#LightTheWorld Drives Me Crazy, Here is Why
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 9:29 am
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.
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.
