Last week, I attended church in the congregation I went to in high school. After about 15 years, the building has been renovation, families have moved in and out. It was the building my mother’s funeral was held. It is strange to go back.
I only went to see my old young women’s leader. She is always so welcoming and happy. It was great to see her and chat for a bit.
While my belief in god is different from most if not all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, attending church is not something I enjoy. Sunday’s are work, emotionally and physically draining.
I had plans just to attend the first hour of church and honestly, zone out while I wrestled baby Hercules. I got the opportunity to actually listen to the speakers.
The first spoke on the church’s environmental stance. Check out this website, where he got most of his talk.
The third speaker talked on the new ministering program that the church has changed from home teaching and visiting teaching.
The middle speaker is the one I want to really talk about. His talk was on father’s, specifically how to be a righteous father.
This is somewhat of a sore subject for me, especially in that building. I grew up in a “part member family”. My mother was the one who took us to church, who did all the churchy things. My dad wanted nothing to do with the church for as long as I can remember.
Many lessons on the priesthood ended with me walking out because a teacher would single me out. “Oh you don’t know what it’s like to have the priesthood in your home.” “You are a lost soul because your father won’t join the church.” “You can never fully understand the importance of the priesthood without it in your home.”
I would walk out because that teacher was not only being rude, but was completely WRONG.
When this speaker started talking, I expected more of this, but he didn’t. He started his talk saying, “Most of us assume that to be a righteous father, he must have the priesthood, but that is not true. A father can be righteous without ever stepping foot inside our or any other church. The gospel does not automatically make us righteous fathers.”
I wanted to stand up and yell, “One more time for the people in the back!”
I had NEVER heard that from the pulpit at church. This speaker wasn’t someone who didn’t know me, for awhile I think he was one of our home teachers.
How often in the church, do we ASSUME that just because he has the priesthood, this guy is a good upstanding person. It’s not true! Having the ‘priesthood’ doesn’t just magically cover up the fact that this person really is a sleazeball. “Faith” in a higher being does not make us automatically perfect righteous people. It takes hard work to be a genuine decent person. Something we all can work on, present company included.
So remember next time you are a church and someone says something boneheaded, “The Gospel does not automatically make us righteous people.”