The Covenant Path has become a favorite way for church leaders to refer to the way back home, to the Celestial Kingdom. Most recently this path was very clearly defined by Elder Christofferson in the last General Conference. The phrase is used extensively now, maybe even more frequently than Hastening the Work, which seems to be slowing down in usage.
I can certainly support making and keeping sacred covenants. But it is very easy to focus almost entirely on the covenants themselves to the exclusion of what the covenants point to.
There is a well-known story, among the Buddhists, of the Buddha pointing to the moon. His disciples end up focusing more on the Buddha’s finger than they did on the moon itself. Of course, they need to look at the finger to see the moon, but the finger is a mere pointer, it is not the moon. A person who mistakes the finger for the moon sees neither the real moon nor the finger.
So it is with our journey back home. Covenants point us where to go, but they are not themselves where we are going. Where they point to, in my opinion, is an utter transformation of our natures into Christlike beings.
Elder Christofferson’s talk alluded to becoming more Christlike and more loving as a result of keeping covenants, but these were really parenthetical references. The main thrust of the talk was the covenants themselves, and that the keeping of these covenants will help steer us clear of unwise choices that lead to more grief and less happiness. No argument there, of course. But there is a larger view.
We could think of the Covenant Path as the Iron Rod, and the Tree of Life as our destination. The institutional church itself is intimately tied up with the iron rod, and in fact it is the custodian, as it were, of the iron rod. So it is only natural that the church focusses on the iron rod. Not that the tree of life is ignored, it is perhaps just not seen as essential for the stage where most of us are, here in mortality. The tree of life is in the hereafter, in the great beyond.
What difference does it make? Maybe all the difference in the world. Covenants of course involve obedience. But obedience in and of itself is not the fruit we seek. The instructions for how to build a house are not the house. So yes, we have to follow the instructions to get that house, but the instructions by themselves don´t do much for us.
The iron rod/ covenants can lead us to becoming a Christlike person, or a Buddha for that matter. But just holding to the rod doesn’t get us there. We need be actively engaged in the theory and practice of charity, if we are to experience that kind of love. The iron rod keeps us away from harmful distractions, no doubt about it. But just holding on to the rod literally gets us nowhere. You have to move forward, and you have to have your eyes on the prize.
The Church is not without its opportunities for service, and thus engagement in the practice of charity. That has been a critical part of my life in the Church. But in terms of what has been taught in formal church settings during my life, my sense is that it has been much more focused on obedience and the keeping of covenants, than it is on obtaining the love of Christ. Which I think is unfortunate because our scriptures do have a lot to say about this love, and we could all be learning so much more. I could use a way bigger dose of it myself. A dose that could in fact help me to cross the straight and narrow path just a little more often, in the spirit of the J. Golden Kimball quote cited by Elder Christofferson.
Image by Patricia Alexandre from Pixabay
Wheat & Tares 
I think you could also tie in the koan, “If you meet the bhudda, kill the bhudda.,” which for the unfamiliar could be (simplistically) interpreted as when a symbol becomes more important than what it symbolizes, perhaps it’s time to replace the symbol. Thank you for your thoughts.
I believe that the church is not the custodian of the “iron rod” because the iron rod is the word of God. But it isn’t the word of God from leaders and teachers it is the actual word of God to us. Which of course we can sometimes hear when leaders or teachers are speaking to us. However, we have to be careful to not confuse the Spirit speaking to us with the leader. When we follow the Spirit it leads us to the Tree of Life.
A well written short essay on the path leading to the destination. Both are inter- related, but it is the destination which is the goal of the journey, with the path being the route to the same.
Right on, Allison. Great piece BB.
cachemagic –I should have said “a custodian of the iron rod”. Within the universe of mormonism, I think church leaders would totally view themselves as THE custodians.
I personally don’t care about the “Tree of Life” or Nirvana or the Celestial KIngdom (or the highest sub-Kingdom in the Celestial). It will be what it will be. I’m skeptical about all heavenly utopias.
What I do care about is the Iron Rod. Church leaders believe that the Church is The Iron Rod. The Iron Rod being the word of God (or so the hymn goes). For me, there are many Iron Rods. Each individual perhaps has his own. I don’t like the way leaders spend the Church’s money. My Iron Rod takes me on a path of trying to help the poor. Which I personally feel is the gist of Christ’s message. So instead of giving my tithe to the Church, I assist the poor. Instead of cleaning the Chapel and setting up chairs, I choose to use whatever skills I have to further my assistance efforts. It’s not a path for everyone, but it works for me. And its fun when my family and friends help. It also jives well with my wander lust. Each of us needs to find our own Iron Rod.
The “covenant path” is a phrase which church leaders use to try to control people who have been baptized or who have been to the temple. It is a guilt based approach premised upon an earlier promise, one which people likely made before they understood what it all meant. No one, especially eight year olds, know the covenants they supposedly made at baptism. The same is true for first-time temple attenders, who make promises long before they understand the full implications. “Guilting” people on the basis of old promises, compelling them to obey the leaders, is a very negative way of doing business. Inspiring people to stay on the path would be a higher road for the church to take.
Yesterday while on a walk in the neighborhood, I came across this stencil on the sidewalk in red paint: “You Have Come This Far”.
The blessed vandal that did this didn’t know the reader’s point of origin or their destination. You Have Come This Far. They didn’t know the age or experience of the reader. You Have Come This Far. They didn’t know if the reader would be running, pushing a stroller, or, like me, slowly and painfully hobbling along with the aid of a cane. You Have Come This Far. What was on the reader’s mind or in their heart.
You Have Come This Far.
I was a bit struck. I felt gratitude, peace, hope, comfort, and acceptance.
That is what a covenant path should feel like.
Sadly, the church’s covenant path does not feel that way for me. It brings anxiety – a constant feeling of falling short and not doing enough. I’ll own the part of that that is on me. But we must acknowledge the institution’s role in using the covenant path as both a carrot and a stick – often a big stick.
We may disagree about the extent to which the path is divinely inspired versus a tool for defining and engendering compliance. But for most of us, the last personal covenant was ticked off at an early age. For me, marriage and sealing took place in 1983 at age 22. The next personal ordinance is the dedication of my grave. Until then, a whole lot of you’re not doing it right and good job, now do more. The future checkpoints (tollbooths?) on the path are couched in terms of worthiness and compliance rather than the state of my spirituality.
You Have Come This Far
“There is a well-known story, among the Buddhists, of the Buddha pointing to the moon. His disciples end up focusing more on the Buddha’s finger than they did on the moon itself. Of course, they need to look at the finger to see the moon, but the finger is a mere pointer, it is not the moon. A person who mistakes the finger for the moon sees neither the real moon nor the finger.
“So it is with our journey back home. Covenants point us where to go, but they are not themselves where we are going. Where they point to…is an utter transformation of our natures into Christlike beings.”
A shout out to Buddhist Bishop for this selection as Quote of the Week in this week’s Mormon Land column in the Salt Lake Tribune. Truly a wonderful quote from a thought provoking piece. Thank you.
https://sltrib.com/religion/2021/04/15/latest-mormon-land-covid/
“I suggest our baptismal covenant may shine the best light on what makes a great ward. Mosiah 18: 8-9 lays it all out for us. A great ward is one where we keep that covenant by bearing each other’s burdens, by mourning with those that mourn, by comforting those that need comfort, and by standing as witnesses of God. By this description, a great ward is basically one where the pure love of Christ or loving kindness abounds. Bearing burdens, mourning, and comforting –sounds like major involvement in peoples’ lives.”
Bit of a thread jack here but it is interesting that you opine here that keeping our baptismal covenant results in a place where the pure love of Christ abounds (with which I agree) whereas in your last post on the covenant path your view was that focusing on keeping our covenants (which would obviously include our baptismal covenant) is not the same as obtaining the love of Christ (with which I would disagree).
“my sense is that it [the church] has been much more focused on obedience and the keeping of covenants, than it is on obtaining the love of Christ”
Interesting inconsistency.
Great post. When institutions get big and rich, they tend to focus on self-preservation and guarding the status quo at all costs. “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men . . .” The Church is big and rich and is starting to see the influence and power of leaders fade and this is extremely scary for them. I think this comes from a sincere and genuine understanding of their roles and an honest desire to help people by believing that they know what is best for people. By following the rules aka staying on the covenant path, you will return to heaven. People are asking threatening questions about the rules as historical information becomes more readily available and people are starting to peak behind the curtain more and more. Leaders with a compelling message do not have to persuade people to listen to them, the message speaks for itself. When the message focuses on why we should trust and listen to the leader speaking, they are telling us that they are afraid that people aren’t listening to them. Many of the conference talks this time around did a good job of focusing on the message. Some were trying desperately to get people to listen to the leaders. When a conference prayer focuses so much on praying for and sustaining the First Presidency, who are we praying to? Has this become a modern day Rameumptum where aspiring Seventies get up and publicly display their loyalty through a prayer in hopes of moving up the ranks?
The answer? In my opinion, the overall message, the moon, is extremely compelling and should be the focus. The beauty of the lived Mormon experience is a great way to put the message of Christ’s gospel into action. This is found in the communal experience of serving in callings, serving the ward community and worshiping with people side by side. For some, things like garments and abstaining from tea and coffee help them live more sanctified lives and separate themselves from the world. For others, these rules seem overly controlling and petty. Let’s keep the core of the gospel and let people decide for themselves on some of these things. Do we need to spend our energy policing behavior and asking people if they are wearing garments and drinking coffee, or do we teach people correct principles and let them govern themselves?