Variety

I have always loved two pictures – the first is just a simple clipart, the second is a painting. The first is a picture of the Earth with children of all nations and cultures surrounding that. We used that picture at Highmeadow, the school where I taught, to symbolize peace as we sang:

Peace, peace, peace

Peace the whole world over.

Building friendships,

Sharing our worth,

Take my hand, let's circle the earth

With peace, peace, peace.

The painting is Norman Rockwell's The Golden Rule. It shows the family of Man - or should I say  the family of God - in all its variety.

Worldly wisdom or theory would say the variety of humans is the result of evolution but I see it as part of God's plan. What better way to teach us to "love one another" than to create us in such a variety that we would be very different. Our natural tendency to be afraid of those who are different would be our natural response and we would have to conquer that natural response and rise above those tendencies and learn to love.

Why do we fear what is different? We desire variety in cars, homes, plants – man is always creating hybrids, wanting new varieties. We are even so crazy as to like ethnic foods – just not the people who created them.

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.

Ephesians 2:19

Now therefore we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

I find it interesting that in my ward (church congregation) and surrounding wards there is a loving acceptance of all people. In our ward we have Japanese, Indian, Mexican, and Portuguese members. Looking at the surrounding wards, there are many black members, Iraqi, Congolese, Chinese, Hispanic of multiple origins. We share the gospel and it brings us together. Our church participates actively in the Detroit Area Interfaith Council but that model of love and respect for people of other faiths does not filter down to the average member.

Even members of our church still fear that which is different. You hear this in comments made in classes and see it in online posts. And so our leaders are constantly admonishing us.

The Church website has a page ”I Was a Stranger”- an effort to serve and include refugees. We have been asked to find those who are new to America, welcome them and help them transition to their new community.

The church spoke out quickly after the big tragedy in Charlottesville. On Tuesday, August 15th 2017, they issued this statement:

"White supremacist attitudes are morally wrong and sinful, and we condemn them. Church members who promote or pursue a” white culture” or white supremacy agenda are not in harmony with the teachings of the church.”

On the previous Sunday they said:

"People of any faith, or of no faith at all, should be troubled by the increase of intolerance in both words and actions that we see everywhere."

President Gordon B Hinckley, while he was President of the church taught:

"No man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ."

President Russell M. Ballard in October 2017 General Conference said:

"We need to embrace God’s children compassionately and eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism. Let it be said that we truly believe that the blessings of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ are for every child of God."

A favorite scripture of mine says it clearly. 2nd Nephi 26:33

". . . and he invited them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female, and he remember the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

There is a really good article in the May 2000 issue of Psychology Today: ”Why We Fear the Unknown” by Jeffrey Winters.  It reminds us,"We are quick to judge, fear, and even hate the unknown. We may not admit it, but we are all plagued with xenophobic tendencies.”

But the article is optimistic.

"Fortunately however, research also shows that prejudices are fluid and that when we become conscious of our biases we can take active – and successful – steps to combat them."

Their research found:  ". . . that people who are concerned about their prejudices have the power to correct them." 

They advise;   "It is difficult to escape conventional wisdom and treat all people as individuals, rather than members of a group. But that seems to be the best way to avoid the trap of dividing the world in two  - and discriminating against one part of humanity."

It's all about labels. And we see the negative power of labels illustrated graphically in the Book of Mormon where the people divided themselves into tribes and hated each other so intensely that they eventually killed each other and whole societies ceased to exist.

Times change and the labels change. Today's trigger words include American, Republican, Democrat, Muslim, nationalist and more. We have solid evidence in the daily news that labels divide us.  It's time to get beyond them.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I take great joy in seeing a photographic display of our worldwide church leaders and of hearing their names read in general conference. We are no longer a Utah church or an American church. We are a worldwide church with local leadership in congregations in more than 160 countries and territories speaking 178 languages.

There are currently 166 dedicated temples, 16 more are under construction and 35 more have been announced. I have come to realize that as the church has spread across the globe so has my love for the people of the earth and all their variety. I'm glad the Lord created us thus and has given us the opportunity to learn to get beyond the divisions, the groups, the labels and to see us all as the brothers and sisters we truly are.

I love the variety as it is so beautifully illustrated in  LDS congregations across the globe.

To put it all in perspective, I joined the church in 1964. Existing temples were:

St George           

Logan 

Idaho Falls               

Manti 

Salt Lake                 

Los Angeles

Cardston                  

Mesa 

Switzerland           

New Zealand 

London                 

Laie

That is 12 temples. There were 2,234,916 members mostly in the inter-mountain west. How boring is that?

Compare that to today’s 16,313,735 members all over the world! I love the growth, the variety, the diversity, the inclusion. I love my brothers and sisters all over the world.