Cancer, Healing, and the Meaning (Or Lack Thereof) of This Life

"Cancer" is one of the five worst words in the English language.  It sounds ugly.  It has ugly, death-ish connotations.  It evokes images of some alien life taking over one's body.  It has two c's that make different sounds, which is lame and annoying.  And when you learn that a young, healthy loved one has cancer it is so devastating.  You find yourself doing verbal somersaults to avoid saying the word out loud, as if by saying it you will make it worse.

So I recently had the occasion to give a loved one a priesthood blessing related to a cancer diagnosis, and as I've contemplated mortality and healing I've started having a lot of questions which I've never thought about before.  After that blessing I went and read Elder Oaks' talk from the most recent conference called "Healing the Sick".  The takeaway point, I think, is the following:

From all of this we learn that even the servants of the Lord, exercising His divine power in a circumstance where there is sufficient faith to be healed, cannot give a priesthood blessing that will cause a person to be healed if that healing is not the will of the Lord.

This has left me somewhat puzzled.  Elder Oaks is saying that the will of the Lord always trumps everything else, including priesthood blessings and faith of the person that is sick.  I don't think anyone would argue with this.  So what, then, is the role of faith and priesthood blessings?  If they can never change the will of the Lord, why bother?  This leads, I think, to a sort of Calvinistic determinism that is incompatible with our faith.  If nothing we do will ever change the already-determined future that the Lord has created for us, it renders moot our most important heavenly endowment, free agency.

The only way for me to reconcile all of this is, and maybe this is common knowledge and I'm a little slow, is if there are situations, and presumably fairly common situations since we are encouraged to have constant faith and exercise our priesthood often, where the Lord has no particular will one way or the other concerning whether a person will live or die, be healed or not be healed -- if there are situations where the Lord essentially challenges us to persuade him.

If this is the case it opens up a whole mess of possibilities.  If we have the power, even the duty, to persuade the Lord one way or the other, we can do some pretty serious miracles and good works.  I've always known all of this, I think, but I've never given it much thought and I've never really internalized it.  It is also a very liberating idea.  To know that our future is really and truly not already mapped out for us, that the Lord knows our capabilities and potential but that our choices are still ours, that we have absolute power over our choices, frees us to act more boldly and with less fear.

But I've also encountered another puzzle in all of this, one I don't think I understand.  When you encounter the mortality of a young and otherwise healthy person, it is natural to wonder what the point of this whole life is, anyway.  It is such an infinitesimally small slice of our eternal existence, and good and bad opportunities are so unevenly allotted, it is getting harder and harder for me to ascribe too much meaning to it.  I've started really considering and accepting the idea of progression between kingdoms and strong universalism.

That's not to say that my loved one with cancer is in danger of not making the celestial kingdom if that person should die today (very unlikely, we have a pretty fortunate cancer diagnosis), so I'm not just trying to justify a bad or lukewarm life about to be extinguished.  My loved one would assuredly be a shoe-in for a pretty sweet afterlife and anyway has a long time to live yet.  But as I've considered how short life can be, and how seemingly random and unfair it can be, I just can't bring myself to believe that any person can make or break the entire rest of eternity in this short mortal existence.

I guess what I'm saying is, I've got a lot to think about.

Religious Freedom and the Ground Zero Mosque

The Eleventh Article of Faith states: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

I stated in my last post that my evolving three pillars of Things I Care About The Most In Politics are peace, a healthy sustainable environment, and moral/religious agency.  I think if we safeguard these three things we can live in a pretty great world for a long time.  Of course the three are intimately intertwined.  War is usually based on scarcity of resources (the environmental aspect) or religious conflict.  If we could focus on cleaning up our religious conflicts and our environment, sustainable peace would surely follow.

Unfortunately, there are many right here in America who want to restrict the religious freedom of anyone that worships different than they do, thus creating more conflict and less peace.  The latest and most public incarnation of this bigotry is the uproar over the plans to build a mosque and Muslim information center a few blocks from ground zero.

The opponents of this mosque truly believe that those who died on 9/11 would be dishonored by the mere fact that Muslims would have a place of worship so near ground zero.  The only way this thinking makes sense is if you believe that all Muslims are responsible for the actions of al Qaeda and the extremist factions that want to harm the United States.  This is, of course, absurd and bigoted.

Only a very tiny fraction of the around 1 billion Muslims in the world have radicalized and condone terrorism and violence against civilians.  Granted, that tiny fraction is doing some serious harm, but it is still no reason to condemn an entire religion.  What's more, Muslims in America are showing no signs of radicalization and some polls have shown that they are less likely than the American population at large to condone terrorism.

And lets not pretend that some of our actions in the Middle East played no part in creating extremism to begin with.  It does not justify terrorism, but it is relevant to understanding why such extremism exists.

If we were to hold every religion to the standard that those protesters are holding Islam, we would not allow any religion in our borders.  Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Mormons all have extreme factions and skeletons in their closets, but we are willing to overlook those because we are a supposed "Judeo-Christian" nation.  Frankly, I'm more afraid of extremist Christian groups like the Christian Identity and other racist, nationalistic groups than anything else.

And if we allow the intolerant to dictate how, where, and what Muslims in this country worship, what is to stop them from coming after Mormons next?  They've got some pretty weird beliefs, don't they?  Then they can go after the Jehovah's Witnesses, then Buddhists, then Catholics.  Where do we draw the line?

Fundamentally, we have to let all religious people peaceably practice their religion, or practice no religion at all, if we want true religious freedom in this county and if we want to retain our moral agency.  That means coming to terms with Islam and extending a hand of fellowship.  It means truly respecting all peaceable religions and demonstrating true tolerance of differing religious beliefs.

If we let this sort of bigoted religious thinking to become mainstream in America we will all become less free.  We will be less free to practice any religion we want, less free to exercise our moral agency and strive to become more like Heavenly Father in the way we best see fit, and less free to hold points of view of any kind that are unpopular with the majority.

It's Probably Time For A Little More Optimism Around Here

In the latest iteration of how we treat our planet, we have now released probably between 50 to 100 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and we're probably only about halfway through the the release.

It is the sort of disaster that just makes you sick.  Birds and dolphins and fish are dying and people are losing their livelihoods.  We care so much about cheap energy that we are willing to downplay or ignore even the most heinous risks to get it.  Doing the hard things and making the hard decisions for our long-term good is not a particularly strong attribute for us, and the gulf oil spill is the perfect reminder of that fact.

And this applies to more than just the environment.  Israel and Palestine won't make the hard decisions in order to come to peace.  The same goes for many other nations, including America, which value short-term benefits and military force over long-term solutions and true and lasting peace. 

The more I write on this blog and think about the world, the more I gravitate towards just a few political issues that I feel really passionate about:  peace, protection of our agency and right to choose to become like Heavenly Father, and the environment.  I think if we can learn to treasure these three things we will have a wonderful world to live in that will last us for a long time.  I also think we treat these issues glibly.  Too many Americans and members of the church are constantly looking for the next fight (Iran seems to be the Next Big Thing for the hawks), downplaying the disastrous effect we are having on the environment and the long-term problems that will arise as a consequence, and focusing on false issues like liberalism and health care reform as threats to agency instead of real issues like addictions, totalitarianism in places like Africa where the church is trying to create a real presence, and our freedom to practice our religion.

One of my all-time favorite Mormon blog posts is from Cool New Thang called Mad Max Mormonism vs. Star Trek Mormonism.  It really captures a frame of mind that I think we are severely lacking in the church and in our nation: optimism.  The idea is that while some Mormons just look for the signs of the coming apocalypse, others believe that we humans are capable of working things out and creating a peaceful and somewhat more utopian society, thereby delaying the apocalypse.  President Hinckley has expressed his realistic optimism several times, but I particularly like this quote from 1989:

I feel very optimistic. Things are happening in the world that are salutary and good. There are wars, yes. There is conflict, yes. But there also is much of peace among the nations of the earth. Something of tremendous significance is happening in the USSR and the People’s Republic of China. There is growing freedom of expression and activity. A new openness is developing. I feel the spirit of Christ is brooding over the nations of the earth.

Of course there are problems, many and serious. We sorrow over the plague of drugs with its bitter harvest. We deplore the terrible scourge of pornography. We grieve over the wicked flood of immorality and abortion. We are concerned with the epidemic of infidelity, of divorce and broken homes. We are disturbed over the plight of the homeless and over stark hunger in many parts of the earth.

But the remarkable thing is that so many people care. More than at any time in the history of the world, I believe, there are men and women by the tens of thousands who are reaching out with their strength and their substance to help those in distress. Modern science and medicine are doing wonders to alleviate pain and prolong life. There is greater fulfillment in the lives of millions.

Concerning our own work—that is, the work of this church—I feel even more optimistic. We are growing stronger. I hope our people are growing better. I think they are. There is increased activity, increased devotion, increased faithfulness.

So we can either look at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and sigh in disgust and see it as another sign of the times, or think about Israel killing humanitarian aid workers and view it as another step towards Armageddon, and I've done both of these, or we can redouble our optimism and our efforts to leave our slice of humanity better than how we found it and hope for a better world.  We can be Star Trek Mormons and try our best to convert Mad Max Mormons over to our side.


I really believe it comes down to those three issues I posted before.  We should be strong voices for peace and not get mixed up in whether we appear weak or strong or whatever.  We should protect our Earth for ourselves and countless future generations, thereby avoiding the conflict and depredation that come with dwindling resources.  We should ensure that all people are free to make choices which would allow them to become more like our Heavenly Father and not get bogged down in spats about whether or not something like reform of our financial institutions is akin to the plan of Lucifer.  We are above such nonsense, or at least we should be.

It's Time to Condemn Israel and Require More Concessions for Peace

What came first, the Palestinian terrorism, targeting of civilians, and suicide attacks on Israel chicken or the Israeli targeting of civilians and brutal oppression of Palestinians egg?

The latest escalation of the problem occurred over the weekend when Israeli commandos stormed a humanitarian aid ship headed for Palestine and killed at least ten civilians.  The ship was attempting to violate an Israeli embargo of Gaza.  This horrendous act is just Israel following the script, though.  The next few scenes will inevitably go something like this:  Palestinians will react to the killings at sea with protests and violence; Israel will react to Palestinian protests and violence by entrenching further, demolishing a few buildings, tightening their grip on Palestine and the decades-long embargo leading to even more soul-crushing poverty and desperation; Palestinians will resort to suicide bombings and terror; Israel will crush a Palestinian uprising.  The rest of the world will have some harsh critiques for the script but allow the play to go on.

* For some reason I'm having difficulties embedding the video, so go watch it on Youtube here.

Glenn Greenwald, of course, does a masterful job outlined just why this latest attack is so repulsive, and the inept handling of the situation by the Obama administration, which refuses to join countries like Russia, Turkey, Brazil, France, Spain, and China in condemning the attack.  This was a boat in international waters delivering badly needed food, medicine, and building materials to Palestinian civilians who live in abject poverty and under dictatorial oppression.  The United States must send a strong message that human rights and basic human decency are of paramount importance, more important than Israel's right to oppress the Palestinians, and condemn this act.

I don't pretend to understand all the complexities of the Middle East conflict.  I don't think any American can fully grasp the centuries old dynamics that drive this mess.  I understand that Israel is a sovereign nation that has the right to defend itself and maintain its security.  I understand that Israel is our most important ally in that chaotic region, and that a strong Israel is a buffer for our own safety.  I also understand that Palestinians have just as much of a claim on the territory as the Israelis.  I understand that Palestinians are human, too, and the horrible weight of Israeli occupation under which they live is inimical to their basic human dignity and at the very least a major factor driving Palestinians to violence against Israel.

This attack by Israel, though, is the perfect time to take a harder stance and demand more action from Israel to resolve this conflict.  With so much international outcry, now is the time to press for lifting the blockade on Gaza, ending illegal Israel settlements in the West Bank, and the creation of a two-state system.  Only by giving Palestinians hope for a better future can peace be achieved.

And I've said it before and I will reiterate it now:  As members of the church, living the Gospel of Peace, we should be among the strongest voices for peace in this conflict and worldwide.  We should stand up and say that the atrocities committed by both sides must end and not fall into the trap of turning a blind eye to Israeli aggressions.  I would love for the church to call for a concerted effort among the members to gather and ship humanitarian aid to the Palestinians to relieve their suffering and demonstrate that Christlike love for neighbors and enemies alike.