Trusting Institutions

Trusting Institutions

By Bill Zimmerman

While discussing the new Comprehensive Sex Education standards (CSE) and a new bill that was making its way through the Idaho legislative process last month with my wife, Stephanie, I made a comment that apparently struck a chord with her and Mila Wood. Because I opened my big mouth and expressed an interesting opinion they asked me to share it. (That’ll teach me!) So, here’s my thought:

Part of Stephanie’s frustration last month was the lack of involvement and seeming lack of concern by parents about what their children are taught all day in public school – in too many cases, even concerning sex ed. Of further concern is that, in general, members of our faith (we’re members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) aren’t really any more involved in publicly defending the family and parental rights against government intrusion than anyone else, even though the Church strongly teaches and defends the doctrine of the family as central to God’s plan of happiness for all of us as His children.

In response, I reminded Stephanie that one of the reasons (this is NOT an excuse, by the way, but simply a reason) that members of the Church are generally slow to actively and publicly get involved in grass-roots political efforts and awareness is that the Church enjoys a positive, well-earned reputation among its membership as an honest, well-run, effectively managed large organization. It goes without saying that nearly no other world-wide organization of the scale, size, and scope of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has maintained a reputation over so many decades of recent history as equally untarnished and trusted in the eyes of its adherents. Because of that, it’s all too easy members of the Church to project a similar level of (undeserved) trust in other institutions with which we interact – including government of all sizes, all the way down to local school boards and administrations.

While it’s one thing to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and complete confidence in the leadership of the Church, as members we need to be careful not to convey too much confidence in any other institution – especially those affecting our individual and family liberty, parental rights, and our children’s well-being.