No Matter Who Has It

November 13, 2016

I recently finished listening to the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a famous book in African literature that describes in detail both the culture of a clan in Nigeria as well as the conflict that arose when white missionaries came among their people.  I appreciated the straightforward descriptions that showed the complexity of the challenges without being didactic or attempting to exonerate either of the two conflicting cultures.   We see repulsive aspects of both the native culture and the white man’s treatment of them.  In the book there were two different Christian preachers who came among the Nigerian clan.  The first, Mr. Brown, came as one would hope a Christian would do, showing great respect for the culture of the clan and becoming a friend to their leaders even when they rejected his strange religion.  He eventually had to leave and was replaced by Mr. Smith who was very different.  He was strict and intolerant of the existing culture, and his unwillingness to befriend or understand the natives led to great conflict and ultimately the destruction of protagonist of the story, Okonkwo.          

              The first missionary makes me think of the powerful example of Ammon in the Book of Mormon.  He went into a very different culture with such gentleness and humility that the people of Lamoni could not help but listen to him.  He told King Lamoni upon arriving, “I will be thy servant” and worked first at winning their hearts before preaching the gospel to them (Alma 17:25).  While others of the Nephites told Ammon and his brethren that the way to deal with the Lamanites was to “take up arms against them” and “destroy them,” these missionaries had a great respect for a strange and even wicked culture (Alma 26:25). They didn’t compromise their own standards, but they also weren’t overbearing in declaring them to the Lamanites.  Rather they brought the Spirit and then let the Spirit teach what change was needed.

                The respect that Ammon had for the Lamanites I think shows the kind of respect we need to have for all different cultures.  A belief in “the only true and living Church upon the faith of the whole earth” does not mean that there is not value and wisdom and truth in other religions and cultures that can teach us (D&C 1:30).  Brigham Young put it this way: “Be willing to receive the truth, let it come from whom it may…. ‘Mormonism,’ so-called, embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity.  No matter who has it.  If the infidel has got truth it belongs to ‘Mormonism.’ The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church.”  I think it is instructive that even though the Savior Himself was sent to preach to the Israelites, He helped and praised the faith of non-Israelites.  For example, when the centurion came to plead with the Lord to help his servant and suggested that Christ didn’t even need to come—He just needed to say the word—Christ exclaimed, “I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Luke 7:9).  Similarly, when the woman of Canaan continued to plead with the Savior to heal her daughter even after He first refused, He said, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (Matt. 15:28).  Christ had no problem praising those who were not the covenant people for He sought goodness and faith wherever He found it.  As we interact with others we too must not be afraid to embrace good and right and truth from whatever source it may come from.