Playing for the Ancient of Days

I just wanted to briefly talk about something that has been bothering me for awhile now. The most recent example occurred when Utah's constitutional amendment about same sex marriage was overturned by a federal judge. (The point of this post is not to give you my thoughts on same sex marriage. My stance is the same as that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-issues-statement-following-overturning-of-same-sex-marriage-ban- ) As I watched the news following the announcement of the ruling, I heard many people say how proud they were of Utah joining the ranks of the other states that have legalized same sex marriage. They were so proud that the ruling finally places Utah "firmly in this century". It is this idea of using modernism to abolish traditional morals that I want to talk about for a moment.

My problem with modernism and progressive morality is that it's primary supposition is that everything that previous generations have done and believed in is, at best, inferior to modern thought. Modernists feel that just living in "modern times" gives them superior knowledge and wisdom to that of all the generations past. This is the generational version of being a teenager. "Mom and Dad are so stupid, they don't understand the way things are today. They are so old fashioned." Generational teenagers put more trust in recent experience and peer approval than in the experience of thousands of years held by their parents.

In the Book of Mormon and man named Korihor used the same argument to convince others to follow him and to accept his teachings "that there should be no Christ" (Alma 30:12). He referred to the belief in Christ and His teachings as being "the foolish traditions of your fathers" established by "ancient priests" and "ancient prophecies" (Alma 30:23-24). So, if you believe in those "ancient" ideas, you are clearly foolish and you need to download the latest update. That is a tactic that has been used by people fighting against truth for a long time.

There are many examples of this. Here are just a few:

• The nuclear family is not needed. That is such an old idea.
• If you believe in the traditional roles of men and women, you are the stupid trophy wife of the fifties.
• The constitution was written over 200 years ago. It is full of old ideas and not adequate for our modern times.

So, be wary of people who try to make you feel foolish, inferior, or less intelligent because you espouse a belief in moral truths that have been held by "ancient" people. I am not trying to say that there have not been bad people, bad ideas, or bad practices in the past. We just need to be very careful when making decisions to part company with our ancestors. Judeo-Christian values and morals have been tested over thousands of years. Adam, the Ancient of Days, and Eve were the first of many generations to see the overwhelming personal and societal benefits of those values. May you and I not be so prideful as to think we are smarter or wiser than they just because we live in our "modern" age. So, if today's generational teenagers mock you because your moral ground is not "firmly in this century", don't feel alone. You are in good company.