The CTR Ring

Over at “The Journal of a Black Mormon Girl”, she talked about a CTR ring. And she talked about how cool the originals were. You know, the adjustable ones that turn your fingers green.

I used to have one of those many years ago (though still in my adulthood). I loved wearing it, but occasionally it would snag on something, pull away a bit, and then the ring would pinch my finger something awful. Ouch!

So, I got one that was a full ring, instead of the adjustable kind. I don’t remember what happened to it. I think it fell off and was lost.

I never had one as a child. I used to joke that this was the reason I turned out the way I did. If I’d only had a CTR ring, everything would have been fine. One ring to rule them all, you know…

So, as I began my adult life, I got one and wore it pretty much constantly. Once someone asked me which way it should be worn. If you hold your hand out flat in front of you, should the shield be right-side-up, visible to you? Or Upside-down, visible to others? That got me thinking. Who is it really for?

On the one hand (pardon the pun), it should be there to remind me to Choose the Right. The symbolic way to wear this one would be facing me. The problem is, it never worked that well for me. I mean, if I’m going to be an idiot, I can do it just fine, with or without the ring, ya know? And I know this to be true, because I’ve done plenty of stupid things while wearing a CTR ring.

So, I ended up choosing to wear it facing out, because it really did a lot of good for me that way. At the time, I was living in Utah, and I was working a lot in the local music scene. I’d mix sound for a band, or record another one in the studio. I was often in places and with people who didn’t maintain my own standards. In those situations, having a CTR ring was a great way to let people know I was a member of the church, and I didn’t have to announce it or say a word.

It was amazing to watch. People would correct their swearing around me, they would automatically not offer me cigarettes, beer or any other banned substance. There were some that did, having not noticed the ring, or choosing to ignore it anyway, but there were many more that did not. Many times I got into quite deep conversations about the church and life as an active member as people mentioned the ring.

I’m not a big fan of a lot of the Mormon kitchy home decorations, but I allow them in my home. Partly because my wife loves them, but also from something I learned when I was delivering pizzas. You can tell immediately when you walk into the home of an active church member. Nobody has to say anything, but there are pictures of temples and the savior all around. It’s a way of announcing, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” And you don’t have to get up in anyone’s face about it.

So, the BMG (Black Mormon Girl – She didn’t post her name at her blog) wants to start a fraternity/sorority using the greek CTR. “Chi Theta Rho” And have everyone wear the greek CTR ring. I don’t have to do anything embarrassing to pledge, do I?

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com