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I was at church yesterday and the bishop spoke. The topic was the Sabbath and he began by quoting many past church leaders, starting with Joseph Fielding Smith (a prophet I deeply dislike due to his super harsh writings) and going on from there, all about how what we wear is so essential. White shirt and tie, women in neat, modest skirts and dresses, no flip-flops, no casual shirts. Then he went on to say how napping or relaxing on the Sabbath is inappropriate, how we need to be doing good and doing more good and anything less is making a mockery of a sacred day. We also aren't good enough coming to church - we have to come and focus and learn and take notes etc. He called the ward to repentance and said we don't love God if we don't utilize the Sabbath in this way.
Those things really struck a nerve.
I wear dress pants to church and am a woman. I allow my kids to wear nice clothes but don't force the white shirt and tie. I don't like flip-flops but I do wear sandals in the summer. I nap sometimes. Sometimes my family and I do an activity. Sometimes we get some yard or house work done because we are busy, my husband works a ton of overtime and we have things that need to get done. I also have been sporadic in my church attendance because I have been working out my feelings toward the church. I have landed on the side of stepping away from the church and having no calling or assignment, although I go occasionally to support my husband. The bishop's talk, while irritating, didn't matter to me because I don't care too much about how the bishop sees me anymore. But my kids felt bad. And the investigators with the missionaries felt bad - one even got up mid-talk and left, wearing his blue jeans and t-shirt. And a lady in RS felt bad as she cried about how stressful her life is and how she always napped on Sunday but now knows she needs to repent. And I'm sure many others felt bad who also use the Sabbath to rejuvenate themselve.
I hate when people feel they have the right to gatekeep how other people live the gospel.