Don't judge the past based on today

I just read an article about George Washington owning slaves.

Yes he did. As did many others of that time. 

Was it right? No. And I'm not going to try to justify it based on the culture, attitudes, expectations, etc. of that time. Nor will I condemn the person (in this case George Washington) and say he was a bad man just because his knowledge, understanding, values, etc. were different.

But, we need to be careful about judging people who lived 200, 100, or even 50 years ago using our present day understanding, knowledge, ethics, and values.

Think about this. In 200 years, how will you be judged based on who knows what ethics, values, standards, etc. society will have at that time? The morals and values of society are fickle, often influenced by those who want control and power over the people.

For some reason too many people feel justified in condemning others because of past imperfections, misdeeds, trespasses, etc. Even if that person has changed their life and turned it around for the better, there are too many people who will not let the past stay in the past. Too many people refuse to accept the fact that people can change.

We can acknowledge that people aren't perfect and we all make mistakes.

But we need to recognize that most people do far more good than bad and we should be applauding that.

What is the best way to get a child to do what is right? You model the behavior. You encourage the positive, desired behavior. You may need to discipline when the undesired happens, but you don't focus on it. More attention, praise, recognition, and acknowledgement needs to be given on the good if that is the direction you want to raise a child.

Only one man lived a perfect life, and even he was criticized, demonized, and eventually killed by those opposed to the commandments, standards, and values set by God. Those in power and control felt threatened by his teachings. Even today there are those who want to throw out God's commandments because they threaten the new social norms, morals, values, and accepted behavior.

To all those who want to condemn past misdeeds and wrongs, particularly those which happened over 100 years ago, I paraphrase the Master's statement to the scribes and Pharisees who brought to him a woman taken in the act of adultery, "He [or she] that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone"

We need to stop judging the past based on today. We even judge our own lives today based on our past.

In our own lives we frequently don't do something because we tried something similar in the past and it didn't work, so why try? We expect failure because that's what happened in the past. We mistakenly (and subconsciously) believe how we were in the past is how we will always be. And we carry that attitude and belief system and apply it to others, mistakenly believing others can't change. We may tell ourselves people can change, but we don't really believe it or we don't want to believe it.

Those who are dead can't change their lives. The best we can do is acknowledge the wrongs they did, and recognize and appreciate all the good. Learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them. But also learn from the good they did and improve on that.

People can change. It may not be easy. It may not be quick. But change can happen. The most important change we can experience is in our own lives.

The Savior's atonement is about new beginnings. It is becoming a new person.

We think of repentance as just turning away from sin. But repentance is more than that.

In the Greek New Testament the Greek word that is translated as "repentance" has a compound meaning that combines "after, with" and "to perceive, to think, the result of perceiving or observing."  The combination of time and change attributes give the word a new meaning where it becomes a change of mind, a change of conduct, a change of direction. In other areas of the scriptures we read similar statements that talk of a change in mind and heart.

What American needs is repentance. We need a change of mind and heart. But that change cannot come by looking at the past and focusing on those wrongs. We need to learn from the past, but leave it behind us as we move into a better future. 

But lasting change can only happen if we change back to a constant, unchanging standard on which to moor society's values and morals. God's morals and laws are the only unchanging thing we can go to. Society's values and morals are frequently changing and if we rely on man's knowledge to define our change, we will see continuous change that further degenerates our society. 

Our past brought us to the present, but the past does not define our future unless we let it. Unless we allow the past to bind us to the limitations of looking behind, at the wrongs that have past. It is very difficult to press forward when your focus is behind.

And that is the problem with the whole movement to right past wrongs by tearing down statues, vilifying those who are dead, and focusing on all the wrongs of the past.

I believe there is actually a sinister plan by those in power, and those in control behind the visible power figures. If they can sufficiently discredit, vilify, demonize, the founding fathers of America by pointing out all their faults, misdeeds, failures, and wrongs--while skipping over the good they did--then what they did can be discredited. This provides the rationalization and justification to denounce all they did, including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. They will claim "systemic racism" and other problems stem from what the founding fathers did and in order to correct those wrongs we need to correct (or throw out) the Constitution. 

There are only two paths of change we can go. If our change is based on society's ever-changing and degenerating morals and values, then that will be reflected in the country. If change is to return to God and the Gospel as taught and exemplified by the Savior, then the change can be more constant and lasting