Church Snobs

Let's just say that a major pet peeve of mine is 'the Church snob.' This particular individual can be anyone really, but there are distinct characteristics of being a Church snob that are easy to identify, and if you are one, can be easily fixed, if desired. If left untreated, this can become such a big problem that, before you know it, you may be left wondering what happened to all of your friends?

(1) Usually, the higher up the calling, the greater the snob. That's sort of the rule of thumb when it comes to dealing with theese individuals. And lately, I've noticed in talking with Kari, that it's easy for some individuals to so quickly and easily get caught up with their calling or responsibilities at Church, instead of "keeping it real," and just being yourself.

Obviously, where much is given, much is required. And so, when a calling is extended to us, we are to magnify it and do the calling to the utmost of our abilities. We go above and beyond to do whatever the Lord has asked of us. But He does not ask us to change who we are in order to fulfill whatever calling He has given us. If we are found worthy to be given a calling, there really should be no need to change in the first place.

Should it matter if we called to serve as a greeter? A ward missionary? Home teacher? Elder's Quorum president? Relief Society president? Bishop? Stake President? The answer to that question, unequivocally, is NO.

(2) It really matters to the Church snob what his calling is, or what callings he/she has had.

I was reminded about something President David O. McKay spoke about years ago that has been widely circulated in the Church called "Your PPI with the Lord." This is a very humbling, honest, and thought-provoking experience President McKay had with the brethren back in the day. It speaks very specifically to the entire idea of why we should avoid being a Church snob.

"Let me assure you, Brethren, that some day you will have a personal Priesthood interview with the Savior, Himself. If you are interested I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities. (I love the part where he says, "If you are interested..." I guess you want to just stop what you were doing at that point, maybe?)

First: He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife. Have you actively been engaged in making her happy and insuring that her needs have been met as an individual?

Second: He will want an accountability report about each of your children individually. He will not attempt to have this for simply family stewardship, but will request information about your relationship to each and every child.

Third: He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-existence.

Fourth: He will want a summary of your activities in your Church assignments. He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had, for in His eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellow men in your Church assignments.

Fifth: He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.

Sixth: He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute, in a positive manner to your community, state, country and the world."

My favorite part in this whole PPI is question number four. President McKay tells us that the Lord will not necessarily be interested in what assignments you have had. Rather, how have you been of service in your Church assignments. So where does that leave us with the idea of being a Church snob?

(3) To the Church snob, the hand is more important than the foot.

President Dieter Uchtdorf spoke so powerfully on this subject in a recent Conference address. He said, "When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror."

A favorite part of this address was when President Uchtdorf spoke about an experience he had as a new General Authority while traveling with President James E. Faust:

"One day I had the opportunity to drive President James E. Faust to a stake conference. During the hours we spent in the car, President Faust took the time to teach me some important principles about my assignment. He explained also how gracious the members of the Church are, especially to General Authorities. He said, “They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.” He laughed a little and then said, “Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.”

He continues, "That is a good lesson for us all, brethren, in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt."

(4) There is an 'i' in team for the Church snob.

President Uchtdorf brings it home when he concludes by saying, "We are servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are not given the priesthood so that we can take our bows and bask in praise. We are here to roll up our sleeves and go to work. We are enlisted in no ordinary task. We are called to prepare the world for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We seek not our own honor but give praise and glory to God. We know that the contribution we can make by ourselves is small; nevertheless, as we exercise the power of the priesthood in righteousness, God can cause a great and marvelous work to come forth through our efforts. We must learn, as Moses did, that “man is nothing” by himself but that “with God all things are possible.”

Whether you're dealing with a person holding the priesthood, or the spouse of that person who is doing the "inhaling," President Uchtdorf puts this in perspective: "Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on."

(5) What's a snob to do?

So what do we do about being a Church snob? Or how we do deal with Church snobs? President Uchtdorf provided this perfect example of how we can put our callings and responsibilities into perspective:

"I once owned a pen that I loved to use during my career as an airline captain. By simply turning the shaft, I could choose one of four colors. The pen did not complain when I wanted to use red ink instead of blue. It did not say to me, “I would rather not write after 10:00 p.m., in heavy fog, or at high altitudes.” The pen did not say, “Use me only for important documents, not for the daily mundane tasks.” With greatest reliability it performed every task I needed, no matter how important or insignificant. It was always ready to serve.

"In a similar way we are tools in the hands of God. When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work."

I think that's the real secret to all of this. We need to choose to be humble. Be yourself. Don't change and try to become someone you're not. The Lord did not say to Peter, James, and John, "Let me follow you." He said, "Come, follow me." So, all of us are in fact, followers and there is but one leader.

In the words of President Ezra Taft Benson, “God will have a humble people. … ‘Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.’

There may be more to this discussion, and points that I've missed or hadn't thought about, but this is just a major pet peeve of mine (ours) and so this may just be a good start to a meaningful, discussion and self-evaluation.