Sundaes and Sundays

Ah, the classic mormonad about purifying our media and getting the "bugs" out of the deliciousness of the "worldly" side of our lives. Funny though, I was thinking this morning how this picture and phrase very much applies to exactly how I feel about the church and many things within the church.

 "Sure the church is great, except for.... well ALL of those  bugs!" 

Right now I currently feel that attending church is a similar experience. I feel as if attending church can be like eating a bowl of ice cream, sure! I'll be the first to admit that there can be some pretty good church experiences out there and even a good meaningful talk once in a while that gets deep. There are plenty of opportunities for service and selflessness, kindness and friendship, spirituality and deep thoughts... But then there's all of the bugs in that bowl of ice cream - Joseph Smith's many problems for one, the Book of Mormon's many problems, the Book of Abraham's many problems, the flawed youth & child's programs, all of the repetitiveness in the church to the point it becomes excessive and at times appears to be brainwashing. 

There comes a point when you just simply CAN'T eat the ice cream around the bugs due to the sheer number of bugs. We've all had a floaty or two in our drinks we ignored, or a sandwich we still ate at a picnic even though an ant or fly crawled on it, or a piece of candy that fell on the floor that happened to be the last one so we couldn't pass it up.... But when that sandwich becomes infested with cockroaches, there is not a chance I, or anyone with a sane mind, would eat it. The church, my friends, has become, and perhaps always was, infested with cockroaches.

Sure I want to raise my kids to be good, moral people who love their neighbors and appreciate the meaning of serving others and I suppose the church does raise children to be good, moral people who love their neighbors and appreciate the meaning of service to some extent, but I feel like I would be more effective at teaching my future children these principles on my own, without exposing them to the number of pests the church has to offer in it's "Sundae" experience.