(Sarcasm Warning. I tried to keep it light. I mean this is the 3rd re-write/edit.)

This post may offend or may go too far…it is not my intent, but I’ve been thinking about it all day week. So here it is. My point is the apparent correlations and I wonder if this really does say something about us?

A couple of Givens:

1) America has produced 1 religion that is really ours alone. (started here, grew up here; exported from here): Mormonism
2) The last few years have taught us, I think…or maybe has taught me That our countries values are way out of whack in some areas. We are a bit self-centered, greedy and consumptive at times – all of which have let us to some pretty brutal and pivotal moments. At the same time we are expansive and like to take new ground; we like to win. We are ambitious; we go after what we want, and as a rule Americans just don’t, or don’t have to settle, for their place. There is always the chance to take new ground, gain a new station in life.

With those givens (in my thinking) I find it ironic that several pieces of our only home grown religion’s theology directly relates to several of our values or blindspots. Mormonism seems to provide a way to scratch where many Americans itch. Some of it good like there focus on family and morality. But there are some itches they are scratching that are part of the side of us that is not as grand; the parts that reveal our fear and need for superiority. I wonder if Mormonism doesn’t really seek to provide the American dream?

In Mormonism…

Truth is better told by us or we have a better form of the truth. (American exceptionalism)
Mormonism teaches that the Holy Bible is a start but is not complete or is even corrupted. The real truth came to an American.

The real paradise is here – also known as…there’s no place on Earth better than America.
No the Garden of Eden wasn’t in the middle east. How could it be silly? It was in Jackson County, Missouri.

You really are the master of your fate.
So after you quest for perfection (perfect for suburban living) you get to be a god. Most people spend their whole lives trying to control their own world. Mormonism says sure…in the afterlife not only your life, but the life of others as well – just jump through these hoops. You can be a god, just like you always wanted to be.

You can have it all!
Mormonism teaches that not only can you be a god; you can have your own planet! How much more can you get than that? That’s Boss!

Lack of Self Control, Justification, Lust
One day men, you can have a bunch of wives & a bunch of little you’s.

Other races are inferior
Oh wait, just like America, God evidently changed his mind about that around 1978. Funny how the Mormon church only lagged the Civil Rights Movement by a few years. So I wonder how it happened? Did God, or I’m sorry…Heavenly Father, change his mind in the 60′s and cause the Civil Rights movement paving the way for people of color to become not inferior to white people or…did free will of the 60′s movement lead God to go “Hmmmmm. I may have made a mistake there. Thanks MLK! Mormon peeps, I’ve changed my mind. Black folks are good people. Go get ‘em.”

Just keep telling the story & people will one day believe it.
After millions upon millions of dollars have been spent on research and archaeology. Not one shred of evidence is there to prove golden tablets, Semitic DNA in native Americans or any of their historical claims (prior to the 1800′s so called revelations). But just like our politicians…just keep telling the story. Having proof doesn’t matter. Just keep telling it and one day everyone* will believe it!

Now that’s a good ole American religion right there. The American Dream codified. Props to them for creativity.

I apologize now. I couldn’t resist.

(Again, I don’t mean this to be a dig on Mormonism. I just find this kinda interesting. So if you comment, keep it clean. I don’t intend to start a beat down.)

See anymore correlations?

Peace (for real) ~

William

—

*Well not everyone. I’m about to sit down in the next few days with what I think is my 14th set of missionaries to talk to about “the church” and barring finding gold tablets in my house and ancient indian bones clutching on to a menorah buried in my backyard, I’ll be sticking with a group who stays inside of the Nicene Creed.

Freedom is a word that get’s batted around a lot. Over the past few weeks I’ve been struck not only with repetitive phrasing that I hear using the word freedom but also how maybe our definition is a little shallow.

I would argue most often when expressed in America, freedom means:

Our ability (seen as unique in the world) to make choices and pursue what we want without being under pressure, persecution or manipulation.

For the Christian I’m not sure that this view is healthy. Most often even the Christian language I hear about freedom is much more nationalistic or individualistic than what I think we are called to. I wonder if in our flag draped culture our freedom in and through Christ has not been co-opted and replaced in priority by a national interpretation.

And who wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to make the choices that we get to make? America in many ways is brilliant! But to think that the “American Way” is always the best way is naive. The “American Way” allows us many many great opportunities to pursue good but at the same time litters our lives with pitfalls that appeal to our greed, materialism and consumptive tendencies. I wonder if we (Christians) really believe that…

Freedom is not dictated by geography, governmental structures or tax codes. The beauty of the Gospel message is that it works and if God has your heart you can be free even if you find yourself chained in the deepest most confining hole, found in the most hostile country in existence, while being tormented by the most evil people on the face of the earth…who happens to work for the IRS and was given his job by President Obama.

You can be and are free no matter

where you live,

when you live,

or whose rule you live under.

Your freedom comes not from your power to choose but in the the power that comes from God’s choosing of you, your saying Yes, and what was is is being done to your heart. How we express ourselves in our views of our physical environment reveals our trust or lack there of in his power.

What has been done in your heart and mind should free us from fear and empower us to be like Jesus. A dependance on any other idea or structure to provide us with “freedom”, is an affront to the gospel. The gospel message, the ways of Jesus work, if we’ll only believe.

So people die for the entity that is the USA but as a Christian no one dies for our freedom. Please don’t read that as degridation of sacrifice for our nation; sacrifice and self surrender are core to the Christian story, and can be a beautiful thing. Yet Christians are called to something and are part of something that is bigger and more significant than any nation. The scriptures never promises us a country. They never promise us safety; they promise us a cross but in bearing it, we are never alone, we are always loved and in the end…God wins. Maybe sacrificing the victory of the moment, giving up control, acting as Jesus acted reveals our maturity and our growth into Christlikeness.

No country provides us freedom. We are free because the son has set us free and if you have accepted his love and freedom; you are free and to feel as though we need anything else for freedom may be a warning call to examine the state of our heart and our perspective.

Your chains, limitations and persecutors only become prisons or persecution if you allow them to. 

Paul proved this to us in his prolific and powerful work from prison. Clear perspective allows Paul to boast and encourage while chained and tortured. This is why Emerson’s idea of what lies behind you & before you is of no comparison to what lies within you really resonates with me. Freedom isn’t about what was or what will be it’s in your perspective now.

So….does our language, 

1) Betray our real allegiance or to borrow from the scriptures shows “where our treasure lies.”

2) Belittle Christians who live in areas that are not accepting of believers. Is it a bit arrogant of us to think that we are rushing in to save the day for “them” so that they can one day breakfast at ChickFila, rush to Target to then hang out at Starbucks. I don’t mean to be trite and I realize that often non-believers, children and the elderly often go without basic needs being met but I wonder if we should adjust our verbiage.

3) Render us powerless in a country eaten up with individualism and personal choice. We look no different than everyone else.

4) Show that we are really slaves and don’t know it.

Friends, if the son has set you free, you are free and no one or no thing on their on can take that away from you. It is only by our concession and fear that we give up this space and forfeit our peace. Our scriptures say over and over again to Fear Not!

What if, we just tried it.

Peace ~