What is a Soul Worth?

I’ve been asked numerous times what drew me to Community of Christ. First and foremost is the fact that I have a strong belief in the restoration. There have always been certain things that I cannot deny because of my own prayers and witness. While I knew I could look elsewhere and had, I felt the need to investigate Community of Christ. It was maybe a year ago that I finally caved in and pulled of the official website and looked at it. There was one item that stuck with me and left me thinking about it. It is found in the Enduring Principals. It’s a header titled Worth of All Persons. 

Now I know this isn’t a unique idea. Having taught Young Women’s and learned various Janice Kapp Perry songs there was one specific that came to mind. The song titled “I Am of Infinite Worth”. The lyrics of the chorus state: For I am of worth, of infinite worth. My Savior Redeemer loves me. Yes, I am of worth, of infinite worth. I’ll be all he wants me to be. I will praise him, I will serve him, I will grow in his love, and fulfill my divine destiny. Now there’s nothing wrong with these lyrics. They are actually quite nice. The overall song talks about how you know you are of worth because of what Christ has done for you. 

Here is the problem I’ve always had with this song and the premise it appears to teach. I’m of worth only because of what Christ has done for me. But that doesn’t feel quite right to me. What about all the people before Christ walked the earth? Do they have zero worth because Christ had not come yet? Now the LDS Church teaches about temples and work for the dead. This work is done and we are told it is up to those on the other side to accept it or not. I’ve participated in temple work and had some really neat experiences. I’ve also had times where I was baptized by proxy for 20 names that all were apparently men which is a no-no for a woman. When I tried to say it didn’t feel right I was told they’d investigate are redo the ordinance if the names were indeed men. I felt very little worth right then. 

The first bullet point under this header is “God views all people as having inestimable and equal worth.” There is no mention of it being because of what Christ did for us. It’s just point blank that everyone has equal and inestimable worth. There is a lot of power in this statement. It lets us know that God does not hold any one person or religion higher than any other. That the Divine loves us all no matter what because it is in that divinity we are each created. This is one of my favorite statements in the whole of Community of Christ.

The next bullet point is “God wants all people to experience wholeness of body, mind, spirit, and relationships.” This is probably the one that had me most frustrated. With my health issues the idea of wholeness of body is frustrating. My body is fairly broken. But then I realized that wholeness of body does not equal perfection of body. A wholeness of body is being able to accept the body that you are given with all its flaws. I also thought about all those people who live with mental health issues like schizophrenia. I have no doubt they’d love to have wholeness of mind. Then I look at my husband who lives with schizophrenia and he takes his medicine as it’s prescribed and he studies religion. He loves to learn about new things. While his mind may not be whole to some people, it’s whole to him because he is able to use it to the fullness that is within his capabilities. Wholeness of spirit is perhaps an easier one as you can find that wholeness by communing with the Divine and gaining a greater understanding of the teachings of all religions. As someone who has been through divorce, wholeness of relationships has been something I’ve always wanted. It isn’t easy to find that wholeness and it takes a lot of work by all involved. But it is so worth it.

The third bullet point states “We seek to uphold and restore the worth of all people individually and in community, challenging unjust systems that diminish human worth.” I was pretty broken by the time I started attending Community of Christ. It was hard to sit in some of the lessons because I’d had scripture used as a weapon against me. Yet through discussion and fellowship I started to feel as if I was healing. I’m not completely healed, but I am well on my way. And in my current state I want to reach out to others and help them to heal as well. It also means that when I see people being treated unjustly by a system and having their worth undermined that I need to speak out and do what I can to uplift, love, and encourage those same people.

The last bullet point states “We join with Jesus Christ in bringing good news to the poor, sick, captive, and oppressed.” As Community of Christ doesn’t actively proselytized as the LDS Church does I was confused by this idea. How on earth do they spread the good news? Then I experienced Manna Bags. These are the bags you see showing up on Pinterest and other social media sights as plastic bags with goods for the homeless. As members of the congregation we went to a park downtown that is known for its homeless population. We passed out these bags and were shocked at how many people we came into contact with that day. It felt like we didn’t even reach half the people there that day. There were so many in need. But it also helped me to realize that sometimes all people need to know is that someone cares. That is part of the good news.

 
It is nice to know that worth isn’t based on a list of questions. That you don’t need to be perfect (or seemingly perfect) to be worthy in God’s eyes. It’s nice not to have to meet with church leaders and have them determine if you are a worthy member. To be trusted to do what you can and it be enough. To not have to feel horrible because of that one cup of coffee you had that day your headache was reaching migraine status. It’s also a wonderful feeling to not have your worth judged by your clothing choices (which in the LDS world are noticed if you can or cannot wear temple garments). It is empowering to know that no matter what mistakes I make that the Divine has already recognized my worth and I just need to be who I was created to be.