{"id":3435,"date":"2013-10-28T10:21:44","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T17:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newcoolthang.com\/?p=3435"},"modified":"2020-01-09T04:25:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T11:25:18","slug":"extreme-mormon-virtues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.newcoolthang.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/extreme-mormon-virtues\/3435\/","title":{"rendered":"Extreme Mormon Virtues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psychology Today’s latest issue discusses<\/a>\u00a0the double edged nature of virtues.\u00a0 Sometimes a virtue, either taken to excess or cherished too dearly, warps into a vice. \u00a0The article gives several examples.<\/p>\n

Fairness is a virtue.\u00a0 But it’s easy to become obsessive about fairness, especially when it plays in our favor.\u00a0 The article references a father who told his daughter he would miss her birthday because he had a business opportunity. \u00a0“When she dried her tears, she told him it was OK\u2014as long as he missed her sister’s birthday, too.” \u00a0Of course, the daughter could have been thinking more selfishly than fairly, but even if the father had made this call himself, it’s hard to say he was acting virtuously. \u00a0In fact,\u00a0I imagine with some thought, we could come up with some other reasons why fairness should be tempered (the justice\/mercy problem springs to mind).<\/p>\n

Another example from the article is agreeableness or niceness, which in more religious terms we could call meekness. \u00a0Being really nice is good, but when it overtakes being assertive, we can not only harm ourselves, but others as well. \u00a0As the article points out, people who are agreeable tend to have lower salaries and get fewer promotions, and in some cases can strain romantic relationships because they’re too dependent and clingy.<\/p>\n

While the virtues listed in the article serve mainly in the corporate context, Mormonism prizes several virtues that didn’t make this list, such as obedience, \u00a0faith, and charity. \u00a0Perhaps these virtues can also morph into vices. \u00a0Can we become obsessively obedient?\u00a0 Does an excessive reliance on faith corrupt it?\u00a0 Can the compulsive pursuit of charity become a vice?<\/p>\n

Obedience<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of elders on my mission liked saying, “If you’re 99% obedient, you’re disobedient.” \u00a0Not only do I worry about the psychological ramifications of this statement (as, apparently, does Elder Holland<\/a>), but I wonder if the statement excuses obsessive obedience.<\/p>\n

The pharisees are the classic example of over-obedient followers.\u00a0 Not only did they obey the law, but they hedged the law with non-divine rules just to be extra careful. \u00a0Ironically, as Jesus pointed out, their law hedging made them disobedient, because they became so focused on superfluous details that they lost sight of the actual law itself. \u00a0Furthermore, their obsessive obedience made them intensely judgmental. <\/p>\n

The pharisees are easy to pick on, but obsessive obedience may affect us in other ways. \u00a0I’ve often noticed that many vocal ex-Mormons described themselves as formerly very obedient active Mormons. \u00a0Furthermore, their obedience language often ties to black and white thinking. \u00a0For example, many seem to take the statement<\/a>, “Either the Church is true, or it is a fraud.” to mean the much more extreme: “Either the Church is totally spotless or it’s a pernicious lie.” \u00a0If an obsession with obedience promotes this kind of all-or-nothing thinking, it may convert obedience from virtue to vice.<\/p>\n

Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

How about excessive faith?\u00a0 Paul tells us that the God ordained church leaders to keep us from being “carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), so it makes sense to think that we can trust those leaders implicitly.\u00a0 On the other hand, Elder Uchtdorf recently pointed out<\/a> that sometimes our leaders make mistakes.\u00a0 On the surface, it seems that Paul and Uchtdorf disagree. \u00a0Can we trust our leaders, or should we remain skeptical? \u00a0It could simply be that Paul instructs us to have faith, and Uchtdorf cautions us against excessive, or perhaps, blind faith.\u00a0 Is blind faith simply unrestrained, or excessive faith?<\/p>\n

Of course, it seems counterfactual to suggest that we can have too much faith. \u00a0After all, the scriptures are replete<\/a> with miracles caused by great faith. \u00a0On the other hand, most miracles take something more than faith (e.g. need, prior work on our part, etc.). \u00a0Expecting that ample faith can solve our problems may be the grounds for relying too heavily on faith. \u00a0In the last presidential election, some members fasted and trusted in God that Mitt Romney would defeat Obama, expecting their faith to be rewarded. \u00a0Without getting too political (it’s just the first example that came to mind), perhaps these members trusted too much in their own faith. \u00a0I’m sure everyone has personal examples of falling into a similar trap.<\/p>\n

Charity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Charity rounds out this grossly incomplete list.\u00a0 Can charity become excessive?\u00a0 How can we possibly be too obsessed with obtaining the pure love of Christ?\u00a0 Or to put it in more practical terms, if charity means seeking others’ happiness, can we care too much about seeking others’ happiness?\u00a0 The Christian scriptures don’t entertain the idea; however, Buddhism does discuss the possibility of caring too much for others.\u00a0 One basic Buddhist principle is that we can’t help out others if we are in a state of mental or emotional chaos.\u00a0 We have to seek balance in our own lives before we can, and should, help others.\u00a0 In other words, if we neglect ourselves while caring for others, we commit a vice. \u00a0While the Christian scriptures hold self-sacrifice in high esteem, Buddhist philosophy encourages us to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others without throwing ourselves on the sacrificial alter in the process. \u00a0Tangentially, I think this Buddhist doctrine is a prime example of what Joseph Smith meant<\/a> by there being truth in other religions that we can, and should, add to our own, but that’s a discussion for another time.\u00a0 In any case, it’s hard to imagine cherishing charity to the point of vice, but perhaps we can.<\/p>\n

Do you agree that an obsession with a virtue can turn it into a vice? \u00a0Does that extend to obedience, faith, and charity?