{"id":9350,"date":"2014-06-16T19:44:02","date_gmt":"2014-06-17T02:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/?p=9350"},"modified":"2014-06-18T11:51:51","modified_gmt":"2014-06-18T18:51:51","slug":"beware-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/2014\/06\/beware-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of…"},"content":{"rendered":"

*I have edited this this since I first posted. I wanted to clarify what I mean by equality and inclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few bits of advice for the kids to digest when they need it.\u00a0I’m writing a long post as I try to hold still while my back heals.<\/p>\n

\"1-Convalescent<\/a>
Convalescent by James Whistler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beware of the idea that we all need to be the same.<\/h1>\n

There is a lot of noise today about equality, which is okay. We are all children of God and we are all alike unto God. (2 Nephi 26:33) Unfortunately, many activists\u00a0have\u00a0decided that equality demands that we are all treated the same. We need to have the same responsibilities, the same attention, the same size pickle slices, or we are not really being treated as equals.\u00a0There are gross inequalities in the world that need to be addressed, but I am concerned about the trend of counting titles and responsibilities as evidence of worth.<\/p>\n

This hyper-focus on fairness simply teaches\u00a0that what\u00a0we have<\/em>\u00a0reflects\u00a0our value.\u00a0If we don’t\u00a0have the same responsibilities as someone else, we have cause to be offended. By worldly\u00a0logic, a person who presides over a church or runs a corporation is the only one who is really getting all he is due. I believe these attitudes are\u00a0founded in pride in accomplishments, titles, and our most primitive desire to have the same size cookie as our neighbor.<\/p>\n

In contrast to this, I believe that our worth\u00a0comes from being\u00a0children of our Heavenly Father. Evidence of our worth doesn’t come from what we have, in\u00a0what we know, or say, or who approved our academic studies and gave us a diploma. It doesn’t hinge on whether we sit in a prominent place at church or the boardroom, or what we are asked to do by God. Our worth isn’t even supported\u00a0by “equal opportunities.” I believe that when we\u00a0focus on who we are<\/em> rather than on what we have,<\/em>\u00a0we can be happier.<\/p>\n

When activists teach that we need to be the same, the importance of family\u00a0roles and the power of gender are often\u00a0ignored or mocked. My gender and my life story are gifts! I treasure them.<\/p>\n

Beware of the word, “Inclusion.”<\/h1>\n

I have learned to be skeptical of the enticing word, “inclusion.” It’s\u00a0often used as a tool to muddle the lines between right and wrong. Inclusion sounds so great. It’s all about open-mindedness, implies that you are trendy, and means that you love\u00a0and accept everyone. Worldly inclusion carries with it the idea that people should accept all behavior, not just people.\u00a0In other words, we are encouraged\u00a0to embrace the sin along with the sinner. Of course this message is often clothed\u00a0in language that makes you feel like a jerk if you oppose sinful behavior. This is when you need to open the Bible.<\/p>\n

The Savior spent time with many people, including\u00a0sinners and outcasts, but never, never condoned\u00a0sins.\u00a0His love guided Him to show respect and focused attention. However, love for people didn’t mean He compromised on commandments\u00a0to make them feel more comfortable. Were there groups who received His rebuke?\u00a0Yes. He was patient\u00a0as disciples\u00a0tried to make sense of His teachings. He knew that they would not achieve perfection right away, and\u00a0He didn’t forsake them when they stumbled. This is real inclusion.<\/p>\n

Discontent isn’t an automatic virtue.<\/h1>\n

Discontent is high on the list of virtues for many worldly thinkers. It’s implied that if we are content, we must be growing complacent, or we must be ignorant of something that should really bother us. Those who fight traditional values the are seen as having\u00a0something more valuable to say than the quiet masses. This isn’t always true.<\/p>\n

Those who have an answer for everything don’t always have the right answers.<\/h1>\n

There are\u00a0times when someone will argue their point and I don’t\u00a0know how to answer. Does it mean they are right and I am wrong? No. It could mean that they are better at arguing. When someone launches into a well-reasoned argument against a commandment or a principle, I try to remember that God has said that “…my<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>thoughts<\/span>\u00a0are not your\u00a0<\/span>thoughts<\/span>, neither are your ways\u00a0<\/span>my\u00a0<\/span>ways,” (Isaiah 55:8) and “…<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>wisdom<\/span>\u00a0of this world is\u00a0<\/span>foolishness<\/span>\u00a0with God” (1 Cor 3:19).<\/span>\u00a0I have learned that you can trust your impressions from the Holy Ghost that something is wrong, even if you can’t formulate an answer right away for why it is wrong. It’s also okay to carry unanswered questions. Over time, as you nurture your faith, not your doubts, the answers will come. (Alma 12:10)<\/p>\n

No one is worth losing your faith over.<\/h1>\n

We can’t put our trust in personalities, no matter how charming or educated or kind. There is no one– no philosophy, no personality, no group for whom it\u00a0is worth losing\u00a0what is most precious: our faith, our family, and our covenants with God. There are really dynamic people who know how to promote\u00a0their ideas. You may admire someone or a cause, but never\u00a0give anyone the\u00a0power to rob you of your testimony of the gospel. You can trust the prophets. You can trust the scriptures. Hold tightly to these and you will be okay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

*I have edited this this since I first posted. I wanted to clarify what I mean by equality and inclusion. Here are a few bits of advice for the kids to digest when they need it.\u00a0I’m writing a long post as I try to hold still while my back heals. Beware of the idea that … Continue reading Beware of…<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,20,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church","category-life-according-to-angela","category-motherhood"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9350"}],"version-history":[{"count":60,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9369,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350\/revisions\/9369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelaross.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}