The Netherlands is a very tolerant country, and for the most part, this has served them well for hundreds of years. But because of this attitude, most everything is now considered legal. Things that would be considered vices here in the States are no big deal over there - prostitution and marijuana are prime examples. It was also the first country to allow same-sex marriage, and gender-neutral restrooms are widely available. Another thing that Amsterdam is very well-known for is having a "Red Light" district. And many people come to The Netherlands to participate in all these things outside their home countries.
As a covenant-keeping member of the LDS church, I was determined to stay away from those things, and in particular, stay away from the Red Light district. And we were able to do that, until our last evening, when we wandered in there by accident. Amsterdam is well-known for its many churches, and we had gone to visit some of the more famous ones, the Old Church (Oude Kerk) and the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk), both of which are the oldest churches in the city, having been built in the 1300's and 1400's respectively. That sounded plenty interesting to us, so we went to take a look. Boy, was that a mistake. As we walked around the old church, we discovered some red neon lights on top of the shops surrounding the church, and some things going on in the windows that I found to be disturbing and sad. A place which should have been sacred and reverent was anything but, and I couldn't wait to get out of there.
As this was happening, a thought from President Gordon B. Hinckley came to my mind. In the late 1990's and early 2000's, the LDS Church was heavily involved in buying up several of the neighborhoods surrounding the Salt Lake Temple, to convert to either sacred space, or residential and retail space. In April of 2003, he gave a talk where he spoke about the condition of the church at the time:
"I call attention to that which has received much notice in the local press. This is our decision to purchase the shopping mall property immediately to the south of Temple Square.
We feel we have a compelling responsibility to protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple. The Church owns most of the ground on which this mall stands. The owners of the buildings have expressed a desire to sell. The property needs very extensive and expensive renovation. We have felt it imperative to do something to revitalize this area. But I wish to give the entire Church the assurance that tithing funds have not and will not be used to acquire this property. Nor will they be used in developing it for commercial purposes.
Funds for this have come and will come from those commercial entities owned by the Church. These resources, together with the earnings of invested reserve funds, will accommodate this program..."
I was reminded of this while standing there in the Red Light district, that we need to both stand in Holy Places, but also protect sacred spaces. Imagine trying to attend church services every week there at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, and now contrast that with the environment around the Salt Lake temple. Tolerance is a good thing, but when taken too far, we lose the protection that comes from the sacred, and we put our spiritual lives in jeopardy. It made me sad for Amsterdam, but grateful for a prophet of God, and grateful for the Temple.
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