Van Maren described the spiritual dissonance involved when believers consume the same kind of entertainment as everyone else, “laughing along about everything from porn binges to promiscuity” in one moment, while also “attending church to hear a pastor explain how such things were so wicked God Himself had to be crucified to save people from these sins the next.”
Opinion: Mourn Matthew Perry, but don’t valorize the show that made him famous
In church we associate with wonderful people striving to serve God. This reminds us that we are not alone in our religious activities. We all need associations with others, and church associations are some of the best we can experience, for us and our companions and children. Without those associations, especially between children and faithful parents, research shows increasing difficulty for parents to raise children in their faith.
I appreciated Meagan Kohler’s recent Deseret News article explaining what she hoped major media would understand about the Church and temple buildings. I loved her description that “temples are monuments. . . . They are beacons of light and peace, piercing clouds of cynicism, conflict and despair.”13 She was concerned that some media articles had primarily focused on temples as beautiful, financially expensive buildings. She declared:
If the church’s significance and impact is only measurable in dollars distributed, then it’s a charitable organization rather than a church. To decide whether the church spends its money well, you must first decide what matters most. If the answer is forming eternal bonds with God and each other, then “a temple-building spree” is money well spent.14
