I had an awesome conversation with my friend Barbie today. She’s going through sort of the opposite of what I went through a year ago. She was a Fundamental, Evangelical passionate Christian and recently returned to the Catholic Church. She’s a very passionate person and throws herself 200% into everything she does. However, many people are putting her and her faith under a microscope and I don’t just mean in an apologetics kind of way either. She’s got it from all sides.
As she shared with me how her Mormon MIL and Evangelical FIL were questioning her, we entered into a very interesting conversation about legalism and the church. There are plenty of groups that claim absolute truth – Mormons, Catholics, and JWs to name a few. And I can certainly see the benefit of having total and complete truth. But at a certain point, truth ends and preferences begin.
For example, we discussed something her Priest had shared. You can read her whole blog about appropriate behavior for mass (or as she shares, for any worship). As I read through these things, I could surely see how they were appropriate for a Catholic and even LDS style church, however to put these standards on the whole body of Christ was just – in my opinion – wrong. It lacked grace and it lifted up division rather than unity.
When I was LDS, I wholeheartedly gave myself to God – I knew that I was a sinner in need of redemption and that only the work of Jesus (grace) could bridge that gap that for me. Now at what point did my beliefs become heretical and at what point, would God turn from someone who held heretical beliefs, yet still accepted Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer? At what point, do opinions become dogma and dogma replaces truth and relationship?
It seems to me – as a relative new Evangelical – that the non-denoms, Evangelicals, and Fundamentalists have become legalistic ABOUT not being legalistic. It’s mind blowing. Since I don’t know much by either experience or head knowledge about Catholicism, I’ll have to stick with Mormonism. I’ve said this many times over at my other two blogs – the LDS church is the very model that the Christian church should strive to emulate. Please note – I am not in anyway referring to doctrine – in fact I am very much NOT referring to doctrine. But rather organization, fellowship, and lifestyle living. Not doctrine. But there are things within the LDS church that aren’t doctrine per se but rather perhaps dogma that I really disagree with. For example, I loved how modesty and reverence were stressed within the church. Members knew that Sunday is God’s day and as such, would for example dress appropriately. They wanted to give their best to God and as such, dressed their best as well. They put forth effort for God, instead of rolling out of bed, chewing some gum and coming to church looking like they had just left Studio 54.
However, the downside of this is that if someone came to church not wearing a dress/skirt or tie and slacks, then I would wager their mind wouldn’t be on the Gospel but rather on their discomfort for being inappropriately dressed. And that’s not right. I imagine Jesus welcoming people to Him – regardless of what they are wearing.
I think it’s great that churches are encouraging their congregations/parishes/wards to live to a higher standard, but at the same time am quite disappointed with the Evangelicals who seem to have a legalism-phobia. I will probably battle with legalism until the day I die, but being afraid of it isn’t going to help anything. Being aware and knowing the warning signs, will. I think condemning those believe in living an upright, moral life and yes, focusing on the works and therefor very fruit of their lives is wrong.
In our personal lives, how many times do we look at the dogma and/or doctrine that someone believes instead of their love for God? I don’t believe any one church has it 100% right out there, but I think overall we have to find where God calls us to.
In the last year trying to fit into our church, I’ve gone through stages about leaving the LDS church. And I’ve come to the conclusion, that we certainly could have remained in the LDS church and still been “heaven bound” but that God pulled us out not only for further growth but also to shake people up. Our Bishop did a double take when we explained that God was pointing us elsewhere, Christians did a double take when I’d share that I believed that Jesus died for my sins and that His work was sufficent for me and yet – I was LDS. I think God does this all the time. He shakes us up – tried to remind us that He doesn’t fit into a tidy little box. He’s God, we’re not. Remember, when Jesus came, He shook up the religious leaders of His day – He was certainly not what they expected. Would we too be shocked if He came for a visit? We have so many preconceptions about people because of what they believe instead of trying to be like God, and learning what’s in people’s hearts.
The Least of These 