Wisdom and Social Responsibility
Sadly, social media is not always a positive influence on our society. There are many examples of people being targeted based on their race, religion, or ethnicity. This has become so common that even little children sometimes experience bullying at the hands of adults and other kids.
There are many mechanisms in place to try and prevent these things from happening, but they can still happen unintentionally online and in person. It is really important to watch for this so that we can reduce the amount of people who feel like they don’t belong because we stand up for them when it happens (or you know, just generally be a decent human).
Whether you are the person being bullied, or the person doing the bullying, you are important. Both of you can contribute to a healthier society and should be supported along your journey. It’s important not to be isolated by the words and actions of others, and it’s even more important to put those feelings into words for yourself.
From this place we can continue on our way to be responsible citizens in our communities while still being true to who we are and what matters most to us.
In my home ward I’ve been taught to welcome ALL people and be sensitive to their needs, culture, and religion (or lack thereof). We’re not supposed to judge people based on their looks or beliefs.
There is a difference between judging something as good or bad, and judging someone as good or bad.
It is very simple, if you see people being mean to others based on race, religion or sexual orientation it is important to stand up for them. (This does not mean you should purposefully get yourself into a confrontation with these kinds of people. It might be best to talk to a bishop or someone else you trust… or better yet, talk to the victim directly.)
There were a number of other situations that could have been avoided if people didn’t feel so judged and alone.
Of course we are not always responsible for the things that happen in our communities, but we can still be responsibly accountable. We can make a change in our own lives by being active in our ward and community activities and making it known how much we value diversity. When people feel safe and welcome they are more likely to participate in other activities because they feel like they belong. If not everyone is involved then our community is less concerned about each other’s well-being.
The simplest way to do this is to be kind to everyone you see. Good people make a difference!
I’d love to hear about other ways you have found peace and joy in your life. Please leave me a comment or e-mail me at fdang@sbcglobal.net.
Have a good week!
This weeks thought is adapted from the "Wisdom and Social Responsibility" article printed in the Ensign that you can find at LDS.org. Please read it and think about it as a guest blogger for Mormon Coffee. :)
I received a copy of this book for review purposes, all opinions are my own.
Mormonism or Moroni: Which Does It Better? I read the book Moroni: In The Service of Jesus Christ by Robert L. Millet and loved it so much I decided to compare it to some other titles in a similar genre to see how it stacked up.
The Book of Mormon is the scripture used for our personal faith and the one used in my profession. We trust it as an authentic translation and rely on its ancient teachings to guide us. The Bible was given to us as a record of God’s church on earth, but also as a chronicle of important events. I have found these two books to be so much alike that I’ve been wondering which one is actually better. I was surprised at how similar they were...in both areas, ancient scripture and modern day history, when compared with their contemporaries.
I started out this article by saying that both books are great in their own right and very inspiring...and that’s true. While they are both great sources of history and spiritual reflection, they do have a few things in common which I’d like to address now.
Origins
The book of Mormon (which is also known as the “Book of Mormon” or just the “Book”) was written for us today by ancient prophets in the Americas around 600 BC. It tells of three great civilizations that existed in this part of the world during that time period. There was an old testament style prophet who called himself Lehi who lived near Jerusalem around 600 BC. He was a descendant from Ishmael, which is mentioned in the scriptures we have today. He is believed by some to be the same person as Abraham, though others believe that he is a different person. We know of his son Nephi, who, together with his brother Jacob, fled Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. They lived together for a time before moving on to live in the Americas where Lehi was said to have lived.
We don’t know much about Lehi’s family or why they were fleeing to America since the book does not directly mention what happened in Israel around the time they were there. The book doesn’t give us any specific data regarding why they left home and what happened while they were in America. Lehi is believed to have lived several hundred years before Christ, and in the book he says that he is the father of Nephi and Jacob. He prophesies about many things to come concerning his son, including that his descendants would be scattered throughout the world.
The Book of Mormon is divided into two parts: 1) an abridgment of a journal written by Lehi while he was in America, and 2) an account of Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth following his resurrection from the dead set against a background of people searching for ancient America.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bible was given to us as a compilation of God’s dealings with his people on earth, and the Book of Mormon was written for us today by ancient prophets in the Americas. Both have been verified as authentic translations by Church leaders and scholars that have nothing to gain.
The only thing that really matters to me in a book is if it makes me think. If I can learn something from it or be inspired by it. This book does that tenfold! It’s filled with teachings for our lives from both Moses and Jesus Christ.