Mass shootings, wars, sexual abuse, as well as a number of atrocities are committed in the name of different god, or gods, and are considered by many to be of the greatest evil. A common practice is to place people who commit these acts into the category of being a radical, or an extremist. However, calling someone an extremist does…well, nothing to change their behavior. So why do we do it?
If someone is labeled as an extremist, they are not likely to go, “Oh my, I am an extremist? I better stop doing what I am doing and become more “normalist.” No, calling someone an extremist or labeling something a radical act is simply a construct that is created to help us distance ourselves from “the crazy,” because heaven forbid we are found to be like one of “those people.” Regardless of the radical individual or ideology (as we may define it), these individuals are acting in extreme righteousness – many who do these things will do so thinking they are doing the ultimate good. It is not uncommon for us to see this extreme righteousness and see it as crazy or even evil.
Mormonism is not without radical sects or offshoots or even radical concepts that can cause people to view certain aspects as “radical” or extreme. And just as likely as with other “extremist’s,” people will label those teachings or practices perhaps in some way to distance themselves from being connected to “the crazy.” This is a curious practice because defining our righteousness or our even “normalcy” as something relative to the society in which we find ourselves is like trying to trap the wind or the waves of the sea. Once captured, it is no longer part of the current and therefore automatically misplaced. To some, taking the high road is to have no road at all; it is more noble to wander or be carried with the currents, than to follow a guide or path and follow it.
This can be true of the Mormon Community when we try to cease being a peculiar people, and seek to become part of the ever moving current of popular culture and trends. Christianity was never about compliance with the standards of the world, or in finding acceptance by it. Many considered Jesus Christ to be an extremist, and was executed unjustly as a result. While this is not an endorsement of adopting extremist points of view as some pathway to discipleship, perhaps we should not be so concerned about how we are viewed by others according to the standards of the day, and rather how we view ourselves with respect to eternal laws and unchanging principles.
Society around us seems to be going “beyond the mark” on so many issues with apparently noble motivations. In that regard it is hard to call someone an extremist without being guilty of hypocrisy as each of us may be considered extreme is some way. When considering our baptismal and temple covenants (those of us who are members of the church with such standing) to dedicate our lives to accomplishing the mission of Jesus Christ, even to the sacrificing of our lives if necessary, it can sound quite extreme, in fact, I would say it is…extremely righteous. For some that is scary, for others that sounds “crazy.”
I have sought to find an a way to reconcile my place in the whirlwind society happening around us. With so many opinions on so many issues, and so much social pressure to accept this position or that position, it is easy to get lost in the current of changing times. In a recent article by blogger J. Max Wilson, I was introduced to a quote that came from Marvin J. Ashton in a 1971 General Conference that has helped to give me additional direction, my moral and social guidance system if you will. Take a moment to consider this quote as we seek to define ourselves, our society, and our individual spirituality with respect to the actions of others whom we might deem “extreme” on one end or the other.
“There seems to be a tendency among many of us in our society today to live by compromise, rationalization, comparison, and self-justification. Love of right has been replaced by love of acceptance and convenience. Some mistakenly think the pathway of safety is somewhere between the path of righteousness and the road to destruction. Others seem to have convinced themselves that the way to perfection is reached by traveling the highway of compromise.
Lofty standards of behavior will always be based upon a love for the right. Wickedness in any form will never lead to happiness. We must be aware of those who would have us believe there is no heaven, there is no hell, and that the only road to happiness is marked with compromise and convenience. Satan is real and he is effective. He would throw men down, and by his cunning he would have all mankind strangers to God. Let us not be deceived. God lives, and through him and with him we can accomplish all things. We must not permit ourselves to become entangled in the sin of compromising our standards, but rather we must learn to avoid all the ways of Satan.”