Compassion

I'm not perfect. Far from.

My religion isn't the most well accepted religion. In fact, once it was restored to the earth for the last time it has been persecuted, abused, and ridiculed. I personally have never been ridiculed because of my belief. Or rather, knowledge. But I know that people have these days. In the early days we (as a people) were physically abused and persecuted. I have sometimes wondered how I would react to that kind of inhumane abuse because of what I believed or rather, knew. I still don't know to this day how I would react, because overall, that doesn't happen these days as it did back then.

No, my church is being ridiculed in a totally different way these days. Insult after insult goes on. Moral standards are being questioned and twisted in a way that represents us as a church that we are practicing things that are just morally wrong. The family is one of the things that we hold most dear. That is being down-sided. Everything about my religion is being twisted one way or another or presented to the world as something that is just overall... wrong.

I was thinking about all this last night and wondered what kind of persecution was worse. Obviously I know seeing as this is what is happening now. People may leave my church and blab (to their own damnation) about sacred things or present us in an immoral light. This isn't new. This has been happening since Nephi's time, and it always caused a war.

I'm not saying that a war is inevitable, but I personally believe that "turning the other cheek" is something that is most important in this day and age of moral persecution. Getting all riled up and offended is what they want. They want us to behave in a way that will prove that they were right and that we are a savage or immoral or whatever else kind of people.

We teach compassion and to live as Christ lived. What better example of turning the other cheek than Him? Everyday of His life he has done that.

Shouldn't we?