Church of the extrovert
"Different" is not always "good." Too much "difference" in close proximity causes wars. Especially when it comes to theology, I dont see the point in "kicking against the pricks" if you cant align yourself theologically with a religion. Go find another cause or church.
(In other words, my "activism" ends exactly at the point Id have to get out of my armchair to do anything about it.)
On the other hand, a religion that promotes itself as having a "catholic" outreach must realize that differences in human nature exist. Unfortunately, its easier to pursue utopian universality by pretending that everybody is (or should be) a clone of whoevers in charge.
As a case in point, an article about psychological depression in the Winter 2017 BYU Magazine uses missionary service to illustrate several aspects of the problem and then completely misses the point. Because one size fits all.
Consider the sidebar featuring the anecdote in which Lindsay, "a self-
The "advice" that follows never acknowledges that perhaps being "bold and assertive and confident" isnt for everybody and certainly not for every missionary. Instead, one is supposed to "increase resilience" and develop "coping skills." In other words, conform.
The coping strategies that worked for her--"spending time alone or reading a book"--are not allowed. Perversely enough, the only acceptable alternative this Hobsons choice offered her was to be labeled mentally ill.
To be sure, people have all kinds of issues, and being "with a companion 24/7 that [you] didnt choose, learning a foreign language, and adapting to a different culture" are some of the demanding pressures that inevitably come with being a Mormon missionary.
But, frankly, those pressures--which are finite in duration and not that much more demanding than the rest of post-mission real life--are peanuts compared to the expectations of unavoidable social engagement. And yet these expectations are simply never questioned.
Buddhism and Catholicism long ago figured out that there are convert-the-world types and there are vow-of-silence types. If youre one of the latter and find yourself in a church thats pedal-to-the-metal on the former, youre going to have problems, period.
The church of the extrovert is fine for those who are extroverts, want to become extroverts, or are willing to put up with being around extroverts. Its a Darwinistic gauntlet that systematically filters out the "unfit" personality types. Thats fine too. Its a free world.
But if being the life of the party is the necessary condition the viability of the organization depends on, a church that prioritizes sociability and good PR may not be long for this earth. As Rod Dreher argues in The Benedict Option,
If believers don�t come out of Babylon and be separate, sometimes metaphorically, sometimes literally, their faith will not survive for another generation or two in this culture of death.
In his conversation with Albert Mohler about the book, he further explains:
My life is shaped around the chanting of Psalms and on all kinds of sensual ways that embody the faith. Of course you can have smells and bells and go straight to hell; that doesnt change you and lead to greater conversion. But for me as an Orthodox Christian and me as a Catholic, the faith had more traction and it drew me in closer and closer. I dont know if evangelicals can do that, because as I look at evangelicalism I see people who are zealous for the Lord, no doubt about it, but also susceptible to every trend that comes along.
(The "Benedict" Dreher refers to is not Pope Benedict XVI but the sixth century Benedict of Nursia. He founded the Order of Saint Benedict that defined the structure and objectives of monastic life and helped preserve Western Civilization through the Dark Ages.)
On the other hand, the Mormon church recently began dismantling its tight relationship with the BSA organization, and has hinted that it may divorce it entirely. So rejecting the popular secular option is always a possibility (though it remains increasingly unlikely).
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