Expired Commandments

[LoudmouthMormon]

I was one of a dozen or more cousins.  Mom was one of like 8 or 9 siblings.  Grandpa was one of five brothers, descended from folks who answered the call to Zion and were going at populating Utah with gusto.  Very, very Mormon. Us young kids took lessons about how face cards were bad, and ran with it, adding our own spin.  We told stories about how the "suicidal king" got his name, and how he took over the minds of some kids and made them kill themselves.  

Ahh, the late '70's.  Grandma had a lifesize bust of the Venus de Milo in her main room.  It was an interesting experience for us young kids, growing up with lessons on chastity and modesty, standing just feet away from a 7' tall topless woman with no arms.  I remember my cousin and I daring each other to touch "them".  To my eternal shame, he took the dare, and I could not, lest my immortal soul be lost.  

Edited April 4, 2019 by LoudmouthMormon

[SouthernMo]

10 minutes ago, alter idem said:

I think the problem is that you perceived things to be 'commandments' that others viewed as 'invitations'.  I've noticed this a lot from former members (I don't know your situaton so I'm not making a judgment of you), but what I've seen in discussions on forums is that many no longer practicing members got fed up with all the things they thought they 'had to do' to be right with God--they felt very constricted by the gospel and overwhelmed at times.  As for me,  I heard the same  preachings, but viewed them as invitations to keep a journal and I made the decision not to.  I kept a journal when I was a teen, years later when I read through it, I seriously wanted to burn the thing!  I decided I would NOT keep a journal because I don't want anyone to know what a dufus I was--and if they still figure out what I dufus I was, at least I won't have given them the proof!! 

If you will notice Pres. Nelson's style as Prophet, you will see that much of the counsels given by him and other leaders, are not 'commandments', they are 'invitations'.  And that is how it should be (and should've been in decades past) in the gospel.  We all have agency, we can reject or accept the admonitions of our leaders and we will enjoy the blessings to the level we accept.  If we do not accept, then we acknowledge that we won't receive those blessings.  Even true commandments, like paying a full tithe, are still 'invitations' from God and our Prophets.  We still have the choice to do so, or not.  We accept the blessings or the consequences.

Not playing cards was never a commandment, it was counsel or admonishment.  It was given back decades ago when people were playing a lot of cards, women with bridge parties, men gambling and so the Prophets felt it was a time waster and an 'evil' to be avoided by the Saints.  These days, cards are mostly for playing games when there is no tv or internet and it's not the problem that it once was, therefore, no one talks about them.  That's the beauty of continuing revelation and why we are counseled to listen and heed to our modern prophets, rather than worrying so much about what past prophets said to a past generation.

 

The whole 'face cards' taboo is a hold-over from the Catholic tradition of ages ago and it was used as an explanation by well-meaning members trying to find some spiritual reason for the counsel against card playing.  The same happened with the 'no masks' policy for parties at church.  Lots of weird reasons were concocted, but it was most likely so that they would not have to worry about anonymous party crashers that might cause problems.

Good thoughts.

The perspective on commandments as invitations is enlightening and freeing.  The problem (perhaps) arises when members in and out of leadership positions expect others to obey those invitations as commandments.

Do we start to subconsciously make lists of invitations/commandments that “good” Mormons do or do not do? For example, Mormons can drink caffeine, but good Mormons don’t. Mormons don’t have to write in journals, but good Mormons do.  And so on...