#LightTheWorld Drives Me Crazy, Here is Why

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Upon leaving the church I discovered that non-LDS sects put in a lot of volunteer time in their congregations. I was shocked to find this out originally as I believed the cultural myth in Mormonism that Mormons somehow do a greater level of service in their church and community than everyone around them. When I see the amount of work that goes on in our little church, I was shocked. These people were just like the LDS people!

Upon getting divorced, I had a lot of free time. I filled the lonely evenings with volunteer time at the library, the prison, and the hospital. I realized very quickly that everyone, even those outside of churches or theology, work in the community and volunteer their time just as much as Christians and Mormons do! Half of the volunteers I work with in the library and hospital are atheists or agnostics. Getting out there in the community and really volunteering opened my eyes to the amazing work done by people of all walks of life.

As I volunteered and worked in the community, as the benefit concert I organized happened, naturally I started being invited to be on charitable boards. I settled on a few and saw how much money flowed from different organizations. I saw Christian and secular groups donate tens of thousands of dollars to various charities. I saw budgets of churches where they are giving 25 - 35% of their income to charities, kitchens, shelters, and hospitals. I was shocked at the amount of money that comes out of these churches.

On these boards, in these volunteer opportunities, and in the service of my church, I have never seen a church that advertises much of the work they do behind the scenes. Every sect, every church, just writes checks left and right as well as providing volunteers and leaves it be. We received 300 meals from a local church, no advertising, no shirts, just people in pickups with boxes. When we hand out gift cards at the prison to the families visiting, they don't have our church name on them, we just give them. I see this again, and again, and again.

This year I went for a walk on a Saturday. There was a community garden being built, there were two churches involved. One was there is grubbies working, the others were working as well but with Mormon Helping Hands t-shirts and invited the media. I recognized the other church because I worked there for a few years. They just showed up to help. When I was involved with Habitat for Humanity, churches would send people left and right, but when the LDS people showed up, they were always coordinated in clothing and invited the media.

The reason I dislike #LightTheWorld so much is because the other churches and charitable organizations don't advertise everything. It creates an image that Mormons help so much or do so much more, when in reality they are doing the same as those around them (and in my experience on these boards, many times far less). The mundane actions done by every organization, especially in the month of December, is being heralded as something unusual or above and beyond. It isn't.

It is this narrative that made me believe for a number of years that Mormons were the only people in the world who consistently helped those around them. It made me believe that the world is a horrible place where people just don't care about each other. Imagine my shock when I first heard that every church sends casseroles to those who are sick. Such a simple thing was a shock to know.

#LightTheWorld is just another entry in the "we're better than everyone else". No, you are not. They just don't talk about it NEARLY as much as you do. You are that guy in the office who does the bare minimum then takes all the credit.

[glass shelf]

They totally are the slacker in the group who then gets up and claims they did it all. This is a really excellent post.

I knew that Mormons didn't give all the service because I grew up outside of Morridor and volunteered in various things. I'll never forget one particularly unfortunate visiting teaching visit. Here's the players: The VTs--me (already a very liberal mormon at this point) and my companion (UT-raised doctor's wife who only left because her husband pulled her out kicking and screaming). The VTee-adult convert who was raised very Catholic

Lesson is on service. My companion starts harping on how Mormons do all kinds of service and more than anyone else. I state that's not the case. That I used to be involved in some various service groups with all kinds of people before we moved to this city. The VTee is starting to get hot under the collar. Then my companion tells me that Mormons do more righteous service because they are obedient to what God wants. I say that lots of people believe that God is asking them to serve in various ways and do it. VT companion says it's not the same and doesn't count as much.

At this point, the poor VTee, who was really trying to hold it together, goes off about all the hours of service her mom did when she was growing up, all the good that Catholic charities do, how the lack of community service is something in the LDS church that still bothers her, etc. I try to smooth things over as much as possible, and we make our way out the door.

At that point, VT companion tells me that VTee doesn't get it because she' s a convert. I advise her that life is different outside of the UT bubble and that she should apologize to the VTee.

#lighttheworld definitely perpetuates the kind of nonsense that my former VT comp believes. (I hope she's changed in the last few years, but I just run into her at the occasional school event, so it's hard to say.)

[MoPag]

I saw Christian and secular groups donate tens of thousands of dollars to various charities. I saw budgets of churches where they are giving 25 - 35% of their income to charities, kitchens, shelters, and hospitals. I was shocked at the amount of money that comes out of these churches.

I wonder if anyone in COB even knows or cares about this.

Also part of me thinks that at least some of the advertising is aimed at church members. It goes right along with Ballard's talk "Where else would you go?" It's like they want us to think "None of the other churches do cool Facebook things like #lighthteworld. And I never see any other church on the news helping disaster victims in cool helping hands t-shirts. This must be the true church."

[deacon blues]

Makes sense.