For a few years now I have sat in church when people talk about building Zion, and I have thought about how short-sighted we are. Now, don't get me wrong, it's important to have passion for a cause that makes you think it's ALL on you - that kind of passion and determination motivates you to action & gives you purpose. But sometimes when you're so focused on a mindset of your own it can be like being in a tunnel. All you can see is the end to where you're going, and you can't actually see all the working or moving parts. You can't see what's above the tunnel, under the tunnel, or what's just outside the tunnel. You can no longer even see what perpetuated you to enter the tunnel to begin with. You just see where you are.
And so it is sometimes when the American, LDS people are reading scriptures.
We are in a tunnel and have a hard time seeing it other ways. But this is a really important thing to change.
As the people in the church communities consider their role in "building Zion", I personally believe that instead of focusing on how we need to change all the hearts in the world, maybe we need to change our own hearts and our own perspectives, instead. Google told me that in the world, there are 16,565,036 members of the LDS church. In the world, there's 7.594 billion people total. Not even a quarter of 1% percent are LDS. The approx 16 million / 7.594 billion gave me this quotient: 0.0021813321.
I do not UNDERESTIMATE the IMPACT that this “little flock” has on the world around them. But that is still a really small number, and so I also like to think about how Jesus Christ in his GRACE might have something else in the works for all of us to eventually be able to live in a Zion society with "one heart, and one mind," with "no poor" among us, and "dwelling in righteousness."
Just a quick side note: "Righteousness" is a word that LDS people get hung up on and is a word that is used to judge others. "Righteousness" is the word that might get in the way, for example, of someone being able to understand that my lesbian cousin, Jessica, gets beautiful spiritual impressions from her relationship with Jesus Christ and she still reads the Book of Mormon. "Righteousness" might get in the way for someone like me - when I first entered the foster-adoptive community and wasn't sure if I could or should attend an event to serve foster children that was hosted by another church on a Sunday - the activities sounded too fun for my idea of "Sabbath observance". In my "righteousness", my fear of judgement from others, and fear to break the mold, I didn't participate in fellowship with Christians who were different from me that day. I have now learned that I could have and should have followed my heart.
On the byu.edu website it's explained that "For Latter-day Saints, the gathering of Israel in the last days, and the building of the city of Zion and of the New Jerusalem, are closely related concepts."
Latter Day Saints believe that the 10 tribes will be restored in the last days, but HOW is a foreign concept to them. No one really knows and so many speculations have happened. Some individual projections have been as silly as Atlantis coming back, or aliens bringing the tribes, but in reality everyone wants to know what "the restoration of the 10 tribes" really will mean.
In the Bible, the various tribes of Ancient Israel had different responsibilities, different families, different places to live. They were all connected, but they were also VERY DIFFERENT. I have, of course, found a modern-day parallel: As the world moves forward it is no secret that our world is caught in behaviors associated with modern TRIBALISM. Most foreign to individuals of "different tribes" today is the ability to see the other tribes as human--or even as part of the same "family". The reality is that WE (all the various and modern tribes) ARE part of the same family (the human family). A Universal God - someone like Jesus - would know EXACTLY how to love people of ANY tribe.
I do think that different tribes really can COEXIST together, and I believe that can happen even if the tribes don't believe in Jesus.
I think the answer for people who believe in Jesus is to recognize that "other tribes" are doing things Jesus would but in their own way and from their own perspective, which may be more pertinent and more effective than if everyone did everything from the same angle.
- The other tribes are taking care of their own destinies and responsibilities.
- Their responsibilities are not necessarily the ones you were given.
- But none are any less valued to the Creator.
- All are understood by the Lord and all of us have something to learn from each other.
In discussing this with my husband Mitch, he made the connection that a common issue between tribes is that “we might get so caught up in doing our part our way, that we think the other groups need to do their part our way. But in reality, they need to do their part their way because different assignments require their own skills sets and mind sets.”
I've heard it speculated that the 10 tribes would have their new "scriptures" brought with them. Sometimes scriptural teachings could be viewed as ideologies.
What if, for example, one of the 10 Tribes were Liberals?
What if one of the Tribes were Conservatives?
What if one of the Tribes were LGBTQ people?
What if one of the Tribes were non-denominational Christians?
What if one of the Tribes were Buddhists?
What if one of the Tribes were the LDS Church?
What if one of the Tribes were Muslims?
What if one of the Tribes were Atheists?
What is one of the Tribes were Catholics?
What if one of the Tribes were _____________ or _____________?
Would those Tribes have different scriptures, leaders, lessons, fables, or allegories for you to learn from?
Would you be able to see God's hand in those people's lives?
Would you be able to respect them as part of the human family?
Maybe they have something critical for you to learn that will increase your ability to know God in a more connected way.
Tonight my dad was watching the Women's Conference with my mom, sister, and me. Afterwards we were talking about Contemporary Christian Music, and how inspired the messages are. My dad said it best: "Mormons don't have the corner on humanity." And it's true - while we have a significant role in building Zion, and while we do it with all our hearts, we don't have the corner on how to ultimately make "Zion the New Jerusalem" happen.
But Christ does. If we viewed Christ as a Universal Father, then He would know how to speak to the hearts of all of His children and work through them - even if we don't know the "languages" He's using in each of the "other" tribes that belong to the human race. But we can come to know Christ better as we learn from the other tribes, the way they see things, and the way they know their Creator.
As we do, maybe someday this earth really will live in peace and harmony even with groups of people who are different from each other. It's going to take love, compassion, & humanity. It's going to take trying to understand the other tribes, what they might face, and caring enough to find out why they do things the way they do. It will take a listening ear and a heart of empathy in order for us to all learn how to work together in a powerful way that transforms the world. In this out-of-the-box way, I believe the LDS scriptural concept of "building Zion" is going to be able to occur. I look forward to that kind of Utopian day, and I can't wait. :)
💜 d.jo
Amen and amen
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