Mormons Should Be Pro-People:
Or Which People In The World Have Red Blood And White Bones?
It was not a trick question. It is not a joke. I am not attempting to catch you out. I am not trying to be a smart ass. It is a fundamental question.
Which people in the world have red blood and white bones?
If you answered all of them, you would be right. Everyone also has a heart and a brain. Everyone has happy days and sad days. Everyone has feelings and emotions. Everyone and I mean everyone, is human. We all belong to the same race, the human race. All other identities are human-made. Although different languages and appearances may seem to separate us, it is not valid. We all belong to this world we call Earth. We are Earth people.
So what is my point? My point is that ALL humans are the same as every other human. If I were a God of this Earth, I would see my creations and love them all because I made them, and they are all the same. Of course, I am not a God, but I am someone who has a brain that can think for itself. I was fortunate to be born with a significant disability when I was younger. I say lucky because being disabled taught me much about the humans around me. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, many of my friends were considered imbeciles. They were Down Syndrome children; thankfully, most of us think otherwise today. But there was a time not too long ago when any kind of disability, physical or mental, meant you would live a life on the streets or workhouse described as a cretin or imbecile. Why do I mention this? Just as I would point out in the same way, women and non-white people were seen as much less than they really were at one time and arguably still are. I do not propose going into a neverending history lesson here because almost everyone recognizes what I am saying. People's perspectives change with time, and then thankfully, humans are again recognized as humans, not animals. Sadly, there have been many occasions throughout history where animals were treated better than some of our fellow humans.
So here’s my question . . . why would any organization that describes itself as Christians and followers of Jesus treat any human different than anyone else? I have no experience with other faiths, so today, I am applying my thought to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Mormons. Just because I do, it does not excuse any other so-called Christian church or group or, in fact, any religion in the world that professes to believe in a God (Unless, of course, your God is not a loving God, then I apologize). After years of blindly accepting teachings that God believes in some apartheid, it now seems evident to me that this is a significant problem. Just as South Africa could not understand what was wrong with their apartheid society and the southern enslavers in America could not understand what was wrong with their culture, I have to question why we do not see this religious apartheid as abhorrent to a God. Here is the deal. God loves all His children . . . BUT. God wants everyone to return to live Him . . . BUT. God is all-powerful and can do anything He wishes . . . BUT. Suddenly, many rules now seem human-made, determining that only a select few can live with God again. But I thought God loved all His children.
If I loved all my children, then despite their differences, I would not only welcome all of them to visit me in church, but I would like every single one of them, no matter what, to be there. Any person of any color across the spectrum should be welcome and have the same privileges as everyone else. People of every race, appearance, or language should be welcome to be with God. Likewise, any person identified (Human labeled) as Gay should have the same seat at God's table as everyone else. Do you know why? Correct, they are humans, just like everyone else. The same applies to Trans-gender or any other human being who may not be the same as you. None of these descriptors should matter at all. They are all human-made and artificial. On the outside of every Mormon meeting house or church is a sign, ‘Visitors Welcome.’ Not so. All are welcome except . . . see above.
Of course, you will be given the standard explanation that all are welcome. That is true, somewhat. All can enter the building, but not all can enter Heaven. Just like Scientology, there are many steps required to climb that ladder. And some people are not allowed on the ladder. It is hard to understand. For the last 35 years, I have been told by local and international leaders that it may not make sense . . . BUT God wants it that way, and sometimes we have to go with it. Yes, I know; it smells bad. We still live in the distant past when many of these disgusting ideas were commonplace. However, we know better, and so we should do better. The long history of the WASPs, White Anglo Saxon Protestants, should stay in the past. There was a time when polygyny (polygamy) was deemed vital to entering Heaven. That was changed by so-called revelation because the church leaders were in jail or on the run, the church coffers were empty, and all properties were confiscated. In the same way, the long civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s eventually brought about another revelation allowing all males to hold the LDS priesthood, including black males. There was even a time not so long ago when women could not wear pants on BYU campus; of course, sanity prevailed, and jeans and pants can now be seen everywhere. Do you know why? Yes, that is right, because our brains do not care what clothes we wear when learning.
I have always liked the idea of Jesus and a God who loves everyone. Since I was a tiny child, it seemed to be something real and good. Better than the tooth fairy, better than the Easter bunny, and better than Santa Claus. They all went by the by. But Jesus, who loves everyone, stayed with me all my life. The problem seems to be that the Jesus I loved is not alive anymore; perhaps he never was. Does it really seem good and wholesome to believe in a Jesus that has conditions? This Jesus seems to be like a businessman. I can give you this . . . BUT. I was always taught that every human being on the planet was just as important as me. They love as I do. They care as I do. They hurt as I do.
If any business ostracized part of its clientele, the business would be deemed as stupid. And yet, the all-encompassing God of this world is painted as non-caring and dumb. I am not the most intelligent man, but I know when something is wrong. I know that something is not just right when I see or feel it. I walked into Amway and knew I had to leave, just like every MLM company I knew. I knew it was not right when a political idea only blessed the few, and the many suffered. There are just some things that are just not right. And the division of the human race into artificial labels is absolutely wrong. If the Mormon Jesus and His Father, God Himself, are, in fact, real, I know of certainty they would never put any of their beloved children into locked boxes they could never get out of. Any church or faith worldwide should be Pro-People. Let’s not forget, God means Pro-People.
© Stephen G. Arrowsmith 2021
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