This is one post in an A-Z series of 26 where I am writing about living as a Mormon in the wilderness of Kuantan
For all the uniting the Mormon church does, it also divides families. Families like my own. My mum joined the church but my dad decided not to. That has caused 30 years of division in our family. Missionaries knocked on our door, converted my mum, and inadvertently caused a lot of time and attention to be taken away from my dad and given to the church. That has been tough for him to take. But he never stopped us from attending church or its many meetings. I am thankful to both my mum for setting us up with a spiritual foundation, and for my dad who never prevented us from following our faith, even though it was not preferential for him.
Meetings seemingly too often in frequency, too long in duration, and too awkward in timing. I can attest to that. I have sat in meetings outside of the regular worship services and wondered why on earth I was there. Suffice it to say that all too often there was no apparent plan or order to these meetings, no focus or concentration on the purpose of the meeting, and ultimately no positive outcome or plan of action.
Of course, as long as freedom of choice is a human possibility, the church will never be able to keep everyone happy. Meetings will continue to be a divisive issue; part-member families will continue to be a divisive issue. It doesn't always continue in tension or end badly, but it does happen.
For the last 10 years I have been living in the wilderness and this has been one of the benefits - no meetings; more family time. It has been bliss. While there are some church meetings that just have to be done, people who need a helping hand, plans formulated for reaching out to others, the family is always the priority. We will not find love, loyalty or anything more important than in our own families.
The Mormon church produced a written statement on the family in 1995, which I fully endorse:
Elder Christoffersen, a top Church leader is quoted as saying, "In the beginning, the church was the family."
And that's where we are now.
One family nowhere near a meetinghouse.
Back to the beginning.
But a family nevertheless.
What things do you do to demonstrate to your family that they are the priority?
