Honoring what others hold sacred

I guess each individual must come to terms with his or her own behavior on such matters as respect and reverence. A few writers have summed up the latest affront to our religion's right to the sacred. Campbell At least we know that there are others who still have integrity and morals. You just won't find much of that in the media if it will raise ratings through shock value. Never mind that they continue to confuse the LDS Church with the Fundamentalist off-shoots. Every religion I know of has break away sects and these are recognized as different from the original. The Temples which now number about 129 are not used by the fundamentalists. The producers of "Big Love" know that and yet they continue to confuse viewers. Apparently their only concern was with accuracy of portrayal with no regard to respect and reverence of the sacred. Even non-believers who do not fear their own eternal consequences for their choices should have the dignity to avoid offending others in this way. The show is faltering and facing cancellation. I guess they'll do anything in a desperate attempt to raise the numbers and get attention.

Last week when I attended the Draper Temple open house, I was affronted by the usual "anti-Mormon" picketers at the entrance. Have they no values? Somehow I can't envision members of our faith picketing at the open house of a new Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Presbyterian, Baptist or any other church. We don't feel the need to desecrate their event in such a way, calling it free speech. We approach conference time again and once more, conference-attenders will have to wade through the rude and disrespectful protesters just to get to their meetings. Most try to quietly ignore it but of course it affronts the spirit, and sometimes, as with a previous case of the public abuse of sacred garments, it does bring out the anger in those targeted. Sacred clothing is not unique to our religion and it should be treated with respect by others, just as one should a Muslim woman's hijab, which has deeper religious meaning and significance than just a head covering. I don't believe in that but I reverence her right to believe it and would never consider desecrating it or try to prove some kind of point with it. Many other symbols are typical in religions and they should all receive respect and only be used as the particular religion deems proper. What moral decay is prevalent here!

Terrance D. Olson (a professor in the School of Family Life at BYU and associate director of the World Family Policy Center) wrote an article in Meridian addressing the issue of not respecting what others hold sacred. He believes it speaks to our own values. If we hold something sacred, we should respect whatever another holds sacred as well. Seems like basic Christian beliefs - kind of "do unto others" stuff. Here is a bit of what he wrote:

"It is possible to have sacred beliefs and yet demean other's convictions. To do so, however, means betraying our own beliefs of how to behave, perverting the attitudes we hold, or in other ways dishonoring our own spiritual commitments. Whether our betrayal takes the form of moral superiority, spiritual arrogance, interpersonal ridicule, or being offended at others' devoutness, all are signs of more than not granting others their sacred feelings. They reveal we have turned against our own.

...When nothing is sacred, everything is fair game in conflicts of ideas, attitudes, or behaviors. If something is sacred, then some ground rules of harmonious interaction are possible.

... if tolerance and compassion were intertwined in acknowledging what others find sacred, new solutions would be possible. A simple example is the Seventh Day Adventist community where the mail is on Sunday (but not on Saturday). It costs nothing in such a circumstance to honor what the community finds sacred. But my major focus here is about how we individually, by the way we honor the sacred, treat others, change or improve ourselves, and solve relationship problems.

I am convinced that a major reason any individual is empathic toward those from other cultures is because they themselves hold some things sacred and could therefore grant the sacred reverenced by others."

From LDS Church statement: "Certainly one of the hallmarks of a civilized society is that we grant others the opportunity to reverence their beliefs. If a group or individual holds something as sacred, an advanced and compassionate society gives them that privilege and does not seek to desecrate it."