Not long ago I read an article by an anthropologist. He had traveled the world and studied hundreds of cultures looking for a "tabu" that was common to all of them. He found that sexual tabus varied from tribe to tribe. Theft wasn't even universally frowned upon. But what was considered a tabu everywhere he went was "betrayal."
Betraying someone's trust was the only universal "sin" he could find.
As I've thought about that, I think I would turn his findings around. I believe that everything societies consider a sin — from robbery to murder — is, on some level, the betrayal of a trust.
In patriotic matters, that betrayal is called "treason" and is punishable by death.
In romance, betrayal takes the form of "infidelity" and is always viewed with disdain.
And in matters of religion, betrayal sits at the heart of the great sins of history. It was Adam and Eve's sin in the garden — betraying the will of God. It was David's great sin with Bathsheba and also at the core of the sin of Judas.
In LDS circles, the only unpardonable sin is to betray the ultimate witness to truth that God gives mankind.
In fact, if every sin is a form of betrayal, we see betrayal everywhere. Lying is the betrayal of someone's confidence. Spouse abuse is the betrayal of a wedding vow. And when it comes to children, the most heinous crime of our time is the betrayal of their trust and dependence.
I like what Lowell Bennion says about the time Jesus called a child to him and told his disciples they must be like that child. Bennion focuses on the fact the child obeyed the command of Jesus to come over to him without reservation — fully believing Jesus meant him no harm and that following the instructions of grown-ups was the proper way to behave.
Jesus also said those who betray that kind of childlike trust would be better off having a millstone strapped to their necks and getting dumped into the sea.
Pretty strong words those — some of the strongest in the gospels, in fact.
Betrayal seems to be at the root of some of humanity's most enduring sorrow and pain. It often ruins the ability of a trusting person to function normally again. Ask the wives who've been punched or children who've been exploited.
Yet, for all the ugliness brought into the world by betrayal, the most wonderful moments in life often involve a trust that has been kept. Trust opens doors and windows in life. Trust takes us beyond the surface. Distrust closes those windows.
As for trust in divinity, I've found that most people who can find the courage to make such a leap seldom, if ever, regret it. They seem more centered, at rest, yet, at the same, more awake and alive. Although, I think a lot of them end up feeling as Mother Teresa did. When asked about her taking on the insurmountable task of ministering to the dying souls on the streets of Calcutta, she replied:
"I know God will never give me more than I can handle, though I sometimes wish he didn't trust me to handle so much."
E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com