Thursday, May 04, 2006

Maybe we do focus on his life

Throughout my mission, and even growing up, most Christians would ask me why I didn't have a cross around my neck if I was really Christian.

The standard reply was because we, as mormons, choose to focus on Christ's life and not his death. I remember giving the analogy that if someone shot your brother, would you carry around the bullet on your neck. Seemed reasonable.

But, when you really look at what Mormons focus on, I'm not sure if it's Christ life at all that we focus on, in fact, I'd say that we only talk about his death. Take your Sunday meeting for example: Every week you go for three hours, one of which is dedicated to partaking of the sacrament. Now what is that sacrament? It's the eating of the body and drinking of the blood of Christ.

Now think about that. You're eating a man's body and drinking his blood. That's what we call cannibalism. If you're down with that, that's great, but I think it's a bit bizarre.

Additionally, when do we ever stop to celebrate? Why isn't the Sunday meeting a celebration? Why isn't it a big freaking party? I mean, we're not going to die!! We're immortal!! And we have Christ to thank for that. But instead, we go to a funeral every Sunday: we sing songs about Christ, we eat his body and drink his blood, we cry and bear witness of his life, and then we sit and feel of his presence.

Where's the celebration of his life? Where are the instructions on what a gift it is to have a life, what we should be able to accomplish without fear of our mortality, how we fill that life with joy and laughter because the biggest battle has been one.

When does the party start?

It hasn't started. It's all one big, sad, mopey affair where we go to a funeral every Sunday to mourn the death of a man we've never met.

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