The Culture of God

Today I read Mosiah 24. Many things strike me about this chapter but one thing that really stands out and I have thought about many times in the past is the culture of the Lamanites versus the culture of the Nephites.

My wife would describe me as someone who views the world as one big social experiment I think. I am constantly making observations about peoples behaviors. One thing that I started noticing years and years ago which will come as no surprise to most people if you think about it, is that certain aspects of certain cultures cultivate the Spirit, and others cause it to flee, and a other aspects cause it to disappear so quickly that it can cause physical pain.

For example there are pieces of music by many people, most especially classical music such as Handel's "Messiah" or Bach's "Air on a G String" or countless other pieces that bring in the Spirit. However, as music has "progressed" throughout the years it has been a reflection of the culture that produces it. As each generation of the 20th century has come, with it has come music that has moved further and further away from the type of music our Father in Heaven would approve of.

Take rap music for example. I can think of few other examples of music that can drive away the Spirit quicker than rap music does. To say it is uninspired is to say that water is wet. The source for lyrics of most rap music is about as far from in line with the teachings of the church as you can get. Talking about killing people, promiscuity, shooting people, etc. It literally sickens me and hurts my spirit every time I hear it. Heavy metal is not much better, Rock and Roll only a little better than that, etc.

Other forms of culture are the same. As time goes on our standards slip a little further. Movies are another example. Today a movie can be given a PG - 13 rating that would have been given an R rating 20 years ago. And the sad thing is that the ratings are given by a committee of parents! That is why the brethren of the church have said to choose wholesome entertainment because you cannot rely on a PG - 13 movie as being appropriate just because it is not rated R.

Language is something I think everyone would agree with. Everyone has had an experience of someone judging them based on how they conducted themselves in a verbal exchange. The way we speak will cause someone to treat us with respect, or like something they scraped off the bottom of their shoe. And I don't even mean swear words. People make an instant judgment of people the moment they hear the other person speak. It is impossible not to. And as the brethren of the church have taught us, it is fine to make judgments about people so that we can surround ourselves with those people who will uplift us.

In Mosiah 24, we learn that the Lamanites were not able to write until they met the people of Amulon an to say they had an actual culture would be a bit of an overstatement I think. I would also think they did not make much music and their interactions are very similar to those people in our day and age that you can feel in your spirit you don't want to be around. It's very difficult sometimes to be a righteous individual because I think people get drawn to your inner spirit, your innate goodness. But if you gain nothing from a relationship and it can be potentially damaging, you have to cut them out of your life, just like you would remove a spoiled apple from a barrel of other apples.

I feel like I have gone very far afield and could literally write for hours and cite countless examples of this, but nonetheless, it is necessary to understand so that we can understand God's nature and grow to be more like Him and choose appropriate forms of entertainment and social interactions so that we can have His Spirit around us. May we all follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost as we choose what to watch, listen to, write, draw and speak. Until tomorrow.