Dean

Bingo! Bear testimony, don’t share life story

TINA DEAN DEA05004@BYUI.EDU little miss thang

Good morning. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Tina Dean. The topic I would like to write about today is clichés in the Latter-day Saint culture. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but there are some things that just really bring me to tears, like the fact that Seth Graham, a senior from Sheboygan, Wis., can play what he calls “testimony bingo” during fast and testimony meeting.

“The concept started back in high school,” Graham said. “We noticed that pretty soon it was not fast and testimony meeting anymore, it was just an open-mic night.”

Bingo cards, labeled: “too much information” and “false doctrine” assisted Graham in classifying travel logs, misquoted scriptures and promotions of the latest LDS novels.

I propose three things to do to avoid scoring a blackout. First, our testimonies should be timely. Our purpose in bearing our testimony is to declare publicly our personal knowledge of the reality of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. All statements or experiences should center on this one truth. This is the Lord’s precious time that we’re given to strengthen and affirm our testimonies of Him through others. We cannot afford to waste a minute and should allow as many as possible to express their beliefs.

Secondly, our testimonies should be sincere. Our motives should never be to impress a member of the congregation, regardless of how cute he or she might be. Despite the truth that trite or obvious phrases may hold, these truths would be better conveyed in our own words. Although it is not always bad to speak in familiar terms, speaking from our hearts will ensure that we do not use common phrases repetitively.

Finally, we should prepare to articulate our testimonies. Sufficient time should be taken to organize thoughts so that they can be expressed succinctly. We are given three weeks to prepare for this unique opportunity, and should use this time to contemplate what the Spirit has taught us and what He would like us to share with others.

Our system of speaking from the pulpit is not the customary way of teaching. We are not a sermonizing people. Instead, we are each given the equal opportunity to stand before one another and testify of our Savior. Too often a lack of consideration for what is said from the pulpit causes offense. A proper respect for what testimony meetings represent would deter such comments, shorten testimonies, center our comments on Christ, and invite the ultimate Teacher to reach the hearts of our listeners.