Oxymoron: Religious and Liberal

In today's society, it seems being religious means you are conservative and being liberal means you are not religious.  But that's not necessarily true.

City of Cambridge Seal

I want to explain how I am both religious and liberal.

I was raised as a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but I was raised in Cambridge, MA, one of the most liberal cities in the world.  I went to church every Sunday but I also went to inner-city public schools and was part of a gymnastics/hip-hop group called Jam'nastics.

My parents took us to church every Sunday and held family home evening every Monday teaching by word and example about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how to be accepting of other people's differences.

Parental Background

My dad throwing someone in an Aikido practice.

My dad was a hippie in the 60's.  He lived on Haight-Ashbury (a street in SF that was the center of the hippie movement), played the guitar, and started studying Aikido, a Japanese non-violent self defense martial art. My whole family has done this martial art. My mother still practices regularly and I practice with her when I am home. He got baptized after his sister, a then-recent convert, introduced him to the Church.

He was very true to the Church and at the same time very true to his beliefs about harmony, peace, and tolerance.

My mother was raised in the interesting city of Detroit. I dislike this city very much. It is still full of racism and horrible class divisions, which is interesting since it was home to the large Motown movement and lots of industry. She did not like it much either.  She left as soon as should was able for California, attending San Jose State and St. Mary's College.

She is very outspoken and stands up for what she believes in.

My parents never told us what to think. They taught us by example and when we had something that was questionable they would ask questions in order to understand better and see what we were thinking.

Religious Shift

Growing up I wasn't the most stalwart Mormon, to say the least.

I was pretty crazy in middle school and high school. I embraced the inner-city high school life. I was an athlete and a pretty good student but I had some pretty crazy friends and we had a lot of fun. Through all of this I went to church every Sunday, learning gospel principles but not really putting them into practice.

When I was deciding where to go to college I just applied to Brigham Young University to apply. I got into a bunch of schools but for some reason I went to BYU.

It was the right move.

In doing so I decided to shift my life to be in accordance with the standards of Church, which was something of an adjustment.

I love BYU. I love the fact that I went on a two year mission to Mexico City. I love my beautiful wife I met here three and a half years ago and married six months ago today.  None of which would have happened if I hadn't come to BYU.

Honor

My father was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer my junior year of high school.  He passed away seven years ago, in May. This has given me lots of perspective; on life, on the importance of families, on how to cherish our time here, and on the eternities.

It has also made me feel responsible to live true to his name, since I am Philip E. Pare Jr. I must live as a faithful member of the Church and also be a voice of reason and tolerance.

Today

I walk around BYU with my flat-brim Boston hats. I drive around Provo with my hip-hop music blaring from my ipod. I attend classes and try to convey alternative views to issues opposed to the purely religious conservative viewpoint.

I teach Sunday School to the youth in my ward and try to use my many life experiences to teach them how to be happy in their lives. 

I still love all my boys from high school. I hang out with them whenever I'm home. I try to show them that not all Mormons are snobby rich kids from Belmont (cough, cough, Romney) or polygamists from Utah (cough, cough, every stereotype about Mormons).

Final Thoughts

I have strong beliefs. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in the Book of Mormon. I believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe that we can all progress in this life and help others to do so as well.

I do not believe in imposing my beliefs on others.

I believe that people can make choices and decide for themselves. I sometimes invite other people to do things but that is it. I don't think the government should enforce my beliefs, except stuff like the no homicide and theft, things that could possibly take away my freedoms.

The most important principle taught in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is charity. If one can truly implement this principle in their life they can understand that we can be open to other people's ideas even if we do not agree with them. And we can learn from them.

I'm striving to do this in my life and hope to continue to do so.