I recently read an address given by Elder Russell M. Nelson(a leader in the LDS Church) at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, Illinois on September 2nd, 1993. It was after reading his message that I began writing this post. He concluded by quoting a statement from the leaders of the church at that time: “Our message is one of special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race, or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are the sons and daughters of the same eternal Father.” I feel that same love and concern.
While much of my day is spent caring for, teaching, and enjoying my two tots, my mind is alive with questions, ideas, and inner conversation. This conversation always includes questions and dialogue about life, spirituality, and the entire human family and why spirituality really does matter; prompted I feel by the passing of my Grandpa Don. His death has changed my focus FROM inward appreciation for the role of faith in my life TO the reality of our short time to live and the Eternal life that is to follow. That our time on earth, while vivid and full of seasons, emotions, relationships, and change, is only a shadow of the life that is to come. And what is to come? I believe it is a beautiful reunion. A rebirth of our spiritual remembrance of what we were up to before we were born to physical parents on this earth. Also when we will be joined with those we have lost in our life, anscestors who preceded us, and most importantly to come home to our Father. Surely all hearts have ached for this reunion. Yet how many have identified this ache or feeling of something missing to missing their spiritual Father?
In general I believe the trend of cultures and societies in this era is to downplay spirituality, dismissing the bigger picture as if all that matters is our immediate surroundings and physical satisfaction. When our immediate senses can be plugged into our electronic connections 24/7 there is little time left for spiritual feeding and reconnecting with God our Father. The lie is that we are physical beings - while this is true the truth is that we are spiritual beings first
A while ago I saw someone on a late night show and he said something like "have you noticed how everybody has everything but nobody is happy?" The audience was laughing the way he was talking about it but that line has stuck with me. What more could we possibly want? Though things aren't perfect most Americans have freedom to live how they choose, access to healthy, affordable food, clean water, somewhere warm to sleep, public education and access to vaccines and medical treatments to keep us tickin'. Then there is the middle and upper class who in addition to the basics have amazing techology at their fingertips, new cars, beautiful homes, the list can go on. Somehow with all these blessings there is still a feeling of discontent and unsatisfaction with life. It is like a contagious sickness that remains undiagnosed. I believe it is a spiritual sickness of the heart caused by the spiritual drifting or dismissing of God in our life. Revering God seems out of date, ignorant, unpopular but I firmly stand by the notion that popularity has never been a test of what is true.
I guess I've always been a philosophical type. Always more interested in arts and expression than science or math. I wrote an entry recently about my desire to be part of an inter-religious community where discussion is open, encouraged, and about understanding one another. I shared this entry with my many facebook friends who are of different faiths and asked for any and all response. I was grateful and inspired to hear from several friends I grew up with and have known since I was a white haired tot. Their respect and willingness to tell me about their personal beliefs and experiences has encouraged me to take the next step on this journey. I'm going to create another blog dedicated to this purpose. I'm not sure what form it will take yet but I do know I want to learn about other faiths, their doctrine, culture, and the people who live it. I'll speak from my perspective as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(often called Mormons), referring to the doctrine of this faith and my perspective on how we all fit into the puzzle together.
"Given these realities, religion must shoulder greater responsibility in healing the spiritual sickness that engulfs our globe...The dismal dusk of today’s spiritual drift provides a rare opportunity for the radiance of religion to light the way to a new tomorrow. This can happen only as we proclaim eternal truths that have the power to engender spiritual strength. Human nature cannot be changed by reforming public policy; that kind of change comes by exposing the human mind and heart to the transforming teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have learned that when we teach His correct principles, people govern themselves appropriately."
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