This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In response to Stuart C. Reid's op-ed ("Christianity outmaneuvered by secularists will remain dominant in U.S," April 17), and in particular his notion Christianity has lost its way due to secular influence(s):
I agree with Reid that it appears Christianity has indeed lost its way, but not for the reasons stated. It appears to this reader it is the people of faith and their churches who rally members and create culture conflicts with destructive consequences when the interactions of the various religious sects themselves and their differing religious doctrines collide, which then have a tendency to spill into the secular. One might offer that Reid need look no further than the early history of the LDS Church as perhaps a valid illustration.
And Reid's argument of lesser religious moral standards being taught and creating divisions, for which he blames a secular influence, has been around a very long time. The argument – always over doctrine – began/begins within Christianity's own sect(s), even going all the way back to the apostles Peter and Paul. Reid offering the secular as the culprit seems like an attempt to disguise that truth.
So it seems fair to ask if Christianity's faithful cannot even agree among themselves after 2,000 years as to the true teachings and moral standards of its own religion/deity, what grants Reid or any of the various Christian sects the claim of reverence to their likely adulterated version of religious moral standards? Well, other than them simply saying it's so.
Even more, as there are devoutly Christian folk who can't even quote their scriptures' strict moral standards correctly, don't they seem the least credible spokespersons for imposing their version and will on society at large?
Here's an example, in a previous Salt Lake Tribune op-ed, Reid offered God's "twin mandates" as, in short, "All sinners should be loved but all sin should be hated !" It appeared to this reader he was likely paraphrasing the Christ figure's teaching "love the sinner and forgive the sin." However Reid's noted "twin mandates" do appear in the Jesus figure's response as to which is the great commandment in the law: "Thou shalt love thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Doesn't that unequivocal (strict) commandment appear to rebuke Reid and his devoutly Christian counterparts who profess their deeply held religious belief of a right to discriminate against, well, pretty much whomever they choose, a standard which by the way doesn't even rise to their previous "tolerate thy neighbor" standard ?
So I agree with Reid in that it appears among many faithful, Christianity has indeed lost its way.
Seems if the good Christians would just actually follow the great commandment of their deity, then the seemingly incessant divisiveness, conflicts and self-destructive consequences to the people of faith and their churches, which indeed appear as self-inflicted, would surely become non-existent and their earthly need for dominance would surely become unnecessary.
Ross McCollin is semi-retired and lives in South Salt Lake.