“What many people call sin is not sin.” ~ Joseph Smith.
This seems like an unusual observation from a prophet of God. Stereotypically, God’s prophets are called to identify what sin is, not what it isn’t.
The words came in response to an 1841 sermon by Latter-day Saint William O. Clark, in which the speaker denounced his fellow members’ “lack of sanctity” and encouraged them all to pursue “sanctity, solemnity, and temperance in the extreme.”
Joseph Smith told him, in essence, to lighten up.
In fact, he said that Clark’s lecture was “Pharisaical and hypocritical and not edifying the people.” We’re not told exactly what behavior Clark had condemned, but it prompted the prophet Joseph to address the saints of the dangers of faultfinding, accusing, and judging. Ultimately, he cautioned to avoid condemning others’ sins, for “What many people call sin is not sin.”This week, acclaimed singer, songwriter, and “Not a Rapper” James the Mormon shared an Instagram photo of himself and his girlfriend, which instantly became the source of some controversy. Apparently, some of his followers took issue with his posting of a photo of that was “not modest.”
It’s a pattern we’ve seen before. A Latter-day Saint has a remarkable talent, they become famous and well-loved in the Mormon community, they act in a way that we consider wrong, then we (or rather, groups of us) condemn and blacklist them for their “sinful” ways, for being “bad examples,” or for “picking and choosing” when it is or isn’t convenient to be a Mormon.
The same thing happened when Lindsey Stirling showed up to the Billboard Music Awards wearing another outfit some thought was immodest.
It happened when Kirby Heyborne, a well-beloved but financially struggling actor, decided to take a job in a beer commercial.
It happened when Orson Scott Card wrote a film review of an R-rated movie (about Jesus, of all things).
It just happened to James the Mormon and his girlfriend, and chances are, it’ll happen again.
“In a world of accusations and unfriendliness, it is easy to gather and cast stones. But before we do so, let us remember the words of the One who is our Master and model: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.’” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We’ve all heard the parable: “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
It's easy to believe that our words are harmless, that we’re just commenting on current events, and that we might even be helping others avoid falling into similar pitfalls. After all, they’re famous, right? They’ve got more important things to worry about than a few judgmental tweets. In reality, celebrities are people too, with flesh and blood and feelings, just like the rest of us. In each one of the aforementioned cases, the celebrity in question felt so hurt that they issued a public explanation of their actions (see here, here, here, and here). Being judged hurts. It’s one of the primary reasons people feel unwelcome at church. And it hurts worse when it comes from someone we thought cared about us. Imagine the judgment of thousands of those you thought were your fans seeping through your inbox, your Facebook wall, your Instagram profile, and your Twitter feed, and you’ll have a glimpse of how these people might feel.
“The hypocrite magnifies his neighbors faults; the Mormon minds his own business.” ~William W. Phelps
The hypocrisy in all this (see Romans 2:1) is that at some point in our lives, each of us has worn something, watched something, or been involved in something that someone else could consider inappropriate, even sinful. Luckily enough for us, we don’t have millions of eyes observing, recording, and retweeting our every action.
It's possible that what James and his girlfriend, Stirling, Heyborne, and Card did was sinful. Or maybe it was one of the things that “many people call sin” which “is not sin.” And even if it wasn’t, they’re in pretty good company. A brief scan of the scriptures will show you that Nephi had anger issues (2 Nephi 4:27); Noah was a drunkard (Genesis 9:20-21). Naomi blamed God (Ruth 1:20); Sarah laughed at Him (Genesis 18:12).
Abraham was a liar (Genesis 12:10-13), Peter a denier (Matthew 26:69-74).
Thomas was skeptical (John 20:24); Elijah was suicidal (1 Kings 19:4).
Lehi (1 Nephi 16:20), Sariah (1 Nephi 5:2), and Miriam (Numbers 12:1) all murmured.
Aaron (Exodus 32:1-4) and Gideon (Judges 8:27) both dabbled in idolatry.
John tried to worship an angel (Revelation 19:10); Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2) got possessed by demons.
The Brother of Jared (Ether 2:14) didn’t say his prayers, and Corianton slept with a prostitute (Alma 39:2-5).
Paul (Acts 8:3), both Almas (Mosiah 23:9, Mosiah 27:8), Ammon (Mosiah 27:10), and Zeezrom (Alma 11:21) all fought against Christ.
Jacob exploited his brother (Genesis 25:29-34), deceived his father (Genesis 27:19), and played favorites with his sons (Genesis 37:3).
Moses killed a man and tried to cover it up (Exodus 2:12), and Joseph Smith cared more about his friend’s desires than God’s (D&C 3:7).
Newel K. Whitney (D&C 93:50) and Edward Partridge (D&C 58:15) both got called to the carpet by God himself.
And every last one of them turned out okay.
Every spiritual hero or heroine you’ve ever had (save one) has made mistakes that would look horrible on Facebook. Occasionally, ecclesiastic leaders have extended loving (and private) warnings, but not once have I read in the scriptures that “thou shalt retweet thy neighbor’s faults, to keep them trending.” Instead, I hear about motes in another’s eye and beams in my own. I don’t hear talks in General Conference encouraging me to gossip, to accuse, and to condemn my brothers and sisters. Instead, I hear “When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!” I hear “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.”
“…the worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status-symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism.” ~ Hugh Nibley
When Joseph Smith corrected William O. Clark’s ideas, he added a personal plea: that the Saints be charitable, not only with each other’s mistakes, but with his own. “If you do not accuse each other,” he said, “God will not accuse you…. If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you. If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours—for charity covereth a multitude of sins.”
If we can be charitable with the weaknesses of a prophet of God, I think we can do the same with the rest of our brothers and sisters. Even if they are famous. After all, what you call sin might be something else entirely.
To read more of Riley's work, click here.