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SamBee wrote:
One of the things that upsets me these days is so much attention is paid to words, and usually to derive offense from where none is meant!Since the word “Mormon” was nixed (except in ref to the BoM), I notice some LDS get annoyed about the use of Mormon. It never bothers me, to be honest, and I do not think it is an unkind nickname.
My only objection to the word concerns when people speak of “Mormon polygamists.” I wish there were a easy way to distinguish ourselves from the fringe groups. “LDS” as opposed to “FLDS” seems to work, so in that respect, I prefer “LDS” to “Mormon.” However, I use both “Mormon” and
“LDS” and refuse to feel like I’m giving Satan any kind of a victory when I use the word “Mormon.”
I certainly hope it’s not at its end of life. I know I’m not a super frequent poster, but I check in at least once a week. I’ll tell you what my own situation is. I have no idea how similar it is to anyone else’s. In the past, when I’ve just about had it with certain elements in the Church, I have known where I can go and find a listening ear. I know where I can go and not be told, “Just pray more and read your scriptures more.” That hasn’t cut it for me at any time in my life, and I went through most of my life feeling a lone in the Church much of the time. With Covid, we’re all so isolated. We don’t interact with other members of the Church as much as we used to. We aren’t forced to deal with many of the things that brought us here in the first place. Hopefully, that will change once things get back to normal. And for me, personally, I have found that the “Mormon Democrats” Facebook page is filling a very important role in my life now. I have always just assumed that politics are off-limits on StayLDS, so I haven’t made any political comments here. During this election, I’ve found that my need to be (virtually, at least) around like-think people has been met on that page. After the election, I suspect my involvement there will be minimal.
I’ve recommended this site to a number of people over the years. It’s important that we who are struggling have a soft place to fall. Please, let’s give it some time.
Well, Dallin Oaks’ talk was about standing against racism and hatred. Not once did he mention the “evils” of same-sex attraction. To me, that was about as monumental as anything else that might happen this weekend. I almost left the room when he started to speak, but I’m VERY glad I stayed and listened. nibbler wrote:I feel god’s forgiveness when I reach the point where I can forgive myself.
I feel I can forgive myself when I reach the point where I can forgive others.
Wow! Yeah!
:thumbup: Minyan Man wrote:
I love it. I want to hear you speak in our Ward someday. Thanks
Aw… that’s so nice of you. Thanks, Minyan Man!
Okay, so here’s my own personal version of the lost car keys story. I was about five years old at the time this all happened. I was at home alone with my mother on one of those days when there was “nothing to do.” Picking up what we called simply “the bell,” I began to try to entertain myself. The bell was one of those little portable timers that you could set for anywhere up to an hour by turning the dial on the front to a number between 1 and 60. As the minutes passed, you could hear the tick, tick, tick as the little arrow on the dial moved slowly counterclockwise back towards the top of the timer. When it reached the number zero, a crystal clear “ding!” would sound. Mother used it every day when when she was cooking. The bell was a lot of fun to play with particularly for a child who hadn’t ever even seen a TV, much less played a video game! Holding the bell in one hand, I would turn the dial just past the 5-minute marker with the other hand, and then immediately back to the 0-minutes marker at the top. “Ding!” I loved the sound it made. Over and over again I repeated the action: Wind to the right, wind to the left. Ding! Wind to the right, wind to the left. Ding!
“Kathryn, the bell is not a toy and it’s not made to be played with like that. You need to stop before you break it,” my mother warned.
“I’m not going to break it,” I answered knowingly. “Watch!” Wind to the right, wind to the left. Ding! Wind to the right, wind to the left. Ding! Every time I heard the ding, it confirmed in my mind that I knew that bell far better than my mother did. After a half a dozen or so “dings,” I suddenly heard instead a dull click. The bell had stopped working. I was surprised and a little taken back. My mother really had known what she was talking about!
My mother took the bell from me and tried it a few times herself. She didn’t get a “ding!” either, though, just a dull click. The bell was, in fact, broken and it was my fault.
“See?” she said. “What did I tell you? You didn’t listen to me and now it’s broken. We’re going to have to buy a new one.”
I felt terrible that I’d broken the bell, but only for an instant. Suddenly, my eyes lit up. “I know!” I said. “We can pray about it. We can ask Heavenly Father to fix it!” I could see the doubt in my mother’s eyes. She didn’t know what to do. She’d taught me to pray whenever I needed my Heavenly Father’s help, but surely He wasn’t going to step in and fix a mechanical device that had clearly stopped working. And when He didn’t, I’d be crushed. She didn’t want that.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, finally. “I’m just not sure that’s the thing to do.” Well, in spite of the fact that she’d been right in warning me that the bell would break if I kept playing with it, I knew she was wrong about telling me not to pray about it. I was insistent. Stubbornly I marched off into my bedroom, where I knelt down at the side of my bed. I began my prayer. I told my Heavenly Father that I was sorry I’d disobeyed my mother and had broken the bell, but now I needed His help. I needed Him to fix it. I closed my prayer and hurried back to the other room.
“Okay,” I announced with all the confidence in the world. “Try it now.” Hesitantly, my mother turned the dial to the right and then back to the left. Suddenly, to her surprise (but not really to mine), we both heard a loud, clear, beautiful “ding!”
I think that at that point in my young life, I needed to know that God would hear and answer my prayers. And because this is something I truly needed, He came through for me. I’m sure He knew the effect an unanswered prayer would have on me as a five-year-old. A couple of weeks ago, my stapler broke. I didn’t even consider asking God to fix it. I guess maybe I don’t have the faith now that I had as a five-year-old. but maybe when the car keys miraculously appear after someone’s sincere prayer, God knew that this little thing would have a lasting impact on them. Nowadays, I don’t even always get answers to prayers that seem to me to be every bit as important as the prayer I offered as a five-year-old, but maybe that’s because I’ve now reached the point where I can better understand that God doesn’t work like a genie in a bottle, and that I don’t always get what I want.
Old-Timer wrote:
I had a friend respond with, “When the First Presidency says it, I will do it.”Maybe I’m just touchy, but stuff like this positively infuriates me! Why can’t a person’s own brain tell him to do a few things?
SilentDawning wrote:I no longer hold a grudge as I am thankful for the experience, and feel at peace about the experience. However, I don’t feel the need to invest the time in forgiveness, as frankly, the person who did this to me isn’t really worth the space in my mind — she’s not paying rent for it.
To me, that’s all forgiveness really is. It’s not convincing yourself to be okay with the hurt you’ve been caused. It’s just getting to a point where you no longer find yourself wishing ill for the person who caused the pain. It doesn’t even mean liking the person. It just means directing your energy to a more productive place.
Roy wrote:I am contemplating a temple recommend question that would ask if the individual harbors racist views or in any way discriminates against others by the color of their skin.
Would such a question be effective at giving the church’s stated opposition to racism some teeth? To me this is similar to the question about not forgetting your child support payments. What unintended negative ripple effects might result from such a question?
I’m not sure this would really accomplish anything. Hardly anybody in the Church would actually admit to “harboring racist views.” They’d tell themselves that as long as they disagree with lynching or Jim Crow laws, they were open-minded and non-discriminatory. Besides, I really lean towards having fewer, not more, temple recommend questions. It’s like we’re looking for reasons to keep people out of the temple. I’d be happiest with a single question along the lines of “Do you believe you’re worthy to go to the temple.” I know that’s not ever going to happen, but the micromanagement of our lives is just something I can’t get on board with.
Quote:What other steps might the church make to reinforce it’s commitment against racism?
I think we could start by being brutally honest with ourselves and not just dismiss the issue by saying, “Well, that was a long time ago. Things are different now. Why dwell on the past?” We have to admit that the Church had discriminatory practices in place and stop whitewashing history in that regard. We wouldn’t need to vilify Brother Brigham, but we could at least admit to ourselves that he had some racist beliefs. We could teach our kids the truth instead of trying to make excuses for the decisions that impacted thousands of our Black brothers and sisters.
I don’t know if anybody has seen the petition that’s going around on Facebook about it being time for Mormons to apologize, but I shared it on my timeline. I’ve got a lot of likes — just none from members of the Church. This may be the thing that may convince my ward members that I’m truly the renegade they’ve long suspected I am.
Here’s the directive we just got from our ward. I’ve got to say that they’ve sure thought things through carefully and are being super diligent. 1. Sacrament meetings will recommence at the Chapel next Sunday, June 14th, at 10:00 a.m. The meetings will be 45 minutes long and consist of the Sacrament and a single speaker.
2. We will meet every two weeks (the 3rd Ward will meet on our “off” weeks).
3. We can only meet with a maximum of 99 people. If we need more than one meeting, we will determine when that meeting will be held and will notify everyone.
4. Everyone above the age of 2 who attends will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Please bring your own mask. We will have extra masks available for those who forget or do not have one.
5. Seating will be every third row. Families may sit together, but must distance themselves from other groups by at least 6 feet. The benches will be marked appropriately.
6. Ushers will greet and seat those who attend, loading the Chapel from the front to the back. At the conclusion of the meeting the ushers will dismiss the congregation row by row. Individuals should leave the building without stopping to chat with others inside. If you wish to socialize, please do so at an appropriate social distance once you are outside the building.
7. There will be no written programs, and no hymnals. Please either bring your own hymnal, or use your electronic device. You may sing quietly, or hum, with your mask on.
8. The Sacrament trays, table, and covering will be sanitized before and after each use. Those who administer and pass the Sacrament will wear masks, will sanitize their hands in view of the congregation, and will wear gloves. They will use the empty rows to pass the Sacrament to the congregation so that no one needs to touch the Sacrament trays. The bread will be broken and placed in a tray so that the pieces do not touch each other. The water cups will be placed in alternate rows and spaces on the trays so that they do not touch each other. A separate tray will be used for cup disposal. Parents should take the Sacrament bread and water from the trays for their young children.
9. Anyone who is in an “at risk” category (due to age, health, or other consideration) should not attend at this time.Anyone who feels uncomfortable with these procedures should not attend. Anyone who feels that, for whatever reason, now is not the time for them to come, should not attend. No one should feel pressured to attend. If anyone is uncomfortable about attending for any reason, they do not need to attend, and they should not feel guilty about it. They should determine, with the guidance of the Spirit, what is right for themselves and their families. I still authorize the administration of the Sacrament in our homes.
10. Each of you will be receiving a phone call from a member of the Ward leadership either today (Sunday) or tomorrow, to ask whether or not you are planning on attending at the Chapel next Sunday. If you do not receive a call by the end of Monday, please contact a member of the Bishopric and let us know.
Fascinating video. Obviously, even the strictest, most devout LDS families don’t approach this level of isolation from the outside world, but it’s truly sad how many people have actually been conditioned to be afraid to learn about their options. And this does, unfortunately, happen in LDS families. I think that in our culture, though, we’re made to feel guilty for questioning the “Truths” we’re supposedly blessed to have been given, and to ever doubt those in authority. At least we’re not striving for total isolation from the world. That would be the last straw for me. DarkJedi wrote:According to Givens, prior to the 1950s and the influence of certain GAs it was commonly believed and taught in the church that progression in the afterlife was part of the plan. I also believe in that idea of eternal progression, and I do not discount the idea of multiple experiences on Earth. I also believe none of us, including any and all GAs who have ever lived, know what happens in the afterlife including judgement.
So that does sound as if it’s not actual doctrine to that there won’t be progression between kingdoms, but just the opinion of certain GAs. I’m with you — none of us knows what it’s all going to be like. The older I get, the less I find myself worrying about the unknowns.
It used to really bother my mother that, although there is supposedly progression within the Celestial Kingdom, there is supposedly no progression between kingdoms. I’ve heard that all my life, but I am not aware of any scriptural support for the idea. Maybe a GA here and there has said something to that effect, but is it really scriptural? I personally lean towards a belief that there is room for everyone to progress as far as they want to. I don’t like the idea of reincarnation. The idea of returning to life in a different body kind of creeps me out. To me, my body and my spirit belong together. I’m still undecided as to whether I believe in progression between kingdoms, though, and until I find a good reason to disbelieve it, I’m going to keep leaning in that direction. nibbler wrote:
I wish we could move away from temple recommends, worthiness interviews, and even the word “worthy” or any of its variants (qualified, drawing distinctions between worthiness and worth, etc.).
I am so with you on that. It’s one thing to try to be obedient, but to have everything we do measured to see if it’s “enough” just doesn’t sit well with me.
