One rock band I enjoyed in high school and young adulthood was Firefall, based in Colorado. I turned up my car radio and sang along in 1978 whenever their hit “Strange Way” came on.
Didn’t I hear you cry this mornin’?
Didn’t I feel you weep?
Teardrops flowing down on me,
Like rivers in my sleep …That’s a strange way to tell me you love me,
When your sorrow is all I can see.
If you just want to cry to somebody,
Don’t cry to me. No,
Don’t cry to me. No.
It wasn’t a perfect song. Everybody needs to cry, and everybody needs a trusted friend with a shoulder to cry on. The song’s narrator is boorishly selfish – if his lover can’t cry to him, where is she supposed to turn for solace? Still, the song made sense. Love will die if it’s only an outlet for grief. To keep love alive, you have to share the good times as well as the bad.
“That’s a strange way to tell me you love me, when your sorrow is all I can see.”
The Bloggernacle has been burning up the pixels like crazy for the past week or two, with the press feeding on our frenzy. There is a tidal wave of love and support for the obvious personalities – dubbed “prominent Mormons” by the press! We should all be giddy – any big fish in our tiny puddle being mistaken for a “prominent Mormon”! – who profess they love the gospel, love the Lord, love the Church, and want to make things better. Bloggers proclaim that our community can do better, must do better, and that all our advice and hopes and speculation and discussion and questions are the evidence that we, too, love our Church and our people every bit as much as those at the center of the firestorm.
“That’s a strange way to tell me you love me, when your sorrow is all I can see.”
And while we’re expressing all that love and support, professing that we believe in prophecy and prophets and order and priesthood, the Bloggernacle and my Facebook feed have been nothing but one rank swamp. Church leaders are liars. There is a vacuum at the top. The presiding quorums are hopelessly out of touch. Public Affairs runs the Church. Church spokesmen are liars and manipulators. They’re spying on us. None of us are safe. This is an inquisition.
I’m beginning to think that the entire Bloggernacle is the Fox News of the Church: Fearmongering, misrepresentation, appalling disrespect and gross ignorance of doctrine and procedures.
“That’s a strange way to tell me you love me, when your sorrow is all I can see.”
There is genuine sorrow. I acknowledge that. And we all sometimes need to cry on each other’s shoulders. This is not a happy time, however you feel about the nature or origin or probable outcome of current events. I’m not calling for a Pollyanna moment.
But if we do love the Lord, if we do believe this is His Church, if we do sustain leaders, or if we at least believe that leaders should be sustained in principle, the Bloggernacle has picked a terribly strange way to manifest that love.
Along with the sorrow, isn’t it time to comment occasionally on what is right and good and true and beautiful with the gospel, the Church, its leaders and members? It is at least time to drop the “I love you but I can only express hatred toward you because you can never do anything right” rhetoric.
Lovers don’t hang around forever when they’re treated this way.
This is not a place to reargue specific actions or to vent against the institutional Church or any of its components. This post may get no response outside the usual Keepa community; if it does attract drive-by flame-throwers, I will moderate with an extremely heavy hand. As usual, regular commenters can say anything they please – I trust you.
I always turned the radio down when Firefall came on, but I suppose if they inspired you to write this, they can’t be all bad. The “Fox News of the Church” line rings very true.
🙂
I would not be surprised if the bloggers you are referencing would consider being called the “Fox News of the Church” the greatest outrage of all.
When people hurt and when they are afraid they have difficulty modulating their feelings or focusing on other things. They spoke more softly before and, when this has passed, they will soften again.
Amen! I love the foxnews analogy 🙂
In defense of both sides (my Facebook feed is ugly the other way), people rant and rave because they DO love the church so deeply. At least we’re not guilty of complacency! Many religions would love to see this level of engagement. That being said, I too am deeply missing the love, especially for each other.
Hugh B. Brown’s “A Final Testimony”. Every Bloggernacle blogger- of whatever opinion, about anything, ever- should be made to pass an exam on the text before being allowed bandwidth.
But then, Hugh B. Brown talked a lot of sense about a lot of things, especially for a semi-colonial 🙂
Great and timely article.
Thanks, Ardis. No matter which of the various factions one belongs to in all of these issues, there’s always room for compassion and respect. This goes for bloggers and commenters alike.
Thank you, Ardis. I appreciate your thoughtful comments and even tone.
Right on. I’m glad I’ve been blocked from most of it, or I’d be compelled to read everything. I don’t have that kind of intellectual or emotional energy to devote to it.
Well done, Ardis!
I keep thinking I don’t know the right people. my facebook has had almost nothing on this (aside from the Keepa notice). Where would I get my daily dose of outrage without the bloggernacle? 😉
Fearmongering, misrepresentation, appalling disrespect and gross ignorance of doctrine and procedures.
I’m saddened by all of this, too. Those doing all of this sometimes think of whom they derisively call TBMs as acting like Pharisees. But in truth, I see them acting towards the church as those Pharisees did towards Jesus, with pointing fingers and wagging tongues and mocking and demanding signs and legalistic tricks and so forth. It’s sad.
I want to uphold and build up and honor and strengthen. I wan to sustain. My faith in the Lord and my faith in the restoration requires that.
Ardis, when I was an LDS missionary, and I think throughout the 1960s and maybe before, the missionary discussions were contained in a looseleaf booklet called “A Uniform System for Teaching Investigators.” We had to memorize 6 discussions. The first discussion began like this:
(Chat briefly with the contact to put him at ease. At an appropriate moment ask permission to begin with prayer. After prayer pursue the dialogue.)
Elder: It’s a real pleasure to be in your home, Mr. Brown. I mentioned that we are calling from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With which church are you most familiar?
Brown: I’m a member of the Christian Assembly Church.
Elder: There are certainly a great many different Christian churches in the world today. In your own mind, Mr. Brown, why do you think there are so many?
Brown: Oh, I suppose it is because there are so many opinions about religion.
Elder: I am sure that is part of it. Take a teaching like baptism, for example. Some churches believe that it is necessary, while others do not. Some believe that it has to be done by immersion; others do it by sprinkling. Back in ancient times, when there were living prophets upon the earth, how did the Lord give men the answers to questions like this?
Brown: He spoke to those prophets.
Elder: And why were the statements of the prophets so valuable?
Brown: Because they spoke for God.
Elder: Yes they did. I am sure you have wondered what it was like to live back in the time of the prophets. Suppose you had lived then and had a question about religion. Why would you go to a prophet to get an answer?
Brown: Because I’d know his answer came from God.
Elder: Back in those times, why was it so important to have living prophets on the earth?
Brown: Because the people needed the words of God.
Elder: I am sure that is right. Even today, how could a living prophet help us to find the true Church?
Brown: He’d be able to tell us for sure.
Elder: And why are the statements of living prophets more reliable than our own opinions?
Brown: Because their teaching are inspired by the Lord, and aren’t just their own thinking.
Elder: YOU ARE RIGHT, THERE. AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONFUSION AMONG THE CHURCHES, WHAT IS ONE REASON WE NEED A LIVING PROPHET?
Brown: To teach us the truth about religion.
The curse of the moderate: I’m getting sludge from one side and scum from the other.
With the power you have handed to me to say anything I please, I don’t have the least clue what to say. Flush with power and no way to vent it!
Seriously, though, Ardis, I love your perspective as (almost) always.
I respectfully disagree with your assessment of Fox News. However, this post echos my feelings on this matter. Well said.
“Along with the sorrow, isn’t it time to comment occasionally on what is right and good and true and beautiful with the gospel, the Church, its leaders and members? It is at least time to drop the “I love you but I can only express hatred toward you because you can never do anything right” rhetoric.” Thank you. And I am laughing out loud at the Fox News comment, which seems a unique way to get just about everyone on both sides angry. But in all seriousness: thank you.