MORMONISM: REDEFINING HAPPINESS

MORMONISM: REDEFINING HAPPINESS

By Max Crapo

One of the axioms of Mormonism is thus quoted “Wickedness never was happiness.”  Like most axioms there is a fair amount of truth in the statement.  For people with a highly developed sense of empathy, causing harm to another does bring with it considerable emotional pain.  I remember as a child getting into the occasional fist fight, as children sometimes do, over often quite silly reasons.  Invariably I lost those fights because bringing myself to hit another person was difficult for me. Hurting others is something I’ve never enjoyed.  I personally define wickedness as “deliberately causing harm to another.” Mormonism however, has a different definition.

I remember attending church one day when a lovely woman stood up and said, “I know that if I can live the gospel with perfection, I will be happy.” With sudden clarity, I knew this woman was desperately unhappy. She was kind, empathetic, and a wonderful human being. What possible reason could she have for unhappiness? Her children and mine were good friends and often played together. It took me several years before I was finally able to recognize the source of her unhappiness. 

“As we seek to be happy, we should remember that the only way to real happiness is to live the gospel. We will find peaceful, eternal happiness as we strive to keep the commandments, pray for strength, repent of our sins, participate in wholesome activities, and give meaningful service.”   --LDS.org “Happiness”

“Living the Gospel” is Mormon code-speak for strict obedience to the rules, regulations, commandments, and teachings of Mormonism.

Webster defines happiness this way :

“a :  a state of well-being and contentment :  joy”

“b :  a pleasurable or satisfying experience”

There is a serious disconnect between these two definitions. Webster describes an emotional state.  Mormonism describes a state which is conditional on meeting a set of requirements. Happiness is no longer something that occurs but becomes something that must be earned.

When a Mormon tells you that he/she is happy, what they are really saying is that they are “living the Gospel.” Their emotional state is irrelevant. They can be desperately depressed, angry, or frustrated, but because they are doing their best to “live the gospel” they are by (the Mormon) definition, “happy.”

A recent study shows that antidepressant usage among Utahns is the highest in the nation. 
From the Los Angeles Times article “Study Finds Utah Leads Nation in Antidepressant Use” October 9, 2002.

“Antidepressant drugs are prescribed in Utah more often than in any other state, at a rate nearly twice the national average.”

“Other states with high antidepressant use were Maine and Oregon. Utah's rate of antidepressant use was twice the rate of California and nearly three times the rates in New York and New Jersey, the study showed.”

 “Utah also leads the nation in the use of narcotic painkillers such as codeine and morphine-based drugs, the study found, and is ranked seventh in total prescriptions overall. Kentucky ranked first.”

Mormonism is a belief system with a convoluted set of requirements. One of the problems with these requirements is that there is no clear set of rules, and often rules contradict each other.  This leads to a condition known as “double-bind”; a state where one must deal with two conflicting imperatives and no way of resolving the contradiction. In layman terms, you are “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” The “double-bind” is well understood as a significant cause of depression and frustration.

The double-bind has a time honored example taking place in the mythological Garden of Eden.  The First Commandment given in the Garden of Eden is to “not partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  The second commandment was to go forth and replenish the earth, a commandment which couldn't be fulfilled without breaking the first commandment.  Then what does God do?  He says, “in the day thou partaketh thereof, thou shalt surely die.”  Furthermore, in the classic double-bind model, the victim is prevented from asking for clarification.  In this example, what is the next thing God does?  He goes away for a time, preventing Adam and Eve from asking for clarification.

Here is an example a little more subtle in nature; modesty.  Girls are taught they are responsible for boys’ thoughts.  It is impossible for anyone to control another’s thoughts.  If a girl is assaulted, it is her fault because she caused the boy’s bad thoughts.  The double-bind exists because she is tasked with controlling something she has no control over; another’s thoughts.

In Mormonism the greatest double-bind occurs because of the scriptural requirement for perfection. “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” 2^nd Nephi 12:48.  This also mirrors the biblical requirement found in Matthew 5:48. When there are conflicting commandments, the requirement for perfection is impossible.  

When coupled with the definition of Mormon “Happiness”, where in order to be happy one must “live the gospel” the requirement for perfection sets up a mental trap. One is always “falling short”; perfection is out of reach, and so then is “true happiness.” For a Mormon, the process of exaltation (achieving the highest degree of glory in the Celestial Kingdom) requires “earning your way into heaven” which means constantly striving “for perfection.”

It also places a Mormon in the unenviable state of not being permitted to admit to unhappiness. To admit to being unhappy is tantamount to admitting to sin. After all, if one is “living the gospel” then one is by definition, “happy.”

Happiness as re-defined by Mormonism is a lever of control. The reward for “living the gospel” isn’t happiness; it’s slavery.  Striving for perfection is not a path to happiness, it is doing your level best to live your life to another’s ideal. “Wickedness never was happiness” but in the Mormon lexicon “wickedness” is defined in terms far beyond “deliberately causing harm to another.” Wickedness is defined in terms of your sexual behavior, specific dietary regulations, obedience to Mormon leader’s dictates, daring to question dubious history, and challenges to the power of Mormon patriarchy. 

Wickedness, in Mormonism’s strictest definition is “disobedience to Mormon Leadership.”