Choose UNITY, Establish ZION

On an occasion recorded in the ninth chapter of Luke, the recently called apostles approached their leader about something that had been troubling them. A short time earlier, they witnessed a man performing acts of kindness and power in the name of Christ. This bothered them because, as they reported to Jesus, “he followeth not with us.” John

explained (perhaps expecting a congratulatory pat on the back) to his beloved leader that he promptly informed the man that he was not allowed to do such things because he was not “with us.” As was so often the case, Jesus patiently taught his short-sighted apostles a great lesson: “Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us.”

This message—he that is not against us is for us—is desperately needed today. Regardless of religious background, ethnicity, or circumstances, we would each benefit individually and collectively from adopting such a unifying paradigm. Deliberately choosing unity produces a calming and reassuring influence capable of drowning out the ever-increasing voices of contention and discord echoing loudly from political leaders and the media.

Replacing the natural tendency to segregate between “us” and “not with us” with a paradigm of unity may be accomplished by adopting a more inclusive definition of “us.” Rather than focusing on the various ways that we are not the same—a practice that has a cancerous dividing influence—we should choose to focus on the many noble and / or human things we do share. These might include where we live, beliefs, goals, family values, professional aspirations, or definitions of happiness and success, to name just a few. The healing and edifying effect of choosing to increase the size of whatever “us” with which we associate can be even more powerful than then divisive influence of a separatist mentality.

Paul, who had a unique perspective about being excluded from the “us” of Christianity, provided a powerful example and profound teachings about unity. In one of his letters, he attributed much of his success to his deliberate choice to be “all things to all men.” Because he adopted a unity paradigm, Paul was able to develop meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life with unprecedented success. In another letter, Paul used a simple metaphor to encourage people to work synergistically rather than succumb to the natural inclination to work in isolation. Paul explained that together, we are like a body and, unless we learn to work in harmony and synchronization, we will always live far beneath our privileges and potential.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we talk a lot about Zion and we look forward to the long awaited day when Zion exists on earth once more. I'd like to propose that the most effective way to advance the cause of Zion is to become united with our neighbors despite our religious and political differences rather than by trying to persuade

them to join our church. This is not only possible, it is extremely important. I believe the citizenship of Zion will grow not because more people will be baptized into the church but because, eventually, more members of the church will humble themselves and become united with the millions of righteous, charitable people around the globe who are not members of the church.

It is almost certain the world around us will continue to choose to be divided over every issue imaginable. Fortunately, we have the potential to rise above and reject this trend! As those who claim to be among God's chosen people, it is imperative that we take a leading role in this unifying effort. We can do this by making a conscious decision to seek unity instead of division, and by teaching the rising generation (by example) to reject anything that leads to new divisions or fuels existing divisions. WE—all of US—can do it!