3 Things We Mormons Need to Learn From Our Christian Friends
Like many of you, I grew up in a predominantly non-Mormon town. There was one LDS church on the edge of our community and just a handful of wards. But there were plenty of other Christians in town. Presbyterians, Protestants, Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, you name it. It was awesome.
It exposed me to Christian cultures differing from my own. As I grew up with peers from different sects I began to notice a few things from those cultures that I think we Mormons would do well to incorporate more into our daily lives.
I’ve got to throw out a big DISCLAIMER here because I don’t mean to overgeneralize or throw all non-Mormon sects into the same basket. That would be wrong. They’re all very different from each other. I don’t pretend to assign these points (below) to any one sect, or even all of them collectively. These are simply characteristics that I saw in the Christian friends of my youth that I believe you and I could benefit from:
1. A bit of enthusiasm
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ3WG49hRjz/?tagged=excitedaboutjesus
Sunday worship services vary greatly from one Christian sect to another. For instance, many congregations have a band play on Sundays, we Latter-day Saints do not. But Sunday enthusiasm isn’t what I’m referring to here. I want to talk about how we live the gospel on a day to day basis. That’s where I think we could use some more enthusiasm.
Every day we say our prayers and read our scriptures. Do we enjoy those activities or do we view them as obligations? What about Family Home Evening? Imagine how many youth would be saved from inactivity if their parents enthusiastically lived the gospel, instead of passively going through the motions. Family scripture study at 7:30 AM isn’t going to be a party, but it has always been meant to be a positive experience. Let’s aim for that.
My Christian friends taught me that the gospel is something to be excited about. Of course, some Mormons are very excited about it. If you’re one of the enthusiastic ones, thank you. We need more of you. But if you’re like me and you often find yourself falling into a dreary routine, there are some great Christians out there to look up to.
Let’s smile more. We need that light in our eyes. Let’s get excited about the gospel we sometimes take for granted. Remember Matthew chapter five:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2. More passion for the Bible
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb_cb2dHyK-/?taken-by=youth2000uk
I spoke with my Christian friends about The Book of Mormon quite frequently and very quickly realized how passionate they were about the Holy Bible. Of course, we’d love for them to accept further scripture, but their love for the Bible is fantastic. I’d love to see more of that passion in my life.
They could quote that thing all day long and not get tired of it. Luckily we don’t have to choose between the Bible and The Book of Mormon. We can be passionate about them both.
3. A stronger emphasis on Christ
https://www.instagram.com/p/BccwM2vhmkL/?tagged=christ
For any Christians out there reading this that are unfamiliar with our faith, know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church. The very foundation of our religion is centered on a belief in “God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” Like you, we believe that “through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved …” The Mormon Church is a nickname we’re widely known by, but we definitely consider ourselves your fellow Christians.
The Christians I grew up with were extremely Christ-focused, and that’s awesome. I’m not saying we Mormons are terribly unfocused on Christ, but I really do think we get distracted sometimes.
We’ve got a lot of doctrine in our religion. There’s a lot to teach and a lot to learn. It’s all worthy of study, but sometimes we get so caught up in the details of the branches that we forget to focus on the nourishing roots of the gospel. We’d do well to remember that every doctrine ties back to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We’re doing great, but there’s always room to improve
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcbWSNUlcUw/?tagged=templesquare
To be clear, I think Mormons are doing great. We are generally an industrious and charitable people. Many of us are very excited about the gospel, many are passionate about the bible and are incredibly focused on Christ. If that describes you, I applaud you. This article might not be of much use to you.
But for those that see room to improve in these areas, I think our Christians friends have set a great example for us to follow. We may not agree on every point of doctrine, but we’re all trying to be the best Christians we can be. So, to any non-Mormon Christian reading this, thank you. Thank you for your example and your faith.
