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Show RELIGION KDITOR: GAL LON GARBETT CO SATURDAY. AUGUST 21, 1999 THE DAILY HERALD 5 5 UTTCH UNCSGANIZED RELIGION BR!ER"G New pastor Rapid growth of LDS Church brings debate over doctrine By MICHAEL E. YOUNG Knight Ridder Newspapers Marden J. Clark Leaders, teachers have enriched writer's experience At a recent gathering and luncheon of retired RYU professors and staff, Richard Gunn, himself a retired art professor, gave us a delightful lecture on the art of "something more." He illustrated it with slides of great paintings and the something more that made them great. The something icould be as simple as little details or as complicated as the boldness of design and execution that makes the statue of David so powerful. Whatever his subject, Richard is so full of enthusiasm for it, so aware of implications, so full of desire to communicate what he sees and experiences that he is always a fascinating lecturer, tour leader, and friend. Bess and I traveled with him to the very tip of South America. He kept us involved looking for the something more in the strut of the penguins, the grace of whales, the peculiarities of native peoples, even the various meals, whether on shipboard or at a great cattle ranch in Argentina. I SUPPOSE I had always been interested in the something more of great literature, though I had never had the phrase to express that interest. But it's easy to sense in the tightly controlled and witty couplets of Pope and Dryden, or, on the other end of some scale, in the expansive "I" that Walt Whitman projects, or in the massive controlled imagination that shows almost everywhere in Shakespeare's plays. But thinking about the something more, as Richard defined it, started me thinking about the great teachers I had studied or worked with and the something more that made them great. I begin with my two great teachers at the University of Washington: Robert Heilman, a marvelous analyst of language and larger structures in novels, and Arnold Stei n, a most meticulous and insightful Milton scholar. I have written enough about P. A. Christensen and Karl Young, two of the great teachers in the English Department at BYU P. A. with his rather austere romantic appreciation and ability to inspire students, Karl with a restrained Elizabethan renaissance grace. But I could talk about a half dozen others: Leonard Rice, whose decorum governed his appreciation; Ralph Britsch, who had a romantic bent that made his teaching of Browning very exciting; Orea Tanner, with her keen wit and irony; Briant Jacobs, an enthusiastic romantic in American literature; Jeffery Holland, both my student and my mentor in more ways than I can mention. From there, Jeff (he'll always be Jeff to me) makes an easy transition to people with something more in religion. His history since his student days tells much about his easy intensity in religious matters. Other candidates have to be some of the church's presidentprophets, especially Spencer W. Kimball, another with an easy but intense and profoundly loving approach to his people, and our current leader, President Hinckley, with his awesome energy and vision for the church. 18th-centur- y neo-classic- I MUST add to these two of the most loved and loving men I've known: Lowell Bennion and Marion D. Hanks, both of whom lived the most profound of Jesus's teachings about love and Christian service. . I could add a similar pantheon of great women teachers. But for some reason I haven't been as close to them nor as deeply influenced. Had I lived in her tjme I would surely have included at least that great pioneer, Eliza R. Snow. And a contemporary leader, Chieko N. Okazaki, is already bringing fresh insights and perspectives to the church. But enough of names. Almost any reader could add a dozen more. What these do for me is to bring home the finest of examples of leadership and that most important of all teaching human activities, as we often hear. The Savior must be proud of them. They have certainly given me something more in my life. DALLAS Klause and Vickie Oehring wanted a school for son that would reinforce the values they tried their to instill at home and in church. They settled on Scofield Christian School, near the family's Lake Highlands home, in large part because so many of their friends sent their children there. "We were unhappy with the public schools and our friends liked Scofield, so my wife went over there several times and then the whole family went to visit, and finally Kyle went and interviewed and took the test and from all indications he passed with flying colors," Klause Oehring said. Everything seemed perfect until the day the letter came. "It said Kyle couldn't go there because of fundamental doctrinal differences between us," Oehring said. The problem: The Oehrings belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daSaints. And despite the church's name, many orthodox Christians consider the Mormons badly misguided at best, and at worst a cult worshiping a considerably different God. "The school's a ministry of our church, and it operates under the same doctrinal statement as the church," said the Rev. Phil Humphries, executive pastor of Scofield Memorial Church. "Quite frankly," he continued, "this was a decision we thought would be in the best interest not only of the child but the school and the church as well, that would not complicate or do any damage to either belief system." Oehring said he was shocked by the decision. "We were looking for a good Christian environment for our son, and I thought Mormons were Christians," he said. Oehring's surprise notwithstanding, that is exactly the point of contention between the LDS Church, as the Mormons are frequently called, and various Christian groups. "I would suppose just the fact that we are now becoming quite a large church causes people to look at us to find differences (with other denominations)," said Elder Merrill C. Oaks, a general authority of the LDS Church. "It's understandable that animosity should exist," said Armand L. Mauss, professor emeritus of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University, "and it's ironic, too, because apart from theology, they have virtually identical t. y social values." It is those values, in fact, that many converts credit with drawing them to the LDS Church. "I grew up as a Protestant in Germany, and when I came to the U.S. 25 years ago, I ended up living with a Mormon family," Oehring said. "And I was so impressed with the family values I saw there." LDS beliefs about Jesus Christ and the belief that God has PROVO non-Christi- r s, g their beliefs." inspired Christians to establish Bible study classes to help members understand scripture. Bible study gives individuals an opportunity to search the scriptures, ask the hard questions and discover for themselves what God has revealed in his word. Explorer's Bible Study provides just such an opportunity to its members. A class meets in Provo on Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Classes will begin Thursday. The weekly meetings will be at First Baptist Church of Provo, 1144 W. Columbia Lane. The cost for the course material is $40 for the year, which can be paid in full or in installments. Scholarships are available and there is no fee The people of ; Church of Christ invite the community to the installation of their pastor, The Rev. Kurt Howard, on Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. at Provo Community Churclij 1 75 N. University Ave. An invitation is also extended for a dinner in Howard's honor following the service in the Fellowship Hall. Please RSVP if youmi-pla- n to attend the dinner, ((- -' For more information, or,M ,. to RSVP, call (801) 375-9115- 4 families join parish ' On Aug. 8, Father Stan led a group of volunteers from St. Mary's PROVO . -- Episcopal Church in serving dinner at the Food arid Care Coalition. The next opportunity to join this service project will be on 12. Volunteers will meet'-a- t ' the church at 3:30 p.m. j Ray and Adrienne Carpenter, who have been " active members of the parish all summer, have left for their home in Sun City West; Ariz. They will return again : next spring. ;" Four new families have " ' moved to the Provo area and are members of St. Mary's " parish. They are Gene and Donna Matthison from " Boulder, Colo., David and " Reloma Miller from Morganfield, Ky., Steve and Karen Dodwell from Houston, Texas, and Lincoln and Rae Ann Houx from California. 1 The Houxes will be here while Rae Ann completes her graduate studies at BYU.r Sunday at both the 8:30and 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, Father Stan's sermon will be based on Matthew chapter ' - 16. Though Scofield school officials told the family they based their decision on what would be best for Kyle and best for the school, his father doesn't accept that. "What's the bottom line here? An boy is going to hear some stories about Christ and how he lived upon the earth," Oehring said. "If there are differences in the teachings, I feel comfortable that I can sit down with my son and explain what we believe. 'This is discrimination. If I agree to abide by their rules, why can't my son go there?" he asked. Explorer's Bible Study set to launch Thursday PROVO Jesus teaches believers to prepare for the future. The Bible says, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life." For years John 6:24 has coming Community United a body of flesh create considerable distance between the church and evangelical Christians. And that's compounded by Mormon teachings about atonement and salvation and its position that all Christian traditions but their own are apostate, that the divine authority handed by Jesus to the 12 apostles was lost after the last apostles death, said Robert L. Millet, director of BYUs Religious Studies Center and dean of Religious Education. With the enormous growth of the LDS Church in recent decades, more and more people have questioned its theology and its Christianity, Elder Oaks said. "I don't think the issue of us being was even raised years ago," he said. "I was a missionary in Ontario 40 years ago, and I don't ever remember anyone raising that." But it's certainly true that over the past few years the LDS Church has tried hard to refine its image among Oaks said. "Our teachings have been steady as far as I'm concerned, and I'm a lifelong church member," he said. "But we have done some little things in terms of how people could better understand us." Five years ago, for example, the church revised its logo, increasing the size of the words "Jesus Christ" compared with the rest of the name. And to reinforce its position as Christian, one of its televised offers to the unchurched is a video called "The Lamb of God" about the final days of Jesus' life. The Mormon emphasis on Christianity isn't intended to deceive, Millet said, but rather to reveal what the church believes. Meanwhile, members of the LDS Church have become increasingly involved in multidenominational organizations, at both the state and local levels. In Dallas, Mormons have experienced no problems working with multi-faitgroups such as Thanks-GivinSquare. Still, as the case of Kyle Oehring shows, difficulties remain. The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the law also protects the rights of religious groups. "Religious organizations have always been allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion," according to Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute. "If they couldn't, they wouldn't even be able to define themselves or h $ t for visitors. All interested women are invited to attend. Explorer's Bible Study is nonprofit program and has more than 100 interdenominational classes throughout the United States with headquarters near Nashville, Tenn. The emphasis of the practical Bible study is to discover what the Bible says and to find its meaning for us today. Diana Hunter will be leading the class in a study of John, which is part of the 10-ye- course offering encompassing the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Explorer's has met in Utah Valley for 30 years. Explorer's Bible Study classes, composed of individual preparation at home, small discussion groups with leaders, weekly lectures and printed notes and questions on each lesson, are an exciting learning experience. For more information, call Diana Hunter at well-traine- d Visitors are always come at St. Mary's. wel- - : First Baptist services PROVO A welcome is extended at the First Baptist "' Church of Provo, 1144 W. Columbia Lane. Sunday morning, Bible " study is at 9:30 a.m., worship service begins at 11 a.m. and Baptist Student Union Bible study begins at ' 6 p.m. Note: There will be no further Evening Services. Wednesday at 7 p.m. is Youth Night, as well as a -Bible study session, "KnoVT" What You Believe and Why;' conducted by Ron Rigney at the same time. "j Starting Thursday morn' ing at 10 a.m., Explorer's Bible Study of the Gospel of John, taught by Diana Hunter, will begin. The pro"" ' gram will run through April 13. For church information,'"" "n. call (801) 373-848- 374-075- See BRIEFSjT9 Mahavira the 'Great Hero founder of nonviolent Jainism India is generally known as the land of Hindus, who form a majority of 70 percent in the as a revealed the "ford" or "path to liberation" and salvation for mankind. The last and greatest of whole. these was Mahavira. Born in northern India to an But, like the United States, India is one of the aristocratic Hindu family, most religiously complex and Mahavira renounced the world diverse regions of the world, at age thirty to become a wanhomeland to two of the great dering seeker for salvation. After 12 years of severe world religions: Hinduism and Buddhism. fasting, meditation and ascetA minority, but very impoicism, Mahavira obtained rtant religion of India is omniscience, a complete Jainism, founded by a con- knowledge of spiritual reality temporary of the Buddha, the and truth. The remaining thirty great sage Vardhamana as years of his life was spent known Jnatrputra, Mahavira, or the "Great teaching and forming his new Hero" BC). religious community. According to Jain cosmolooriginally a Although gy, the world was created perHindu, Mahavira rejected Hindu castes, sacrifices and fect, but has steadily decayed. Throughout the course of scriptures. The controlling human history twenty-fou- r principle of Jain religion and ethics is the idea of nonviospiritual heroes or (trithankaras) have lence (ahimsa); Jains must (599-52- 7 "Ford-makers- " HSGWZf? THINGS William Hamblin & Daniel Peterson avoid any act of violence, even in the mind. According to Mahavira, "all things living, all things breathing, all things whatever, should not be slain or treated with violence or insulted or injured or tortured or driven away." The vegetarianism often associat ed with India derives in large part from Jainism. Indeed, so strict is the Jain view of nonviolence that some Jains, believing plants are living beings, abandon eating all together, starving themselves to death as the final act of spiritual purification and perfection. This may be a reason for Jainism's limited missionary success. Jain communities are divided into two groups, lay and monastic. While ordinary Jains follow the basic ethical teachings of Mahavira, elite Jain monks strive for ultimate spiritual perfection by taking the Five Great Vows: - Harm no living thing; 2- - Speak and think the truth; 3- - Do not take what is not given, 5- - Renunciation of the material world. Just as the vow of nonvio 1- lence leads some Jains to ritual starvation, the vow' of renunciation leads others to completely abandon all possessions, including their .'...! clothing. These "Sky-cla- (Digambara) naked d Jains therefore Isaiah 20). The renunciation oi theSvetambara ("white clad"), however, allows them to retain a simple white robe. (Ritual nudity is not unknown among go vow (cf. of ascetic Christian monks.) A Sky-claascetic was once asked "Why don't you wear to which ,hd clothing?" answered, "I want to show people that you can be happy even if you own absolutely nothing," a sentiment few,, in the materialist West with agree with, or even understand. " d See HIGHER; |
