Monday Morning Rant 21

We shall start the rant this morning with a quote: “The saddest aspect of life right now is that is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Isaac Asimov

I would suggest that Mr. Asimov nailed it. It could also be modified by substituting people for the word science. The information age has provided the data. God can indeed help us with the wisdom part, but only if He is sought.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may have isolated part of the problem with the church. In my initial exposure to the faith, in Bedison Congregation, Far West Stake, in the sixties, each priesthood member was employed as a “hands on” farmer. This closeness to the land was expanded by a system of preaching exchange within the Stake to include priesthood largely from neighboring congregations with a primarily agricultural bent. Most were limited in formal education but were extremely accomplished in their chosen vocations as tillers of the soil. They also pursued their priesthood duties seriously and effectively.

Their knowledge of the Scriptures was at a level of advanced degree college work. Their social and counseling skills, though not polished, were exemplary. As visitors came to the pulpit, we saw clothing accurately described as “Sunday Best” and only worn four or five hours a week. No thought had been given to style. The faces were tanned from the sun, even in winter, and their strong hands showed evidence of hard work. As they spoke, the king’s English was not always the rule, but God’s message was unmistakably constant. I marveled at their clarity and faith and came to realize how “God driven” these men actually were. In comparison to the slick, articulate presentations I had received from the pastors of other faiths, I came to feel that these men presented truths which had been otherwise unavailable. As I review the vocations of the faithful prophets and visionaries of the Testaments, I see far more tent makers, fishermen and men of husbandry than I do bankers, lawyers, and accountants. Please don’t plead that those latter occupations didn’t exist then, they did but often identified by different titles.

In the final analysis, my spiritual development progressed to baptism under the guidance of these holy men. My further growth has been a constant striving to live up to the example they set of following the Master without question. I really do miss them. I miss the unequivocal positions they held on doctrine. I miss the upraised voices in prayer and supplication. I miss their ability to make Jesus Christ a living factor for so many of the congregation. Not a myth or an entertaining story but rather they presented a living God ever active in our lives.

Am I suggesting that one needs to be a farmer to be an effective representative of Christ? Absolutely not. I am not saying that you can’t do the work of the Lord unless you are immersed in agriculture. I am also not saying that you can’t be Satan’s tool if you are. I am only reporting anecdotal evidence from a happier time in the church when those to whom I was exposed were working the land.

Carpenters, farmers, and throwers of nets all break a sweat in their daily work. They must “get out of themselves” to accomplish their tasks. In the process, they often get their hands dirty and calloused. They tend more generally to deal in solving life’s problems and in seeking these solutions, to call on the Lord. Also, they have learned to accept the adversity which living on the land and dealing with weather and the fickle nature of some crops and animals bring. They deal in realism. Feelings never helped birth a calf or plow a row of corn, only skill will do that.

Please consider one final note on the parables of the Bible. Given the times, they were often couched in terms of a subsistence society. Thus, they are often more understandable to those who more closely live that life today. Although not easily discerned by some in today’s world, separating wheat from tares was and is an every day task for those who provide our food and clothing.

Yes, I have known men of great faith, with exceptional spiritual gifts, who were merchants, engineers, teachers and bean counters. It is not my intention to insinuate they do not have a good spirit. My only contention is that I personally have benefited more in my growth in the faith from the counsel of humble men of the soil.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon