What’s to be done inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when what Jesus, the supposed centerpiece of that religion, taught, what he commanded, may differ from the positions taken by modern leadership of the very church that claims his name, his authorship, his authority? Leadership that could be seen as bowing and bending under the boot of an American president?
Specifically, on an important matter of the day, the matter of “mass deportations,” and what the church’s policy is, as recently articulated in a news release and further in a letter sent to lay leaders by the governing First Presidency, on newly enforced immigration policies in the United States and how the faith is to treat undocumented immigrants in response to Donald Trump’s intentions to round them up and send them packing.
If Trump’s intentions run counter to what Jesus preached — and they do — and the church offers a tepid, ambiguous, lawyered-up reaction instead of a strong, clear-cut, Christlike counterstatement, how should the faithful react to that display of duplicity?
When push comes to shove, whom does the church follow — Trump or Jesus? Whom should it follow?
The church has underscored that it advocates for both compassion for others and following the laws of the land, that believers should comply with each of those. But on the back half of that, are there times when heavenly admonitions supersede political agendas?
It might seem aggressive to make a comparison between what’s happening now in the United States and what occurred in 1930s and ‘40s Germany. But … here goes: When the Nazis were rounding up Jews to be sent away from their homes, it was illegal for German Latter-day Saints, or anyone else, to hide or shelter those souls. And yet, there were some who did exactly that. Were they right to do so even as they broke the law? Answering that question the wrong way would be an offense to all God-loving people.
And so, the church takes its seemingly soft position now.
Tensions inside and outside the faith
Those outside the religion, friends and critics alike, can dismiss that course as misguided and hypocritical, as utter acquiescence to a president drunk with his own power, awash in his aim to solidify that power, his base, by making enemies out of those whose main desire is mostly to find a better life for themselves and their children in America.
Many inside the church are torn. Not all of them, but many. They want kindness and love, the sort of charity Jesus taught and represented as one of the two great commandments, extended to those now fearful of being herded up, sorted, separated from family members, and booted out of a country they call home. Thousands of these people under threat are Latter-day Saints, too. Trump’s directives — and the church’s lack of pushback — make citizenship more important than discipleship, which troubles a number of Latter-day Saints who are safely here and who want safety for their brothers and sisters, as well.
The Latter-day Saint leaders’ instructions to their lay leaders in the U.S. have already been reported by this newspaper, but, in summation, they have told regional leaders that they can use funds to help provide food, clothes and medical care for those in need, “regardless of immigration status.” They may refer people “to community resources that address their immigration issues or help prepare them for possible separation in cases where family members may be deported.”
That was about it.
The First Presidency did express concern about the “complex challenges and hardships now faced by members who are undocumented,” and the challenges and hardships are, indeed, complex. But that cries out even more for a church that sees itself as connected to God to offer a clarion call regarding right and wrong. Faith leaders would do well to remember that the Apostle Paul, in so many words, warned in 1 Corinthians 14 against blowing an uncertain trumpet.
In this instance, lay Latter-day Saint leaders were told not to provide legal advice, testify in legal proceedings or sponsor immigration efforts. That is complicated further by the profiling, in essence, that might be required for bishops to discern whom to help and whom not to help. The message reads: “If local leaders have reason to believe someone is undocumented and not authorized to work, they should avoid potential conflicts with federal law by avoiding or limiting housing assistance, not transporting the person outside the local community, and not referring the person for employment.”
What would Jesus do?
They also were directed that chapels should not be used as sanctuaries for immigrants. “Church buildings and resources,” church President Russell Nelson and his counselors cautioned, “should not be used to help shield individuals from law enforcement.”
That counsel is more than disappointing to some members.
Why?
Because it sounds as though church lawyers were receiving that inspiration more than prophets and apostles were. Modern revelation from heaven is a mainstay of Latter-day Saint doctrine, but is that church response to what Trump plans to do and what he is, in fact, doing to undocumented immigrants and their families, to individuals who are Latter-day Saints and followers of other faiths, what the Son of God would directly hand down to his disciples? Or is it the response of an organization that has much to lose if it royally ticks off Donald Trump?
Should the church join hands with other responsible conscientious objectors in an attempt to show decency and humanity to affected families now in such distress? Is there a way to manage a significant issue that most can agree needs more attention and better answers than it has received in the past, without having law enforcement barge into workplaces, homes, schools and churches to haul away people?
What would Jesus do?
To be honest, I’m not completely sure. But based on what’s written about him in holy scripture, I am pretty sure he wouldn’t do this. And he wouldn’t want his followers to sign off on it. Lawyers? He’d pay no heed, nor have much time for them, either, not when it comes to the second of his greatest commandments, spelled out all neighborly in a book written long ago by a fellow named Matthew. You can look it up.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tribune columnist Gordon Monson.
