Last year I participated in the LDS church’s #LightTheWorld campaign, along with millions of others. The goal is simple; focus on Christ and try to be more like him during the Christmas season. The LDS church just makes this easier by providing a scripture reference, a short feel-good video, and a list of possible suggestions for service for each day in December leading up to Christmas. These ideas range from big projects to small acts of kindness that only take a few minutes. You can print a calendar or see the videos here. The church invites its members to participate, but anyone of any faith or no religion at all could incorporate the service suggestions to brighten their holiday season.
If you know me well, you won’t be surprised to find that I started with great enthusiasm and then woke up on several mornings to realize that I had completely forgotten to do my act of service the day before. So I didn’t do it perfectly, but this is one of the things I love about the gospel that I believe in—you don’t have to be perfect, you just need to be trying. The overall effect of my participation in the campaign was a more Christ-centered Christmas. I know it helped me be more kind and focused on others.
So, I was pleased to see that the campaign was being repeated this year. The first video that I watched this year showed two vending machines set up on the streets of New York. One was filled with the usual stuff: candy bars, chips and such, while the other allowed people to purchase items like socks, medicine or even chickens to be given to those in need.
A recent Deseret News article described similar charity vending machines that have been placed inside the Joseph Smith building in downtown Salt Lake for the Christmas season. I wasn’t surprised to see that like every other article about the Mormon Church, this one had plenty of negative comments—especially on social media, but I also realized that some of these criticisms contained at least an element of truth. Let’s look at a few.
- It is really just a recruiting tool to lure people in. I’m going to agree with this one, sort of. The church cares about people’s physical needs but is even more concerned about their spiritual well-being. If members of the church truly believe that the gospel blesses their lives, helps them to follow Jesus, inspires them to make better decisions, and brings them peace, then why wouldn’t they want to share that with others? I would call it spreading the gospel of Christ rather than recruiting, but the basic concept is the same.
- It is a publicity stunt. I’m inclined to agree with this one also. If the goal is to raise the maximum for charity and spread the light of Christ to as many people as possible, then why wouldn’t the church want to use the best promotional strategies it can. Personally, I love the convenience these vending machines offer. Sure, I’d like to help provide fresh drinking water to those who don’t have access to it, but how do I know which charities are reputable without doing time-consuming research? I trust that the LDS church has done my homework for me and I like the ease of feeding in a few dollars, receiving a receipt for taxes, and knowing how my donation is being used. The novelty is cool, too. I really do have this desire to drive to Salt Lake just to buy a goat out of a vending machine. It seems like a unique gift for the person who has everything. “I bought you a goat, but since you don’t have anywhere to keep it I’ve sent is to a family who needs the milk for their children.” If the way this campaign is marketed gets more people involved, that sounds like a win for everyone.
- It is simply another way for a greedy church to get even more money from people. I believe this one is just wrong and written by someone who didn’t actually read the article before commenting. The church has partnered with other charities who will administer the funds. Surely these other organizations would cry foul and expose the church if they weren’t receiving the money as expected.
In my mind, the entire #LightTheWorld campaign generally, and the vending machines, in particular, are an honorable effort to increase the spirit of Christ at Christmastime and bless the lives of people all over the world. So why along with all the positive responses, did I find so much negativity? I believe that most of the criticism I saw wasn’t really directed at the #lighttheworld campaign, but is directed at the LDS church in general. It is coming from people who may feel hurt, deceived, angry, or ostracized, and it becomes just one more opportunity to emulate Christ, to reach out, to give a soft answer, to try to be understanding, or as Christ put it:
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
Let’s #LightThe World with love and service.
