Talking Past Each Other - Still
In recent days, there’s been something of a brouhaha in the Trib about Bobbie Coray’s proposal to cover bottles of liquor so non-drinkers (which in Utah is usually read to mean Mormons) won’t be offended at the sight of alcohol.
As usual, the Utah religious divide has been alive and well in the discussion. Alcohol - more than almost anything else - seems to be the flashpoint where Utahns can’t get along or even manage to stay civil.
The usual scripts have all been in place and generously repeated in the comments section. The usual LDS rhetoric about the horrific results of alcohol consumption and claims of moral certainty have run into the usual non-LDS rhetoric about responsible alochol consumption. As usual both sides in the debate have been talking past one another.
I think this debate is much more difficult for Mormons than non-Mormons. To reach any understanding of the non-Mormon ideas, Mormons have to surrender a key concept - the idea of alcohol as a moral question.
Non Mormons are able to more or less easily put the question of alochol into the context of “health and responsibility” - alcoholism is unhealthy, not immoral. Regular, moderate consumption of wine is a healthy choice. If one is going to drink, a responsible choice is not driving.
Such thinking, however, is alien to Mormons for whom the issue is primarily one of morality - within the Mormon context alcohol consumption is immoral and the breaking of a moral code leads naturally to negative outcomes. When faithful Mormons engage people who imbibe in conversations about alcohol, they are literally speaking different languages. What’s more, faithful Mormons, when encountering the language of health and responsibility, often experience such language as a dismissal of their moral concerns.
One side in the debate is literally talking about right and wrong while the other is talking about making healthy choices. There is almost no point at which they can connect and have meaningful dialog.
In Friday’s tribune, an individual who is obviously so Mormon it makes your butt hurt, recited a litany of the horrors caused by alcohol consumption. For this person, it was clear that there could be no reasonable, responsible way to drink alcohol.
As usual, the nons who drink talked about making responsible choices, talked about health issues. For the awfulized commenter, however, such messages might as well have been written in Coptic.
And so the conversation continues with both sides talking past one another, reciting the usual monologues believing for no reason that at some magical point, their respective ideas will penetrate the other side’s consciousness and transform the debate.
November 5th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Christ taught “Judge not that ye be not judged”. We Mormons (hopefully me NOT included) seem to have missed the finer points of this teaching. Maybe it’s because we’re jealous that everyone’s having more fun than us that we keep trying to enforce our morals on those who don’t see eye to eye with us? But seriously, I don’t understand how adherents of a faith (including radical Muslims) feel like it is their job to enforce how everyone else–including those who don’t believe as they do–live. We sure aren’t winning brownie points from those we are trying to convert by acting that way.
On the other side of the coin, I don’t appreciate the occasional display of ‘lack of sportsmanship’ from those who do drink when they taunt those of us who don’t (usually it is because of their alcohol-induced stupor that they do this, but it is aggravating just the same). And I get ticked off when DUIers get off with little or no punishment.
I agree that it would be better to discuss this issue from a health perspective rather than from a holier-than-thou moral perspective.
In a nutshell, the world would be a much better place if we could respect each others’ beliefs rather than chastising them because they’re not just like us.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I enjoyed your article. It has been ironic that I am being branded as the person who wants liquor to be covered when indeed I was trying to address the awkward Utah laws. And because I was brave enough to say that the laws needed to be changed and then was misunderstood by one paper…the other got it right, there have been over 400 hateful responses..I think this is an all time record. By the way, I’ve personally answered every one that came to my e-mail and have written a letter to the editor.
This has a life of its own independent of the truth!
Bobbie Coray
November 5th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
The thing that always boggles me is Jesus drank wine, and lots of it. How can Mormons claim to be followers of Jesus if they don’t take a dang drink of wine from time to time?
Or maybe they do ….
November 5th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Couldn’t we just put a nice Koozie over our booze? Maybe with a nice scripture printed on it, perhaps with something from the beginning of the second chapter of John?
November 7th, 2007 at 9:43 am
LDS teachings also say you can’t drink “hot drinks” or Caffiene….can’t tell you how many Mormons break THAT rule!!! They serve hot chocolate at church gatherings! Maybe they should cover up all caffiene products too, it seems they have a much bigger problem with their members following that rule.