Experience 1, My reaction to an LDS church service
So today marks the first day in Becca and I’s adventure. We went to Becca’s church, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I do know quite a bit about the Mormon faith for Becca is my one of my best friends, and out of curiosity I read quite a bit about it on the LDS website. So for the most part, I am immune to the stereotypes. Of course my natural apprehension to the conservativeness of the religion made me a bit nervous. I did know the church was very “family values” oriented, that the family unit was definitely one of the main tenants. My family is not so much what you would call “traditional” and the lifestyle I have lived cannot be characterized as such either. I suppose I was expected a huge emphasis on the nuclear family and demonetization of those who do not confirm, fortunately only the former was proved true. Upon walking in you could see the church was a family church.
We arrived late, and sat at the back were families with young children were seated. The” talk” ( a.k.a sermon) was barely audible over the screams and cries of babies and toddlers. In the LDS faith, the talk to said by member of the “ward” (a.k.a congregation) when we arrived a woman, who identified herself as the librarian, was in the middle of talking. She was using a continual metaphor of a road to describe life, and about her search for faith. She described being on a “bumpy” road, and how her Mormon faith has turn that road into “An even road with a solid red line that leads straight into eternal, celestial paradise”. It is that kind of comfort that religion gives people, you don’t have to deal with life’s troubles or issues head on, believing you have a truth and a father figure looking over you is the kind of comfort most look for and what is most attractive about the LDS faith. After a hymn was sung, a young woman gave her speech on the topic of “the priesthood”. The most interesting part of the talk was when she spoke about how fathers carry the priesthood into their own home, that they bring “ a bubble of Christ’s protection over the household”, that they are responsible for keeping the religion in the home. This was interesting to me; I didn’t really see it as misogyny but it certainly reinforcing some amount of gender roles. The idea that the man is the “head of the household” reminds me of ‘50s sitcoms. In my family my mother is the breadwinner, and my stepfather takes care of us and the home, so this did make me feel a little bit more... apprehensive. In my opinion the mother, father and children view of the family is old fashioned and just simply unrealistic, however, in the Mormon faith you and your family spend eternity together so emphasis on the traditional family makes sense.
After the service, it was time for Sunday school. I was Christian at a point in my life so I do know the Bible to a certain extent. I was quite curious if the bible study would be any different than the bible study I had in the Anglican and Catholic faith, to be honest it really wasn’t. Two girls who were new or visiting the ward were there, and the two of the teenage boys were flirting and showing off as obnoxiously as they could possible manage, making it incredibly hard to pay attention. The lesson itself was very similar to ones I had in the past. The first verse we read was from Paul , it was about a widow who wanted her husband’s death avenged, she went to a judge who at first denied her but after she went to again and again he gave in. The teacher interpreted i it as that you must pray often and sincerely to get your prayer’s answered. The rest was the same pretty basic stuff I’ve always learned, be inclusive, and pray often.
The last part was “ young women’s” which I suppose would be the equivalent to a youth group in a more mainstream part of Christianity, however it is gender segregated and it is more lesson orientated. This is where the lessons began to greatly differ from what I have learned before. The lesson was on “Temple Marriages”. In the LDS church families are “ sealed” together, to spend eternity in the afterlife. These sealing’s can only happen in temples, and when a Mormon couple is married they are sealed. She read quotes from former Mormon prophets about what will happen in the afterlife if you marry outside of a temple, apparently you become a servant in the afterlife, and separate from your loved ones. It occurred to me then that this religion is about what happens after you die and less about living for your life now. If I believed in the doctrines of the faith that idea would be quite frightened by the prospect of being a servant for eternity. I think I enjoy living for my life, I know this is the only life I will get I want to enjoy myself and live for my loved ones and myself as best I can.
Over all I take from the experience just the shear amount of scarifies one makes by taking part in the church, you need strong faith, commitment and a belief in the reward you will receive after death. It was overall a positive and interesting experience.
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