain elements of their experiences are quite common in the personal religious dilemma of many in the modern world yet most in the modern world have not had the outcome of “enlightenment” or report “having their guilt swept away” or being able to say “my soul did rest.” Instead the common outcome is apathy. “It doesn’t matter” or “nobody can know, so why worry about it” are the responses of our day.  

Why is this so?  Am I wrong in regards to apathy?  

A solemn reverence settled over the office recently as we received word of a tragic horseback accident in Afghanistan that prematurely took the life of a colleague.  Having only been with the organization for a few months I did not know this young woman personally but I was privileged to see the outpouring of love from her friends and hear of her wonderful person and personality.  She was clearly a person filled with love for her fellowman and the beauties and varieties of this world.  She had completely dedicated her life to serving the interests of the poor.

Such a moment inspires personal reflection and ponderous thought.  The questions are not academic: what’s it all for?  is that it?  does it have to be over so soon?  that person who loved and was loved, was she only a passing phenomenon?

As I listened to others reminisce and speak so beautifully about their friend I personally felt so restrained, I wanted to stand up and share the good news that I have found and sincerely believe, that death is not the end, that even in grief there is hope.

May her family be comforted in their loss and may I remember the thoughts I had that day.

These two articles caught my attention recently. The first I first heard discussed on NPR; here is a blurb in Scientific America. Basically researchers found that “money can buy happiness” only on one condition–if you give it away. The second was the NY Times op ed piece about the modern do-gooder, namely the social entrepreneur, which referenced my employer, Ashoka, to start the conversation. Now I’ll go on a couple tangents–

Some may hear that first finding and think that they should go chasing after money with the intention of giving it away after they’ve accumulated it but I think that is a faulty and dangerous interpretation. (This happens to be a view I believe is quite common in my own cultural community, particularly along the Watsatch Front). Although the intent-to-do-good motive is the only justifiable reason for pursuing wealth, doing so in the mode of pursuing wealth now with the intent to give later is dangerous. If you cannot give when you have little then I will predict, and the data supports it, you will not give as readily if you do become wealthy. As wealth accumulates so do appetites and the ability to consume.

It is interesting that the study was conducted giving $5 and $20 donations, which is a small price for happiness and very much in the budget of every individual especially if it is truly a sacrifice and not just a skim off the excess.

Perhaps psychiatrists should consider prescribing gift cards to Global Giving instead of packets of pills.

Could giving be somehow measured into the GNH Gross National Happiness.
Now that you want to give away your money, who should you give it to?

I think there is a strong argument for the answer being found in the second article.

Today marks the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the day around which this entire human drama pivots.  If there were not an Easter, there would not be a Christmas.  Were it not for an empty tomb, there would be no meaning in the cross.  Take away the reality of the resurrection and Christianity  simply becomes a collection of stories for decent living.

Today it is in vogue within Christianity to deny the reality of the resurrection.  However denying the actuality of the resurrection yet still wanting to hold on to some elements of Christ’s teachings has been a point of contention within Christianity from the first century, so this is not a new development nor a matter of an ‘enlightened’ modern mind.  The report of a man who was publicly killed coming back to life three days afterwards, being touched and interacting with multiple groups of people, is indeed foolishness to the logical mind.

I think it is nearly impossible to explain or describe the mystery and glory of the resurrection in conversation.  Such a topic is best handled by the poet, artist, and musician.  I provide two pieces to ponder: Continue reading →

Siddarthra Gautama was a seeker.  He lived 2500 years ago but his experience and thought process parallels that of many sincere seekers in this modern generation–

He grew up in prosperity and abundance, oblivious to the poverty and suffering just beyond the walls of the royal compound.  In a radical move for royalty he ventured out and there he saw death, he saw pain and suffering, and also a wandering ascetic. Disturbed by it all, the great disparities, he left his previous life, including his young wife and two young children, in search of answers to this great dilemma.

Enos was also of royal blood being the grandson of Father Lehi.  He went alone “to hunt beasts in the forests”, an activity that has not been a safe venture for royal princes historically, it was often the place of “accidents” that led to changes in power in the ancient world.  He reports that his “soul hungered” and that he an internal “wrestle” before God for his sins.

Despite their similar predicaments, their conclusions were quite different.  Gautama Continue reading →

What strikes me about this article is how it challenges the core theories and current “answers” of science.  In our modern society we tend to put ultimate confidence in the current scientific explanations and laugh at our predecessors who thought the earth was flat.  Well… I think little findings like this should keep us humble regarding our current understanding of the universe.  The universe might have a few tricks up its sleeve yet.

via National Geographic News

Anne Minard March 19, 2008
A new study is challenging the long-standing notion that the whole solar system formed from the same raw materials.

Until now most scientists had believed that the inner solar system bodies—Mercury, Venus, Earth, its moon, and Mars—had the same composition as primitive meteorites called chondrites.

But, problematically, Earth’s chemistry doesn’t quite match. Continue reading →