Peace on Earth

Since it is Christmastime, I have been busy and don't have much time. Therefore, I will not be providing links or citing sources tonight. That way, I can have more real-life adventures to blog about here!

Anyway, the theme this week seemed to be love and compassion for all people, regardless of our differences.

Last Sunday, I watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, and the message I took away was love and service. I don't really remember what they said, just what I felt--but that's the point of those meetings anyway. Then after it was over, I was asked to help a stranger move, and in the spirit of Christmas I did just that. I could have stayed home and put up Christmas decorations, but service seemed more Christmassy.

Then Donald Trump made his Islamophobic comments. I don't care about what he says, but what gets me is that people agree with him. People were cheering after his comments. People like that actually exist?!

Fortunately, the backlash against his comments was far stronger, and people were making lots of supportive comments for Muslims. Mark Zuckerberg did. Governor Herbert did. I don't agree 100% with Gary Herbert, but I often agree with him, and I have great respect for him because he's willing to say things unpopular with his party. His statement continued to cement my respect for him.

The Church also released statements about religious freedom made by Joseph Smith, about being willing to die for believers of other faiths and about welcoming all. At work I was able to read several more similar statements he made. There's a tendency to think of nineteenth-century folks as being heartless and mean, but my experiences dealing with primary sources have shown their true compassion, even though they did things differently than we do.

For my scripture study this year I've been reading the words of Latter-day prophets, so this part of the month it's been Gordon B. Hinckley. I planned out my scripture study nearly a year ago, but this week one of the talks just happened to be about interfaith charity work.

On Wednesday night, my family went to the Lower Lights Christmas concert at Kingsbury Hall. It was awesome. I'm amazed how many talented people are in our state. It was a beautiful Christmas evening.

At this time of year, we talk about "Peace on earth, good will towards men," wresting it from its biblical context to describe the feelings we should have now. This is a good thing; we could all use a more peace and good will, whether it's in December or June.

Unfortunately, we have those who would do exactly the opposite at this time of year. There's a small group of militant atheists who chafe at "Merry Christmas" or anything remotely similar. On the other hand, there's a small, but probably larger, group of militant Christians who chafe at completely innocuous things like "Happy Holidays" and plain red cups. Way to ruin the most wonderful time of the year, guys!

(Before this gets too heavy, I will share some holiday mirth. I had some eggnog in the fridge, so my mom went to drink some, but she hadn't seen the container--she just knew that I had some--so she poured some liquid from a container that said "Egg" on it. It wasn't until she drank it that she realized it was Egg Beaters--simply egg whites!)

Anyway, my hope for this Christmastime, and always, is to have the spirit of brotherly kindness. Not "You're stupid for believing in God" or "You're a jerk for not believing in God" or "I don't want to associate with a heathen like you."

But "I will love you and serve you in spite of our differences." "Let us work together to serve the common good and help those who need it." "Let's unite in the things we both hold dear."

Merry Christmas!