I am saddened by the wickedness of my generation. Three weeks ago – before the Coronavirus quarantine – I returned to the YSA ward that I attended in college. I noticed a man sitting by himself on a pew. I didn’t remember his name, but I did remember him. He sat by himself on that same pew seven years ago. Seven years sitting alone at church. If this was an isolated incident, I would not be so despondent. But this was not isolated. A few weeks before, a young man visited my New York YSA ward. He was new to the city, an actor, and a return missionary. After I introduced myself, I had to leave for a blessing. As I left the chapel, I looked back. He was surrounded by several groups of friends that each talked among themselves. They did not make eye contact with him. He dropped his eyes to his phone, obviously wanting someone to talk with. No one introduced themselves. He did not come to the second hour. A month earlier, our YSA ward struggled to get people to help with church cleaning. In the end, only four people came: two members of the Bishopric – who took time away from their families – the person called to be the building coordinator, and me. Later that evening, twenty-five people showed up to a Valentine’s day speed dating event with free food. The last time my…
Author: William Barlow
Why We Go to Church
Some of my friends were elated when they heard that church meetings were canceled because of COVID-19, or Coronavirus, “Church cancelled!” texts went out. Celebratory emojis were shared. On a more serious note, a family member wondered whether there would be long-term effects on church attendance. Would people keep staying home on Sunday once they got in the habit? We may well see a dip in activity rates. But COVID-19 will only be the trigger. The root problem is deeper. Many members have lost sight of why we go to church in the first place. Church as we know it probably developed after the destruction of the first temple in 586 B.C. with the creation of synagogues, taken from the Greek word for “assembly.” Some scholars trace synagogues to a practice of having representatives of communities outside of Jerusalem pray together when their priestly representatives attended ritual sacrifices at the temple.[1] Synagogues unified the Jewish people. Temple rites were mostly confined to a separate class of Levites. But all Jews could participate in song and prayer while the temple rites were being performed. This kept them loyal to the temple and its priests, who depended on their tithes. It also provided the community a place to gather. Christianity made the commandment to gather together more explicit. We are to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit…
The Brothers Mormonov
“If you don’t believe in the historicity of the Book of Mormon, then why are you still part of the Church?” Ivan questioned his brother Alexei. The two enjoyed their gospel conversations, though Ivan left the Church years ago. Oddly enough, they agreed on most of the facts, but never on their implications. “I don’t let what I don’t believe get in the way of what I do,” Alexei replied. “Then what do you still believe?” “I know I had a spiritual experience when I read the Book of Mormon. I asked if it was true and I got a strong spiritual confirmation.” “That sounds like you can’t trust your ‘spiritual confirmation,’” Ivan sipped his coffee. “If your ‘spiritual confirmation’ told you that something was true and it turned out that it wasn’t true, then spiritual confirmations aren’t a reliable source of truth. You shouldn’t trust them anymore.” “Not necessarily. It could be that I misinterpreted the meaning of the experience.[1] Perhaps the spiritual confirmation only meant that the Book of Mormon was leading me in the right direction. Maybe God wanted to point me towards the gospel because that would better align my life with his will.” “You really think God would tell you that the Book of Mormon was true just to lead you down the right path? Even if its historical contents were objectively false?” “God allowed the holocaust to happen. I don’t see how letting us…
How Should LDS Christians Give to Charity?
It’s a heart wrenching decision. A beggar asks you for money. You remember the words of King Benjamin: “Ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain.”[1] You also remember Christ’s commandment to feed the hungry, take in the stranger, and clothe the naked.[2] At the same time, you have practical concerns about how the money would be used. A 2002 questionnaire of 54 panhandlers in Toronto found that the median monthly budget of panhandlers was $200 for food, $112 for tobacco, $80 for alcohol and other illicit drugs and $120 for all other items.[3] In the last twelve months, 93% reported tobacco use, 37% reporting cocaine use, 9% reporting heroin use, and 80% reporting alcohol use.[4] Of those that reported alcohol use, 26% reporting daily alcohol consumption, 28% reporting alcohol consumption 1-6 times per week.[5] When you see these statistics, you may feel justified if you refuse a beggar. You might say, “there are better ways to help the less fortunate.” That may be true, but that excuse only works if you find and a better alternative. If not, you are simply justifying yourself in sin (unless you do not have the means).[6] So what are the alternatives? Should you ever give to panhandlers? How well are LDS Christians fulfilling their obligations to the poor? Fast Offerings and Humanitarian Aid For LDS Christians, the obvious place to start is by donating a generous…
Is it a Sin to Binge Watch Netflix?
We all know that the defining sin of the Nephites was pride. But what about the defining sin of the Lamanites? From the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi focuses on one particular vice. “[A]fter they had dwindled in unbelief” the Lamanites became “full of idleness and all manner of abominations.”[1] He later calls them an “idle people.”[2] When the Anti-Nephi-Lehies famously buried their weapons of war, they also made a covenant that “rather than their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.”[3] The Lamanites’ sin of idleness is, in fact, the mirror image of the Nephites’ sin of pride. The Nephites successfully overcame the sin of idleness, but then used their surplus “despising others, turning their backs upon the needy, and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.”[4] What is worse: spending the days of your probation pursuing “treasures on earth”[5] or idling it away?[6] It doesn’t really make a difference to the people you could have helped. The sheep don’t care if you forgot to feed them because you were too selfish or because you were too lazy; either way they don’t get fed. It’s the spiritual equivalent of choosing your Mammon in the form of extra vacation days or a cash payment. What’s the 21st century equivalent to spending our days in idleness? It’s allowing the “next episode” timer to…