Civility

While going through several of my draft blog posts, I found this one that I wrote shortly after the last General Conference. I thought it was time to share it.

I wasn't going to do it! I was going to stay out of the fray and let other battle out their very deeply held convictions and feelings about a certain talk at General Conference. I have resisted. I have ignored Facebook group requests and postings by friends on both sides of the issue. But, I can't any longer. I am tired of the lack of civility in discussing anything.

Elder Boyd K. Packer's latest General Conference Address (text link coming soon) has caused quite the stir. I'm not going to comment upon my opinions about it other than saying I was not offended by it and found it a well prepared, well thought out civil discourse. There was nothing hateful, mean, spiteful or said as a personal attack. While all may not share his opinion (Even I don't subscribe to everything he said), he did not present them in a way that degraded people.

Why then do we have to debase ourselves in uncivilized discussions? Why do we resort to ad hominem attacks at each other. I'm not complaining about just those that oppose what he said, but those that are in support as well. Why can we not accept that when someone thinks differently than us, they are not necessarily stating that we are bad and evil?

Civil discussion is the only way that we will begin to bridge the gaps, heal the wounds and move forward.