The day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday to some), I was listening to “All Things Considered” on public radio, and I heard what I thought was an amazing interview with Mormon Bishop David Musselman from Taylorsville, Utah.
The bishop said that on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, he attended his weekly church service in Taylorsville, not as a preacher, but as a member of the congregation. He said he’d been concerned and surprised at his own inability to have compassion and wanted to challenge those who were critical of others. So he contacted a professional makeup artist, who transformed him into a ragged old man who gave the appearance of being homeless.
Musselman said he wanted to see how people would react to him if were dressed as an entirely different person. So the makeup artist outfitted him with large, white, mutton-chop sideburns, a grey wig, oversize glasses, a fake scar across his chin and lower lip, and a dirty grey watch cap and ragged, dirty clothes.
He loitered around the church for an hour before the service but did not initiate any contact with the parishioners as they arrived. He didn’t speak because he didn’t want them to recognize his voice. Many of the people actually went out of their way to purposefully ignore him, and they wouldn’t even make eye contact.
At least five people asked him to leave the area, some gave him money, but most were indifferent.
He was surprised at how many of the adult parishioners were unable to even acknowledge his being there. He said, though, that some children wanted to offer him money, but in most cases the children were just hustled along by their parents.
After the service was under way, Musselman made his way inside. Many of the parishioners showed their distaste for his appearance. Others copiously ignored him. Halfway through the service, Musselman asked if he could say a few words before the congregation. He received a few shocked stares when he stood before the people and thanked those who had shown him kindness. He asked where the bishop was so that he could return some of the money that had been given to him.
When no one spoke, Bishop Musselman took off his wig and glasses to reveal his true identity. He said he had not anticipated the shock he caused. The audible gasps and embarrassed looks on the faces of some of the parishioners surprised him.
Bishop Musselman says the experience showed him that people have a desire to improve themselves and change their prejudices. He said that it touched his parishioners and caused them to think twice and look at things in a different way and maybe change their minds about the way that they treat people.
“Sometimes the best way to do that is through experiences that go beyond just a talk in church,” he said. He said that the lesson he learned was that we can’t, and never should try, to judge people on their appearances because we don’t know what happened to them or why they are in their particular situations.
I was impressed by the bishop’s comments and the interview made me think a lot about what my own reactions might have been had I been there. I like to think that I don’t have any prejudices, but that’s probably pretty naive.
I confess that I have sometimes walked disdainfully past beggars on the streets of big cities, but I never pass up a Red Kettle bell ringer or a volunteer selling Buddy Poppies or White Cane stickers here at home. I buy stuff I don’t need from students or Scouts who come to my door, but I won’t drop a buck in beggar’s pot?
I guess I need to do a little soul-searching. How about you?
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