In the Rough - The Blog of Joel McDonald Jr.

From Bearing Drift:

“The latest assault on Christianity and the ability of human beings to profess their faith publicly comes from the state police.

Earlier this month, Col. W. Steven Flaherty, the State Police superintendent, made a decision that is supported by the governor that state police chaplains will no longer be able to mention Christ in their public prayers.”

From HamptonRoads.com:

Thou shalt not mention specific deities in public prayers.

That command was handed down recently to Virginia State Police troopers who work as chaplains, prompting several to resign the religious part of their jobs because they are forbidden to mention a particular god by name.

Republican legislators blasted the policy Wednesday, marking the latest flare-up in the debate over how much religion is appropriate in government.

Del. Charles W. “Bill” Carrico Sr., R-Grayson, declared the decision an “attack on Christianity” and is leading a campaign to have it reversed.

“Censoring what these chaplains can say is a violation of their First Amendment right to freedom of expression,” said Carrico, a former state trooper who plans legislation to undo the restriction if it isn’t rescinded.

As we become a more pluralistic nation, we have to account for other ideas and religions that are not our own. Chaplains, in my view, may keep their faith and profess it from the mountaintops. However, when in service to the the public through public prayer, or tending to the spiritual needs of someone not of their faith, they should apply a type of universal spirituality. This doesn’t require them to understand the details of the faith of others, or give up their own. However, providing a Christian prayer for a group that could be composed of a mixture of faiths is an act of exclusion. It is divisive. It is disrespectful.

The decision made by Col. W. Steven Flaherty was not an attack on Christ, any more or any less than it was an attack on any other deity. The decision is the result of further understanding the spiritual needs of Virginia State Police troopers, and the need to accommodate the various faiths of the troopers.

I came across this while looking for information on the rumor that the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was making an offer to buy Facebook. I thought it was well done, and of value to share. If you’re curious about what the inside of Mormon chapels look like, but don’t want to risk being acosted during an actual visit, feel free to tour one online!

You may have seen them walking door-to-door in your neighborhood, riding their bikes down the street, or have been approached by them in the parking lot of your local Walmart. They wear nice conservative clothing, like dark suits or nice blouses (for women) and have a black name tag prominently displayed. Only their last names are engraved on these tags, preceded by the title “Elder” or “Sister”. These are Mormon missionaries.

These young men and women (and some older women and couples) take time away from their normal lives to serve their church as missionaries, taking their beliefs to the far ends of the world. They are well trained, spending hundreds of hours in the classroom before setting foot on your door step. Their approach is based on proven methods of gaining the trust of those they talk to and then leading them to understand and accept their beliefs as being valid, and maybe even true.

One might think of them as ministers, as they themselves often do. However, the truth is that these missionaries are little more than sales representatives for a very large world wide corporation, and recieved little to no training in actually ministering to people. They are trained to find, teach, and baptize. Period.

How do I know this? Simple. I WAS a Mormon missionary.

There were many occasions where, as a missionary, I found myself in situations where people really needed guidance. They were seeking the will of God, and needed inspired counsel. I always did my best to lead them down what I thought was the right direction. I would, as a priesthood holder, bless them and seek inspiration myself to say the words that hopefully would help these people while giving the blessing. I always felt inadaquate. Ministering to people like this was not in the training manual for missionaries.

Why would members of the Mormon church seek out missionaries, knowing that the missionaries were not qualified, when they were in need of ministering? I’ve thought about this a good bit, and the only conclusion I’ve been able to reach is this: Missionaries do not have authority in the church to act as judges, and they are hesitant to cause any fiction with members who support missionaries by way of referrals and food. In other words, they are safe. Members attempt to use missionaries to bypass the authoritarian judgement of chuch leaders. Missionaries ought to be as, or more, spiritual than those leaders; right?

That, of course, is debatable.

Of course, with so much in life, and especially when religion is concerned; it’s all about perception. The eager missionary’s counsel is seriously considered and their blessing accepted as being inspired. It’s just sad that Mormons don’t have a real, safe ministry to seek comfort from.

You may have already read an AP article about a Florida man excommunicated for being gay writing his friends and family in California asking them to stand up and walk out of church services this past Sunday as leaders throughout the state read a statement from central church leadership in Salt Lake City asking Latter-day Saints throughout California to rally in support of a state marriage amendment in reaction to homosexuals being allowed to marry.

Today I joined a Facebook group called “Sign for Something” which is taking a stand against ecclesiastical encroachment in government, especially where gay marriage is concerned. There is also a website under construction at http://signforsomething.org/.

I believe strongly that no person should should be affected by the beliefs of any church unless that person submits themselves to the authority of that church by becoming a member.

And for members of a church that don’t agree with the actions of their church, they should respond by leaving. There is a growing movement of disaffected Latter-day Saints to do just this. A current thread at PostMormon.org is organizing such a movement, and believes they will see over one thousand current members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints submit their resignations in response to the church’s meddling in the politics of California. This group should also have a website up to facilitate this action soon.