I was sitting in sacrament on Sunday, listening as the 2nd counselor began to bare his testimony. It seemed to start off well. He spoke of his testimony of the Savior, of the gospel of Joseph Smith, and then he got all chocked up when he started talking about his recently returned missionary son.
I thought, okay, sometimes they have really amazing stories lets see what this is all about. He started off telling us how his son met this young man and began teaching him about the restored gospel. This young man was not LDS and was taught from a very young age to pray. He had a prayer in his religion that was recited every morning. He didn't give the specific prayer so I'm not sure what he was saying/praying, but to the missionaries he was praying all wrong. I know some religions have a repetitive prayer that is recited everyday and because the young man was reciting this particular prayer everyday the Missionaries felt it was their obligation to help this young man see the light. So, the young missionary and his companion decided that if this young man wasn't going to stop saying this prayer they had to take action, and thus, they took this young mans prayer from him.
Literally! Yes, they took it from him.
They took the sheet of paper that had the prayer on it. They told him that this isn't the way that 'we' pray and that he should 'let go' of this prayer that has practically meant the world to him. The young missionary in all his arrogance told the young man that he would find something to replace it with. According the the missionaries father the young missionary prayed to the Lord asking him for guidance. He felt what he had done was right and needed to find something better to take the place of this young mans prayer.
So he prayed and prayed and struggled finding something to put in it's place. It was getting closer to the baptism of this young man and the missionary still hadn't found anything to replace the prayer with. So, by the sound of the fathers account, the bishop wrote him a letter and gave him some guidance.
How happy the father was that his son listened to his bishop. How proud he was that he followed his priesthood leaders, and how proud and utterly emotional he was that his son taught this young man what prayer was really about. *rolls eyes*
I wanted to vomit!
Seriously! He couldn't have just simply praised the young man for praying. He was probably praying more than most members do. No, they had to tell him he was wrong for saying a repetitive prayer and physically remove the prayer from the young mans presence. By all means, let's add more fuel to the fire and tell all other religions how stupid and wrong and inappropriate their prayers are.
It made me sad because I think the missionary missed a great opportunity to learn something beautiful from some other religion (of course 19 year old boys know everything) (what am I thinking?). He could have done a number of things, one of which I think he should have praised the young man for praying everyday, let him use his same prayer and then showed him (if the young man didn't already know) how to communicate on a more personal note with Heavenly Father. Such a great opportunity was missed.
Now, as an aside, I only got the fathers interpretation of what the son told him so I could be missing some great detail, but the way the father went on about how proud he was that he showed this young man how to pray just baffled me. Well, baffled and slightly disgusted me.
What can you do?
8 comments:
Oh good grief. Such pride! Such horrible pride! The boys missed out on a chance to learn and share. And the father's version--so filled with pride.
That's one of the most ridiculous, prideful stories I've ever heard... so sad... ugh... sometimes I just get so annoyed by LDS people... and I'm one of them!
I'm not the same person I once was. There are to many times I sit in church and think, really? Really? You want to say THAT out loud?
Sometimes I think there is something wrong with me and that I will probably go to hell.
But-- I just think that he was so wrong. Both the father and the son for trying so desperately to cleanse the boy of his evil prayer.
Prayer?! I mean really, that's the big hang up? Why can't we be more inclusive? Why can't we just see the good that everyone has to give and stop worrying about the mindless, tedious things that don't matter.
Now, if the boy was struggling with porn, smoking, drugs-- ya we have our self a problem, but a prayer?
Okay, I'm over it.
I guess I see this in a different light. Surely bearing testimony in just a few short moments of something that took several days and even weeks, many details were left out. So I think it's very premature to assume what we imagine took place in the interim. But beyond this, it may be that the boy was using his old faith as a crutch, and needed help to move forward. How many things do we use as a crutch, when our Heavenly Father is trying to compel us forward? How many times do we lack faith as we're taught greater truths, and instead rely on our own understanding? I can't imagine that these young men would aggressively rip a prayer out of the clutch of a soon to be new member. Instead, I think being so close and so vested in his happiness, they saw something that might tether him to his old ways, and gave him a new rod to hold onto. I think it's also wonderful that they replaced the hole left by his old prayer, and taught him the ways of a loving Heavenly Father who wants to hear from the heart. God bless them, and as the mother of a son who has left everything he knows and loves behind, for two years, to bring souls unto Christ, and has had to do and say things to people that would frighten the hell out of the rest of us, I believe they were doing just as they were prompted to do.
Lisa, as I wrote this I thought of you and have been waiting for your comment. I know I'm more liberal than I once was and sometimes I feel like I will go to hell for questioning a 19 year old missionaries motives.
I agree that the young missionaries do things that most of us are afraid to do.
I also agree that I got such a small snippet of what truly transpired that it is hard to make a judgment call. Most of my frustration was with the father and how emotional he got over the whole situation albeit the story did still bother me.
"How many times do we lack faith as we're taught greater truths, and instead rely on our own understanding?" and that right there is what I think the young missionary did as all of us so often do (including and most especially yours truly--me--). I assume he had the best intentions, and felt truly inspired (and maybe he was) I just disagree with his choice.
And, I don't think testimony meeting was the appropriate venue for the example because it happened over a long period of time.
Well, I love you whether we agree or not. You're a beautiful, intelligent, spiritual woman and I'm glad you're my niece. :)
And I am most thankful you are my Aunt. I was just telling someone the other day of the 'I was here first thing'. They didn't appreciate it near as much as you did.
And, I love your blog. Sometimes I wish I was much funnier instead of all...doom and gloom.
Guess we all get to work through our crap. Thanks for the love and for the ability to agree to disagree. Not to many people can do that. They get all-- well I'm not going to be your friend anymore.
(but, you did give me some things to think about)(plus, let's face it, I'm a judgy person--something I MUST work on) :D
One more reason to love you. :):):)
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