Our neighbor has a dog. Well, they call it a dog. It’s definitely not a ‘man’s-best-friend-bring-your-slippers’ kind of dog. It is more of a ‘sissy-Christmas-sweater-wearing-yip-yip-rodent-type’ dog. And it likes to be in the backyard yipping. Constantly.
We also have a dog. It falls somewhere in the middle. It is more of a ‘wanna-play-ball-and-dump-the-wastebasket-medium-size’ dog. He is pretty well trained, unless he hears the siren song of the neighbor’s rat-dog. Then he is like a bullet out his doggy-door where he joins in the fray.
PART I
A couple of weeks ago, as I was going to sleep, the neighbors let their dog out. Yip, yip, yip! Made me crazy. I was powerless to do anything about it (and still love my neighbor). But, it also reminded me of a great church quote about barking dogs.
Coincidentally, the very next day a Facebook friend asked me if I knew of a quote about barking dogs and a caravan. Tah-dah! Of course I did. I quickly located the quote and posted it. (I have lds.org!)
It is a good one, and it is timely:
There sure has been a lot of barking lately. You can’t even read the news without someone snapping at the heels of the church. Whether it be pastors, playwrights, or politicians, the barking gets louder, and more shrill. Do you even wonder why we don’t fight back more aggressively? You don’t see the church trotting out lawyers and PR guys to appear on “The View” or “The Daily Show”. It is more of a quiet, sophisticated response. Nobody really ever makes much of a loud public case for our side of the story. Why? The answer is probably along the lines of Elder McConkie asks, “What does it matter?” I guess that in the long run it doesn’t. The church will continue on its course. But in the short run, I think we would really like to be accepted, instead of mocked, respected instead of rejected. It might happen…It probably won’t happen. Bummer. But I can deal with it, and I’m not going to let it get in the way of enjoying the wonderful life that I have.
PART II
Last week I awoke at 3:00am to the sound of a yapping dog. Did I mention that it was 3:00am? As I lay there trying to go back to sleep, the yipping began to sound strangely familiar. I got up and went and looked at where our dog sleeps. Nope. Uh-oh. I went outside and there was our dog barking to the heavens. What a ruckus. I yelled at him, he slunk back through his doggie door and went to bed.
I have been part of the blogging world for just under a year. One of the saddest things I have noticed is how much barking, yipping and growling goes on within the Church membership. So many articles, protesters, bloggers and commenters are barking that “the church doesn’t understand” or “the brethren are out of touch“, or “the church needs to change this or that“. Yeah, yeah. Bark, bark. Some blogs bend over backwards so far to show their “open-mindedness” that they turn themselves into forums for apostates and dissenters.
There are so many times that I begin to read an article that deals with the Church, or a post on an “LDS” blog that descends into an agenda-driven rant, or a essay on self-justification, that I click away feeling a heaviness in my heart. The Spirit flees. Somehow I have an easier time understanding the dogs outside the caravan nipping and barking, but it saddens me to see how many do the same thing from within.
Do they even realize it?
Fortunately, I know the church is true, and I believe what Elder McConkie said. All the barking in the world can’t alter that. I know the caravan will move on.
The choice is ours: Get on board, or keep barking and snapping.
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When Thomas S. Monson became our prophet he asked us to pray for him as he needs our prayers.I pray daily along with millions of others for our prophet and our church leaders and the saints.It’s apparent to me that prayers are answered for I see these church leaders doing an excellent work with their leadership abilities.Myself I don’t see anything worth complaining about.When we fault find we’re taught that we’ll be judged ourselves with the same measure we’ve meted out.
The main problem I have with the negative comments I hear about The Church is how foolish people sound. It hurts my heart that these people are quick to judge and ridicule…when The Church does so much good. It encourages it’s members to do good things, not only inside the church, but in communities, and world wide. I know there are flawed members…but I think the majority are good people. We do good things. I am proud to be member, and I LOVE our leadership 🙂 I am truly happy and have no regrets from following their counsel!
In response to the second half of your post: Amen, sir.
In response to the first half of your post: My mom has a yippy, sweater-wearing sissy dog that is fed boiled chicken and rice. My husband grew up with farm dogs, and if one got hurt too badly you took out the .22 and put it out of it’s misery. You can see why putting my husband and mother in the same room is hilarious.
Love this analogy.. I too worry about the ones inside the church that apologize openly about the stands the church takes. I’ve heard people openly disagree with the prophet and think that isn’t a problem.
Evamarie (to lazy to open my google account)
So glad you posted about this.
It bugs me to no end to see these very popular blogs that apologize for the church and it’s positions etc, while claiming to have testimonies of the gospel….hmmmm last I checked, doesn’t quite work that way.
Sometimes I wish I could be a barking dog about it. instead I stop following and move on.
Thanks! Awesome post.
Tom: I don’t think you need to worry too much!
Tonya: You reminded me of a great quote: “When you wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty. But the pig loves it.”
This post couldn’t have come across my screen at any better moment. The Lord has been trying to teach me this principle over the last couple of months, and within the last couple of weeks, this quote about the pigs has been stuck in my head. I’ve had to learn to take a step back and shrug my shoulders at all those yippers.
yes, yes, yes! wonderful post! The barking outside rarely gets to me, but the barking inside scares and saddens me. I’ve been thinking a lot about this imperfect analogy: I usually try so hard to stay on the path, but lately I’ve been standing at the edge of the mud, watching in case someone I love wanders through, so I can pull them out. But in standing there, I’ve been getting mud on me, and it doesn’t feel good. There has to be a way we can reach from the path so we don’t get mud on us (thinking about other “LDS” blogs that devolve, as well as my own situation).
(Anon/M) Wow. Two totally epic posts in a row. How do you do it?
PS – “Well-Behaved Mormon Woman”…there’s a name I never could go by.
Great post. First of all, congratulations on your great blogging success over the last year. I don’t think mine is known as a “Mormon” blog so hopefully you weren’t referring to any of my posts. Thanks for not bringing up any scriptures or general authority quotes about wasting our time on things or “topics” of no worth. That would really make me feel guilty.
Such a great post and so well said. I am really enjoying this blog.
Spot on!
It is much easier to have the “neighbor’s” dog barking than your own. Both are irritating for different reasons.
Thank You!
Linda: Easily worth 10¢. If you don’t read a lot of blogs, then I feel extra-privileged that you read mine.
Jocelyn: Socrates? He’s the guy from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, right?
I’m a “Utah Mormon”(proud of it). I hear all the time how there are more “bad apples in the barrel” in Utah than anywhere else. I always reply with the fact that there is a bigger barrel here. You will always find yippers or yappers and perhaps in a younger-aged MM moment you fell into that category. I know I have.
For the most part, I think people are good and have a bad day. Maybe it isn’t true, but when I get yelled at or hear complaints about the church I can chalk it up to someone having a bad day.
If we were all perfect, who would we judge…I mean strive to love? 🙂 (I’m not implying that I think YOU think you’re perfect btw)
I don’t find a lot of ranting about the church on the internet solely because I don’t read a lot of blogs.
Unless you live next door to the barking dog, I say stay away.
…just my 5 cents
Ah-men and Ah-men!
Having worked in the TV news industry, I spent a lot of time sifting through the many voices to find my way to truth. (Also known as the Socratic Method!) Learning to listen to (and read) the right voices is a good skill for anyone to have.
I liken hearing the spirit to tuning a radio. Once you find the right station, you stick with it, and don’t turn back to those static ones!!
I must be reading the right LDS blogs because I haven’t run across the posts you describe. The ones I read are pretty inspirational, like Jocelyn’s (where I found you).
Glad you’re speaking up, though. We all need to do that when we hear (see) the kind of nipping and yipping you describe.
=)
Paul:
Point taken. I went back and made a couple edits to recognize that there are responses, just not the kind we are used to seeing in today’s “sound bite” world.
Thanks – and I’ll keep loving the yippers.
I bark all the time but at least it’s not about the church, I’m just onery in my old age.
Great post! Quit your yippin’ you yappers!
But what if someone is WRONG on the internet?!?
I’ve discovered the same thing you have in the last year and it’s sad, but it just doesn’t seem worth the fight as the church will move forward. Great post.
I wrote a blog post about this very thing about a month ago. I admit, I’m definitely more annoyed by the murmuring and pride (*I* know better than the prophet and apostles what the church should be doing) inside the church than by anyone outside. With more unity, we would be such a more powerful force for good in the world and among ourselves.
Our neighbors anonymously complained about our barking dog so we had her debarked…twice. Even though we have dogs all around us, we were the ones who were blamed even after our dog was disabled. The last time the dog police came out and listened to her pathetic croak and said they would ignore the calls from now on. Ignoring is not that hard…just click the button.
Sandy
I love your posts! This one is so spot on, you are quite the writer~
Of course the church does respond, though not on the View or the Today Show. But Michael Otterson’s blogs at the Washington Post, for instance, are certainly responses (and fine ones, at that).
The Savior teaches us we also need to love the yippers.
Well said, as usual!
JWW
Yep. (Not to be confused with yip.)
Thank you! FINALLY! This is the best description of both sides of the criticism that I’ve read. Perhaps it’s in the simplicity of the delivery, but whatever the case, you, as Rozy Lass said, hit the nail on the head!
I began blogging nearly 6 years ago, and it took me a couple of those years to realize what was going on with the “LDS blogs” –why did it take so long? There wasn’t really anything else out there. But leaving them was the best decision I ever made (for my testimony).
But I also love what you said about outside “yipping dogs” because I tend to get angry, too –frustrated is a better word. However, the Church never gets more involved than a “well, whatever.” I mean, BIg Love? That would have been a huge deal, but who even remembers that episode? It all falls away. The caravan does, indeed, move on.
Thank you!!
GREAT post!
You’ve hit the nail on the head. So many times when my blood starts to boil and I feel I have to bark back and set them straight I think “what does it matter, righteousness will prevail in the end and then they’ll see how wrong they were.” Living the commandments and being a light on a hill is a better use of my time than going around trying to correct everybody else.
Thumbs up! Thumbs up!
🙂 Wonderful post.