tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39125206553646609352024-03-18T20:45:05.442-06:00Expert TextpertsA blog on life, the universe, and Mormon-type things. Commenting is mandatory. At least, you know, we'd like it.Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-14677284989721316782019-10-06T23:22:00.002-06:002019-10-06T23:29:42.790-06:00Ad Astra: A movie reviewIt's been a while since I opened blogger for any reason other than deleting spam comments, but I've just come out of <i>Ad Astra</i> and I need to talk about it. No... I need to write about it.<br />
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I blame grad school and film class for this.<br />
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I love a good sci-fi movie as much as the next nerd. I've seen every <i>Star Wars</i> film (that was released in my lifetime) in a theater, I've enjoyed plenty of <i>Star Trek</i>, I laughed and cried in <i>The Martian</i>, and I'm a sucker for time travel (except for <i>The Time Traveler's Wife</i>, that movie scarred me for life, please do not watch it, watch <i>About Time</i> instead). I would argue, however, that <i>Ad Astra</i> is not a sci-fi movie; it is a movie that uses sci-fi tropes to explore modern ideas of religion, mental health, and resource allocation.<br />
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Be warned, heavy spoilers lie beyond the jump.<br />
<a name='more'></a>At first glance, <i>Ad Astra</i> is just close-ups of Brad Pitt's face for 122 minutes. The main story is slow-paced and the background information is sparse. Liv Tyler has a major role even though you might not remember actually hearing her speak. Tommy Lee Jones is the second-billed character and he's in it for maybe 8 minutes; his character H. Clifford McBride says, in a video message that he knows that God is the one who is leading him in his mission to find intelligent life on other planets. Pitt, who plays his son Roy McBride never mentions God but encounters religious ritual and spirituality in others, particularly in some tragic dealings with fellow crew members (space is dangerous, after all). As they launch their lost crew member into the void of space, one says a prayer and another says an amen. Roy looks on in quiet contemplation.<br />
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Throughout most of the film, Roy must do psychological evaluations to prove that he can continue on in his top-secret mission to find his father. He can express rage, contentment, confusion, loneliness, and any number of emotions, so long as his heart rate stays low and he can wrap up the message by saying that he is fine. There's a lot to potentially unpack, but what struck me is the complete lack of human connection in these evaluations. All he has to do is sit in front of a screen for a few minutes and everyone thinks he's good to keep going.<br />
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While on a commercial flight to the moon, Roy barely notices the background announcement reminding passengers to stay in secure zones, as territorial struggles have turned much of the moon into a war zone. It's jarring when he arrives on the moon to walk through a cheaper version of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk0esR2s_P8"><i>Futurama</i>'s Luna Park</a>. The message is repeated when he meets a lieutenant there who will drive him through some disputed land, and then the men encounter groups they call "pirates" out on the lunar surface, and a short chase scene not unlike <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i> takes place. The pirates, whose faces go unseen, kill Roy's driver and run the car into a crater.<br />
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The film's climax is finally reached when Roy reaches Neptune's orbit, where the project his father left on 27 years prior is still going. He finds corpses floating in the outer areas of the ship; Roy's father Clifford is the last man alive, and by now we know that he killed them. He acknowledges their deaths without any evidence of guilt. They weren't strong enough, he complains. They wanted to go home. They couldn't hold out until we found life. Clifford insists life is out there, and he will find it. Roy listens to it all as he downloads his father's findings and prepares to blow the project to smithereens. In his quixotic quest, Clifford has not noticed that he has been causing power surges that work their way to Earth and have been doing untold damage for months.<br />
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Roy embodies a certain disconnected agnosticism through it all, a contrast to his father's obsession with finding intelligent life. The <span style="background-color: #f5f6f5;">encounter on the </span>moon, a run-in with a raging baboon on a spaceship, and finding his God-fearing father whose passion for completing his religious duty overcame his duty to keep his fellow crew members alive all teach Roy that humanity might be the problem. Finding life elsewhere isn't going to solve any issues if we can't figure out how to share the few resources we have here, now.<br />
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After seeing the information that Clifford gathered while in orbit around Neptune, Roy realizes that his father's fixation on finding life had blinded him. His goal, his obsession with "what God wanted," became a mania that kept him from seeing other opportunities, other beauty<sup>1</sup>. Roy observes that in the images his father collected of places beyond our solar system, there is "no love or hate"; these are human creations that the farther reaches of space were still free of.<br />
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Roy's only apparent belief at the beginning of the film is that he doesn't need anything or anyone, just the current mission, but this belief is undone. He knows that he needs someone to love and lean on. Finding and letting go of his casually extremist father helps him see that the computer screen is not enough to process the burdens he carries.<br />
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The big moral of the story though, really, is that humanity needs to sort its shit out before we bother trying to bring our problems to everyone else.<br />
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Go see <i>Ad Astra</i>. 8/10.<br />
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1. Take note, Dallin H. Oaks.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-29557428416928835522018-03-25T18:20:00.001-06:002018-03-25T18:25:18.150-06:00A Palm Sunday PrayerToday is Palm Sunday and I have been meditating on the significance of Christ's entry into Jerusalem. I have read that in eastern traditions, a king who rode into a city on a horse was declaring an act of war, or triumphantly claiming a defeated city which he had won through blood and battle. The donkey, in that same tradition, was meant to be the opposite. A king who enters a city on his donkey is declaring peace, not war.<br />
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On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. He declared his intentions for peace. The people shouted Hosannas and psalms, waving palm leaves and celebrating Him. He did not ask his followers to wield weapons, and even when Peter raised a sword against a man at the betrayal a few days later, Christ healed the man before doing anything else.<br />
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<a href="https://www.marchforourlivesslc.com/" target="_blank">Yesterday</a>, I didn't carry palm leaves with me to <a href="http://fox13now.com/2018/03/24/thousands-of-utahns-march-for-our-lives-in-support-of-gun-reforms/" target="_blank">the Capitol building</a>, but in retrospect I wish I had. The victory of standing on those grounds with eight thousand other Utahans who just want peace for themselves, their children, their schools, and their educators aligns perfectly in my view with Christ's Gospel of peace.<br />
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You're unsure of my reading? How useful would the Atonement be, really, if the Savior were a fierce God of War? If he rode into Jerusalem that fateful Sunday wielding AR-15s and shooting up the Romans soldiers? What significance would we be able to pull from the fantastic story of His death and resurrection if He slaughtered them? I'm telling you: There would be none. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't matter.<br />
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You may have the right to protect yourself, but Christ asked you to forget about what you want. How many times have we been reminded at church to forget about ourselves?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 24, 2018 at the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City</td></tr>
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I don't know how well the metaphor carries. I am certain some will find my reading outrageous and inaccurate, and you're free to think so. But I don't think Christ exists to make you feel good about your guns. He came to make us squirm and to force us to let go of so many things in favor of loving our enemies and rejecting the judgments we all make against each other. The comfort He gives comes only after we learn about the real, true power of love and real peace.<br />
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This Palm Sunday, with all this in mind, I pray for peace. Peace at home, at work, at school. Peace in our communities, peace for people of color. Peace at home and abroad. Peace of mind.<br />
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I don't just pray though. I ask for peace. I agitate for peace. I hope you will too.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-42571781411146242552017-10-26T13:59:00.000-06:002017-10-26T20:09:04.420-06:00My Sorrow<i>Author's Note: This post is about miscarriage. If that's not a thing you can read about, you should probably skip it.</i><br />
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First things first: Thank you.<br />
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It may not be fair to claim, but I think my baby was the most celebrated and loved baby in its short weeks of life in utero. Friends and family alike cheered me on, gave better hugs, and spoiled me with mermaid tail blankets, candy, and quality time.<br />
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Unfortunately, sharing <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2017/09/hi-im-still-infertile-but.html" target="_blank">my joy</a> also means you get to share my sorrow. On Monday, October 23, I found out that my tiny IVF miracle wasn't alive anymore. That night, I started bleeding and we went to the ER. In the early hours of Tuesday the 24th, I underwent a D&C while my mom and husband tried to rest in the otherwise empty waiting room.<br />
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It's odd to start thinking backwards from now. The waves of sorrow, the texts from curious co-workers, the downright theatrical performance of my reproductive system, the perfect weekend we had before it started.<br />
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It's only been a handful of days and I'm still processing. My heart is broken and that's about the only thing I'm absolutely certain of.<br />
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I've never put less effort into sub plans in my life. I've never thought of a 10 minute walk as my big achievement for a day. I've never put on zero makeup for days in a row because I know it's all gonna come off if I bother to try. I've also never had more ice cream in my freezer and I've never felt closer to my husband.<br />
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I still don't believe this is a pain <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2017/09/god-didnt-do-this-to-me.html" target="_blank">God designed for me</a>. I also don't think this is where this story ends. But this pain is a part of us now.<br />
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And yes, our joke name Aegon the Unlikely is the real name now.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-72116471345073485742017-09-30T20:04:00.001-06:002017-09-30T20:40:06.674-06:00God Didn't Do This To Me.Well, it's #LDSconf weekend and Mormon Twitter is out in full force, tweeting how spiritual everything is, and occasionally calling out crap we hear from the pulpit (*coughcoughOakscough*).<br />
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But those aren't the kinds of talks I want to talk about. There are some other talks that sit somewhere in between. That make me uncomfortable because of their content but that are not necessarily out of harmony with how most Mormons understand the Gospel. I know that my own understanding is limited, and I'm willing to admit that perhaps I am wrong about this, but I'm gonna throw it out there anyway: I don't think God designed my pain.<br />
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The grand metaphors of God, the Great Chess Player in the Sky, leave me feeling empty. I don't think a God that loves me is up there like some cruel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alw5hs0chj0" target="_blank">Tetris God</a> just sending line piece after line piece just to punish me. Those of us who have had to endure harsh trials have questioned ourselves because of talks like Elder Rasband's. We've thought that God punished us. When I was about 3 or 4 years into my infertility, I started to question a lot of things I had done in my life. Was I too mean to my siblings growing up? Should I have said no when that one guy wanted a NCMO? Did I throw off God's plan for me when I didn't marry my ex boyfriend? Is it because I married a liberal? Actual questions that passed through my head in these moments. And these are just the ones I'm willing to share.<br />
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I do believe in some divine design. A lot of what Elder Rasband said rung true to me. I do believe that there is a plan to help us all gain salvation. I do believe that humans like Saul/Paul are there to teach us great lessons about worthiness and our own ability to change. I absolutely believe that we are all here to be engaged in the cause of Christ and take care of each other. But just because I believe that God made the map doesn't mean that I believe my Heavenly Parents are picking out challenges for me.<br />
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And yet Elder Rasband states, "What may appear to be a random chance is, in fact, overseen by a loving Father in Heaven. … The Lord is in the small details of our lives, and those incidents and opportunities are to prepare us to lift our families and others as we build the kingdom of God on earth."<br />
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I don't like to think that God orchestrated my infertility, either. Sometimes divine design feels cruel. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElderRasband?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ElderRasband</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LDSconf?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LDSconf</a></div>
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— The Expert Textpert (@experttextperts) <a href="https://twitter.com/experttextperts/status/914235299865042944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></div>
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The idea that God's design includes every aspect of my life makes me uncomfortable. I don't believe that God sent Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, etc. as special tests for the people most affected by them. I don't believe that people lose their jobs so God can see how well they handle running out of money. And I definitely don't believe that my infertility is some grand test sent to me to make me a better person.<br />
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The thing is, maybe my infertility did make me a better person. Perhaps I am more empathetic because of what I've been through. There are some positive things that have resulted from my infertility, like my ability to get a degree and seven years to get to know my husband. But do a handful of benefits make it worth nearly seven years of physical, mental, and emotional struggle to get pregnant? Is it worth the thousands of dollars I spent or the nearly 100 shots I gave myself? Is it worth leaving a family member's baby shower in tears because the tiny clothes were just too painful for me to look at? I don't think so.<br />
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In the end, what I most believe is that rain falls on us all. Good or bad, we all have trials. I'm not going to pretend that certain privileges don't make those trials easier for some, because they do, but the emotional toil I've been through on my own path does not teach me that God wanted me to have a rough go of things. Rather, I believe that Heavenly Father and Mother love me. I believe that when I struggled most deeply in the pit of despair, they and my brother Christ struggled with me. I believe that they cried for me when I cried. I absolutely believe that they cried for me more when I ran out of tears and lost all feeling for a while.<br />
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The Atonement serves no purpose if our trials are designed to beat us down. I believe that the Atonement is more beautiful if God didn't create hard lives for us on purpose. And like I said, maybe I'm wrong on this one, but I don't want to be.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-1339150913835832762017-09-06T21:28:00.000-06:002017-09-06T22:18:43.524-06:00Hi, I'm Still Infertile, But...<i>Author's Note: This is a long-overdue follow up to <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2014/12/hi-im-infertile.html" target="_blank">this post</a> I wrote back in 2015, a personal update, and includes a modified version of a short speech I gave at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WeBraveWomenLectureSeries/" target="_blank">We Brave Women Lecture Series</a>. If you live in Utah, I highly recommend you check it out.</i><br />
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Seven years ago now, I was engaged. I got on birth control to assuage my fiancé's fears of fatherhood on the promise that soon we would start trying. A few months afterwards, I stopped taking birth control, and my nervous husband sort of shrugged, saying at least he'd have at least nine months to get used to the idea.<br />
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Six years ago, I started asking friends for OB recommendations. I was still not pregnant, I was devastated, and I knew something was wrong with me. I had been reading a blogger whose infertility issue was solved with one simple pill. I believed I had the same problem and that if I could see a doctor and get the same pill I'd be pregnant within a month or two. By the time I could schedule an appointment, I had been trying for ten months, complete with charts, thermometers, and ovulation predictor kits. Despite my pleas, he insisted I wait until the year mark to start testing. I was so hurt by his callous response that I didn't see a doctor again for a year.<br />
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Five years ago, I went to the Student Health Center at BYU - Idaho, ready to ask questions again. The first thing the doctor asked me was why I had waited so long to come in--nearly two years is more than enough time to establish infertility as an issue. Sigh. Christmas break was rapidly approaching, so I left with an order for a semen analysis and the doctor promising to send information on blood tests. A few months later, I had to call and harass the lab to get the semen analysis results since I never heard back.<br />
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Four years ago, I was trying to get through my final semester of school and trying not to let the passage of time get to me. I was doing my student teaching in Las Vegas and looking forward to full-time employment, insurance coverage, and answers. A few months later I graduated, and we moved to Utah. We had good jobs, but neither offered coverage for infertility treatments or testing.<br />
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Three years ago, a friend's mom called to check up on me. She asked if I'd heard of a reproductive endocrinologist. This was the first time I heard anything about infertility doctors beyond OBGYNs with a lot of experience. She gave me a phone number. I held onto it for 5 months before making the call. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome on my second visit and then was given the bad news--there was no magic fix. Our only path to biological parenthood was in vitro fertilization. I sobbed, and then I found a support group.<br />
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Two years ago, with help from family and a couple of friends, we had saved up enough money to embark on our first round of IVF. I hoped it would be our only round. I was wrong. The day we learned it failed, we had gotten up early to get my blood drawn as soon as possible. It took them nearly 5 hours to call and deliver the bad news. I could hear it in the nurse's voice as soon as she asked for me. Quoth my husband, "Why does it feel like someone died?"<br />
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One year ago, we heard about a study, the kind that comes around rarely--it would cover the full cost of IVF including medications. I immediately reached out to the closest participating clinic. We were told that we fit the parameters required to be included, so you can imagine how devastated we felt when this amazing opportunity was a complete bust. Six eggs, none mature enough to fertilize.<br />
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Two months ago I emailed the nurse I had worked with on the study and asked when was the soonest I could try IVF again. As luck would have it, the doctor I had worked with the year before was about to start a "batch" (a group of women doing IVF cycles at the same time). I told her I was in.<br />
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Three weeks ago I was at lunch when the nurse left the most wonderful voicemail.<br />
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Two weeks ago I saw my insides and the tiny sac where my proto-fetus lives.<br />
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Today I heard a heartbeat and I fell in love.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-12198590758433831762017-07-25T11:19:00.001-06:002017-07-25T11:19:31.360-06:00Love and Mormons: A Review of Third WheelThis past weekend I had the pleasure of reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998605239/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0" target="_blank">Third Wheel: Peculiar Stories of Mormon Women in Love</a> by Melissa Leilani Larson. The book contains two plays, both of which feature a Mormon woman, as the subtitle advertises, in love.<br />
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The first play, <i>Little Happy Secrets</i>, stars Claire, a student in Provo, Utah whose roommate Brennan starts dating a young man whom Claire is not particularly fond of. The second, <i>Pilot Program</i>, centers on Abigail, a Salt Lake City blogger, professor, and married woman in her 40s whose luck in the baby-making department has not been so lucky.<br />
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The two plays make fine reading companions as they are each carried by a woman in a tough situation, telling her own story to the audience partly acted out and partly in monologue. By the time I finished <i>Little Happy Secrets</i>, I was almost convinced Claire's story wasn't just a story, but a personal history I had just read straight out of her diary. Abigail's story, which Larson calls a supposition, has the feel of a theoretical situation, but I still wanted to find a real Abigail and hug her when the stage went dark.<br />
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Larson asks impossible questions in a Mormon framework and offer no answers except the very real pain of her fictional characters. She manages to point both plays towards endings that may not be ideal but that are in some ways expected. The stories are beautiful and hold an undercurrent of unavoidable tragedy. I haven't felt so much empathy for fictional characters since Harry Potter lived in a cupboard under the stairs. Both main characters were relatable and believable, but I felt a special attachment to Abigail, probably due to my own baby-making failures which I've discussed briefly before on <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2014/12/hi-im-infertile.html" target="_blank">this blog</a> and <a href="http://brookepluscasey.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-envy-myselves.html" target="_blank">elsewhere</a>. I don't want to give the game away, but I will say that Abigail's situation is one I've only pondered in my dark dreams. I don't think I would make her same choices, but I fully understand her process and why she does what she does.<br />
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This book perfectly captured the fear of so many Mormon women in love: Am I a third wheel in my own life? In my own love story? I want to be able to say so much more, but as Larson's stage direction suggests, sometimes silence is everything.<br />
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I can't recommend reading this one enough. I cried, I was intrigued, and I wanted to love more deeply. It's available through <a href="https://www.bccpress.org/" target="_blank">BCC Press</a> on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Third-Wheel-Peculiar-Stories-Mormon-ebook/dp/B073NN15KQ/ref=pd_sbs_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A13AY7YGFVP4V9P0TKG" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://www.createspace.com/7155687" target="_blank">CreateSpace</a>. If you have read it, let me know what you think.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-2387465427180658342017-06-01T16:39:00.001-06:002017-06-02T09:48:14.050-06:00Guess what, we're racist.To my friends, enemies, general public, and specific readers of this blog: racism is everywhere. Seriously. Newsflash: Even you, reading this right now, are almost certainly a little racist.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No really. Everywhere. <a href="http://papersashay.com/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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Now, you're not alt-right. (idk, maybe you are, why are you on this blog?) You're accepting and want to believe in the best in people. You think that one alt-right twitter chick has taken it too far, and maybe you even shared <a href="http://religionnews.com/2017/05/30/the-new-face-of-mormon-racism/" target="_blank">Jana Riess' piece</a> about how terrible she is. That's fine. She is terrible, and I think a lot of us can agree on that, but that's not why I'm here today.<br />
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That level of racism is not the kind of racism that many people of color in our wards and communities are dealing with daily. They're getting told on twitter that they're lying about getting into BYU, because what person of color gets in on their own merits? They're getting avoided on the streets. They're not invited to parties. They're referred to as "Lamanites". They're not given callings. They don't see themselves represented in our art, our pews, or our leadership. They're reduced to the most simplistic versions of their multi-faceted and beautiful cultures. We tell them to forget about slavery while celebrating our church's founding, which took place 33 years before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. They're insulted in the small ways that slowly break a person.<br />
<br />
So what are you doing, right now, to fix your own biases? To make your church, your home, and your community a safer, more welcoming, and less racist place for people of color? <br />
<br />
Here's what you need to do folks. You need to do some work. We (Mormons specifically) talk a lot about how when we don't actively fight against Satan, we slowly get dragged into his grip. Racism is the same. If you don't actively fight it, you're letting those biases get the better of you. Are you taking antiracist actions against the biases in
our society? If the answer is no, you need to.<br />
<br />
Take the Sistas advice in the tweet below and don't do it just for people of color. Do it for you. Do it because you want to be a better person. Do it because when you stand at the judgment bar of God, he's not gonna want to hear about how illegal immigrants crossing made-up lines on a map stole your job and ruined your life. He's not going to want to care why you called the cops on your neighbor just because he blended in with the dark street that one night. Educate yourself on what you can do to fight racism in your head and around you.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DearWhiteMormons?src=hash">#DearWhiteMormons</a> asking PoC "What can I do about Klu-Klux-Khloe/<a href="https://twitter.com/apurposefulwife">@apurposefulwife</a> her <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AltMormon?src=hash">#AltMormon</a> crew & racism in the church?" LOTS!<br />
-Zandra <a href="https://t.co/ovzfS39JCr">pic.twitter.com/ovzfS39JCr</a></div>
— Sistas in Zion (@SISTASinZION) <a href="https://twitter.com/SISTASinZION/status/870157054140227584">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
If you're not ready to work on it, if this makes you uncomfortable, don't yell at me. Think about it. Why does this make you uncomfortable? Is it because I'm a giant asshole ruining your day, or is it because you've got work to do?<br />
<br />
Here are some quick starting points: Check out #DearWhiteMormons on twitter. Follow people of color on social media (@SistasinZion, @FEMWOC, @tineshacapri, @sistabryndis & @HappyCosmopolite for starters). Listen to them. Don't push back against their experiences. If they call you out, listen. Don't beg them to teach you everything either, they don't have time for that.<br />
<br />
Finally, learn to apologize for the things you've done that you didn't even know were wrong. Call out your friends and family when they're going too far. And pray to God that you can be forgiven for every time you haven't.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-3663962023950951922017-01-29T10:05:00.001-07:002017-01-29T14:57:10.051-07:00On the Muslim Ban: The Church Will Not Save AnyoneLast night I joined a few hundred people at the Salt Lake City airport to protest Donald Trump's ban of Muslims from a number of Middle Eastern countries. I won't delve into the technicalities of that here; information is easy to find. As things currently stand, an ACLU lawsuit led to the order being stayed nationwide late last night, but there are reports that the Department of Homeland Security may not respect the court. How that will resolve itself, and what the implications will be, remain to be seen.<br>
<br>
Instead, I want to focus on the role the LDS church has played in this, or rather, not played. Across Facebook I've seen a number of progressive Mormons lament the church's passive role as hundreds of incoming immigrants and refugees nationwide have been detained without due process or sent away for the crime of being members of the wrong religion, of being born in the wrong country. On Saturday the Mormon Newsroom released a statement that reads:<br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is concerned about the temporal and spiritual welfare of all of God's children across the earth, with special concern for those who are fleeing physical violence, war and religious persecution. The Church urges all people and governments to cooperate fully in seeking the best solutions to meet human needs and relieve suffering."</blockquote>
Whether you regard this as adequate most likely depends on whether you believe there was a problem to begin with. My goal, however, is not to change anybody's mind about that. If fear and prejudice have rendered you incapable of empathizing with the innocent people being targeted by our government, if your beliefs do not compel you to welcome the immigrant and the refugee, I have nothing to say to you. Your religion is nothing to me.<br>
<br>
Instead, this post is directed at members of the church who, like me, are horrified and infuriated by what's happening, but who, to some degree or another, still maintain some kind of faithful church affiliation. I mean this as a call to action and hope I don't come off as condescending, because I know a lot of you are doing a hell of a lot more than me. But as it relates to the church, I have this to say:<br>
<br>
The church will not stand up.<br>
<br>
The church will not join us.<br>
<br>
The church will not save anybody.<div><br></div><div>We have to do it ourselves.<br>
<br>The church may eventually release a more specific or strongly worded statement, or it may not. It will continue its admirable charity efforts, and individual leaders may give inspiring talks next April. But the church will not join any protests. It will not take part in any resistance campaigns. It will not take an adversarial role against the United States government. <span style="font-family: sans-serif;">It will not condemn the Trump administration and the politicians who enable it.</span><div>
<br>
My point is not that the church <i>should</i> do any of these things. I'm long past trying to argue that, though I respect those who are trying. I'm not trying to say that anyone should disaffiliate or distance themselves; that is entirely a personal matter.</div><div>
<br>But if what we see bothers us, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a vessel for change. We have to do it ourselves. We can protest, strike, call representatives, donate to good causes, and talk to people who are more involved in activism. We should enlist other Mormons wherever we can. I'm just beginning to try and be more than a keyboard warrior, and I have much more to learn than to teach.</div><div><br>But we cannot expect the church to lead us anywhere on this issue. We cannot expect it to follow. We cannot wait for it. We should not expect anything at all. The church will not save anyone. It's okay to be upset about that, but let's not stop there: let's find likeminded people and join them in doing something. These are dark days, but if I have faith in anything, it's that, despite my pessimism about the church and the country as a whole, we can still make a difference. We have to.</div></div>Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-43210213343699004062016-10-17T21:21:00.001-06:002016-10-17T21:26:27.719-06:00Uhh, We Have a Podcast, and It's GoodHi everybody, Casey here. <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2016/01/were-starting-movie-blog-plus-few.html" target="_blank">A few months back</a> I wrote about the future of this blog, which is definitely not dead yet (we've even managed to pump out a few posts since!)<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, our creative energies have been focused on other projects. First, Brooke and I are still running a movie discussion blog called <a href="https://brookeandcaseyatthemovies.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Brooke and Casey at the Movies</a>, which is updated periodically as we watch new and classic movies. It's fun, give it a read.<br />
<br />
More recently, we started a podcast called Not Quite Right, in which we each select one topic for the other to explain to us (often badly), before we set each other straight. It's also great fun, You should listen to it immediately via iTunes, Google Music, or your podcast app of choice. Or give it a try right now: here's the latest episode, in which we discuss Metallica and CPR. We're just doing this for fun and for our own benefit, but hey, more listeners means we're more likely to stick with it. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/65558.js?player=large" type="text/javascript"></script>Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-62690811296131829822016-08-07T23:50:00.002-06:002016-08-08T07:50:54.537-06:00Corianton, Mormons, and SexIf you attend the mainstream LDS church and you go to Gospel Doctrine for Sunday School, then you're probably in Alma right now, close to the Corianton chapters. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can read Alma chapters 39 through 42 <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/39?lang=eng">online</a> or just keep reading for a brief overview.<br />
<br />
In chapter 39, Alma lays out some serious allegations against his son, Corianton. Alma says that Corianton fled his missionary work with a harlot named Isabel and... *gasp* had sex with her. Alma goes on to explain that sexual sin is the worst kind of sin (okay, unless you're killing or denying the Holy Ghost), then he goes into a huge lesson on the resurrection and plan of salvation, and that's the way we usually talk about Corianton. He's Alma's kid who couldn't keep it in his pants.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeERTK-2XdHSqNqvEkxvmf1MAvkqt062YlXi_wu-0qA0WiWH0_CTDs8loYrDbBXaKec2exT7ZDHdbfqwmGj9s41Ny4iYhrsLsADTAxcUh22aoP7NZbLCdRWx_eT31cXVrcT5c669BZyHl/s1600/Pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeERTK-2XdHSqNqvEkxvmf1MAvkqt062YlXi_wu-0qA0WiWH0_CTDs8loYrDbBXaKec2exT7ZDHdbfqwmGj9s41Ny4iYhrsLsADTAxcUh22aoP7NZbLCdRWx_eT31cXVrcT5c669BZyHl/s400/Pants.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sin is just oozing out of these pants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today in my Sunday School class, the teacher asked if anyone could remind the class who Corianton was since we read chapter 39 last week and this week we covered chapters 40 through 42. The first commenter shouted out, "He was a bad guy!" and the class laughed.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing though: Corianton was not a "bad guy". At the end of chapter 42, Alma asks him to return to his mission, obviously hinting that he's at least on the path to forgiveness and later on in chapter 63 he's mentioned in passing as having missed the chance to be the next keeper and author of the plates only because he was out at sea taking provisions to other groups. Obviously, he's a pretty decent guy by this point. And yet, here we are, sitting in Sunday School, ripping into "bad guy" Corianton.<br />
<br />
So here's my question: Why are Mormons so obsessed with sex? And not just sex, but sexual sin?<br />
<br />
A quick Google search limited to lds.org of the term pornography comes up with over 5,000 results. You can read talks about sexual sin leading people down terrible paths or GAs telling stories about flames burning the sinners who have sex.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0En8rmUk7ZUCRAmaWd-fs4nzjCc1k7UIoliHv1sEJQpUKN0l30MXyQaRaDdCLSLFXVR-Yruj-UhyphenhyphenLaIsJ3bWvuTntTv9IW_XStafuLtu5OWK8kfOSVLswB2_KAWNkXy2gW7FUYNOjTXwk/s1600/Line-of-Fire-for-car-hood+flames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0En8rmUk7ZUCRAmaWd-fs4nzjCc1k7UIoliHv1sEJQpUKN0l30MXyQaRaDdCLSLFXVR-Yruj-UhyphenhyphenLaIsJ3bWvuTntTv9IW_XStafuLtu5OWK8kfOSVLswB2_KAWNkXy2gW7FUYNOjTXwk/s400/Line-of-Fire-for-car-hood+flames.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE FIRE WILL BURN YOU BWAHAHA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Holland used the fire metaphor in <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/personal-purity?lang=eng">one talk</a> back in 1998 and I still remember hearing it and thinking how terrible sexual sin must be:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? … Whoso committeth adultery … destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. (Prov. 6:27–28, 32–33).</blockquote>
Okay, we get it, it's bad. I'm not here to contradict the idea that sexual sin is bad, but we do a pretty poor job of separating people from their pasts. Sometimes we can't even separate <a href="http://www.strengtheningmarriage.com/the-good-girl-syndrome/">appropriate, healthy sex</a> from sexual sin.<br />
<br />
There is a pervasive thought pattern among Mormons that anyone who does a bad thing must be a bad person, especially when we're talking about sex. These thoughts make it hard to accept when "good people" do bad things. It makes it harder for us to remember how to love our friends or family members who do bad things. It's why the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/stanford-sexual-assault-letters/485837/">Stanford rapist's</a> family defended him so vehemently--how could a "good boy" do a bad thing? Part of the problem is how we naturally code people as good or bad. That's not how it works. People you think are good do bad things. People you think are bad do good things. Paradigm shifts aren't easy, but I'm asking you to believe me on this one--your life will be easier if you don't think about people as good or bad. We're humans. We do good things and bad things. Life is where we experiment with the good and bad things we want to try.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPasJfbNxxLEfDVJ_mABIriwOjRJRSJsVdcM3mIQbkZ2UrkHpt_mLxvIicJs7ijizJj7daG-QcWxu347JNW2QnfQqI8XElSYyJ_GEm2erw1aombvJ9ensUfnD59dacKGuUwuIumu4jWox/s1600/good-idea-bad-idea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPasJfbNxxLEfDVJ_mABIriwOjRJRSJsVdcM3mIQbkZ2UrkHpt_mLxvIicJs7ijizJj7daG-QcWxu347JNW2QnfQqI8XElSYyJ_GEm2erw1aombvJ9ensUfnD59dacKGuUwuIumu4jWox/s400/good-idea-bad-idea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newsflash: You'll try a bit of both.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then we come across other problems, like which things are good and which are bad? There are Mormons who think that making out is a sin. I don't believe that to be true. There are Mormons who believe that even within marriage certain sexual activities are off-limits. There is no such limitation taught. I do think sex is special and even sacred, but I definitely don't think it's any of my business what you do in your bedroom, and I don't think it matters in the end whether Corianton and Isabel did it.<br />
<br />
Look, we've seen the Mormon obsession with sex and sexual sin cause <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/3897390-155/byu-students-who-report-sex-assaults">serious problems at BYU</a> this year, and I saw it in small scale today in Sunday School. When the commenter said that Corianton was a bad guy, he meant that Corianton had done a bad thing, or more specifically, a good thing at the wrong time. He should have separated the two. Corianton repents, returns to his work, and, as far as we can tell, lives out his life in service. Repentance took care of it. Even burns heal with time.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-28664143109524719162016-05-08T23:05:00.004-06:002016-05-08T23:05:52.101-06:00On a Hard DayToday was a hard day. <br />
<br />
Mother's Day is hard not because of my mother or my mother-in-law. They are both fun, strong, sweet women and I'm lucky to have them.<br />
<br />
No, what makes today hard for me personally is the celebration of the status quo.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Today is a day that applauds normalcy. Mother's Day is a day for women whose lives have followed the intended path, whether they meant to or not. They have mothers and become mothers. Life didn't have to find a way, the way was paved for many of them. <br />
<br />
I ask for empathy for those of us who do not follow norms. Who ache for biology to be on our side but who have been betrayed by our own bodies. I ask for empathy for the women whose lives fit the norm but who didn't want it that way. I ask for empathy for the women who have complicated relationships with their mothers or who have lost their mothers. <br />
<br />
I feel it is important at this point to state truth: empathy is not the same as giving advice. Don't try to fix it. Sit with me. Grieve with me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-C4ueJBnNjN1a4D7praNYSw_H-TE0Av-zSCAsHOysjLDk-yr-Q4S85Wlthdr3WXcrVN8XvQJyaKXjxuB_khcj9GAyvJt5UIGNHb8LA3uDTORKFct8QYN8c_HKCnVBNdRowfHoaVDXujd/s1600/WWStoryRome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-C4ueJBnNjN1a4D7praNYSw_H-TE0Av-zSCAsHOysjLDk-yr-Q4S85Wlthdr3WXcrVN8XvQJyaKXjxuB_khcj9GAyvJt5UIGNHb8LA3uDTORKFct8QYN8c_HKCnVBNdRowfHoaVDXujd/s400/WWStoryRome.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Mother's Day evokes joy and deep sorrow. Even today as I sat in my mother's house and then in my mother-in-law's, I couldn't say the words. I couldn't say "Happy Mother's Day" because even as I thought to say them, my own unfulfilled wishes swam into my eyes and threatened to blur my vision and make those wonderful women feel like I couldn't sit with them and celebrate them.<br />
<br />
We need a more inclusive day. A day that recognizes the wide variety of women—mothers and childless, white women and women of color, old and young. International Women's Day was two months ago today, but it isn't observed widely.<br />
<br />
I hope for a future that recognizes and celebrates women for all their accomplishments, not necessarily their biology. For what makes them different instead of what makes them the same. I hope for recognition of the sacrifices women make aside from those made for children. More than anything, I hope for easier Mother's Days.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-70689595357593175892016-03-08T13:46:00.000-07:002016-03-08T13:56:17.700-07:00We Are Not Alone: Eliza R. Snow and Women's Shared Trauma<span class="_5yl5"><i>Today's guest post comes to you from Eliza N. She is an editor who lives and works in Salt Lake City. She grew up in the Midwest and misses the cornfields. When she's not working, reading, or watching Netflix, she enjoys running, playing volleyball, and hanging out with her dog.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="_5yl5"><i>Ed. Note: Trigger warning for discussion of rape. </i></span><br />
<br />
I have some things to say.<br />
<br />
Last week I attended the Church
History Symposium co-hosted by the Church History Department and BYU's
Religious Studies Center. I attended Dr. Andrea Radke-Moss's
presentation that has been quite the talk over the weekend in the Mormon
Studies world because of new information that she presented identifying
Eliza R. Snow as a victim of rape in Missouri during the persecution of
the Mormons there in 1838. Her <a href="http://juvenileinstructor.org/eliza-r-snow-as-a-victim-of-sexual-violence-in-the-1838-missouri-war-the-authors-reflections-on-a-source/" target="_blank">write-up at the Juvenile Instructor</a> as well as <a href="https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/03/07/sexual-violence-in-church-history/" target="_blank">this one at By Common Consent</a> by my friend Kristine A. give excellent overviews
of Dr. Radke-Moss’s presentation and explanations of her sources and
reasoning. <br />
<br />
Since Thursday, there’s been plenty of pushback in
the comment sections of pretty much every article and post that’s
discussed the bombshell regarding the validity and credibility of Dr.
Radke-Moss’s source, the validity of her conclusions, and whether or not
this information should have been revealed. Dr. Radke-Moss handily
rebuts this criticism in her JI post, but here are my thoughts about her
presentation and some of the pushback I have seen. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
We've always known women in Missouri were raped as part of the warfare and persecution the early Mormons experienced then (see <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/church-history-in-the-fulness-of-times-student-manual/chapter-sixteen-missouri-persecutions-and-expulsion?lang=eng" target="_blank">this chapter</a> in the old institute manual Church History in the Fulness of Times and <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/peace-and-violence-among-19th-century-latter-day-saints?lang=eng" target="_blank">this Gospel Topics essay</a>
for brief mentions). As demonstrated by the brevity of these mentions,
those rapes have always been an abstract concept, a vague idea. But now,
putting a face and a name to a victim of those crimes makes them seem
much more real and current. And for that face and name to be one that is
so well-known and so beloved as Eliza R. Snow makes it feel so very
personal and that much more heartbreaking. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Eliza_R._Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Eliza_R._Snow.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
<br />
It's also a
reminder of the reality of the victims yet unnamed—who may never be
known by name to us. They are not abstract concepts at all, but real,
living women who we likely know in our history, but we don't know the
details about them having this experience. <br />
<span id="goog_1072342875"></span><span id="goog_1072342876"></span><br />
The resistance I've
seen to believe Dr. Radke-Moss's presentation's conclusion about the
likelihood of Eliza R. Snow being one of the victims is, in my mind,
troubling, and just as unfounded as many have claimed Andrea's
assertions are. As a thoughtful, responsible historian, Dr. Radke-Moss
has provided her careful reasoning for believing the source materials
she used—careful reasoning that was not exactly included with enough
context in reports that broke on Thursday, and of which she only
presented the first half. (The remainder of her presentation will be
given at the Mormon History Association conference in June.) But that
source is probably as good as we will ever get for the identification of
the rape victims in Missouri, considering the historical context of
shame and silence surrounding those crimes. <br />
<br />
We know that women
were raped in the Missouri conflicts—so why, when a name is suggested
with significant contextual evidence, do we resist believing it? Why do
we yet still resist believing victims of sexual violence? <br />
<br />
This
issue speaks to something I've been thinking about since Andrea's
presentation: women's shared, vicarious, inherited trauma. We may not
all experience rape (although studies have shown that it's likely one in
five <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3912520655364660935#_ftn1">[1]</a></span>
of us will—and this is not to discount the male victims of rape and
sexual assault, for that is an additional reality), but more of us—if
not all—will and have experienced other sexual assault and harassment. <br />
<br />
As
we carry these experiences, we absorb and carry the trauma of the rapes
that happen to our friends, our sisters—to our believed foremothers.
This is trauma that never leaves us, that lingers in the back of our
minds, that is inherited across generations. It is a great boon to know
that Eliza R. Snow, such an important figurehead in Mormon history and
to me a beloved separated-by-centuries friend, can empathize with
victims of sexual violence, to know that she somehow healed from or at
least survived her trauma to overcome that experience and not be defined
by it—that she went on to live such an extraordinary life and make such
important contributions. <br />
<br />
In the U.S. we are fortunate to not
have experienced rape as a weapon of war in a very long time, but that
reality still holds for women in other parts of the globe. And rape is
still a horrifying reality for women here, only no longer as a weapon of
war, but most often perpetuated by people known to the victims. <br />
<br />
A
few hours after Andrea's presentation, I visited a friend of a friend
who had just a few days before been raped in Provo (yes, Provo—let's
stop acting like no crime or anything bad ever happens there). As I held
that trembling young woman in my arms, still working through her
all-too-fresh trauma, and cried with her, thinking of how I will
vicariously carry her trauma with me, I also thought of Eliza R. Snow—my
friend, our poetess, our presidentess—and how she would have succored
and ministered to this terrified woman. <br />
<br />
Perhaps the most
important thing she would have done, first and foremost, was believe
her. It is too easy to find not only in every corner of the Internet but
also in every corner of college classrooms those who would gaslight and
debate and argue “Well, but what is consent really though?” and “Well,
but what was she wearing?” and “Well, but had she been drinking?” etc.
etc. ad nauseam. Every time a past or future rape victim hears these
arguments and justifications, she internalizes more shame and more
reasons to stay silent. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8fU_7wQXfHiuL1K0o698WbpkprDcStUdoZjgD-LrUkVCYtdo2p_xrUzFihS1JvBD4LBPwz9_PFxcD9Qa86G_DEul2RJu3H4FnkHwhSmdipWV_s4GfkpbCmx67_JAViCHxwIul6EGIQEZ/s1600/missoula2_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8fU_7wQXfHiuL1K0o698WbpkprDcStUdoZjgD-LrUkVCYtdo2p_xrUzFihS1JvBD4LBPwz9_PFxcD9Qa86G_DEul2RJu3H4FnkHwhSmdipWV_s4GfkpbCmx67_JAViCHxwIul6EGIQEZ/s320/missoula2_0.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<br />
My young friend in Provo has been
fortunate to have an enormous amount of resources available to her,
including some amazing, loving caretakers; a rape crisis center; Planned
Parenthood, which provided Plan B with no questions asked; and most
importantly, police officers who believed her and helped her find all of
the resources she needed. <br />
<br />
I agree with Dr. Radke-Moss that we
need to let go of the cycle of shame surrounding sexual violence and
that Eliza R. Snow would want us to speak out now. So let me say this: I
have been a victim of sexual assault. I have been a victim of so many
instances of sexual harassment that I can no longer recount them all. I
know far too many friends and acquaintances and loved ones—including one
who just contacted me today after reading my initial rendering of this
post on Facebook—who have been victims of rape. I am not alone. You are
not alone. It was not your fault. You did not ask for it. <br />
<br />
There
is power in empathy, in speaking out and sharing our trauma and
experiences. Let's make it easier for victims to speak up by believing
them. Let's end rape culture. <br />
<br />
<i>Ed. Note: It just so happens to be International Women's Day--not necessarily to celebrate women, rather women's empowerment and activism that has brought us to where we are today. It is also a day about continuing to fight the good fight: push for equality in all aspects of women's lives worldwide. We at Expert Textperts invite you to participate today by <a href="http://itsonus.org/#pledge" target="_blank">signing the pledge</a> to end rape culture at <a href="http://itsonus.org/">ItsOnUs.org</a>.</i><br />
____________________________________<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3912520655364660935#_ftnref1">[1]</a>
Here’s some statistical data from the Centers for Disease Control: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-datasheet-a.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-datasheet-a.pdf </a>The Expert Textperthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04521793087320125403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-32919159532065240272016-01-19T11:56:00.001-07:002016-01-19T11:56:31.057-07:00You Have Two Big Strong Hands That (Surprise!) You Have Control Over<i>A friend of the blog since before she was born, today's contributor Madelyn is Brooke’s baby sister. Madelyn is in her second year of college and spends most of her time working and singing in her institute choir. </i><br />
<br />
My great-great-grandmother, Bertha A. Kleinman, wrote the adorable children's song "<a href="https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/i-have-two-little-hands?lang=eng" target="_blank">I Have Two Little Hands</a>." I grew up being fond of the sweet tune and clever words. This morning, my father, the great-grandson of Bertha A. Kleinman, sent this photo to me and my sister.<br />
<br />
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<br />
It is a shot of a slide shown in a seminary class. He expressed disgust with this desecration of the song, and I'm going to express my own feelings here. In case you can't read the image, the twisted version of our family's favorite primary song reads: <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<u>You</u> Have Two Big Strong Hands (Young Men)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I hope you won't tempt me<br />
By clothes you might wear--<br />
Or taunt me or tease me--<br />
It just isn't fair. <br />
Whatever you show me<br />
I'll think I can touch--<br />
So if you don't want that<br />
Then don't show me much.</blockquote>
<br />
There are countless things wrong with this photo that I don't have the energy to explain but will try anyway.<br />
<br />
First off, the fact they are showing this in a seminary building or a church building of any kind is just wrong. Church is a place I like to go to feel closer to my Heavenly Father, and that includes attendance to Seminary (back when I was in high school) and Institute. If a teacher were to show this in a class I was in, I would stand up and walk out. Maybe after pointing out all of the disgusting things that are contained in it. <br />
<br />
Second, this is a children's song. Not just any children's song--it's one that teaches children that they will learn to control their impulses and grow into understanding. We grew up using this song and its message to learn about reverence, hard work, and gratitude. Using it to tell young women that they HAVE TO COVER UP OMG and to tell young men that they have no control over what they do or what they think perpetuates rape culture. Messages like this one make young men think they are actual monsters, and we can only hope and pray that those who learn this with no one telling them otherwise will grow enough sense to control their actions and impulses.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XvCz7xnwVEfOS8MWT162xZrq3D4w7H1ky8sATCIL6POp1PrM4LWijFLXs0fP33bxhyphenhyphengxGb3PK_bLzgVDLZHZYDM1OZH9Hnpl0xfiCwrwa7IXwbDyjcplXkiG5DIwDYN5OaM_dSUqjLms/s1600/Monster_Con_icons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XvCz7xnwVEfOS8MWT162xZrq3D4w7H1ky8sATCIL6POp1PrM4LWijFLXs0fP33bxhyphenhyphengxGb3PK_bLzgVDLZHZYDM1OZH9Hnpl0xfiCwrwa7IXwbDyjcplXkiG5DIwDYN5OaM_dSUqjLms/s400/Monster_Con_icons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: A gathering of local Young Men</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Third, must I go over this <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2013/08/modest-is-hottest-latter-day-oxymoron_31.html" target="_blank">again</a>? Modesty is about so much more than just the way that you dress. You dress to respect yourself, to respect God, and to feel good about yourself. In my opinion, that's open to interpretation. Sure, it's different when you've been endowed because there are underclothes that have to be covered, which goes back to dressing to respect God. But dress aside: modesty is about humility, about kindness, about character. Wasting as much time as we do telling young women how to dress is not helping them learn how to become modest beings. <br />
<br />
Women need to know that their worth extends beyond the way that they dress. Men need to know that they have the ability to control themselves around women who aren't dressed to "church standards." This is a lesson that I want to spread so that rape culture will taper off and disappear. I've hoped for that for years now, probably since I learned what rape was. But apparently it is only getting worse. And the fact that one of the things our family is proudest of has been twisted and bent to perpetuate this negative view on agency makes me sick.<br />
<br />
Teach your girls that they are always worth something, and please teach your boys that they always have a choice. The Expert Textperthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04521793087320125403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-41705574884529732502015-12-18T21:55:00.001-07:002015-12-18T22:18:27.525-07:00Toys are from Mars, Women are from VenusThe internet is buzzing about the newest Star Wars movie. Don't worry, I promise I won't reveal anything plot-wise in this post, so all I'll say is that I liked it and it fits solidly into the greater universe while introducing fascinating new characters. <br />
<br />
One of these new characters is Rey. You've undoubtedly already seen her in the trailer and floating around a lot of the promotional materials, including this poster:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVbrX7eyVwNzDFpkWI_R0NiKRZOrTdDhiPFnGmPGAIHG4E23cAifvIPNudM2BvoiyZxUA3eoaafEdDkelyAwtxeeqDYfa13mSMGFsTVSnEnp-kTsVD3UTVKLgt4p5s7UJmIuL2F33i4tF/s1600/Star_Wars_Episode_VII_The_Force_Awakens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVbrX7eyVwNzDFpkWI_R0NiKRZOrTdDhiPFnGmPGAIHG4E23cAifvIPNudM2BvoiyZxUA3eoaafEdDkelyAwtxeeqDYfa13mSMGFsTVSnEnp-kTsVD3UTVKLgt4p5s7UJmIuL2F33i4tF/s400/Star_Wars_Episode_VII_The_Force_Awakens.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She even carries a big stick. Don't get on her bad side...</td></tr>
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<br />
Rey is obviously the center of the film. The poster places her as the focal point, so you don't have to see the movie to know she is a big deal.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/hasbro-wheres-rey-figures/" target="_blank">why isn't she on the shelves</a>? Where are her promotional toys and t-shirts?<br />
<br />
If back in 1977 you had gone hunting for a Luke Skywalker action figure and not found one, you would have been disappointed. If you had found Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Vader, and Obi-Wan action figures in a set without Luke, you would have been frustrated. If you had searched high and low to present your kids with a Luke action figure in time for Christmas and come up empty, you might have even sent a letter to Lucasfilm asking where you could find and purchase a Luke Skywalker action figure.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUyQdaYRDVSXGVXhV50bK_TDZXVyiNwmQHf2oZ5Ala8yTFFS1XYYifaYV4-Eiycov_DdAg8Ew64VuoFf6TPhacNi9j797PKceQ3_wt9oEU5PzpqgMYVuadmGZN0m-s0uX2C7riAOQIvqI/s1600/luke+skywalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUyQdaYRDVSXGVXhV50bK_TDZXVyiNwmQHf2oZ5Ala8yTFFS1XYYifaYV4-Eiycov_DdAg8Ew64VuoFf6TPhacNi9j797PKceQ3_wt9oEU5PzpqgMYVuadmGZN0m-s0uX2C7riAOQIvqI/s320/luke+skywalker.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey look, the main character!</td></tr>
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<br />
This is 2015, and although you may not have heard much about it yet, the shoppers are <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/the-world-wants-rey-merch/" target="_blank">not silent on the matter</a>. A quick twitter search of the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wheresRey%3F" target="_blank">#WheresRey</a> pulls up hundreds if not thousands of tweets, most focused around a set sold at Target that includes 4 major characters and 2 minor ones, leaving out Rey and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-complaint-2015-12" target="_blank">Captain Phasma</a>--the two main characters played by women.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xEcWtK-cPk_qe3c4imPe0e4fk_xrKufnVhWr6YS18F33SGICuFzqtNeN6TE3ipSjkwBAx8XXlrboEjrVeQX5_KD9xCvfsH5JAz0RADUDFdUEZs8sCmyCYAX5MOWISfWrFXGNUyiqxjs0/s1600/set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xEcWtK-cPk_qe3c4imPe0e4fk_xrKufnVhWr6YS18F33SGICuFzqtNeN6TE3ipSjkwBAx8XXlrboEjrVeQX5_KD9xCvfsH5JAz0RADUDFdUEZs8sCmyCYAX5MOWISfWrFXGNUyiqxjs0/s320/set.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally all they had to do was paint that Stormtrooper silver.<br />
And not exclude the main character.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The message between the movie and the merchandise is contradictory. The movie makes it clear that women are invited and a vital part of the Resistance, while the merchandisers seem to think that women and toys don't mix. Toys are for boys, they tell us. Girls don't like action; <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClarkesLawForGirlsToys" target="_blank">they prefer fantasy</a>.<br />
<br />
We've been asking for toy equality for years now, merchandisers. The market is here. My 8-year-old cousin has already fallen head over heels for Rey and everything Rey related, even before seeing the movie (I'll have to find out how much more she loves Rey after seeing the movie). My friend's 10-year-old daughter saw the movie this morning and is reeling with excitement over the role that Rey plays. She can see herself as a hero now, but her mom is scrambling to find a Rey figure for her girl to play with in time for Christmas.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSKvSSFe16eLS20AKj0_FspZLLHzafT1MBcjHCxgzmhSbz-z3IR3F2CDBu6mMsMWKuulMliQH65vKCfI1FPNibPkGFMaCZ6rW0TckYrqNfaKIoaXBzBMzfaMCR8zXA9eK4rNIIL63GF6i/s1600/Star-Wars-7-Character-Guide-Finn-Rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSKvSSFe16eLS20AKj0_FspZLLHzafT1MBcjHCxgzmhSbz-z3IR3F2CDBu6mMsMWKuulMliQH65vKCfI1FPNibPkGFMaCZ6rW0TckYrqNfaKIoaXBzBMzfaMCR8zXA9eK4rNIIL63GF6i/s320/Star-Wars-7-Character-Guide-Finn-Rey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's literally leading the action! How thick can these people be?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Women make up half the population. <a href="http://www.thefemalefactor.com/statistics/statistics_about_women.html" target="_blank">We buy a lot of things</a>. It's even a <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MenBuyFromMarsWomenBuyFromVenus" target="_blank">sad trope</a> played out in all the movies we've seen for years. So where is our marketing?<br />
<br />
Where are our toys?Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-47660622217847904532015-11-16T16:31:00.000-07:002015-11-16T16:31:03.958-07:00Some Thoughts On Shame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks in the world (especially if you live in <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20151115-paris-attacks-bataclan-what-we-know-attacker-victims-arrests-belgium" target="_blank">Paris</a>, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/middleeast/beirut-bombing-arrests/index.html" target="_blank">Beirut</a>, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/asia/ryukyu-islands-japan-earthquake/" target="_blank">Japan</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-hurricane-patricia-20151026-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Mexico</a>, or <a href="http://time.com/4114019/iraq-baghdad-bombings-isis/" target="_blank">Baghdad</a>, or if you are <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/14/us/mormon-mass-resignation/" target="_blank">LDS</a>) and after a couple of weeks of watching my Facebook News Feed, I have a some advice:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
1. Shaming people for mourning a place they have long since loved
and wanted to visit (or have visited) is unkind. Yes, we should be
mourning for Lebanon, Mexico, Baghdad, and Japan too, but bullying
people into mourning other places is not going to make them want to
devote the energy into it.<br />
<br />
2. Shaming people for not knowing
about other disasters is also unkind. Blame the media, and while you're
at it, just remind yourself to signal boost other such tragedies next
time and ask others to do the same. I wish I had known about Beirut. I
didn't. I frankly don't have to time to dig through stories because I'm a
public school teacher, coach, director at a nonprofit, Sunday School
teacher, blogger (hey!), and a bunch of other things. I wish I had the time to find
every tragedy and mourn. I don't.<br />
<br />
3. Shaming people for
sustaining the policy and LDS Church leadership is also unkind. I
understand the desire to accept what someone else thinks is best and I
know plenty of people who have prayed and felt peace in regards to the
policy. I don't know what that means; I have not felt it, but I will not
be cruel to those who consider it a non-issue at this point. This is
not their battle I suppose.<br />
<br />
4. Shaming people for questioning the
policy and LDS Church leadership is also unkind. While we're talking
about it, I'd like to point out that questioning is not the same as
apostasy. We have been encouraged as Saints since Joseph Smith, Jr. was prophet to
seek for our own understandings. We are to follow our own hearts and
minds and no one else's. Don't treat me or anyone else like we are some
terrible tares awaiting the flame. In case you have forgotten the
parable, <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/13.30?lang=eng#28" target="_blank">the wheat and the tares grow together</a>. Who are we to guess who
is who?<br />
<br />
5. If you believe me to be a hypocrite about all this, I
am. I can't pretend I'm not guilty. I have done a fair
amount of shaming in my life, but I am aware of it, trying to move past
it, and aiming higher in the future.<br />
<br />
Shaming is not cool. Quit it. Please.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-57365119485439630142015-11-13T18:41:00.003-07:002015-11-16T16:31:17.112-07:00The Pit of DespairThe Princess Bride is easily one of the best movies of all time. This is not an opinion; this is fact. For any plebs who haven't seen it yet, it is a love story that makes Romeo & Juliet look like common street trash (I never liked that play anyway. Why didn't we read Much Ado About Nothing in high school instead?).<br />
<br />
Oversimplified plot: Wesley, the hero of the story, must fight to save the love of his life, Buttercup, from her engagement to a snobby prince. More detail is necessary to state my point, but we're far past the statute of limitations on spoilers here, so...<br />
<br />
After a daring rescue, Wesley and Buttercup face terrors together only to have Buttercup end up back in the clutches of Prince Humperdink. Buttercup makes the prince promise that Wesley will be returned safely to his ship, to which request Humperdink swears his life. Little does she know that Humperdink is not nearly as forgiving as she had assumed, and the prince's right hand man, Count Rugen, instead knocks Wesley out and takes him into the forest to his deranged laboratory: The Pit of Despair.<br />
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<br />
As the Albino explains in the video, The Pit of Despair is not a place from which Wesley will be able to escape. He will be stuck there until the day that they (the Count, Prince, and/or Albino) kill him.<br />
<br />
So much has been taken from Wesley, and now he faces the end. Yet he has hope. He faces his time in The Pit with the same bravery and hope to be with Buttercup that he has been facing for the duration of the film.<br />
<br />
He does not know that the worst is yet to come. That the Count's machine will take years off his life, just one at a time. That each year will be the kind of torture that leaves him with no option other than to cry. That Prince Humperdink, in a fit of rage, will storm into the pit and fling the lever on the machine to 50.<br />
<br />
Wesley also does not know that Inigo Montoya and Fezzik are looking for him. That they will find him, bring him back to life, and help him storm the castle on Buttercup's wedding day. He doesn't know that he will find Buttercup just before she tries to take her own life to avoid her marriage. He doesn't know that his daring rescue will barely work since he still has yet to recover the use of all his limbs, or that his new friends Inigo and Fezzik will handle the heavy lifting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7s1EMOs5sA6a_1uDRxxBcgFgEgyTAukITPtIV7rCPLse5BK8QHH8a7KBDbmY90LORJr4hy8uQxUW0M4prl4hegEvPky5lqADt0CdgCe3SlVUUKAp4HHyZHs1MnTQ0mLOW9avGHavpjSg/s1600/andre-giant-fezzik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7s1EMOs5sA6a_1uDRxxBcgFgEgyTAukITPtIV7rCPLse5BK8QHH8a7KBDbmY90LORJr4hy8uQxUW0M4prl4hegEvPky5lqADt0CdgCe3SlVUUKAp4HHyZHs1MnTQ0mLOW9avGHavpjSg/s320/andre-giant-fezzik.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
He does not know while in The Pit that there is a life after it, but that does not mean he needed to brave his way through the torturous machine. He did not need to save face as men who hated him tried to take everything away from him. Better times follow The Pit of Despair, but not everyone makes it out alive. There is no doubt in my mind that Count Ruben and Prince Humperdink had taken many lives before mostly killing Wesley, or that they intended for him to be fully dead only after torturing him with news of Buttercup's marriage and subsequent political assassination.<br />
<br />
We, my friends, are living in The Pit of Despair. There are simply <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2014/12/hi-im-infertile.html" target="_blank">too</a> many <a href="http://rationalfaiths.com/9-facts-about-the-churchs-new-policy-changes/" target="_blank">things</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/LDSchurch/status/665219545934618624?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">me to</a> even <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207709166585068&set=a.1235008233228.2036354.1169858799&type=3&permPage=1" target="_blank">write</a> about <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34814203" target="_blank">today</a>. I feel like Wesley, strapped to the gurney while the Albino works on healing my wounds so I have my full strength for the next round of torture. I don't see the way out, and I wonder sometimes if there is an escape in my future, while other times I have to keep the idea out of my head just so I can handle what's happening in front of me.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/11/06/yet-i-have-hope/" target="_blank">Yet</a>. All is <a href="http://rationalfaiths.com/flowers-and-ashes/" target="_blank">not lost</a>. But all is not well in Zion. Not at Church. Not in the world. Not anywhere.<br />
<br />
We're in The Pit of Despair, friends, awaiting escape that may not come--not soon enough.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-67074989956999126132015-11-06T21:44:00.000-07:002015-11-06T22:43:05.981-07:0010 Ways to Feel Better About the LDS Church Being Terrible to Gay FamiliesWell, by now you're probably heard: The LDS Church really, really <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/3144035-155/new-mormon-policy-would-make-apostates" target="_blank">dislikes gay families</a>. So much that they won't allow children who live with gay parents to be blessed or baptized. Sorry, joint-custody families, your kids are now officially ostracized on your behalf. Some people--both the faithful and the faithless--are arguing that this move is actually good for children, because it protects them from being indoctrinated and confused by either their gay family or the church.<br />
<br />
This, of course, is hogwash: regardless of your opinion about the church, the fact that other "sinful" family behavior (bar polygamy) isn't similarly punished indicates that the goal here is boundary maintenance on the church's part, plain and simple. And trust me, the message has been received loud and clear--people I care about are genuinely hurting over this. So, to my friends who are struggling with the church's decision, I've come up with a short list of things you can do to feel better this weekend:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHAk2-ns8cFxSSpY6MK5FxyRQL-VeAL8z7oSwv9gXY4RRS8Izyq5ZWX2EVrKB3GSh8F8m7-HllCeBtb6x8tKIeynP9NpngAw89Z_U4_1o2Q8epo2wv-Ou6NrR2uh-_S47aw5sSgu0OzU/s1600/letterman-top-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHAk2-ns8cFxSSpY6MK5FxyRQL-VeAL8z7oSwv9gXY4RRS8Izyq5ZWX2EVrKB3GSh8F8m7-HllCeBtb6x8tKIeynP9NpngAw89Z_U4_1o2Q8epo2wv-Ou6NrR2uh-_S47aw5sSgu0OzU/s320/letterman-top-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy got away with top tens every night for decades, so I don't feel bad about doing two in a week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Work on your chess openings. When’s the last time you really delved into Alekhine’s defense?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpd5wMsu7N3lwPWcE3v2ZEoCzGaXAEScXXcxD3j4e7rgxzhox4-7EV7-mTHB8cgTazH18YwJq6Wv5zZpDiQAkJqo3s5XmgqCoMfMOPvRZYkW2CI_nfgPv7pQ5Z1O1r4tR0bW5AFglB8A/s1600/alekhinedefence1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpd5wMsu7N3lwPWcE3v2ZEoCzGaXAEScXXcxD3j4e7rgxzhox4-7EV7-mTHB8cgTazH18YwJq6Wv5zZpDiQAkJqo3s5XmgqCoMfMOPvRZYkW2CI_nfgPv7pQ5Z1O1r4tR0bW5AFglB8A/s320/alekhinedefence1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I realize that ceding the center and inviting a pawn rush is a bold strategy for an intermediate level player, but pretend it's a metaphor for fighting the power or something.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Convince yourself that believing in modern prophets makes it cool to suspend personal moral judgements because of <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/ha39" target="_blank">some vapid shit</a> about playing in a symphony or something.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ODh8_f9f_2s/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ODh8_f9f_2s?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>Besides, it's a scientifically proven fact that combining the symphony with rock produces badass results.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. I bet you’d like to read an <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/dEp" target="_blank">explanation</a> hosted at the blog of the lady thinks </span><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/dEG" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Disney’s Frozen</a><span style="font-size: large;"> is gay propaganda</span><span style="font-size: large;">!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIKbEaftBwT2HtJeaMNbox0Fb_nLwx78FcjpuSE-d4L-5S_vFa7TW57z8JzZHZhFBHdrHE3mbKDcJGzuhd9abHc4lC_ol0d5Isjf05TKdCEo3E9CYXWpYUBi9kYJjJnHygx9J6arw0iY/s1600/tumblr_inline_n7mgbnrxm21qlr65v.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIKbEaftBwT2HtJeaMNbox0Fb_nLwx78FcjpuSE-d4L-5S_vFa7TW57z8JzZHZhFBHdrHE3mbKDcJGzuhd9abHc4lC_ol0d5Isjf05TKdCEo3E9CYXWpYUBi9kYJjJnHygx9J6arw0iY/s320/tumblr_inline_n7mgbnrxm21qlr65v.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't actually click those links. But if you do, use an ad blocker; don't help her make a living off those terrible opinions.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Catch up on the back catalogue of this blog. If you like what you see, consider the personal and spiritual benefits of a charitable donation.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87tiK6CadpTZYfDUES2GjLCgZr4ejdEKjfeL-u1lZq4mNT-bWzLmE1K3SGb6uxZhHMCmXHkvPXFUtRNRS-KNmo0AQc7xPGiP_ODExIFeBPbjF1ACYxkwj6bGR-9XN0VU91ZqX-BCUtIk/s1600/sharing-is-caring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87tiK6CadpTZYfDUES2GjLCgZr4ejdEKjfeL-u1lZq4mNT-bWzLmE1K3SGb6uxZhHMCmXHkvPXFUtRNRS-KNmo0AQc7xPGiP_ODExIFeBPbjF1ACYxkwj6bGR-9XN0VU91ZqX-BCUtIk/s320/sharing-is-caring.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consider how your selfishness is affecting me for once.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Repeatedly refresh Facebook. Just over and over again. That’ll definitely work.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dWoopqJ3FbcFvlsRLYDgf_2eomA4iFD__ioWS4nO4JAqzl96g3FUohgOafXtjtSxPFyZdgL4j1znBDGspME082CBWxX8fJIJdIljLY6uWJcJ3gpu25ihbDAoUjZpcbFF1XfDTywAhbI/s1600/fb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dWoopqJ3FbcFvlsRLYDgf_2eomA4iFD__ioWS4nO4JAqzl96g3FUohgOafXtjtSxPFyZdgL4j1znBDGspME082CBWxX8fJIJdIljLY6uWJcJ3gpu25ihbDAoUjZpcbFF1XfDTywAhbI/s320/fb1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet, sweet validation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Speaking of Facebook, do you have friends or family saying awful things on social media? Unfollow ‘em. Seriously. This one isn’t a joke. Do it now. You can always switch back when things calm down and nobody will ever know.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9bg7MlxRLhxpoEA6O5ue_SZ8lB2bfdkmGJ8Eer_oUVmqEc5A54qr_bF6uIa8vPYq2KKTEHYUxvZGNJuzqAuWlnwKNcGvh41ea4zfWDevX9jeKRNS280Kp8FLa-AMApNVZz1wDHG-no/s1600/Facebook-unfollow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9bg7MlxRLhxpoEA6O5ue_SZ8lB2bfdkmGJ8Eer_oUVmqEc5A54qr_bF6uIa8vPYq2KKTEHYUxvZGNJuzqAuWlnwKNcGvh41ea4zfWDevX9jeKRNS280Kp8FLa-AMApNVZz1wDHG-no/s320/Facebook-unfollow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also works on racists and militant vegans!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Watch all five seasons of The Wire this weekend. It’ll really put your pain in perspective.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTvPYQi3hpLcvdWB36TKuT7zz36imf72nbNQDahm3ACYryRDHw8dUdqJnAG1gksPcNxOKcF4U4PD4YA2TVGn3WhiZ9OLnmf0kNXbCvOc_M0UuCT6EMUTQVyLl_ZhRlwoF37s1WgHa5AY/s1600/tumblr_mx9u6kiabL1qgpvbxo1_r1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTvPYQi3hpLcvdWB36TKuT7zz36imf72nbNQDahm3ACYryRDHw8dUdqJnAG1gksPcNxOKcF4U4PD4YA2TVGn3WhiZ9OLnmf0kNXbCvOc_M0UuCT6EMUTQVyLl_ZhRlwoF37s1WgHa5AY/s320/tumblr_mx9u6kiabL1qgpvbxo1_r1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHERE'S THE BOY, STRING</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Don’t do anything stupid. Or do. I’m not sure about this one; just don’t hold me accountable. You probably shouldn’t be taking advice from a random blogger, anyway.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxWEDhRevptFyPSK1ImTN_ZsCE17SKJT2AmnPR92OCQeH-0zyE5Q6BHxhtPu2G8hQhPuaJpGBSKVaYQ8XyZNBaf1whmLZPl_JR4HUmH1GTlrGbGdH-_p-1GJPjZ40qqPwFQsB9OcXnvo/s1600/gunsgifs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxWEDhRevptFyPSK1ImTN_ZsCE17SKJT2AmnPR92OCQeH-0zyE5Q6BHxhtPu2G8hQhPuaJpGBSKVaYQ8XyZNBaf1whmLZPl_JR4HUmH1GTlrGbGdH-_p-1GJPjZ40qqPwFQsB9OcXnvo/s320/gunsgifs.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a blog post I wrote. Are you sure you're comfortable listening to anything I have to say?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Hey, have you listened to the Hamilton cast recording? It’s actually really good, and I don’t even like musicals.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6vHMSq7K2ds/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6vHMSq7K2ds?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Umm…try not having any gay friends or relatives? Or, like, suspending basic human empathy?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwckz_QMXqg_UdEoEbbVtECxustKcrCOJPqC2Nc4ZPZ8TpRihQw2UnArL3OKikuYc9QCRCOdbzXA2FAGsoVhtpI5c-SVVfTXgDexvfvOqjEB5xvnfLsimXC_pENNQOcoUdenpIoxwSqU/s1600/o-GAY-FRIENDS-PAT-ROBERTSON-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwckz_QMXqg_UdEoEbbVtECxustKcrCOJPqC2Nc4ZPZ8TpRihQw2UnArL3OKikuYc9QCRCOdbzXA2FAGsoVhtpI5c-SVVfTXgDexvfvOqjEB5xvnfLsimXC_pENNQOcoUdenpIoxwSqU/s320/o-GAY-FRIENDS-PAT-ROBERTSON-facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, this is rough. Have you tried blaming them for being decent people who want love and affection? Selfish bastards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-24717302704451878312015-11-02T16:55:00.004-07:002015-11-03T07:49:12.675-07:0010 Lessons About History I Learned From Comments on Posts About the CES Letter.Recently, a few <a href="http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/10/07/on-the-ces-letter/" target="_blank">bloggers</a> who are <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/2015/10/clarifying-how-the-ces-letter-works/" target="_blank">smarter than I</a> am have <a href="http://www.withoutend.org/leaders-lied-church-history-its-fault/" target="_blank">undertaken</a> to write about the <a href="http://cesletter.com/" target="_blank">Letter to a CES Director</a>, a document that collects and sums up dozens of thorny historical and theological questions facing Mormonism today.<br />
<br />
I don't really care to weigh in on the CES letter in much detail, except to say that the problems it outlines are perfectly valid for discussion, and are, well, exactly as important as your perspective on Mormonism demands them to be.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pVlqpwdOF5yB0ufmeb5rYb_x0UY7W6GFiVze5PlOx8FCMx-vDnNd3pbMj4tUyIHebAVNn-0u07kH2gKvOsUaE4kNKl1nEVV4EvJ3Py3Smy8m8ogQuZ8vXNGuSHrSvTNRAzoPiqotj08/s1600/Letter_to_a_CES_Director1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pVlqpwdOF5yB0ufmeb5rYb_x0UY7W6GFiVze5PlOx8FCMx-vDnNd3pbMj4tUyIHebAVNn-0u07kH2gKvOsUaE4kNKl1nEVV4EvJ3Py3Smy8m8ogQuZ8vXNGuSHrSvTNRAzoPiqotj08/s200/Letter_to_a_CES_Director1.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeCSLhbQUKTcgUDDQOjwW4daMGCmSwQsHg2a_WIKpHNEWqXCZ9bxZo9_3sZSNUSTk1nzuB7ARVg9jUlPNJY_0NAHEkqzF1z1b_K8M1W5YEQVXO2sZEn1CwvKQUkJbTObdM-dSzPxHqU0/s1600/Letter_to_a_CES_Director2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeCSLhbQUKTcgUDDQOjwW4daMGCmSwQsHg2a_WIKpHNEWqXCZ9bxZo9_3sZSNUSTk1nzuB7ARVg9jUlPNJY_0NAHEkqzF1z1b_K8M1W5YEQVXO2sZEn1CwvKQUkJbTObdM-dSzPxHqU0/s200/Letter_to_a_CES_Director2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Who am I to argue with Tim and Bradley?</i></div>
<br />
Instead, I'm more interested in the comments posts like those tend to attract, particularly from the disaffected/ex-mormon side. While I don't think those comments are necessarily representative of exmormonism as a whole, I think I've spent enough time writing about my issues with certain <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/07/mormons-react-to-bsa-allowing-gay.html" target="_blank">faithful Mormons</a> to shift gears and talk about...<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>10 Lessons About How History Works</b></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>What I learned from comments on posts written about the CES Letter.</b></h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-kfeA4KcWKbmYLbG3MZWCcgxbOQgTiER71TbAJWAyYNJZvxQDOfjPy_V3PwrWu_yKk0ixa6z-fjB9VW9F6PPVEaoFBjJMARPKqQyR_HeAn1E817UGLQl7doDnpuP4V1g-fmGSduqGiM/s1600/AprilAndy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-kfeA4KcWKbmYLbG3MZWCcgxbOQgTiER71TbAJWAyYNJZvxQDOfjPy_V3PwrWu_yKk0ixa6z-fjB9VW9F6PPVEaoFBjJMARPKqQyR_HeAn1E817UGLQl7doDnpuP4V1g-fmGSduqGiM/s400/AprilAndy.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">With Parks and Rec gifs, because why not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
1. History cannot be problematized or complicated. Attempting to reframe historical questions is a dishonest apologetic exercise and is inherently illegitimate.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/DHguk0osZWB7W/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/DHguk0osZWB7W/giphy.gif" /></a></div>
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2. History is a science, driven by truth and evidence. It should also be used to make unequivocal normative judgements.<br />
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3. Vis-à-vis sacred history, all religious narratives must be interpreted strictly on empirical, which is to say, historical, grounds. Any other method is illegitimate.<br />
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4. The motives and attitudes of historical actors can and ought to be easily discerned by modern readers.<br />
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5. Reddit is a primary source.<br />
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6. It is a grave historical fallacy to interpret a historical actor in terms other than those they presented for themselves. Thus, if an actor posits something as true, historical analysis must proceed solely in terms of affirming or disproving that claim.<br />
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7. Historical debates are won by appealing to the evidence. Not specific anecdotes, stories or data points, of course, but The Evidence, a univocal corpus of knowledge that points to an unambiguous, self-interpreting conclusion.<br />
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8. Questioning, ignoring, or dismissing The Evidence is an apologist exercise, and also unscientific.<br />
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9. Commenting on religious and historical controversies in a manner not intended to affirm or discredit prescribed narratives (see #2) is illegitimate apologetics.<br />
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10. Joking about any of this is illegitimate too.<br />
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Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-66626555607796186102015-10-15T23:24:00.000-06:002015-10-16T13:12:53.383-06:00Does The LDS Church Have Anything To Say About War?As I write this post, the United Nations estimates that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War" target="_blank">up to 300,000 people</a> have died in the ongoing Syrian civil war. Around 12 million people have been forced to flee Syria as refugees, making it one of the worst such crises of our generation, although not remotely the only one. Also right now there's a U.S.-backed war in Yemen going on, and ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, all conflicts in which the United States has played a direct role.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxQ9aEQrVsOYDyJUfxntOTQRyvHXT8x66m5fxmOtr5eULGA5PdomXR9If_ICfUQEsnprCNSWx-ZBQ4ZAeAT_2OyVyJcAIN95-Rs_HpLCMxzHAznunLd4s_bVB7qEi1LIynILhrvGHzl0/s1600/syria_refugeess3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxQ9aEQrVsOYDyJUfxntOTQRyvHXT8x66m5fxmOtr5eULGA5PdomXR9If_ICfUQEsnprCNSWx-ZBQ4ZAeAT_2OyVyJcAIN95-Rs_HpLCMxzHAznunLd4s_bVB7qEi1LIynILhrvGHzl0/s400/syria_refugeess3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syrian Refugees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Last week, Mormons around the world gathered to hear their leaders speak the putative word of the Lord at the church's semiannual General Conference. On Sunday morning, as I half-watched one of the speakers while skimming various faithful and snarky #ldsconf tweets on Twitter, I scrolled past a headline about a few dozen deaths in Syria. Maybe it was ISIS, maybe Assad, maybe America or Russia, but it was nothing particularly unusual. But it struck me, because I realized that nobody at conference seemed particularly interested in discussing Syria. Or Libya. Or Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Sudan, Nigeria, Ukraine, or any other part of the world facing widespread violence and repression right now. From an LDS perspective, those conflicts might as well not exist except as destinations for humanitarian relief.<br />
<br />
In response I tweeted this:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pretty clear LDS church doesn't care about war & humanitarian crises as theological issues. Not criticizing, just observing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ldsconf?src=hash">#ldsconf</a>.</p>— Casey Walrus (@mightycw) <a href="https://twitter.com/mightycw/status/650727585140183040">October 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Well, the "not criticizing" part wasn't quite true, but I was working through an idea, not trying to pick a fight. And it's something I've thought about a lot since. Because given our church's own scriptures and history, and our privileged position within the strongest military superpower in the world, I think it's worthwhile to ask why we don't seem to have any particular ideology or doctrine of war today--at least, nothing deemed worth of teaching at our most important church gathering.<br />
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<b>Blood and Horror</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In the LDS temple liturgy, there's a clear link between Satan and what's become the modern military industrial complex. Whether you view Satan as a literal being or a symbolic representation of evil, it's a powerful idea that Lucifer, in response to God's plan to save mankind, claims sole ownership of armies, navies, and tyrants, and then proceeds to <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kiwimormon/2013/09/blood-and-horror-on-this-earth/" target="_blank">brag about</a> how he intends to use them.<br />
<br />
But today, we don't seem to care. I can barely remember a single conference talk about war since I've been old enough to really pay attention. The closest might be <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/04/war-and-peace?lang=eng" target="_blank">Hinckley's tentatively pro-war remarks</a> at the outset of the Iraq invasion. By contrast, I can easily name and locate dozens of recent talks on Sabbath day observance, tithing, missionary work, scripture study, the dangers of pornography, any any of a hundred other topics. Most recently, religious liberty has been our crusade. Our own religious liberty, that is. We don't seem overly concerned with how the threat of imminent death and displacement affects the liberty of those (generally not of our faith) who face it daily.<br />
<br />
To the extent war does get discussed, it's typically in terms of eschatology; war as a sign of Christ's return, although that approach has declined as we've gotten out of the End Times business. Even then, personal morality tends feature more than wars and rumors of wars in contemporary eschatology. A few Mormon thinkers, notably Hugh Nibley, have grappled seriously with faith and war, but there's been little to nothing from church leadership in my life.<br />
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<b>...Yesterday, Today, and Forever</b><br />
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If this silence reflects a change in the nature of divine revelation, it represents a major departure from ancient patterns. Old Testament prophets were positively obsessed with the personal, spiritual, and temporal consequences of war, which you'd expect given Israel's precarious geopolitics and frequent encounters with expansionist empires. The New Testament, written in the shadow of the Roman Empire, leans towards an apocalyptic perspective, but Christians learned to interpret it in light of the wars of their day, especially when Christ failed to return and the empire co-opted their religion.<br />
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The Book of Mormon is, if anything, even more direct: its entire narrative revolves around the existential threat of annihilation faced by the Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is not unambiguous or univocal: from Captain Moroni's religious propagandizing; to the pacifist Anti-Lehi-Nephis; to Mormon's final, regretful reflections on his people's complete destruction; the book is filled with material that could be developed into a robust and complex doctrine of conflict.<br />
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Combine all that with our own history of violence and persecution and there's plenty of impetus to explore the intersection of war and Mormonism--much more, I think, than there is for worrying about who's marrying whom. This could be something that defines what it means to be a Latter-day Saint. And yet, the church seems actively uninterested in pursuing any of it. Our humanitarian projects do real good, but we approach them in terms of ameliorating suffering on a strictly temporal basis, without any critique of underlying causes. War has become just another kind of unthinking natural disaster, without any agency behind it.<br />
<br />
<b>With That Enmity...</b><br />
<br />
I don't know if I have a theory that explains what I'm critiquing. Possibly it's that modern Mormonism is such an atomized religion. Say what you like about the cosmological implications of our sealing and proxy work, everyday LDS teaching is solely about the individual and the nuclear family. We simply have no doctrinal framework for discussing systemic evil (or good, outside of a few latent notions about Zion that bubble to the surface occasionally). Sometimes we talk about "The World," but that's a nebulous abstraction that means little beyond whatever a particular speaker imagines it to be.<br />
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Or the issue could be Mormonism's thorough Americanness. In spite of our international growth, church leadership and culture are overwhelmingly American, shaped by nearly a century of the church actively identifying American hard work, individualism, and benevolent imperialism. And as much as we prefer to see ourselves in ancient Israel, the church grew and thrived under the care of Babylon. Still, church leadership can't be ignorant of how war has affected its members across the world, and they are definitely aware of American involvement in all sorts of conflicts. Whatever their views, they ought to have <i>something</i> useful to say.<br />
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If you take Mormonism seriously, you accept that the one we call the Father of Lies has a goal of increasing military power and domination. Why? To spread blood and horror on the earth, he says. So who is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2013/01/4A8078449E794DFB8CC33ADD00A6F1AF.gif" target="_blank">building his armies and navies</a> today? What does it mean for church members who live in a nation that proudly maintains and freely uses the most powerful military in human history? Or those who live in the shadow of that nation's hegemony? What about a church that has enjoyed remarkable growth and financial success by embracing and advertising its Americanness? What do we make of Satan's boast today? And what does our silence say about us?Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-32702165985937165592015-07-27T23:10:00.000-06:002015-08-02T12:54:56.608-06:00Mormons React to the BSA Allowing Gay Leaders (or, Idolatry in the 21st Century)An unedited sample of comments on the Mormon Newsroom's Facebook link to the <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-re-evaluating-scouting-program" target="_blank">church's statement</a> on the Boy Scouts' decision to allow openly gay leaders:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I will as well support the decisions of my Church Leadres." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I support the Church" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I will agree with whatever decision the church decides.I am a latter day Saint and I love my church and it's leaders" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Follow the prophet, that's what I'm going to do!!"</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Stay with the church teachings" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Thank full for prophets and other inspired men who lead with honor and authority!" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As a member of the Church, I will support their decision" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Thankful that the Church is reevaluating what has become a thorn in our side. Have confidence that whatever they decide will be done correctly." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I support what the church decides to do" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Out leaders will do what's right, for this reason I am so thankful for inspired leaders who do not decided from Truth and right with love and dignity shown to all"</blockquote>
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"The right decision will be made by the church, as always!" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I love the BSA. But I will stand by whatever decision is made by church HQ. Follow the Prophet."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I follow the prophet. Whatever he says, goes. The Lord will not allow His prophet to lead us astray." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It's really not up for public debate. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. The president of the church is God's mouthpiece on earth. The apostles and seventies are likewise called of God. That should be the end of debate for any true believer."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is upsetting on all counts. There is only one thing to do, follow the council of the prophet"</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I TRUST CHURCH LEADERS TO MAKE RIFHT DECISION!!!"</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I look forward to supporting the program, whatever the prophet decides is best."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Our prayers are with the Church leadership at this time. In them we have faith that Gods plan will be made manifest...... Whatever that might be." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I'm an Eagle Scout and am saddened by this. I guess morally straight don't mean anything. Whatever the Leaders of our church say. I will follow." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As members of our Lord's church we sustain our Leaders. The Prophet is The Lord's mouthpiece. Those that want to participate in BSA outside of Church will do so, just as members have who don't feel that their Ward troops move fast enough for their sons. I've seen this in my own Wards over the years. Families choose Sports over BSA as well. Ultimately we make a covenant to sustain our Leaders at Baptism when we take upon us Christ's name. We choose Better or Best."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am an Eagle Scout and have been Scoutmaster and Cub Leader. I support what the Brethren decide"</blockquote>
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These kinds of comments are only partially indicative of the larger discussion, but their frequency struck me tonight.
In isolation, most of them aren't so bad: they're nothing you wouldn't hear over the pulpit any given week without controversy. I think most Mormons probably wouldn't see any problems with this kind of deference to church leadership.<br />
<br />
Yet aggregating comments like this fills me with a sense of heaviness. The veneration of The Church as an institution, and of its leaders, is something I simply can't connect with. I don't even mean to criticize the people who feel this way, it's just alien to how I approach my religion, for better or worse. Does this cherry-picked sample of social media comments on one post say anything about the state of the church or its membership today? Err...maybe? My headline indicates some of my feelings, but I honestly just don't know.<br />
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What I can say, to borrow an old seminary lesson, is that the Newsroom statement feels like a rock in my metaphorical backpack. The comments above are just tiny, tiny pebbles. Right now, a lot of American Mormons on social media are talking about the Newsroom statement; some for it, some against. But I can't stop thinking about how heavy the pebbles are.Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-3809147055440581742015-07-04T18:20:00.001-06:002015-07-04T18:26:54.554-06:00On FreedomThis Independence Day, I've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom is an abstract concept and easy to twist to whatever your personal definition may be, but bear with me as I play with the definition to serve the purposes of this post.<br />
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Freedom is being free, right? If you are a free person, you can go do basically whatever you'd like today as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. You probably have a few options of what to do today including barbecuing, watching Netflix, going on a walk, and watching fireworks later tonight. In the United States, certain freedoms are enumerated in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights" target="_blank">Bill of Rights</a>. We have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to petition government, freedom to assemble, and a number of other such freedoms that make <a href="http://imgur.com/gallery/rvUTN" target="_blank">America</a> THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img03.deviantart.net/fd03/i/2010/333/9/a/abe_lincoln_riding_a_grizzly_by_sharpwriter-d33u2nl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img03.deviantart.net/fd03/i/2010/333/9/a/abe_lincoln_riding_a_grizzly_by_sharpwriter-d33u2nl.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FREEDOM <a href="http://sharpwriter.deviantart.com/gallery/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I'm not going to argue that these freedoms do not exist--they most certainly do for most people--but I do want to remind the readership at large that not all of these freedoms apply to <a href="http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/douglassjuly4.html" target="_blank">every person who ever lived in the USA</a>. They do not even presently apply to plenty of people living here. Just because a freedom is supposed to be guaranteed by the governing body does not guarantee that life situations provide access to those freedoms.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>WARNING: The remainder of the post below is depressing and/or cynical.</i><br />
<br />
Victims of <a href="http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/sex-trafficking-in-the-us" target="_blank">human trafficking</a> walk your streets. They are seen as little more than objects. They are sex slaves. They were pulled into a life they didn't want by a family member, friend, significant other, or a stranger. These victims are "guaranteed" the same freedoms that I am but they do not have freedom.<br />
<br />
Victims of <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/learn/statistics" target="_blank">domestic violence</a> live in your neighborhoods. They try to put on a happy face but often are unaware of the <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/need-support/resources" target="_blank">resources</a> in place to help them get away from their abusers. Men, women, and children can be victims of domestic violence. They too are "guaranteed" the same freedoms that I am but they do not have freedom.<br />
<br />
Child brides are being married off to men they never met before, forced into adult relationships that they are unprepared for, mentally or physically. Maybe you think this doesn't happen in the US, but I promise you, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_marriage#United_States" target="_blank">it does</a>. These youth also have freedoms, but I'd bet many of them don't feel free to choose not to move forward once the wedding date is set.<br />
<br />
These are extreme examples, and maybe it's hard for you to consider. These are far away things unless you've met someone who has survived such a plight. If that's too depressing or too abstract, I have some more concrete examples.<br />
<br />
People suffering from severe illnesses such as cancer, ALS, cystic fibrosis, Parkinson's disease, and other physical ailments have freedoms, but how many of them are free to get up do whatever they'd like to do today? How many of them can run outside? <br />
<br />
People like myself who have infertility planned life differently. We expected to adjust our lives to have children in them by now. This has been taken from me for now, and even expensive treatment has not given me the thing I wanted.<br />
<br />
LGBTQIA+ who have come out have been disowned by their families, some have been left homeless and end up trafficked. Those who have not come out may not feel like they can say the words out loud, even to themselves. <br />
<br />
Plenty of military are deployed across the globe today. Are they all celebrating their Independence Day? Maybe some of them won't even get to talk to their families today because their military duties keep them in high-risk situations without satellite phones or internet access. <br />
<br />
People with crappy jobs but no experience to move to better pay in order to be able to take better care of themselves and their families have pretty limited options. Many of them are working today. Is that freedom?<br />
<br />
You love your freedoms, and I love mine, but you know, deep down, that you have limits to your freedoms too. Maybe your only friend is a terrible person. Maybe the person you married has changed. Maybe you've been excommunicated from a church you loved. Maybe you have been guilted into things you didn't want to do. These are very minor things, but all of us have problems. How many of you really feel free?<br />
<br />
The USA is my home, and I don't mean to disparage it. It's a free country, but I recognize that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zZxBNRTkd4" target="_blank">it has its limits</a>. It can be a better place as we work harder to improve life for our citizens, but this takes work on our part. I suppose all I'm asking is that today, remember as you celebrate your freedoms that not everyone is free.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-84743558553989996172015-04-12T19:26:00.002-06:002015-04-12T20:10:57.143-06:00Baptism is Not Wedding Prep for Little GirlsOkay, first things first, my disclaimer:<br />
<br />
<b>Beware, all ye who read this.</b> I would like you to read this because I believe it is important, but please consider what you read for a few minutes before responding, and <i>definitely</i> read the entire post, especially if it makes you angry, because this is my feminist rant about LDS baptismal traditions.<br />
<br />
Before I am accused of being apostate: I do think that 8 year olds are capable of making the decision to be baptized, I do think they shouldn't feel pressure to choose it, and I definitely think that it is an important step to make in one's religious journey.<br />
<br />
I do not, however, think that little girls who are only just becoming capable of making their own decisions should be led to believe in any way that baptism is the last big step before marriage. (Read on, angry reader. Read on.)<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
I remember sitting in Young Women's when I was 13 or 14 being taught that a good LDS girl wears only three white dresses in her life. This is a common lesson that I heard more than once, complete with handouts that stayed pressed between the pages of my journal for far too long. The three white dresses are her baby blessing dress, her baptismal dress, and her wedding dress (for the record, this teaching also kept me from buying more than one gorgeous casual dress because I understood that I wasn't allowed to wear other white dresses).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SfFWsKVXpxwn2MpppGsU1nXVKTcRO-ahpZAFz1_r9kNOwiZqU4Lv5MqqAPjPUB5KCrlblJQ4HreAqYSo8nxClXPTovOwZZ3niw1LpeEJUDu6qqu6Ec252UPQxKe7hxrieMdDe9NTueP1/s1600/WhiteDresses2674839_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SfFWsKVXpxwn2MpppGsU1nXVKTcRO-ahpZAFz1_r9kNOwiZqU4Lv5MqqAPjPUB5KCrlblJQ4HreAqYSo8nxClXPTovOwZZ3niw1LpeEJUDu6qqu6Ec252UPQxKe7hxrieMdDe9NTueP1/s1600/WhiteDresses2674839_detail.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And these are the most boring three white dresses the artist could find.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There is a poem to accompany one handout, which states (in part):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now I've reached the age to judge<br />
The wrong road from the right,<br />
And I am here to be baptized<br />
In this dress of white...<br />
And if I try my very best,<br />
Then richly blessed I'll be,<br />
Wearing inside God's holy house<br />
White dress number three,<br />
So today I make this pledge:<br />
I'll strive to choose the right,<br />
Through this sacred baptism ordinance<br />
In my second dress of white. <i>(Linda Gay Perry Nelson, 1993)</i></blockquote>
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Okay, the sentiment is sweet and I in no way mean to lessen the value of wearing white at your baptism or anything along those lines, but the lesson was clear as day to me, even as a young teen: The <b>only important things you do </b>in your life are get blessed, baptized, and married.</div>
<br />
This is a lie.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc_gUi_urmIN2sCyjJykadL1mYrRIYQunotTDYzQ_4fvcBLjGNmfv3b6EZ58-YJblCveHhZbnei1GQMrPDKIbglvGThVfj2EgCrAcrHDiciU3LlHYPnF4UGHcTXH-EjcsPcBKCy3ffBKD/s1600/Odfestudiohq_25252824252529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc_gUi_urmIN2sCyjJykadL1mYrRIYQunotTDYzQ_4fvcBLjGNmfv3b6EZ58-YJblCveHhZbnei1GQMrPDKIbglvGThVfj2EgCrAcrHDiciU3LlHYPnF4UGHcTXH-EjcsPcBKCy3ffBKD/s1600/Odfestudiohq_25252824252529.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I promise I look nothing like Umbridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There are <i>plenty</i> of important things a young woman does in her life that matter. She can do charity work, serve family members and friends in need, help out at home, stand up for a friend or group that is being bullied, vote, teach ethics to friends and others who do not yet understand social contracts, become entrepreneurs, lawyers, activists, community figures, and so much more that is beyond the scope of our imagination. There are entire websites devoted to the accomplishments of <a href="http://amysmartgirls.com/" target="_blank">intelligent</a> and <a href="http://www.amightygirl.com/" target="_blank">fierce</a> young girls who know this. I didn't know this for a long time.<br />
<br />
A frightening trend I have noticed lately completely highlights this false gap between 8 and 18 when a girl can legally marry (and hopefully she waits a bit longer because few girls are ready at 18). The trend I'm seeing is baptismal dresses designed specifically to get 8 year old girls thinking about marriage.<br />
<br />
Exhibit A:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfx74Zv05R9ZJHbMqiSagZi9ck57ACxQhodVpAcm_2wy3AGhpeWsfXwvWVrGT2TCcJSssiX_V7S_WV6TS2wd41Fxe7R5jNeAmo28G1Ayw8El8qou_XYmLkXTGX56U-F8oGcfu0u8R611t/s1600/628-Baptism-Dress-1187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfx74Zv05R9ZJHbMqiSagZi9ck57ACxQhodVpAcm_2wy3AGhpeWsfXwvWVrGT2TCcJSssiX_V7S_WV6TS2wd41Fxe7R5jNeAmo28G1Ayw8El8qou_XYmLkXTGX56U-F8oGcfu0u8R611t/s1600/628-Baptism-Dress-1187.jpg" height="320" width="174" /></a></div>
<br />
This dress, sold at <a href="http://www.whiteelegance.com/Children/Girls/Meringue-Pie/p346#" target="_blank">White Elegance</a>, looks to me like a wedding dress for a child bride. The only thing that sets it off as being for a little girl instead of a full-grown woman is the large flower on the waist. The skirt is one seen fairly often in wedding dresses, and I have seen several of my friends wear such similar dresses.<br />
<br />
Exhibit B:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwlJyoqc7-6EgovVjj1KBZXFocBWtxFEXOIp64MOuwIapm8lLt88vYDHPVDO_AILWF-QiZAfk1Mpz9oc0zOPupgN0rpXMQHX_uNDleG4DxFZxL9jVy86qKcdt4UC1Yzo340YGSEKXPrYM/s1600/868-Layered-White-baptism-dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwlJyoqc7-6EgovVjj1KBZXFocBWtxFEXOIp64MOuwIapm8lLt88vYDHPVDO_AILWF-QiZAfk1Mpz9oc0zOPupgN0rpXMQHX_uNDleG4DxFZxL9jVy86qKcdt4UC1Yzo340YGSEKXPrYM/s1600/868-Layered-White-baptism-dress.jpg" height="320" width="174" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.whiteelegance.com/Children/Girls/Taffy-Pull/p458#" target="_blank">This dress</a> looks like the top from Exhibit A plastered onto a full taffeta skirt. It is another design borrowed directly from bridal looks popular in the last few years and again features a large flower to make it appear more child-like than the rest of the dress suggests.<br />
<br />
Exhibit C (for the unconvinced):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvbQXws-1MIOTd-QOh1nDIvjRCkRK9uQEObjxH5w4g3_vRbfaPgJ6HEWgUS7EPHZ23eLrB2OLMaNEgGPPbtTNkUl0aVsJs5-IbAjk8DEA-nwZQk0B8A1HFBHNd5lh5och8Q3rpC1QmFPT/s1600/114-First-Communion+Veil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvbQXws-1MIOTd-QOh1nDIvjRCkRK9uQEObjxH5w4g3_vRbfaPgJ6HEWgUS7EPHZ23eLrB2OLMaNEgGPPbtTNkUl0aVsJs5-IbAjk8DEA-nwZQk0B8A1HFBHNd5lh5och8Q3rpC1QmFPT/s1600/114-First-Communion+Veil.jpg" height="320" width="174" /></a></div>
<br />
Do I have to say anything? They sell <a href="http://www.whiteelegance.com/Children/Girls/Girl-s-Veil-with-Roses/p85#" target="_blank">veils</a>. For little girls. Getting baptized. A veil. I understand that perhaps there are other religions who use these, but this one is sold on an LDS site that advertises temple dresses, and the veil widely used as a general symbol of the wedding day.<br />
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Finally, I present to you Exhibit D: The results of an image search for "lds baptism dresses":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbIQoL9YUtWywyjl3WvUxNGa4wn2OjmMDqOgKjqTDwEty1BC2NMmaWMsQqjQmnZ9_h9YXdhDxw7G33fgic0h5fDhF3RhrKicdOO-jhQKh06Qi84qV4VSVr6zI_D-2gDoqrVEiSsX6-CsC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-12+at+6.49.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbIQoL9YUtWywyjl3WvUxNGa4wn2OjmMDqOgKjqTDwEty1BC2NMmaWMsQqjQmnZ9_h9YXdhDxw7G33fgic0h5fDhF3RhrKicdOO-jhQKh06Qi84qV4VSVr6zI_D-2gDoqrVEiSsX6-CsC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-12+at+6.49.46+PM.png" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes, some are appropriate choices for a little girl. But frankly, the amount of tiny wedding dresses shown is nothing short of disturbing to me (just look at the third one on the top row).<br />
<br />
Honestly, I get that the white represents purity, and what 8 year old girl doesn't want a nice new dress to show off? I don't blame the little girls for picking out the overdone dresses, because so many little girls want to look like adults. I don't blame parents for buying them because I know how hard it can be to say no to a kid who has her heart set on something special. I blame the designers, manufacturers, and other rungs of corporate ladders for creating the market for tiny wedding dresses. There are plenty of white dresses out there that actually look like dresses made for little girls.<br />
<br />
I give you Exhibit E:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4GIMJ5P3d7zg3ajIK416yr8z7ocDCWOi5uNjbR3gzmHvgg5CmTAEWvHTMProAE5IQoTfUg5jMdyXjjpBUVJ6qsdu19T0v2Hj-UQe4f-3ji0zH0sXsrnn07hALgWsVpAoi9bKoIVD1KSf/s1600/spin_prod_498068501.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4GIMJ5P3d7zg3ajIK416yr8z7ocDCWOi5uNjbR3gzmHvgg5CmTAEWvHTMProAE5IQoTfUg5jMdyXjjpBUVJ6qsdu19T0v2Hj-UQe4f-3ji0zH0sXsrnn07hALgWsVpAoi9bKoIVD1KSf/s1600/spin_prod_498068501.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.sears.com/muneca-girl-39-s-5-12-communion-dress/p-077F1135000P?prdNo=10&blockNo=10&blockType=G10&redirectType=SRDT" target="_blank">This dress</a> is far more simple and still special. It doesn't look like it was made to be form-fitting at the top, and it's not made to echo popular wedding dress styles. It's a simple, white dress made for a lucky little girl. It's also no longer sold online or in stores.<br />
<br />
I know I was very pleased with my the lovely white dress I got to wear after my baptism, but I would have been happy in any dress. It's not like I wore the nice dress for my actual baptism--I wore a huge jumper that I kept thinking could fall off me at a moment's notice.<br />
<br />
Point is, the clothes shouldn't matter that much. The very first transfer on my mission, a group of four young girls got baptized together. They all brought their favorite clothes to wear for after they were baptized, and no one cared that they wore bright, fun, little girl colors <i>after</i> they were baptized in white.<br />
<br />
Stop teaching little girls that their biggest achievement in life will be their wedding. Stop setting them up to believe that baptism and wedding will be the only two important choices they make in life. Definitely stop dressing 8 year olds like brides. Yes, they'll feel beautiful and special, but baptism makes you feel beautiful and special no matter what you wear.<br />
<br />
I <a href="http://www.experttextperts.com/2014/12/hi-im-infertile.html" target="_blank">don't have kids</a> yet, but if I have an 8 year old little girl, and <u>if</u> she decides she wants to get baptized, I'll probably buy her a special dress in her favorite color. One that was made with a little girl in mind. One that was made to run and jump in after the pictures are taken. One she can be proud of but that doesn't have to hang in a special closet in a special room until she wants to look at it. One she can wear over and over again and think about how special she felt the first time she got to wear it.Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-78368077218917560462015-03-29T22:02:00.000-06:002015-03-29T23:08:17.999-06:00Are You Defending The Family Enough? Take Take This Quiz and Find Out!Faithful Latter-day Saints and good Christians everywhere know that The Family is under attack as it has never before been. Indeed, The Family is in such dire straights that people struggling with <i>same sex attraction</i> are trying to form their own families, often cheered on by governments, scholars, feminists, and (obviously) Satan. This grave, dire, and definitely real threat to religious liberty and Christian values means it is our sacred duty to defend The Family by attacking all who would destroy it.<br />
<br />
But how do you know you're doing enough to defend The Family? This short quiz is here to help!<br />
<br />
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<div>
<b>The biggest threat to The Family today is:</b></div>
<div>
<b>A) </b>Gay people getting married</div>
<div>
<b>B)</b> Child poverty, abuse, human trafficking, warfare etc, but mostly gay people getting married</div>
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<b>Which of the following happy Caucasian families with 2.5 children dressed in modest earth tones is <i>most</i> appropriate for creating an uplifting meme about The Family?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu3-6Zka3pjH7q5XjyA0lsV0pXozKFoQ3vfuSg1mdQ27dwLn1dE9T6dR5H1b9v5sGRYZFhnUtEF9AT5syRu_kOIxlJANuCPiOm1g3yGfGw1w8DG2OTbiWjhZiM3wmVtb8lhTBt5XJkZg/s1600/families.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu3-6Zka3pjH7q5XjyA0lsV0pXozKFoQ3vfuSg1mdQ27dwLn1dE9T6dR5H1b9v5sGRYZFhnUtEF9AT5syRu_kOIxlJANuCPiOm1g3yGfGw1w8DG2OTbiWjhZiM3wmVtb8lhTBt5XJkZg/s1600/families.png" height="316" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Which of the following best expresses Jesus's view of The Family?</b></div>
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<b>A)</b> "I came not to send peace, but a sword...to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."</div>
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<b>B) "</b>If any man have a wife, and he teaches unto her the law of [polygamy], then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed."</div>
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<b>C)</b> "In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."</div>
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<b>D)</b> "Marriage is between one man and one woman."</div>
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<b>Complete the sentence: </b>Fathers are to Providing and Presiding as Mothers are to _______</div>
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<b>A)</b> Nurturing and Mothering</div>
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<b>B)</b> Mothering and Nurturing</div>
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<b>C)</b> A and B</div>
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<b>Short Answer: </b>Bear testimony, in one paragraph, about what your Eternal Family means to you. If your family is abusive, absent, or full of nonbelievers, bear testimony of what your Eternal Family would mean to you if they weren't that way.</div>
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<b>Which picture of Jesus below would you describe as the <i>least</i> gay?</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKz784AaeTHypv-gz8AJyF2L84Cy3ntAK6Foh8oxHCDaD8NSDGp2qA_cm-9pYZQNW1KzmmQN3xUw1wgyHgzGdwxneefJ8wilBWt9FmW8a8Nwn1rwWu4wwKthR1kix5rQIsauWahqkGCw/s1600/jesusgay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKz784AaeTHypv-gz8AJyF2L84Cy3ntAK6Foh8oxHCDaD8NSDGp2qA_cm-9pYZQNW1KzmmQN3xUw1wgyHgzGdwxneefJ8wilBWt9FmW8a8Nwn1rwWu4wwKthR1kix5rQIsauWahqkGCw/s1600/jesusgay.png" height="348" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Scenario: </b>A family member confides in you that in spite of their following all the commandments as best they can, they are experiencing doubts over a policy or doctrine concerning The Family. You know that openly discussing or legitimizing such doubts is unhealthy. Which of the following is the best way to respond?<br />
<b>A)</b> Remind them to doubt their doubts<br />
<b>B)</b> Assure them the internet is full of anti-Mormon material<br />
<b>C)</b> Ask them if they have any unresolved sins that could be creating their doubts<br />
<b>D)</b> Bear your testimony that the thing they are doubting is true<br />
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<b>Transgender people are:</b></div>
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<b>A)</b> Umm</div>
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<b>B)</b> Err</div>
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<b>C)</b> Well</div>
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<b>D)</b> Look, gender is an essential characteristic and... can we not talk about this?</div>
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<b>Short Answer: </b>A coworker tells you your beliefs about religious freedom are directly harming others. What's the best way to explain with Christlike love that your rights are more important than theirs?</div>
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<b>True/False</b>: </div>
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<b>1. T/F</b> Marriage and strong families are the best way to create a happy, stable society.</div>
<b>2. T/F</b> We should honor our pioneer ancestors who faced persecution over an approach to marriage and family traditional Christians disapproved of.<br />
<b>3. T/F</b> Defending The Family means being immune to irony.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<b>Answers: </b>The answer is <b>The Family</b>. The answer is always <b>The Family</b>.Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520318169658542111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-82321435215829842682015-03-27T08:46:00.002-06:002015-03-27T08:46:43.634-06:0010 Mormon Newsroom headlines we all expect to see (but never will)<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">You and I both know the <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/" target="_blank">Mormon Newsroom</a> as America's <i>real</i> journal of record, but despite so many high-quality press releases descending on its pages as the dews of Carmel, I feel like there are some headlines I keep expecting (or hoping) to see but never do.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Well, if the greatest new organization of our generation cannot fill that need, I guess it's up to people like me to do so using the most important weapon in a non-journalist's arsenal: my own twisted imagination.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">-- -- --</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>New missionary age limits announced: elders may serve at age eighteen, sisters at not eighteen</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>Church members laud the move as both a step towards, and away from, gender equality</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>-- -- --</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>Typo in First Presidency letter results in radical new calling: 'Skate President' presides, directs, pulls off wicked frontside ollies</b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaADfLavbhp8VD-mXQ8VneSq2NmWIwPKPng0NaMhASbPGzmXnOGwrOW93tkIJcXUr7ZfYHz86o494BumMjhX-42jwAoQnbQ2DTO0tg6Jxn9QO3ewinj7ByfMevQ_dDCi-DqzFoHW-H97LI/s1600/suit_skateboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaADfLavbhp8VD-mXQ8VneSq2NmWIwPKPng0NaMhASbPGzmXnOGwrOW93tkIJcXUr7ZfYHz86o494BumMjhX-42jwAoQnbQ2DTO0tg6Jxn9QO3ewinj7ByfMevQ_dDCi-DqzFoHW-H97LI/s1600/suit_skateboard.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We need to discuss your temple worthiness."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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-- -- --</div>
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<i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">(continued after the jump)</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>As part of Church leadership's changing policies toward LGBT community, all youth dances required to play 'YMCA' no less than 3 times</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>Attendees have yet to notice a difference</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>Church media department: Soon-to-be-released temple movies will include "new musical scores, the return of the oath of vengeance on the United States government for spilling the blood of the prophets, improved special effects"</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Seriously, guys, these special effects are so good, they will almost make you forget the righteous ichor that stains the escutcheon of this nation"</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>In stunning compromise, Church leaders give women seeking priesthood ordination small pieces of paper bearing handwritten words "The Priesthood"</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqNpbMlDBQtTBhFFCrz0-cjkV8lXsx12qWxVy_mkIv4Y1DlcHN8FQjkHEYOoglBsjhZ1594I7-U0p5ckukQ3jf0uez1GoN_NTumj9RRXunA350KtgTd38BQ7VsvoxBjoj_2GbM_5_uYpm/s1600/woman_holding_paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqNpbMlDBQtTBhFFCrz0-cjkV8lXsx12qWxVy_mkIv4Y1DlcHN8FQjkHEYOoglBsjhZ1594I7-U0p5ckukQ3jf0uez1GoN_NTumj9RRXunA350KtgTd38BQ7VsvoxBjoj_2GbM_5_uYpm/s1600/woman_holding_paper.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Good enough!" --Kate Kelly</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>BREAKING--Sealed portion of Book of Mormon opened, consists entirely of Twilight fan fiction</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>Michael Otterson: "The dialogue's a little trite, but the plotting shows a real understanding of the series' major themes and characters"</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>LDS Twitter users eagerly await first apostolic "lol"</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8YUl8zlVZ_WCWf3tsyqvn73Vcy0GuGBOkPD_fCgZroiCKsM_7zTpoIKYWDkSpe2GOdilYwV4xMn0IzXo3H9NHB6MeQ5OHj3tV-mKaQbqt8PdeZhv5JWfL0UjftVidmoiVE3ZdM3vqV2V/s1600/Bednar_twitter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8YUl8zlVZ_WCWf3tsyqvn73Vcy0GuGBOkPD_fCgZroiCKsM_7zTpoIKYWDkSpe2GOdilYwV4xMn0IzXo3H9NHB6MeQ5OHj3tV-mKaQbqt8PdeZhv5JWfL0UjftVidmoiVE3ZdM3vqV2V/s1600/Bednar_twitter.png" height="197" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Although in Adam #YOLO, in Christ, ye have eternal life #blessed #twitterstake"</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>First Presidency counsels members to prayerfully reconsider their use of media, "especially if [they] still have yet to watch Breaking Bad"</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>Elder Oaks: "I'm not saying you should tell your bishop if you haven't watched it yet, I'm just saying that once you finally get to 'Fly' in the third season, you'll feel like you should have"</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>Hoping to better connect with young adults, Church seeks to lower median age of Institute instructors to 65</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><i>Michael Otterson: "The Church wants teachers who aren't far removed from youth themselves, or whose grandchildren aren't anyway"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>To better reflect Salt Lake City's evolving demographics, Church music department seeks minor change to lyrics of second verse of "High on the Mountain Top"</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9fFySNO1gI_hkv1SOeHYbKE4dMRhZ05aivG7ypfwRlKySkaBOHcRNo9-3vJ-kyr2riO9s8xPQrOIDJ8WcsW-sSvYxyeIj2RQZ8YhW9eFYG2YmpJ_5HkdxfpWVfX6B_WCOyukffBz1pDC/s1600/hymns_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9fFySNO1gI_hkv1SOeHYbKE4dMRhZ05aivG7ypfwRlKySkaBOHcRNo9-3vJ-kyr2riO9s8xPQrOIDJ8WcsW-sSvYxyeIj2RQZ8YhW9eFYG2YmpJ_5HkdxfpWVfX6B_WCOyukffBz1pDC/s1600/hymns_5.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Although only a small edit, changing 'gaze' to 'gays' is, frankly, a <a href="http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/03/24/gay-mecca" target="_blank">more accurate reflection of reality</a> now"</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Got some ideas of your own? Post them in the comments section!</span></span></div>
Brett Hursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09363821434471450914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3912520655364660935.post-32858771925776718492015-03-18T10:43:00.001-06:002015-03-18T10:43:38.304-06:00Kindness, or Why I'm a Huge Fan of Taylor SwiftAt the outset of this year I made one New Years' Resolution, and I'd like to share it with the faithful readers. For my resolution I have chosen two people whom I greatly admire and would like to emulate. My first choice was obvious; I want to be more like the pope. Pope Francis has become a daily inspiration to the world, Catholics and otherwise, making him an obvious choice of a strong, Christlike person whom I could use as a good example of how to live my life with more empathy, understanding, and love.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1908296!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/south-korea-pope-francis-visit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1908296!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/south-korea-pope-francis-visit.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four for you, Pope Francis! You go Pope Francis. <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/pope-francis-visit-new-york-city-2015-article-1.1907672" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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My second choice is perhaps less obvious, and the inspiration for writing this post. The other person I want to become more like is Taylor Swift.<br />
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No, this is not a joke. Taylor Swift is not only a creative superstar (have you <i>heard </i><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/24/taylor-swift-1989-review" target="_blank">1989</a>?) and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/24/taylor-swift-feminist-_n_5704691.html" target="_blank">recently outed feminist</a>, but one of the kindest, most caring celebrities today.<br />
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Don't believe me? You probably didn't hear about <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11321300/Taylor-Swift-swiftmas-christmas-video.html" target="_blank">Swiftmas</a>.<br />
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Some of you, like me, are feeling a little emotional right now. Others are rolling your eyes, saying, "Brooke, how gullible are you? It's <i>obviously </i>a PR stunt." You know what? I don't care. PR stunt or not, Taylor Swift took time out of her schedule to make a few of her fans ridiculously happy. She didn't just order gifts online and send them straight to the fans' houses either--she bought them, brought them to her apartment, hand-wrapped each one, and wrote thoughtful cards for each person. I don't remember the last time I got a card as long or as thoughtful as the cards Taylor Swift wrote to her devotees. I don't remember the last time I wrote a card like that either.<br />
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This isn't the only time she's gone out of her way to make a fan feel special. Taylor is a regular tumblr user and she replies to fans who send her videos, comments, and jokes via the social networking site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsGU7a9zwjwHO2Q6QZpqaYd-cZ5N3paJXDCJnhSjWuAOaUtuBaBrL_Q5X0W7dEHBcHVmptJqshesTB_PYhqwY2Nbpsl1a_4zZkztEvQ-gOg6U3AdNtnHxIuG8FW8TxWEbCGgtZVPmUPeK/s1600/taylorswift.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsGU7a9zwjwHO2Q6QZpqaYd-cZ5N3paJXDCJnhSjWuAOaUtuBaBrL_Q5X0W7dEHBcHVmptJqshesTB_PYhqwY2Nbpsl1a_4zZkztEvQ-gOg6U3AdNtnHxIuG8FW8TxWEbCGgtZVPmUPeK/s1600/taylorswift.PNG" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could go for a care package right about now. <a href="http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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She has also kept up sending packages. Recently some of her Swifties received <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/2069508/taylor-swift-valentines-day-gift-fan/" target="_blank">Valentine's packages</a>. One of her devout followers made a Taylor Swift gal pals/Friends (yes the 90s TV show that stole our hearts as well as the recently watched slot in our Netflix accounts) video and she received a <a href="http://www.people.com/article/taylor-swift-sends-fan-1989-check-student-loans" target="_blank">check from Taylor herself</a> not long after to help pay off her student loans.<br />
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She takes time to connect with fans over industry giants. Who got to hear 1989 first in all its synth-pop glory? <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-taylor-swift-1989-fan-listening-party-secret-sessions-20140923-story.html" target="_blank">Fans</a>. She invited them to her home(s) and gave power back to the people who gave her power in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014916/rs_560x415-141016175525-1024.Taylor-Swift-Secret-Sessions.1.ms.101614_copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014916/rs_560x415-141016175525-1024.Taylor-Swift-Secret-Sessions.1.ms.101614_copy.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why, yes, Taylor freaking Swift, I'd love to have a cookie that you made special for me. <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/589315/taylor-swift-s-1989-secret-sessions-watch-the-behind-the-scenes-footage-and-prepare-to-be-green-with-envy" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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Bonus: Taylor <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/28669-taylor-swifts-cats-olivia-benson-meredith-grey-can-teach-her-a-lot-photo" target="_blank">named her cats</a> after strong female characters from TV shows that employ females and minorities in regular roles. Also, most of her special events and signature things are puns on her name (Swifties, Swiftmas, Swiftnic, taylurking, T-parties, etc.).<br />
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No, my resolution is not to try to connect to more people via social media or name my cats after great characters. It is not to send random checks to people I've stalked on tumblr or to write a record-breaking album.It's not necessarily to write my own music (I'm better at parodies anyway). It's not even to hold really cool listening parties with homemade cookies. No, my resolution is to make people feel loved and important.<br />
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I have students, family members, friends, and acquaintances all over the world, and Taylor Swift simply doesn't have the time to make each and every one of them feel special. I can certainly try. I will use 2015 to reach out to others and make them feel loved. If an international superstar can do it, why can't I?Brooke Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14767425276158508599noreply@blogger.com