Maybe It's About Manners

My friend Alexis posted this on fb:

"The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism... the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances." -Hugh Nibley*

I'm not sure if Brother Nibley would welcome additions to that list, but I would add the following:

"...those who insist that anyone who questions or disagrees is simply unenlightened or uneducated, even to the point of not sustaining the prophet (which accusation is at best insulting and rude, and at worst damning) when, indeed, we, at our core, are (or ought to be) a questioning and seeking people...." - me

Maybe it's politics, maybe it's equality, maybe it's something else entirely. But here I speak to my friends who reside with their opinions on all points of the spectrum of such issues: When you sweepingly dismiss those opposing your side, when you make accusations of individuals (or groups) which are in the arena of final judgments, when you mock based on your own perspective without bothering to attempt to understand where someone else might be coming from, YOU ARE NOT STRENGTHENING YOUR OWN CASE. Indeed, you weaken your credibility. It is a sign of maturity to acknowledge that your worldview is not shared by everyone, and to be able to be friends with people who may not share your views. Asking questions and listening to answers instead of jumping to conclusions is just good manners.

People want to know what you have to say. Your opinion is valuable. Others' opinions are valuable. When you (or they) make assumptions,  or don't listen, or call names, or declare dramatic and illogical conclusions without listening, etc. -- what you (or they) have to say doesn't get heard. You want to be heard, don't you? So do they.

Srsly, guys.

Jesus said love ev'ryone;
Treat them kindly, too.
When your heart is filled with love,
Others will love you.**



*Hugh Nibley, Waterman, Brian and Kagel, Brian Kagel. The Lord's University: Freedom and Authority at BYU. Signature Books. 1998.
**Words and music: Moiselle Renstrom, 1889-1956