The Church remaining aloof from the World

[Jersey Girl]

Elder Bednar spoke at a Stake Conference recently and he said "the days of having one foot in the church and one foot in the world are gone".

This is a very interesting thought. Jesus said my Father's Kingdom is not of this world, yet all the Church's money making enterprises remain firmly attached.

When I consider how many Saints wish to make the Church an instrument of right-wing politics, I feel supportive of the Church's need to stay aloof from the world. On the other hand, I wonder how they can extract themselves from the degree of co-optation that has already occurred.

The Kingdom of God is neither that of Caesar or Mammon. A Church and Corporation merged will eventually lead to a blurred identity.

[_Bazooka]

One assumes Bednar has relinquished his new 'in the world' holiday home....

[_Themis]

Church leaders have been saying these kind of things since Joesph Smith. It's also common in some other groups as well. It's just done to try and get member's to be more faithful to the church.

[_ZelphtheGreat]

Sounds pretty two faced for an outfit that has The One True Mall.

[_Fence Sitter]

Someone needs to make a meme showing either a picture of Bednar's house or the new mall with Bednar's quote on it.

[_subgenius]

You guys seem to be confused about what it means to be "of the world"

[_Gunnar]

You guys seem to be confused about what it means to be "of the world"

Everyone and everything living on this planet are inextricably both "in the world" and "of the world" regardless of religious conviction or the lack thereof.

[_Bazooka]

You guys seem to be confused about what it means to be "of the world"

You mean Bednar also has a holiday home on Kolob?

[_Tchild]

You guys seem to be confused about what it means to be "of the world"

One assumes that Bednar buys meat from the same slaughterhouses that horribly mistreat the animals and clothing from the same firms that pay slave labor wages to impovershed third world workers. Or no?

It takes a certain level of haughty arrogance to somehow think that your S--- doesn't stink, and that somehow you are above it all, too good for it and on a higher "spiritual" plane.

Avoiding coffee, tea and alcohol in no way makes a person "not of the world", nor does pious and mechanical religious rites / observances in front of others once a week (or less).

There is nothing that Bednar, Mormons, or you and I do that is "not of this world". It is ALL of this world, every bit of it.

[_subgenius]

You guys seem to be confused about what it means to be "of the world"

One assumes that Bednar buys meat from the same slaughterhouses that horribly mistreat the animals and clothing from the same firms that pay slave labor wages to impovershed third world workers. Or no?

It takes a certain level of haughty arrogance to somehow think that your S--- doesn't stink, and that somehow you are above it all, too good for it and on a higher "spiritual" plane.

Avoiding coffee, tea and alcohol in no way makes a person "not of the world", nor does pious and mechanical religious rites / observances in front of others once a week (or less).

There is nothing that Bednar, Mormons, or you and I do that is "not of this world". It is ALL of this world, every bit of it.

Case in point