Atheist Affirmation

!error?

2011-12-28T18:40:00.001-05:00

For some reason I cannot search for "Mormon" on Youtube (as of 18:30EST today)

Searches for anything else, including closely related terms like "LDS" and "Mormons", do not have a service error.

EDIT: As of 18:40 the error is gone :)

Yapping in the Yurt

2011-11-27T18:02:00.000-05:00

At the Occupy in my city, I woke up on the floor of the yurt that was shared by the Medic and Media team, to hear some people talking about Mormonism. Talking with them, I found out that several of the people in the room were former members!

It got me wondering about the odds of finding several people with the same background under one roof, and whether a community based movement like Occupy might resonate with people who came from a church that seems similar (offering food, books, childcare, hosting classes and meetings etc.)

I don't want to try to make it seem like Occupy is like the LDS church. There is lots of anti-oppressive work done on an ongoing basis that I have not seen in any church I've attended, LDS or not; but it's interesting to see the sort of behaviours many would say are "socialist" being performed in multiple settings, including those who often condemn said philosophies.

Many people who came into the area would ask me questions, often regarding how much something cost, and I found a nice way to sum it up (even though it sounds like a recrafted version of The Communist Manifesto) - Take what you need and give what you can! Unfortunately in many settings, it's give what you must = same cost as everyone else in the store, or a percentage *cough 10%* that may be out of your pricerange.

I saw a video on Youtube of a Mormon at Occupy Wall Street... and I can't say I've walked in a protest with my mom or brother, but I have been in many with my dad.

Outspoken Opponent

2011-07-16T23:52:00.006-04:00

I just found out about Helmuth Hübener and was touched about his life story. It reminded me of the unquestioning attitudes which led to very negative ends, as well as the strength some had in spite of it.

I recall hearing (and later, having it confirmed when reading the secret/sacred manual released by Wikilinks) that The Church says you should "follow the law of the land" When I asked whether that included laws that were unjust, I was informed that it's not 'our' position to get involved in the affairs of other nation states. I was also told that "God is forgiving". Apparently even Hitler can go to to the Telestial Kingdom (so if the Mormon church is true I will probably be in the same place as him!)

8 January 1925 – 27 October 1942

"Those who would sacrifice liberty for 'security' deserve neither" - Though it doesn't seem as if you need to do much to secure your place outside of Outer Darkness.

Call to the Church

2010-09-30T03:38:00.000-04:00

After running into someone who knows my family from church who told me something that made me feel the need to contact them assoonaspossible, I found myself going to the church on Sunday afternoon. The whole thing seemed to go by fairly quickly, which I found surprising; but after back-to-back-to-back 3 hour classes in school one three hour meeting is nothing.

I ended up attending Relief Society, which wasn't really preachy at all. I was pleasantly surprised at how the material, being the "hands of god", was made relevant to day-to-day life. There were quotes passed around which were read aloud, and I got one that seemed fitting (at least the first part) It read "Let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion towards others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn" Overlooking the 'jeebus iz mai master(bator)' part, it immediately reminded me of the Plato quote I happen to have posted by my door: BE KIND FOR EVERYONE YOU MEET IS FIGHTING A HARD BATTLE. The battle for me was trying not to leer at the hot chick around my age sitting across the room.

I noticed I had some semi-complete posts from way back when, which I will review and possibly put up.

First message in... forever!

2010-06-22T04:51:00.004-04:00

It's been a loooong since I've posted anything, and I'd be shocked if anyone even read this...

I've been realllly buzy over the past, um, couple years. I live near the Art Gallery in my so-called metropolitan city, and am living a semi-starving existence.

Not much to say or do about 'religion' hence my hiatus, but I've really gotten into the idea of synchronicity. I don't mean to undermine anything that I have said previously; but I have felt stuff that in my past I may have otherwise discounted due to my experience with religion, that now seems like it may be within the realm of normalcy... or maybe I've gone to toooo many drum circles ;p

When I was in highschool, I had a teacher (who shockingly had PhD in Philosophy, and continued to teach at our level!) who told me to be*a*ware when I started quoting Crowley in class... but the only thing I feel is appropriate to say is

LOVE IS THE LAW. LOVE UNDER WILL.

Missionary Moment

2009-03-23T23:12:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago a friend and I ran into the missionaries while we were waiting for the bus. We all got on, and they stroke up a conversation.

Oh yes; I know about the Mormons... I used to go to church... I stopped going. Yeah!

My pal? She's Catholic. No sale there.

I do wish them the best though, since they weren't bad people (as far as I could tell) I think I've seen them around (the Swiss Army knapsack looks familiar) and considering they generally come from White Town USA, coming to my area must be a culture shock.

LDS Lockup

2009-01-29T05:54:00.000-05:00

Trapped in a Mormon Gulag

A 15 year old was forcibly removed from his grandmothers home in the early hours of the morning for *gasp* being unenthusiastic about attending church and not going to seminary, and was taken to a 'ranch' where the senator(!!) told him "three years might not be enough for you. I can have a judge order you to be here until you are 21"

The story gets more shocking from there.... Only in Utah!

Assay-ism

2008-10-15T04:11:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the day you officially became an agnostic?
Since I could recall comprehending the concept of God, I've always questioned their/its validity.

How about the last time you spoke or prayed to God with actual thought that someone was listening?
Never. When I was younger I thought someone might be listening, but I always had doubts.... How can one prove there is someone or something listening? If there is someone or something there, how can they hear my prayers along with the millions of others who are also praying? If there is a God, does s/he delegate the job to workers? If that's the case, how can God be all knowing and all powerful?

Did anger towards God or religion help cause you to be an atheist or agnostic?
Not initially. When I was very young it was more centered around an inability to believe and an inability to forge a "personal relationship with my Creator" (as some believers like to put it) Believing in God seemed as stupid as believing in the Tooth Fairy, and when I - at my Priesthood Parent's advisement - prayed to know the truth, I received nothing... By the time I was in middle school I had a lot of resentment about religion, since I had to go to church with my family and all of my peers seemed to blindly believe in something so utterly stupid.

Here is a good one: Were you agnostic towards ghosts, even after you became an atheist?
I'm actually more open to the idea of energy existing in some form after we die then I was when I was younger... Previously my only exposure to the idea of ghosts was through people like Silva Browne and the kinds of Wiccans who like to dance around trees and wear patchoui (no offense to those who like dancing in the forest)

Do you want to be wrong?
No, cause if I am, I'm so going to burn.

Rapture Right Aint Right

2008-10-04T06:05:00.000-04:00

I came across a YouTube boycott plea against the Religulous movie (stupid, but not the topic of this blog entry) From there I found the makers website, which had Proof that Jesus Was and Is White as the newest entry.

Their argument is based on the premise that "Heaven is mostly made of feathery white clouds with rays of light shooting through them" and is "much closer to the sun than living on the Earth" so Jesus *must* be white! And apparently "white skin prevents you from getting cancer in Heaven"

Of course, I had to reply:

"People who live closer to the equator and are exposed to more sun are darker skinned to protect themselves from the potentially deadly rays. Their DARK “skin prevents [them] from getting cancer”

/ Grade school science (well, at least in my non-American country) lesson

And did you ever think that the reason why Jesus is depicted as white is because the paintings are made by white people who live in predominately white nations, or nations taken over by whites? …And before you assume anything about my race, I’m white myself."

Though maybe I'm wrong... Black skin is a curse from God after all, and Heaven is so drastically different from Earth, so maybe black people are more likely to get cancer then white people. You can't believe those scientists anyways, since they don't believe the earth is 6000 years old.

And this video is proof that they are True Christians. Yuppers!

Please; someone tell me this is all a joke

MORmON H83rz

2008-09-12T06:27:00.000-04:00

This person sent me a message on YouTube inviting me to "Please go to my blog to learn how to deal with your hate"

Billing itself as the Mormon Hater Show, this blog really shows an atheist like myself - Shows me how great (but not blessed!) it is.

"for some reason you have chosen Mormons. You, and only you, know why you have chosen the Mormon religion to vent your frustrations on."
- sept 10th

Oh yes, because it's a "choice" to be raised in a particular religion... This is one interesting blog.

Don't know how to label this, but a blog is a form of literature. Yeah. Especially when talking about fantasy like Joseph Smith.

Mather, Anthony = Mormon

2008-09-07T01:54:00.000-04:00

Funny, that; I make a positive video and nobody replies to it - unlike my last one which could be seen an controversial (it certainly spurred a conversation (and several "ure horribel!" comments))

Operation: Pedopreist

2008-08-18T05:16:00.000-04:00

"You have to control the operations: estabilish a code of silence and hide the scandal until the media attention moves elsewhere!" Play it here

This game is based on real-life "controversies [about] the sexual abuses committed by the priests. The Vatican created a task force to prevent sinners from being captured and put on trial according to the secular states' laws."

Missionary Meeting

2008-08-10T22:10:00.000-04:00

On Friday I was walking down the street with a friend. I saw a guy in a white shirt with a black tag off to the side walking up the street, and my first thought was "Mormon missionary!" but since I didn't see his companion I then thought he was a nerdy yuppie coming home from work.

Then I saw his tag and his partner. And then they stopped us.

The one who talked for most of the conversation asked if I knew anything about the church. I told them I used to go, and was baptized. He asked if I'd be interested in going back, and I was truthful and said "No; I don't want to waste your time" Half way through our talk we made introductions and shook their hands, like 'should of done this earlier, heh'

After we parted ways, my friend said they had to go wash and/or burn their hand. I thought that was over the top; I mean, it's not like the missionaries are abusing their palm.

Unfriendly Friend

2008-07-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a friend I've known for years, since we were young teenagers, about religion. Now neither of us were overtly religious, nor made to go to services, from the time we met; but this person has always had a side she defines as 'spiritual' and recently has explored it more.

According to her, I'm not knowledgeable about religion because I am "a crazy Mormon", even though I never had a personal testimony and was involved with the Catholic church for years, even going to a Catholic school. I've also researched many different faiths, both in school and for leisure.

I think what it often comes down to is that if you are not a True Believer you have no idea about the essence of faith. I see it as (at least to an extent) a social construct, with many political, racial, classist, gendered and heteronomative aspects. It's so easy to say "It's true and right because I believe it" without thinking about how the institution you back affects yourself and others.

There was more that I wanted to say, but wanting to forget the incident, I didn't write anything down or even contemplate about it until a couple days after the fact.

Interesting Info

2008-05-30T00:26:00.000-04:00

A day after my last entry, I come across some information regarding the Catholic church and their views on female roles.

"A Vatican spokesman said the decree [against the ordination of female priests on Thursday] made the church’s existing ban on female priests more explicit by clarifying that excommunication would follow all such ordinations"
- source

Trans Troubles

2008-05-28T18:26:00.000-04:00

This is a good discussion on how transsexuals are treated by the LDS church. It starts off explaining general facets of the church, and relates their beliefs to gendered/sex discrimination (starting about 3:30)

One of the many things that made me hate being a female in church (other then the dresses) was that we would never hold the same power as men... Not saying the Catholic church doesn't have problems embracing feminism, but at least they started to allow girls to help with the sacrament and women hold positions which help with the running of the church (beyond the bake and clothing sale)

Mormons don't really do the sale stuff. I guess they view it as irreverent, but it has the result of creating a lack of community. Sure, there are sometimes firesides after dinner at a members house (= not accessible to everyone) and events throughout the week, but unless you have the ability to go there - hard if you don't live near the church, don't have a car, or have an inflexible or late work schedule - it's difficult to participate.

If you're even slightly deviant - not being a good enough male provider by having a job that gives you the luxury of leaving early for sports night in the cultural hall, with no worries about being laid off, and the money to ensure you reside in a "good" neighbourhood (= by the chapel); not being a proper female homemaker who, should have no job outside the home, has the time to take her children to activities; not being a nice grandparent who can look after the younger ones while their adult children tend to the church duty of preparing food platters in the meetinghouse kitchen - If you don't fall into the highly gendered and classist life script, it will be harder to engage in church life.

Perhaps that's the (implicit) point; the LDS church is made for those that do.

Sex Stupidity

2008-04-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

I've been buzy with - well, Life - so this blog, among other things, have gone to the back burner; But something on my mind does have connections to religion, so I can make a (somewhat) poignant post here.

People often think I'm male, especially in certain circles. Often it's because of cultural norms that I don't quite fit into.

In the online world, many people think I'm male. This may stem from the way I write, possibly resulting from what I read - certainly not the Bible! - or what I write about (further contributing to the stereotype that women should focus on "pleasant" and "uplifting" pursuits)

If you go to a ward event you will hear ethnic music from members of the congregation, or where they went on a mission; sometimes country music for an event like a square dance, or maybe an everyday event if you don't live in a city; but it's mostly upbeat, not too fast and not at all offensive pop and rock. Listening to "heavy" music is something generally looked down upon in church. It's especially unexpected for someone who isn't a male to prefer Ozzy to O-Town.

(Ok; this one is a slight stretch, but I wanted to have 3 points) Sexuality is hidden enough with men in church culture, but there's an assumption that women would not "inpurify" themselves with that sort of "sin". The fact that I am open about sex, and engage in non-Mormon-God-sanctioned sex, makes me even less of a "proper" woman.

Alternate Religious Affiliations

2008-03-31T21:04:00.000-04:00

Despite the 3-hour meetings with uninspired talks I sometimes miss the group aspect of a community like a church (though I don't miss the Christ-crazies) Here are some of the lesser-known, more interesting churches:

Church of the Subgenius
If you want to harass Scientologists without getting into legal trouble, this is the church for you. These guys were doing it years before Anon.

Church of Stuff
A church about... stuff. Started by someone who was told "You can't wear a hat here", they used the governments statures regarding religion to prove otherwise. Their holiest of Holy Days involves milk - lots of it - so those (like myself) with lactose intolerance be(aw)ware

The Beer Church
Help others while helping yourself... to a few pints.

Non-Drunkard Drinks

2008-03-20T00:14:00.000-04:00

I was looking for a good Pina Colada recipe when I came across some non-alcoholic recipes

If Mormon get-togethers included punch options like these, maybe I wouldn't have gone to those evil raves and dark clubs over the Ward Teen Dance:

Mountain Dang - Remember to use the caffeine free version!

Safe Sex on the Beach - might need a name change, because the only safe sex is no sex, unless you've been married in the temple; but even then it should be indoors, on a bed and in missionary position, preferably with a Returned Missionary.

PacMan - Like with most LDS recipes, you need to upsize the amount of ingredients used. And for you Jack and Jill Mormons (or Ex-Mo's) adding some vodka or/and white rum gives it an extra yummy kick.

Sin Skinner

2008-03-13T04:13:00.000-04:00

Your secret world is far away,
you don`t listen to what I say.
Give me permission to enter.
I`d like to understand,
let me hold your hand.

Let me be your sin skinner...

My liberty in isolation,
my fingertips in consolation.
A sad condition, my intuition.
Let me be your friend,
I`m here to heal the sand.

Keep my integrity intact,
I want to base my life on facts.
Whatever comes, I never know,
but life will ultimately show.

Still very silent
I even hear your breath.
What have I come for?
I know I wanted more...
Have you not understood?
It is your life they took,
And all you do is cry,
Don`t tell the world good-bye!

By Diary of Dreams

"The personal themes that reoccur are widespread, if you ask me, but a 'Sin Skinner' is one of those things that always makes me smile, because I just love that term. If you skin a sin, you open it up completely, and you make it clear and obvious. By taking the surface off of something, the true face might become obvious, and sometimes you end up noticing that what you had in mind at first look is not necessarily what it really is. Maybe it's really not a sin at all. Maybe it's a true moral, a true feeling, a true honesty, and society or humankind just calls it a sin."

A search for a video of this track brought up no result, however I found some movies from Hans Richter. This one (released a year after Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"), had the sound destroyed by the Nazis. While Lang was Catholic, he was not devout, and if Ricther had any theistic beliefs, I cannot find any information to affirm that; both, however, fought against real sin.

Cult Criteria

2008-02-29T00:16:00.000-05:00

I've seen a lot of discussion about religion and cults lately, especially in relation to Scientology; however everything I've read could also be attributed to Mormonism. There are a couple points I see as problematic, despite how in this case they're true.

A 'new' church is likely to be a cult

I guess this falls under the "cult as 'a group with ideas contrary to the general population" At one point Jesus' ideas were considered really radical (to the point that (assuming he was a real person/entity) he was murdered) so I guess that would make the Big One a cult.

Personally, I think all organized religion is cultist, but for the sake of argument (illustrating true, negative cult behaviour) I focused on what the general population would define as a "cult", even though it's hard to make a distinction... It boils down to personal perception. I admit having gone to LDS church is "weird" (and very boring!) but to others (especially those who didn't go to church as children) it's more "creepy". I can see how others raised in religion may see their mainstream, generally non-abusive (at least in an overt, physical manner) religion as different then a "real" cult like the Branch Davidians or Heaven's Gate.

But I digress; if Scientology is a cult because it's only been around for about fifty years, a couple hundred years isn't much longer.

A cult has a charismatic leader who must be followed

Even though L Ron and David Miscavage are more interesting then Joe Smith and Ezra Benson, you must still always Follow The Prophet... One of the reasons some people are opposed to Catholicism is because of the "must be followed" rule regarding the Pope, who is seen as an idol (along with Mary and saints) other then Jesus. I've heard this comment from many LDS folk, who see nothing wrong with practically worshiping Smithy Boy.

---------

Here's an interesting and insightful account of an ex-Scientologist who was in the Sea Org... There is no LDS-equivalent to the Sea Org, because the latter are missionaries for life, and their next life and the next and so-on, due to a billion year contract (Even the Mormons don't have "legal" documents like that)

Scientology is Strange

2008-02-11T07:45:00.000-05:00

There were worldwide protests yesterday against Scientology. If you haven't heard of it, here is some info, and you can see videos of the events here. I had to work - yes, I know; On a Sunday! - so I was unable to attend

I don't see the reason to be anon because the whole point of the protest was to fight against the practices of Scientology, like investigations and labeling non-followers as SP's, but understand that a social group such as a religion has the power to control people, especially through fear.

Murdering Mormons

2008-02-05T01:08:00.000-05:00

I got an interesting response, posted on my main YouTube page, after putting up the video from the previous post.

jacobzzzon
"I wonder why some people use so much of there time to tell other Christians tings like:
- You are not Christian, even thou you have a personal relation to him.
- The Book of Mormon is false, even if you havn´t read it.
- Dont let mormons keep there sacred parts holy, lets defile it...
Some people even say that they do it because they love the mormons.... come on!?
Some people even claim to do it in the name of Christ...
Do you realy believe you can help anyone by twisting the truth?"

I, not even bringing up how I'm not an 'other Christian' (as is plainly evident on my info page), replied:

"dude, i'm not warping the truth. there are mormons (just like there are people in just about every religion or other social group) who commit horrible acts of violence.

it's not hard to find info showing that the people in my video are, or at least were, mormons (and in the case of one convert, it didn't say if he sent in his resignation papers, so he'd still technically be lds (just very inactive))"

As for his stance on saying something is false even if you haven't read it, I agree to a point; however if (like me) you've read parts and been preached/lectured to about the book as a whole, I think you are able to say to a probable degree of veracity that the Bible and Book of Mormon are bullshit.

(in) Famous Mormons

2008-02-01T06:06:00.000-05:00

My first Youtube vid :)

Images:
1-3 = Brian Davis Mitchell
4-6 = Arthur Gary Bishop
7-9 = Ted Bundy
10-11 = Butch Cassidy
12 = Mark Hoffman

Follow The Profit

2008-01-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

Since Hinckley's death, I've heard the song "Follow the Prophet" a few times. I was reminded of Primary, where (like currently) I felt strange while listening to (and then, singing) to it. The tune sounds somewhat sad, with an equally ominous tone to the lyrics.

Drakkar has a song by the same title that is, at least in my Outer Darkness opinion, better:
"Here I'm alone
Look through the window
Snow's falling down
Winter has come
Think to the times
When we were happy
Changes I want
Freedom again

Many years ago the Major said: "Since today you gotta call me king"
Our liberty he took away, with the promise of a golden dream
Soon the dream became a nightmare
Soon the rebels they began to die
No one seemed to have the power to
Get rid of the Major of the Lies

There's a story about a man who lives
In the forest of the ancient rites
I am going now to search for him, if he does exist I want his guide
Then I find him and he says to me:
"I've been waiting for a pure so long
I am giving you the magic ring that will bring you to another world

Follow the prophet to Never, Neverland
Where all the free men together they will stand
A dream of liberty and peace for everyone
Under the light of the sun

I am coming back now, to the real world
To the land of freedom, I will bring you all
It is time for you now, all you slaves and poor
Break the chains that would never let you fly away
If you got the courage, and your heart is pure
All the pain and the sorrow you can behind"

I couldn't find a video for that song (which to me is tongue-in-cheek) but did find an acoustic cover of Kingdom of Madness they did:

"Your Mormon Overlord is dead"

2008-01-28T06:17:00.000-05:00

Those words, from my boyfriend who was reading Fark, was how I found out about the biggest news in The Kingdom.

I saw him speak in the late 90s and I was awed at how old he was. He was born before at least one of my grandparents, yet even at that time, he had outlived them (this person never smoked and I don't think they ever drank either, save for mass, so it's not an argument for the Word of Wisdom)

Regardless of lifestyle, everyone has to die at some point. For Gordo, this was his.

Faith Fighter

2008-01-24T02:50:00.000-05:00

"Choose your belief and kick the shit out of your enemies.
Give vent to your intolerance!"

Play it here

Theological Terms

2008-01-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

After seeing this, for a fleeting, half-in-humour moment I thought 'Should I change the title of this blog from Atheist to Anti-Theist?'

I think it's important to do a better job of defining what we really mean by the titles we give people. I propose that the terms Gnostic and Agnostic be separated from theology and that we instead use the following four terms: Anti-theist, Atheist, Theist, Pro-theist (jandrewclark)

Interesting proposition, however for many, the term 'Atheist' brings up enough negativity amongst the general (pro/theist) population... A term like 'anti-theist' would have worse backlash. Also, the term 'pro-theist' sounds like it's good/positive/'for' something, as opposed to the atheist alternative.

Flying from the Fear

2008-01-16T05:39:00.000-05:00

One part (2:27) really stood out to me, since I had a similar experience.
"You go to church and they're all like 'Do you accept God?' 'Do you believe God is in your heart?' and if you say 'no' ...Am I supposed to hear a little man inside my head? A voice telling me he loves me? ...Well, no; I didn't feel that... I don't feel anything when I go to church. That automatically made me think I was going to hell cause I didn't hear this little man in my head telling me stuff"

God Gene

2008-01-16T00:34:00.000-05:00

There's a quiz about the God Gene, or peoples predisposition to religiosity (Really, it's just the "Big 5" psychological test)

If you score:
E+ your reasons are extrinsic
A++C+ your reasons are intrinsic
O+C+ your reasons are questing
E+A++C+ your reasons are both extrinsic and intrinsic
E+O+C+ Your reasons are extrinsic and questing
A++C+O+ Your reasons are intrinsic and questing
E+A++C+O+ You are the ultimate worshiper because you have three reasons to go

My Score: E-A--C--N+O=
5% likely to have The God Gene

So, if I'm reading this correctly, my motivations are not extrinsic, nor are they intrinsic, but I am questing for something (N = ?); but I can deduct that it is not a higher power, seeing as my Gene score is so low.

Mormonism and Food

2008-01-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

I've gained some weight lately, and started thinking about my history with food, which turned to religion:

Almost every Mormon event I've ever been to has had a buffet or some sort of food, even if it's just some chips and pop. The ones that didn't - and even then, someone usually brought something - always made sure not to start until 7 at the earliest, to allow people time to eat beforehand.
I was rewarded with food for good behaviour at church, or just for the fact that we never ate before church (kinda catholic like) whether it was Fast Sunday or not and we had to take the bus home, which took about an hour.
A memorable event in my young childhood was having food out on a Sunday once, because we would not have eaten until nighttime otherwise due to church and going to the hospital to see a relative. It felt weird, even though we would go to the same fast food place on Saturday or sometimes Monday (but usually not then, because of Family Home Evening) but also felt good, because we were doing something "bad"
We didn't have a year (or two, according to extra-True Believers) worth of food storage, mostly due to lack of space, but we always did have a full pantry
Unlike most LDS, we didn't eat that much healthy and unprocessed food, and our eating behaviours weren't the best either. We often watched TV from the dining room table, of course turning it off or putting it on mute during the prayer; however we still talked while eating and watching TV, unless it was some really "good" war news.

Lordless Life

2008-01-04T15:36:00.000-05:00

I saw a reply to a video, which lead me to the original here. My reply pretty much centres around the first 35 seconds

nomoxian
If you're really against socialism, you should be opposed to the LDS religion as well. They're trying to create an earthly state -- assuming everyone sees The Truth and becomes a Member -- where everyone pays the same amount, each according to their ability. In turn they have agencies that provide help, such as food and clothing banks, according to peoples needs.

aaron0883
Read the works of the LDS prophet Ezra Taft Benson on politics (especially his essay titled "The Proper Role of Government"). The difference between charity and socialism is that charity is voluntary, and socialism is force.

nomoxian
everyone who wants to go to the temple - and receive eternal salvation - is required to pay tithing. if that isn't coercive force, i don't know what is.

aaron0883
People choose to be mormon. You do not have a gun to your head. If you refuse to participate in the mormon religion than you will be left alone. If you refuse to participate in a socialistic government than you will be enslaved or killed. I dislike all religions, including mormonism ... however i find socialism to be much worse.

This got me thinking, is it really voluntary?

It was easy for me to leave since I had doubts from a young age and shunned what I felt was wrong, but could not voice (by means of feminist and queer discourses) yet.

But what about others? Is it not like putting a gun to your head - in effect killing any real, true life 'in the hereafter' - if you cannot 'fufill your covenants'?

"It Starts at Home"

2008-01-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

There's some videos on YouTube about Home Teaching (New Years resolution for some Mormons perhaps) and I realized that I don't ever remember having home teachers.

Is it only something that is done for newly converted families? (my lds parent was raised in the church, but what about my semi-but-not-really, left-before-they-got-baptised one?)
What about families in need, like ailing elderly relatives? (my grandmother would get visitors, but only sometimes)

The only time members came over was in the case of missionaries, when they were invited missionaries for dinner. Even though we lived far from the church and their best scouting locations, we'd have them over pretty often. At one point the distance factor led my father to stop having them over (Maybe the bishop had a talk with him)

No need to cultivate friendships - or fulfill the lowest hierarchical need in the case of missionaries - with members when you can be spending your time churning out more members (= more dues)

Anguished Atheism?

2007-12-26T07:42:00.000-05:00

Especially around this time of year, if people find out you're an atheist, they feel badly for you and assume you feel the same about yourself. The video below discusses this:

You don't need an often overtly commodified holiday or a god to be thankful. If you really felt that way, you wouldn't wait all year to show your satisfaction and spread positive intentions. People - not just family and friends, but everyone in your community, and beyond - don't stop needing love and help just because the fat man in the red suit or jesus/god flew up into the sky, bidding farewell until his return.

For those that do celebrate the holidays with your family and friends, I ask you to question whether you will see them anytime between now and the next holiday season. If you won't, then you either aren't prioritizing properly (barring monetary issues, work or/and school scheduling conflicts, and/or vast amounts of space between one another) or you don't really care about them... If it's the latter, think about why you see them in the first place. Often the latent answer is religion, overbearing with guilt and obligation.

Today, more then ever, I am glad I am not religious. I can still gorge on food and drink (the first being a form of gluttony which many churchgoers partake in, the latter being against LDS teachings) and look at pretty lights (made cuter by cannabinoids) banded with friends who otherwise would have been alone today.

Smithmas

2007-12-20T06:57:00.000-05:00

I've read it from other bloggers, and at least for me, it was True (if anything about The Church could be) that the lessons focused on Joseph, or lessons on the Chapel and Book of Mormon, instead of Jesus during the Christian celebration of the winter season.

By the time I got to Young Womans, I was rarely in class enough - let alone paying attention when I was - to analyze and comprehend anything they were attempting to indoctrinate me with. In Primary I do recall the lectures. They focused on the Smith story, even though they told us about 'Him' throughout the rest of the year.

At least in the Catholic church, they were half an hour at most and generally consisted of being given an interesting coloured lesson sheet, often including colouring sheets, and they had special Christmas stuff that consisted of more then a dinner with cold pastas and salads in the activity hall that seconds as a basketball court (and in some chapels, thirds as overflow for Sacrament)

Taking the Piss

Missionary Merriment

2007-12-13T02:34:00.000-05:00

Missionaries on bikes are a common site in many places, at least for males, as is seen in these videos...

Baptismal by Bike!

“He's never tired this before.. And will probably never try this again”

Should have listened to The Word

And my personal fave

I wonder what I would have done were I still LDS, and had I the monetary resources to "go". I am a woman and I don't drive (the common means of transportation for female missionaries) which would have limited my opportunities.

The whole idea of missionaries riding bikes or driving is strange to me though, since where I live they take public transit.

Something Fishy Smelling?

2007-12-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

Mormonism seems to be everwhere, especially when you least suspect it.

I was looking on a walkthrough site (I did attempt to pass it several times beforehand!) when I came across this ad:

I am unsure why this book appears as there is nothing about the subject matter would make it appear, especially that high on a list which is supposed to be for games; but a good thing is that Gibson is right after :)

Mapping out my un-religiosity

2007-11-29T02:37:00.000-05:00

These quizzes are fairly accurate.

What Religion Am I?
1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (91%)
3. Nontheist (79%)
4. Theravada Buddhism (72%)
5. Liberal Quakers (69%)
6. Neo-Pagan (60%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (55%)
8. New Age (44%)
9. Reform Judaism (41%)
10. Taoism (37%)
11. Mahayana Buddhism (32%)
12. New Thought (31%)
13. Scientology (31%)
14. Orthodox Quaker (24%)
15. Sikhism (24%)
16. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (23%)
17. Bahá'í Faith (19%)
18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (16%)
19. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (13%)
20. Eastern Orthodox (11%)
21. Hinduism (11%)
22. Islam (11%)
23. Jainism (11%)
24. Orthodox Judaism (11%)
25. Roman Catholic (11%)
26. Seventh Day Adventist (8%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (5%)

Which religion is the right one for you?
You scored as Satanism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Satanism! Before you scream, do a bit of research on it. To be a Satanist, you don't actually have to believe in Satan. Satanism generally focuses upon the spiritual advancement of the self, rather than upon submission to a deity or a set of moral codes. Do some research if you immediately think of the satanic cult stereotype. Your beliefs may also resemble those of earth-based religions such as paganism.
Satanism - 88%
Paganism - 63%
Buddhism - 46%
agnosticism - 25%
Judaism - 21%
Hinduism - 17%
Christianity - 8%
Islam - 0%

What kind of atheist are you?
You scored as Angry Atheist. Whoah! Down boy! It's time to let go of the belligerence and let someone else talk for a while. Even if the religious don't make must sense, you should probably observe the unspoken rules for human interaction and not yell directly into their faces.
Angry Atheist - 92%
Scientific Atheist - 75%
Militant Atheist - 75%
Spiritual Atheist - 58%
Apathetic Atheist - 58%
Agnostic - 42%
Theist - 25%

South Park and Mormons

2007-11-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

Kyle, from South Park, is the 'good guy' who speaks out against Cartman's evil plans. While he is Jewish in the show, the person his character might have been named after (Wiki says his mannerisms were taken from voice actor/series creator Matt Stone, but nothing is said about the inspiration for his name) is anything but:

"Kyle McCulloch is a writer for the TV cartoon South Park... He will also occasionally provide the voice for one-time use characters, such as one of the Mormon characters in 'All About Mormons' Coincidentally, he is an actual Mormon."

An search of IMDB and tv/epguide did not reveal what character Kyle played... Could it be Joseph Smith? Or maybe someone from that looney LDS family?

5 is the new 9!

I think it's cool that a Mormon would do the voice for an episode that, to an extent, makes fun of them. Maybe he didn't have an issue with it since the ending contains a good lesson; That and, according to South Park, they are the people up in heaven (Well, them and Saddam). Beats Isaac Hayes, who left after Scientology (a religion more made-up then any other) was made fun of (and rightfully so)

Men, Women and Mormonism

2007-11-13T07:06:00.000-05:00

A male gives good insight regarding gender roles and Mormonism. I don't want to foist labels on anyone, especially something that is sometimes wrongly seen as a bad word - this one starts with an F too - but I would say he's a feminist

Men = Being a Missionary (to get married)
Women = Marriage and being a Mother
Both = Drugs are bad, hmmkay? And don't say fuck cause fuck is the worst word you can say!

Ten Weird Things

2007-11-09T08:53:00.000-05:00

I decided to keep it related to religion, since that's the topic of this blog

1. That I was raised both Roman Catholic and Latter Day Saint. They may be both Christian churches, but normally both of those sects don't like marriages outside them.

2. That I was baptised into two churches - LDS and Catholic - while attending both.

3. That I was allowed to stop going to church before I was age of majority. Normally Mormon parents, and some Catholic ones, are really strict when it comes to attendance.

4. That, at least when I was older (post-baptism) I was vocal about not having a testimony. Usually people who doubt aren't open about it (It may also be why #3 was an option for me)

5. That I sometimes didn't wear a dress or skirt to the Mormon church, which is looked down upon (Also possibly contributing to why #3 was allowed) While many women wore those clothes to the Catholic church, especially for the Sunday morning service, wearing pants wasn't shunned.

6. That I never "felt the spirit" even though I came from a long line of True Believers. Maybe some of them secretly doubted; As a kid I often thought "do these people really believe this shit?" so maybe some of it subconsciously rubbed off onto me.

7. That I felt pro-choice and pro-queer, before I was even taught anything about those topics (and when I was, it was that abortion and homosexuality was wrong) Coming from a religious household and where my other family members and few close friends were also religious, I don't know where I could have been exposed to such "radical" ideas.

8. That I was allowed to watch rated-R movies from a young age. Catholics tend shun from that sort of entertainment, but Mormons are explicitly told not to seek it out; but then again, violence is okay so long as there's no sex involved.

9. That my first concert attendance was to see the Beach Boys, who apparently have ties with the devil

10. That there was never any green gelatin at any Mormon event I went to. Isn't that stuff supposed to be a staple?

I admit, by the last few, I was fishing for ideas. Despite going to a "peculiar" church and growing up around equally peculiar people, I can't think of many weird things regarding religion. Then again, growing up in and around it may have made me immune to what others - such as my partner, who was raised in a mainly secular family - see as insanity, or at least sheer idiocy.

Ten Commandments

2007-11-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

I barely pass, and even that's debatable (as with the 10th)

You shall have no other gods before me
At first I thought "Great; I don't beleive in an 'other god' because I beleive in none!" but Wikipedia states that "this commandment is to believe in the existence of God"

Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above
No issue there, since there is no heaven.

Do not swear falsely by the name of the lord
I'm so fucking gulity of that goddamn shit!

Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy
Today I slept in (sin of sloth), neglected to clean anything (but not working is good, right?), watched Fox shows (nothing good there) and inhaled (both a Word of Wisdom violation as well as being against the law, which Mormons (at least as of recent) see as being bad)

Honor your father and your mother
Who can say they've always done what their parents want, epecially with religious parents who hold certian values you disagree with?

Do not murder
I eat animals and use roach traps, so technically I murder; just because I've never killed a human doesn't make it permissible.

Do not commit adultery
Described "as sexual intercourse between a man and a married woman who is not his wife" I'm not married, so guess I'm in the clear (Even though unmarried sex is a sin, it's not a commandment) I wonder if it's okay with a woman or a woman who used to be a man since it refers to a man and woman

Do not steal
I plead the 5th; but I've never kidnapped anyone, which is the context of "steal" used.

Do not bear false witness against your neighbor
Any bad shit I've said about a neighbour has been true, and even if it wasn't, it was never in "a court of law or other proceeding"

Do not covet your neighbor's wife
I've oggled a neighbours girlfriend, but I don't think any of them were married.

Hell-oween Hoopla

2007-10-30T06:32:00.000-04:00

Thankfully, I was able to celebrate Halloween like a normal kid; going out dressed up to go door-to-door for candy, then coming home to unload my bag and have it be inspected while a parent and I (or as I got older, a friend or a few and myself) went back out for more.

I can recall a Halloween celebration at the chapel [I can now add one more positive thing in regards to church] where they opened up the basement storage area, normally off-limits, as a haunted house. This wasn't like a Catholic Hell House, but an actual attempt at a spooky interior; full with little light, spider webs and one of those 'creepy music' tapes generally heard at the house with awesome candy that, despite being told not to re-visit, you can't help but go back (the sins of gluttony, envy and greed)

Since my cup is only half full (Really; the cup of juice beside my keyboard is half empty) the bad stuff should be included:

The holiday allowed for the discussion of "evil" within church, somewhat in lessons but mostly through general comments amongst the congregation. I don't remember much of these talks, but the thesis was Halloween = bad and you can get snacks *and* cool toys at Christmas - of course keeping the virgin birth as the focal point of the season spent tearing open gifts under the tree and shoving your face full of sugar cookies and chocolate.

Both holidays are pagan, but only one is bastardized by Christianity. Maybe if Christians were able to make Halloween 'theirs' - like as a way for them to "evade the evil spirits which plague this earth, I tells you, like this devil child, a little kid, dressed like the devil, came and demanded candy from my doorstep! What is this here world coming to?" - they would be less likely to lash out against it. On the other hand, I like having a holiday that is for everyone; you don't have to be religious to celebrate it but even if you are religious the only thing stopping you from celebrating it is yourself.

One of my pet peeves is people talking about x-mas / giftmas / non-denominational seasonal time before Halloween, so I'll end this post now with a hearty HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Advocation for Atheism

2007-10-28T20:54:00.000-04:00

Porn Preachings

2007-10-21T00:10:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago was National Porn Day; however this was no pro-porn event, instead being a time to display the sin of non-church sanctioned sex.

I can't help but notice how churches, Mormon and otherwise, focus on males as being the users of pornographic material. There is little said about the females who assist in its production, nor the women who watch porn, despite how it is women who are the predominant object of the males gaze (except for queer men; but they aren't acknowledged, same as women) and that women do use porn (though to a lesser degree then men)

This shirt pretty much sums up Mormons views on sex (or anything)

This site has a host of interesting articles regarding sex and Mormonism. Of course, there is nothing said about porn (focus is generally on single-person "sins" such as masterbation) because who could ever find one, let alone two LDS members, willing to give up their place behind the highest floor behind the pearly gates for a little fun in the sack?

Gelatin Judgement

2007-10-06T01:04:00.001-04:00

I've wondered for a long time why Mormons like green [insert gelatin brand of choice here] and couldn't come up with much:

Greenie is a term for new missionaries, who are people that are a big part of church culture.
Green is the colour of money in the country where Mormonism originated

There was never an abundance of gelatan products at chapel events, since most of the food was ethnic as my family attended a very ethnically diverse ward. Maybe someone else can answer: why do Mormons like green gelatin? Do Mormons even like green gelly?

Not the kind of gelatin you'd see at a Mormon party

Perhaps it's a personal thing, but I always prefered cherry, grape or even blue raspberry to lime.

Communion, complete with cheese pizza

2007-09-29T23:38:00.000-04:00

I realize that this blog is pretty negative, so to balance things out a bit I'll write about something positive.

The best church memory I have was eating pizza at a 'party' in the basement of the Catholic church. It was to commemorate my first communion, which I later wasn't able to participate in due to familial conflict (But religion is supposed to bring people together!) For some reason it was permissible for me to partake in sacrament, the Mormon equilivent to communion, but not at the Catholic church.

The most positive thing that religion provided me was a few slices of pizza and some pop; and this was supposed to be a non-negative post.

Domino's Pizza, which was created by a very right-wing Christian, happens to be my favourite (Other then Pizza Hut, which apparently is Mormon-run)

Neoteric Novels

2007-09-20T03:44:00.000-04:00

With no internet access currently, I have time to do some reading. I haven't gotten around to these books yet, but they seem really interesting and I've been looking forward to reading them since before they were released.

Leaving Fundamentalism looks at the personal testimonies of ex-True Believers, from a Christian perspective.

God Hates Fags: The Rhetorics of Religious Violence shows how culture allows for change, through the use of negativity which activists counter with positive force.

The Sweet Stuff

2007-09-07T04:44:00.000-04:00

Coke (the pop, not the white stuff) became a part of my life mid-way through grade school. Up until that point, when I moved in with a Catholic relative, I had lived with mostly Mormon family who was of the mindset that 'hot drinks' = caffeine and therefore cola was of the devil (however chocolate is okay, since there isn't alot of caffeine in it, so it's not a big sin)

The first time I tried Coca-Cola was from a small glass. I sort of smelled it first, like an exotic wine, and then took a small sip. Shortly after I started drinking it, I decided to take one of my recently lost teeth and place it in a cup full of cola; When I removed it, it was (more) rotted (then before)

This didn't stop me from gulping the stuff back. In middle school I was drinking close to 2L daily. Thankfully my Mormon parent believed in my agency, and allowed me to drink it (even purchasing it for me) when I visited them.

It's amusing looking back now, but then I really thought I was seen as a rebel (by some, I was) for drinking caffeinated pop! If only they knew what I do now.

Today I'm anti-Coke, but it's for political and not religious reasons.

I apologize for the lack of entries lately, not that many people read this anyways. I have been sick lately (No prayers, please)

Christ's Hard Wood...en Cross

2007-08-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

Seabound have a track called Exorcise, which has a sample saying "Jesus Christ died with a hard-on" I couldn't find any info on where the sample came from, but a search of the lyrics brought up interesting results.

The band says that "The question... about the meaning of this song and whether it has any religious undertones... has been raised due to the... sample... There is a subtle message involved that in a way altruism often serves very selfish purposes, and that much behavior in line with religious beliefs and charity is also in line with hedonism."

Reminds me of Good Deeds done by Mormons, such as trips to the farm to pick fruit. I've done such deeds, but at that point I wanted to distance myself from the church (as much as possible for a minor) and didn't consider myself religious in the least, so for me it was not a way to win brownie points for The Lord © or to get my Young Women's award, but I'd bet - not only because it's against church rules, but because I do truly, really believe - it was a way for some attendees to get that much closer to the highest level of heaven.

Seabound never meant for religion to be the focal point of the track - though with a sample like that it's hard not to pay attention to it - but instead intended to use it as a metaphore "to reflect very intense and upsetting thoughts and actions" Whether this means the negative emotions attached to religion itself, or hearing something which many would be shocked at, is unansered.

"The song is about a relationship that is on the brink of falling apart. As in most of these cases, one suffers more than the other, because usually one is more dependent on the other than vice versa" I never took this song seriously until I read this, but it shows how religion is alot like an abusive relationship. Members make themselves reliant on popes and prophets, and this is magnified when the relations are between males and females, or queer males who are sometimes seen as effiminate.

There is a phrase which is stated throughout the song, only second to the sample, which lays doubt. The last words uttered are "Without choice but to believe". Mormons would say that one does have a choice, but like just about everything else about their church, that is hard to believe. The lyricist is correct in saying that "it takes radical steps to let go, maybe radically re-interpreting things in order to retain... self-respect, and find a way to carry on with... life without too much suffering."

Men on a Mission

2007-08-25T00:30:00.000-04:00

I wonder what the Morgbots think of this.

I also wonder how many men will end up buying this.

Where's the Women?

2007-08-23T01:09:00.000-04:00

Peter Preisthood and Molly Mormon are commonly used Mormonisms when defining True Believers, whereas Jack Mormon describes a cultural or ex-Mormon. There is no female equalvilent for the male apostate.

I've read that this may be because while male members are taught to be the leader, leaving those who don't stive to be the best appear bad in comparison, women are able to be at a content medium.

If this is true, I think it's a result of females being pushed to the sidelines or ignored, which is the main reason why there is no female title alongside Jack Mormon; besides, women are supposed to be more spiritual then men (which is why only men 'need' the preisthood!) so they could never forsake their religion.

Mormons on Speed

2007-08-19T07:53:00.000-04:00

When I first heard of Mormon tea, it was intriguing. According to some relatives (who saw no harm in eating, and eating, and eating) it was still against the Word of Wisdom, because it contains caffeine (but eating chocolate isn't a form of apostacy) Except for my non-mormon parent who drank regular tea, noone I knew drank any sort of tea. The few people I came across who drank Mormon tea, many years later, were converts.

Imagine my surprise when I found that it's ephedra, which is basically legal speed (Not that I would know about that from personal experience....)

Mormon tea in bottle form

You can't blame the pioneers for any possible wrong-doing; They certianly needed a pick-me-up to travel the better part across a continent.

Day of Deception

2007-08-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

I came across a website for pro-Mormon movies and saw something strange.

This advert for "Day of Defense" shows two clearly Mormon (white short sleeved dress shirts, ties and black badges) whereas this ad depicts several business-looking men, who to the unindoctrinated eye could easily not be Mormon. On the right are two Catholic preists, one of whom has a beard (which is a no-no in Mormon culture) I find this juxtaposition interesting seeing as it is Jesus who is supposed to be on the right side of the father, which in this case could be the patriarchal Mormon leaders (a view some may see as blasphemous, but those people would probably feel the same way about this entire blog)

Now I know it's normal to tailor your advertising to your audience, but why hide the fact that the protagonists are Mormon in what is probably the non-Utah ads?

Mormons are notorious for editing films. After all, adults aren't able to watch videos rated higher then PG-13

I've been unable to find the movie on BitTorrent sites, but hopefully I'll be able to find it at one of the local indie video stores (seeing as their shelves are full of very non-LDS type films, it's a long shot (and I refuse to use ~~Cock~~Blockbuster, which happens to be Mormon owned)) so it might be up soon.

Titleless Thoughts

2007-08-11T22:42:00.000-04:00

This Mormon Curtian article questions whether certian people would be better off without Mormonism.

I'm better without it, without a doubt, but for those who have their entire identity entwined with The Church it may be different. I feel this way in regards to most of my relatives, especially as I've gotten older.

When I was a young child my inner voice said "this is bogus" whenever they'd pray, or tell me stories of how some great thing had happened in response to their prayers. When I was a bit older I'd question them, asking "Are you sure it was because of the prayer? Maybe it was just a coincidence?" they'd deny it (since god is everywhere, or something like that) Even the out-there stories about the garments. They weren't urban myths or something with another explination, such as the fire not having enough time to burn through their clothing; No, they were True and Real Facts.

Snopes only gave one hit about LDS legends. They don't say either way, alluding to people's personal truths.

Despite what I'd label as a false consciousness, my relatives (at least some of them) are (sometimes) happy. It may be my responsibility to tell them, both Mormon and Catholic, what I see as the truth (as much as something subjective like my version of reality can be) but it is also their right to live their life as they see fit. Since I'd want them to 'let it live' towards me, I should do the same.

As I was typing this, I was listening to Combichrist's "Enjoy The Abuse", Apoptygma Berzerk's "You Keep Me From Breaking Apart" and Assemblage 23's "Sorry". Pretty fitting for this entry (The first two remind me of some of my relatives relationships with others and their religion, and the last describes mine)

Seven Deadly Sins

2007-08-07T20:13:00.000-04:00

Gluttony

Gluttony of food is one of the worst sins cause it will show on you. You will become a big lard butted person that loses your breathe all of the time. Bad for sex, I would think. So reserve your butter/gravy/Sweet Tart carvings for once a year special occasions like your birthday or Thanksgiving or ?

Other forms of gluttony mean more, more, more, until you are so overwhelmed that you cannot move. Think Goodwill, Salvation Army, Purple Heart Veterans...give it all away. See how slim you feel now?

The 7 deadly sins Test at Ok Cupid

You scored as Sloth

Sloth 81%
Wrath 69%
Envy 50%
Gluttony 44%
Lust 38%
Greed 19%
Pride 19%
Seven deadly sins
created with QuizFarm.com

Lust

You crave the pleasures of the body. Your lustful desires make you crave more of what you know is good.
Find out your Deadly Sin at Quizopolis.com

Pride and Personalness

2007-08-04T02:28:00.003-04:00

Anyone who is or was Mormon knows that you don't talk about LGBT stuff, at least with other True Believing Mormons. When it is spoken about, it's only in the negative, and with non-affirming and clinical terms such as "same-sex attraction". The "H" word, unless you're talking about heterosexuality, is not said. Even heterosexuality isn't spoken of, since it's implicitly (and explicitly, through the churches discriminitory policies) seen as the norm.

My parent who is LDS is no exception to this. They, along with the rest of my Mormon family, don't know about my sexuality (along with most other aspects of my life) Despite considering myself "out" since I was a teen, I never told them. Much like one wouldn't go up to a random person on the street and say "Hi, I'm queer" I didn't see the need to tell them.

The one time I spoke up about LGBT stuff was when I, knowing the answer but asked anyways, if I could go to the Gay Pride parade, which landed on the weekend that I was legally bound to see them for visitation. I forget their exact response; something like “Absolutely NOt, that is completely inmoral, and on a SUNDAY??!” We were on a public street, in line for them to use the bank machine, so I used this opportunity to say quite loudly “Why not, are you homophobic? What do you have against gay people?” In retrospect I should have said "You know I'm not a Mormon, and I'd like to go with the female friend I'm trying to get with" (Sadly she's straight. Like Kinsey 0 straight. So is her equally hot friend.)

I forget exactly what else I said, since this was years ago, but I was trying to shame him. I didn't have that result, since my 'lifestyle' is a 'sin' to be condemned and it was their 'duty' as a parent to shield me from 'it' (if only for two weekends a month)

I tend to feel uncomfortable around any LDS family member since they have an judge me, along with anyone else who is not an active, tithe paying member (When I was a young child I recall many conversations on why so-and-so's something-cousin removed *gasp, shock, horror* left the church.) Either that or they have an ulterior motive. Every time I see them is yet another opportunity for them to “win me back to the flock”, not that I was ever into what was being shoved down my throat in Sunday School and Sacrement anyways.

Yes, I know Pride has been over for a while, but I try to make every day gay; by that I mean happy, but some gay sex is great with me.

Media Madness

2007-07-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

The bible sure is a silly book, as is shown with Peter's interpertation of Exodus and Leviticus

And Satan is Searching for Soles

(Another parody (and therefore legal under Fair Use laws) of a movie - this time from The Devil Wears Prada - taken off Free Image Hosting servers. Again, I don't have a copy of this image to re-upload.)

I apologize for the lack of entries lately. I've been working alot (and working at finding more work) and as a result my weekends are mostly spent getting drunk. Since I'm not religious I can drink and not have to worry about being hungover Sunday morning.

Religious Refrain

2007-07-23T01:27:00.000-04:00

Back when I went to church I generally listened to rock and classical (weird mix, I know) so the music played there bored me not only due to it's religious aspect but the monotonous harmonies.

Despite how many other bloggers describe remembering the church songs many years later, I had enough trouble recalling the words when I was sitting on the hard plastic Primary chair. Perhaps this was because I was daydreaming and counting down the hours and mintues to when church would end. Perhaps it was also that since third grade I only attended twice monthly, when visiting my Mormon parent.

In the Catholic chapel all of the songs had religious connotations, but I remember really liking a song that went like, "though the mountains may fall and the hills turn to dust, the love of the lord will stand, as a shelter to all who will call on his name, sing the praise and the glory of god" Even though at that point I was agnostic, leaning on the atheist side, I still looked forward to when this song was on the playlist.

I didn't like any songs sung in Sacrement, especially when I started attending the Catholic church, which while bland was energetic compared to the Mormon sermon. The Primary song that I enjoyed was "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree", firstly because it was silly but secondly since it had nothing to do with religion, which the Mormon church showed me more then anything that it was something to be shunned.

This is the same hymn book used when I went to church. According to Deseret Books, it's been in circulation since the 80s

Forgiveness of Sexxx

2007-07-13T02:22:00.000-04:00

I hope to read this book sometime, but it's not at the public library (not that I'm complaining! (note: I by no means promote banning any books)) The university library, which is among the largest in this continent, doesn't have it either. I obviously would never purchase such a book, unless it was second-hand at some bargain bookstore, so I doubt I'll be able to anytime soon; however this is not necessarily a bad thing.

I'm glad I was out of 'the church' by the time I would have been old enough to be given the book "The Miracle of Forgiveness" Though had I been, I would have had a good laugh over it (though having female anatomy, I'd be unable to make any jokes about *ahem* 'stabbing' people) and on the off-chance it was comprimised of bible paper, a good smoke too... Yes, I have used the bible as rolling papes. I don't recommend it, soley on the basis that it's bad for you (The bible, not the smoke (Even the Word of Wisdom doesn't condemn that))

I know of person who, when in our teens, had to go to church court because she had sex. I don't know exactly what punishment she got, but assume it was a disfellowshipment since she was allowed to become a full member again in a year or so. She was a convert with no other Mormon family, so maybe they went easy on her, seeing as sex outside marriage is considered next to murder to Mormons. At that point I was not active, except for non-overtly religious functions I'd be taken to by my LDS parent (surprisingly, I don't recall much Jello) so I don't know if she ended up returning.

I also don't know what, if anything, happened to the male party. At least from my empirical observations, the males are seen as the instigator (since women can never be vocal, sexual people) but they also are punished less severely, if at all (since 'boys will be boys') It stinks of what Penn and Teller would so eloquently say is bullshit.

Mormons ruin Boyscouts
Uploaded by demonkolob

It's Hammer Time

2007-07-06T03:54:00.000-04:00

People are instructed to stop and listen for the "still small voice" that will guide them. I sometimes sense something telling me what to do, and often if I follow it I am better off for having done so.

I chalk it up to common sense, however.

Fireside

2007-07-02T01:54:00.000-04:00

When I first heard of this, my first thought was something along the lines of "Radical!" (This was a loooong time ago) I, thinking it was a campout, wanted to attend.

Even after being told it was going to be a talk, I still wanted to go, thinking it would somehow be different from all the other boring church talks - which I got through by drawing, reading and taking trips to the washroom which often lead to running down the chapel halls and going into rooms I shouldn't have been in, which occasionally resulted in open corporal punishment (Like I said, this was a long time ago, though I wouldn't be shocked to see such action still accepted in a meetinghouse)

My Mormon parent, older and in this case wiser, decided I should stay home instead.

All Shit Smells The Same

2007-06-29T02:22:00.000-04:00

At my new job I had a chat with a coworker, which got me thinking about how all religions are basically the same.

I cannot think of any religion which does not promote kindness. Even Satanists, who are often villified as being against this, discuss showing compassion to children, animals and others and demands that one is aware of ones potential, both good and bad.

My co-worker informed me of the 3 ways of Buddhism elicited by their god, and it reminded me alot of Mormonism.

The first is the dharmakaya, which is considered the absolute and unborn truth. In Mormonism this could be described as the Celestial kingdom, which one can attain by being the best and believing in what they see as the true gospel.

The second, samboghakaya, is a state of enjoyment and involves "timeless communication". This might be seen in Mormon terms as the Terrestrial glory, where everyone exists in bliss and are able to connect with Jesus (I have heard conflicting accounts; either he lives on this plane, or visits peridocially)

The third, nirmanakaya, is our "phemenological reality". From what I was taught, the Telestial kingdom will still surpass anything in our materialist imagination, but on this plane one would be disconnected from the godhead, making it more like our earthly state.

Sorry for no picture. I couldn't even think of a proper tag for this post

This is Bishop Rick's take on how the Christian and Buddhist gods are similar.

Happy Pride

2007-06-26T03:37:00.000-04:00

A day late is better then never

Sexxx

2007-06-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

Growing up Gay, Mormon and Bipolar
Because it's Pride, and since it's a powerful testimony of a queer persons experience, I wanted to highlight this video series (first of six)

It leaves me feeling thankful that I was able to remove myself from the church, even before I turned sixteen. There are some Mormons who are nice, however there are many who use doctrine as a veichle and excuse for hate.

For something more upbeat, check out Mormon Erotica
I'm not sure if it's same person who does the Mormon Erotica blog, but both give an interesting look at the church and its sexuality that it attempts to repress (while creating organs that look much like one)

My Calling

2007-06-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

I was listening to this song by Richter, who has many religiously themed tracks, which reminded me of Mormonism.

"I want much more than what you offer - you just slag me
I want to know the unknown answers - you drag me down
oh, high time you get behind me
oh, get gone - don't you vilify me

all these years I've worked so hard to free myself from bondage
all the simple things I took for granted lie beside the road I've travelled
worn and weary - ordinary
and given to moods of spite and jealousy
tired of cruelty - bored with envy
and driven by thoughts of joy past memory
this time it's gonna be better than all that time we spent together

...oh, get gone - you terrorize me

all these years I've struggled with this all-consuming anger
all the greatest pains that go unspoken
bind us to the paths we've chosen
cold and empty - bruised and angry
and used by a lie that defines your morality
send your money - pawn the jewellery
we're sowing the seeds of hate and misery

and all the times you will not kiss me 'till I guarantee my love
by god I think you sure would miss me if I took away your drug"

Golly, what's this Holy Ghost?

2007-06-18T22:52:00.000-04:00

According to this unbiased informational site, the Holy Ghost acts as a witness of heavenly beings through the revelation of the truth. Apparently it can be felt by anyone however it "does not linger with a person unless they've received" it, wich is done when one is baptised. This presents some issues:

How can one 'feel' the spirit when being converted by missionaries or reading the Book of Mormon, to a convincing degree?
If someone raised in a Mormon family doesn't reach the age of accountability and ability to be baptised until they are 8, why should they be expected to have testimonies and act accordingly before that?
If, after being baptised, one doesn't feel the spirit, is it due to some personal deficit? If so, why would a heavely creator allow this to occur and does this mean they are inperfect?

I can't answer the first one since my lineage includes Mormons way back when. I found the last two to be problematic growing up, and the only answer I can come up with is that there is none.

Casper's on a mission

General Conference

2007-06-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

Two words which sometimes meant 'no church' (at least not in the same sense) but others it meant not only enduring Sunday but having to waste the one other weekend day as well.

I stopped going by the time I would have had to sit in - I did go to a talk from the Prophet, which I will describe in greater detail in another entry - so all I recall is watching religious cartoons on a VHS. The producers probably thought it would be a good way of getting the message to young children, but it was lost to my glazed over eyes (With a sports loving father, I got used to 'not' watching TV)

I didn't consciously reject religion, at least not at first. It just seemed as unreal as the images on the screen.

This gal, known as Dr. Deseret, is devoutly LDS. Certianly not your Molly Mormon.

Secret New Mormon Media Campaign Revealed!

2007-06-15T02:43:00.000-04:00

Mormonism and Marriage

2007-06-11T17:02:00.000-04:00

Mormonism "is all-encompassing and it informs every aspect of your life. It's easy. You don't really have to make decisions for yourself. Decisions are made."

Nightline-The Life Of Gay Mormons
Uploaded by samueltheutahnite

One of these decisions, often unspoken and assumed, is that you will marry someone of the opposite gender and have multiple children with them. Personally, this does not sit well.

My primary partner is male, but we aren't married for several reasons, all of which go against Mormon ideologies:

Anti-Government While the LDS church had conflicts with the government in the past, they are currently opposed to any action against the state and ask for members to follow the 'law of the land'
Pro-Queer Even though gay marriage is legal where we live, it is not the case in many places. In Utah LGBT people cannot marry or adopt and (I cannot find the link, but will post it if I can) can be fired or evicted.
Pro-Woman The LDS church is arguably anti-feminist. There are feminists, albeit not radical or anarchist, however the power structure is patriarchal - there is even a prayer entitled "Patriarchal Blessing"

The last two points can be true for the Catholic church as well. I am unsure of the Catholic position on government (but can take a wild guess)

Baptism Bullshit

2007-06-07T01:23:00.000-04:00

Since one cannot be baptised as a Mormon until the age of 8, I was not baptised in the Catholic religion until that age as well.

At that point I was pretty agnostic, but thought there couldn't be any harm in being baptised. I thought it would put me in the clear for going to heaven/higher kingdom and it would make my family happy.

The Catholic baptism was more foreign, as the basin was made for an infant. I had seen some Mormon baptisms previous to mine, and children are introduced to the ritual through pictures and stories from a young age. I didn't have the same exposure to the more traditional chrisitan rites; At that point I didn't think Mormons were christian, as I was told that by family who were members (which apparently is inproper doctrune)

This image was a common sight in my chapel.

I was 'dunked' on my 8th birthday, by my full preisthood holding father. I don't have a strong memory of it, as one often does of a memorable experience. I just remember going through the motions and not feeling fully comfortable with it, as with any other church experience.

After one's baptism they give the Holy Ghost to the recipient. I remember closing my eyes and trying to focus, thinking maybe this will be the time everything would be revealed to me; It was not, and I was left with more doubt then before.

More thoughts on the holy ghost and baptism to come....

Mormon Media

2007-06-05T01:17:00.000-04:00

Elder
"Help the Mormon missionaries make it to an appointment on time... or, if you're not a fan of Mormons, run then under a semi"

BOM Tamagotchi
Study hard, fight harder, and become a stripling... Or not, and end up like me.

The creator has made other interesting games, like Sheep Go To Heaven.

(I had a picture of "All Dogs go to Heaven" subbing the animal with Sheep, adding cartoon sheep. It was bahleted and I no longer have the image on my drives... Sorry)

I've started a Youtube account. There's alot of religious related videos and I hope to create some commentary, as soon as I find a working webcam.

Raving Review

2007-06-01T00:09:00.000-04:00

Ex-Mormon, written by C.L. Hanson, is a personable novel in 1st person, with multiple vignettes. Reading like a journal, with a progression from tween-hood, through university and missions, to being a post-Mormon adult and through the experiences of particular family members, and their families and so-on, it is a poignant look at LDS life.

There are many names used throughout the book, making it difficult to tell who's who (much like life in a Mormon community) A list of all the characters and their ties to others is included in the back of the book (which I didn't notice until *after* reading the manuscript). The novel opens with a reference to “green Jell-o”, a stereotypically Mormon delicacy. It continues, from the first page and throughout, to illustrate another facet of LDS culture; children who do not have the means, due to adult intervention, to take part in activities done by others their age – such as flirting with boys – leaving them to playing out these fantasies through Barbie dolls. The consequences for this overt intrusion over every aspect of their childrens' lives has more dire results for one person.

Discerning Doctrine

One character found it “painful to force myself to look away from all of the evidence presented in History class about how the Native Americans had migrated to the New World across the Bering Straits and to convince myself that I 'knew' that the BOM's explanation. was true” (For me it was the opposite) There is a struggle between the secular and what is often seen to be sacred, with young impressionable people being placed in a situation with no clear answers. Upon making a decision, for one character, it means being kicked out of the home.

A character had an annotated version of Alice in Wonderland and upon reading it, was “amazed... that anyone could read it without” as it, like the Book of Mormon, was founded upon historically situated 'insider' information. This character felt shameful for not being able to derive pleasure or glean some sort of understanding from an ancient text. Ex-Mormon contains insight more readily available to an insider (or ex-insider), however due to my limited exposure, especially as I became a youth, there were facets of the text which were beyond my comprehension. Other books referred to, such as Charly, were only recognizable since I had done a random search on Deseret Books in the past. Other Mormonism's are more universal, such as going to University to get your 'Mrs.' degree, class biases and favouritism between members, and reading or doodling in church. Being unsure of ones faith is a common issue which is a major theme in the book.

One character didn't “feel the spirit” when listening to the prophet, nor liked the long, tiresome meetings after more meetings, where people are pressured to give a testimony even if they don't personally believe (Pretty much how I felt in church) She was driven to gain one, however was lead to feel like she had a personal weakness when she did not feel the 'burning in her bosom'. A quote is telling of her state, and strife to better herself; “this level of interest seemed to come so naturally to certain people when no matter how much effort I put into it, I couldn't seem to work up the enthusiasm for this sort of thing... Other people, including almost all of the boys, were dozing or doodling on their programs”

Sex and Sex

Despite their seemingly irreverent behaviour, males are placed on a pedestal. There is a focus on “Boys, boys, boys” in this book, as is the case in Mormon chapels, where women and their wants are deregulated to males' adventures. When imagining her non-Mormon friend as one, she recoiled and “wanted to see her in... her natural habitat, on a hockey rink playing rough and wild against a bunch of boys”. I have little experience playing sports in general, let alone at church - having been to one ward baseball activity and another for bowling (but that's not a real sport) – but most sports, like other activities, are sex segregated. I'd bet money (since I'm not Mormon, I can) you won't see any women at the Wednesday night basketball game. Only in fantasy would males “agree... to do all of the cooking and cleaning”

Female activities are filled with gender stereotyping. A leader in the Young Women's group. She was newly graduated from the program herself after a Happy Mormon Temple Wedding and was meant to act as a positive example for the younger females; however her discussions on doing home-making duties bored the protagonist (much like I remember feeling in church) Female children use dolls to enact the ditching of a friend, complete with pushing one into the 'pool' (Hey, that's not CTR!) Other non-LDS-like female behaviours include the real-life ditching at mall; an incident where chapel-going girls shown to be sneaky and untruthful and where “the non-Mormon attendee “hadn't been any worse then the rest... even though [they] had more truth”

The Molly Mormon types are proven to be lesser than non-Mormons when it comes to true compassion outside the chapel doors. Two sisters fight on Sunday over clothes and the one deemed to have disrupted familial harmony is forced to wear a hideous green dress. A Peter Priesthood man repeatedly cheats on his wife, but a couple who “lived in sin” as unmarried have more fidelity, showing the hypocracy of 'family values'.

Sex rarely discussed, and when so is said in code terms. A partially eaten donut is used to symbolize a female who is not a virgin, essentially stating that nobody would want her. Masturbation is referred to as “this business” or “taking care of this little problem”. Analogies like “petting” are used to disgust youth by conjuring up images “like something you would do with a dog”; essentially a form of emotive control. It is often assumed that the boys are the ones who pressure the girls to have sex, but this is not always the case. Sexual activity occurs within the sacred confines of the church, with an “uplifting experience” at a Youth Conference - among many other things, in many other places - showing how, despite doctrine, members will and do use theirs. I never went to Youth Conference and had 'dated' other people before I was sixteen, being “rebellious and... refus[ing] to go to church things” like many Mormon-raised males, such as Rex, a charismatic character many ex-Mormons (including myself) can relate to.

Church Criticism

The female characters, especially the 'popular' ones who often are children of parents with prominent callings, are not emblematic of church doctrine. They act catty at functions, reminding me of the behaviours of certain people at my public, very non-LDS, school. I found the same was true among some adult members, causing me to further distance myself from the LDS culture, and the same seems to be the case for some characters; one is judged for nothing more then not abiding the Word of Wisdom (ever hear of Free Agency?) to the extent that they feel uncomfortable coming to church.

People without children, or those with “only three” kids, can be seen as outsiders; however having many kids is not a good idea if you cannot take care of them, such as seen with the ward family who comes to church in a 10-person van wearing second-hand clothes or the 7 kid family in Saturday's Warrior (another Mormon-insider thing, that I wouldn't have known about without the Internet) Regarding the group in Saturdays Warrior who seem childfree, a philosophy that counters the LDS notion on what a family should be, one cast member says “the bad guys are good and the good guys are awful”. The 'good guys' include the father of the 7-kid family, who almost disowns the son for going on a road trip to San Francisco; despite the queer overtones of such a vacation, nothing is noted of this. The novel does include a lesbian couple (this part of the queer spectrum is often overlooked in LDS accounts, instead focusing on the male) who have a successful relationship, causing others to question their stereotypes regarding 'good' family.

Readers should take what is occurring in the moment (similar to how LDS strife to be now, to see themselves in the future) as there is much foreshadowing. In the end, many characters, like most readers, decide to leave Mormonism.

What if gender roles in the Mormon Church were reversed?

2007-05-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

"Look at the list below and ask yourself, would any rational man join a church that..

...women held all priesthood leadership positions, including Prophet, Apostles, Stake Presidents and Bishops etc...

...God was a woman and any mention of Father in Heaven was forbidden

...only women were allowed to speak for God

...under no circumstance could a man hold a position of authority over a woman

...only women could perform church ordinances - i.e. pass the sacrament, perform baptisms or bless their own children

...in the temple women covenanted to obey Mother in Heaven but the men covenanted to obey their wives

...the fundamental narrative upon which the entire religion were based had a man obeying Satan to eat the forbidden fruit first, which would explain why men are so subservient to women

...men were told time and again in General Conference from their all-female leaders that their main purpose was to be submissive to their wives

...at age 12 the girls got the priesthood with subsequent advancement during the teen years. But the boys got nothing but a "Manhood Medallion"

...the only men's group in the church called the "Relief Society" was really run by the women apostles who made all the real decisions, controlled the budget and provided all the curriculum

...the church had a history of treating men like mindless property. Its founding leaders taught that God commanded that one woman should have plural husbands that lived by themselves and had to share the one wife with other men.

...the church founder (a woman) had over 30 secret husbands. Some of them were pre-pubescent boys she emotionally blackmailed into secret sex. Some were happily-married men who she told had to marry her in order to save their families.

...the church's scriptures (D&C 132) contained a revelation by the church founder (a woman) that has Heavenly Mother saying she gives young virgin men to the founder and her husband must accept it or suffer destruction and eternal damnation

...the Book of Mormon had only four pathetic references to men but the whole rest of this "divinely inspired" book was about women

...women frequently gave men priesthood blessings of counsel, pretending to speak in the name of Heavenly Mother commanding them to obey their wives and "be faithful"

...the most precious thing a man could give his wife were his virginity/virtue

...men who had lost their virginity before marriage were called "used cars"

...single men were told that they could only be exalted if their wives called upon them for exaltation

...in the next life a woman could have as many husbands as she wanted while the husband could only have one wife

...the men were expected to take mini classes on how to change toilet flappers, sharpen lawn mower blades, or fix fences while the women met to discuss leadership doctrine

...a man who had a huge business empire and a great education was only allowed to be in charge of other men or children...never women...in church

..men wondered what their wife's temple names might be

Would any man in his right mind join such a church?"

If the answer isn't obvious, it's a resounding NO. One of the reasons I left Mormonism, and didn't get deeply involved with it while being taken there as a child, was due to it's unequal sexed power structure (among other things) If that were inverted to a matriarchal one, men would probably leave for similar reasons some women do.

This list comes from Rethinking Mormonism which, at least from what I've gleaned at so far, looks like an informative site worth checking out.

Geography Lesson

2007-05-28T01:31:00.001-04:00

The maker of this video is a non-Mormon -Mormon who has an interesting blog

Baptism, and a book

2007-05-26T21:59:00.000-04:00

The first trip I took which lasted more then a day was to a relatives place, for a baptism which occured in their backyard swimming pool.

The only place I had heard of a baptism happening outside of a chapel font was at the shoreline of foreign countries where they did not have proper facilities. While I thought that having a backyard baptism was irreverant, I also thought it was interesting (As much as something of that nature can be)

My parents did not pack a bathing suit - probably something about it being irreligious to swim near an event like this - but my relatives let me borrow some clothes to swim in. It was one of the first times I had been in a pool, let alone wearing normal clothes, so the fabric dragged me down (A good analogy to what religion does) however I had a fun time.

I recieved a manuscript for a book called "Ex-Mormon" which I'm in the process of doing a review for, and so far it's a good read. As a result, my entries may be sporatic (I also have a life outside the internet, which involves many non-Christian pursuits (not that my online activites don't involve the same)) You can read part of it here

Testing, testing...

2007-05-26T00:49:00.000-04:00

The Crazy Mormon Test
Smart Atheist You have honed your rational skills to rebut anything those missionaries can throw at you.

Your high Mo-Know score indicates that you probably are or were Mormon, or that you have seriously done your homework on them. Or you just lived in Utah for a while.

Your low Morthodoxy score means that you are almost definitely not Mormon, and probably not even a mainstream monotheist. Pagans and Atheists rank here, as well as naughty Christians and very bad Mormons.

Your low Me Mo Likey score shows that you hate Mormons. Maybe you hate everyone. There are pills for that. But if it's specifically Mormons you hate, you should remember that killing them was only legal until 1976.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 99% on Mo-Know
You scored higher than 99% on Morthodoxy
You scored higher than 99% on Me Mo Likey

The what kind of Mormon are you? Test
Blissfully nonMormon You don't hate Mormonism or anything; to each his own. Giving up sex, alcohol, and 10% of your income to a church that puts saccharine "family" commercials on TV just seems like a bad deal to you.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 99% on Orthodoxy
You scored higher than 99% on LDS knowledge
You scored higher than 99% on Homogeneity

Which Book Of Mormon Hero Are You

You scored as Teancum. You are like Teancum. You are fighter to the end. You are digusted by evil, and can't stand traitors. You would be something like a CIA Agent in our day. You hold strong to faith as well, and like to take out the big fish.

Teancum - 50%
3rd Nephi - 38%
Nephi - 25%
Chief Captain Moroni - 25%
Mahonri Moriancumur - 25%
Moroni - 19%
King Lamoni - 6%
Alma The Younger - 6%
Helaman - 0%
Samuel The Lamanite - 0%
Abinadi - 0%

The fact that I don't know who this is speaks volumes...

Mormon Undies

2007-05-23T23:14:00.000-04:00

Not all Mormons wear what they refer to as 'undergarmets' but the good, temple-going ones do. My father, quite the homophobic and misogynist, does.

I heard all the tales about their magical properties: people in fire with no burns where the underwear was, or who would have been crushed to death had they not been wearing them. Even as a young child, I thought the stories were pretty much just that.

A garmet wearing Mormon family member got in a car collision, resulting in complications. Noone questioned why the garmets failed to protect them, nor why god would allow such an event to take place; however something my father said, "If she hadn't been in that [built like a tank, American] car, she would be dead", spoke more truth then anything.

Catholic on Mormonism

2007-05-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

This video is quite open minded, considering all the inter-Christian, hen-pecking to be ontop of the bullshit mountain.

While I don't personally agree with either position, it's interesting to see the connections between Catholicism and Mormonism since in my experience both tend to distance themselves from one another.

Food for thought..... Mmm... food

2007-05-21T07:42:00.000-04:00

"The New York Times in an editorial in 1919 said, "No one here in New York uses this drug marijuana. We have only just heard about it from down in the Southwest," and here comes the substitution. "But," said the New York Times, "we had better prohibit its use before it gets here. Otherwise" -- here's the substitution concept -- "all the heroin and hard narcotics addicts cut off from their drug by the Harrison Act and all the alcohol drinkers cut off from their drug by 1919 alcohol Prohibition will substitute this new and unknown drug marijuana for the drugs they used to use."

~~Drugs that can create revenue for the government are good and people smoking pot instead of injecting heroin is bad.~~

"The first state ever to enact a criminal law against the use of marijuana... was the state of Utah.

"Oh, wait a minute, Whitebread, Utah fits exactly with Colorado, Montana, -- it must have been the Mexicans."

A careful study of the actual immigration pattern [showed] that Utah didn't have then, and doesn't have now, a really substantial Mexican-American population. So it had to be something else.

Come on folks, if it had to be something else, what do you think it might have been? Are you thinking what I was thinking -- that it must have had something to do with the single thing which makes Utah unique in American history -- its association with the Mormon church."

More madness...

T.O. Temple

2007-05-17T01:05:00.000-04:00

The temple is a place where many, even Mormons, are restricted from entering. The one exception is when a new temple is first erected. I was able to go to what is called the Toronto temple, even though it's in Brampton, right before it opened in 1990.

When I heard how much it cost to make it I was in awe, but also questioned how that money could have been better used. The interior, with its intriciate designs, reminded me of other faiths churches. I was unaware at the time of how these criticisms aren't cabalistic (unlike church)

Even though I was a young primary aged child, I had a sense this would be my one and only time inside a temple. That was the one truth I felt that day.

Unpleasing Prayer

2007-05-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

Prayer is really big with Mormons and Catholics alike, as well as many other forms of faith.

Waiting to eat, even though it was only a couple minutes longer, due to prayer was annoying. While I enjoyed the attention attached to being asked to lead the prayer, as I became older I did not like the fact that my gaining it was done so through that manner. Around the time I started to attend school, I recall sneaking bites of "untainted" food either before or during prayer.

Prayer during church was boring, especially since I often kept my eyes open and just sat there waiting for it to be over. When I did actively participate, I did not experience what others felt (beyond the occasional side effects of light meditation) and therefore had no real testimony - which is essential to ones faith under Mormon doctrune.

Trek to the Holy Land

2007-05-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

When most people think of Mormonism the first area that comes up is Utah but Palmyra, New York is also a important place. It is where Joseph Smith is said to have found the golden plates left by Moroni way back when there was a massive battle between good (the white guys) and evil (bad blacks)

My first trip outside the vicinity of my hometown, around the age of five, was to this mecca. I don't remember much, but will attempt to sketch out what I do:

After a long, boring car ride we exited the car in a parking lot near some trees. Standing on the paved area, I was told this was the grove where Joseph had his vision. This left me more unimpressed then I was previously. I felt no spiritual presense or calm breeze, only boredom and annoyance. There was a young kid who was being led around by a leash attached to his wrist, which stood out in my memory more then anything.

Later that night we went to the yearly pagent held on the Hill Cumorah, where the great battle is said to have occured. It seemed like any other hill I had seen; I had seen better hills (for tobogganing). I didn't understand most of the show and thought it was too long and boring, like anything else church related.

The highlight of the trip came on the ride home when we stopped off for donuts.

Joseph, stupid jackass, Smith

2007-05-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

Apparently Mormonism is currently trying to put more focus on Jesus, but when I went to church it was all about Joseph.

I always thought the translation story was weird and couldn't understand how he was able to see stuff with a stone. I thought it was one of the many stupid things adults believed, and that I might 'get it' when I got older.

This episode of South Park pretty much sums up how I thought it happened, assuming it did (dum, dum, dum, dummm-b)

The one good thing about my Mormon un-education was that it made me critical of all spiritual thought.

Introduction to Idiocy

2007-05-05T00:40:00.000-04:00

My parents are Mormon and Catholic, which is uncommon as Mormons are steered to date and marry within the church since "a family that prays together stays together". My parents eventually dicorced, but it was not merely resulting from their religious differences.

I do not recall this, but my non-Mormon parent says they went to the Mormon meetinghouse. Obviously, the didn't stay for long. From the time I can remember, they went to the cathedral. I was jealous to attend, partly out of curiosity but also because the Catholic church seemed better:

The service was only an hour. Mormon services are three hours long, but since most adults have voluenteer jobs to do it is longer then that.
The Catholic building was beautuful whereas the Mormon chapel looked somewhat like a school, the biggest difference was that the floors were carpeted (bad idea, considering the number of small, messy children)

One of my earliest memories in church was being sad since I had to go to Sunbeams (the youngest age-geared Sunday School connected to Primary, which is for all children) The teacher used candy cigarettes - which are considered a sin, as outlined in the Word of Wisdom - to teach something, which I cannot remember. The first lesson I gained through the church was that their confusing rules were of little consequence.

Reason for using CC

2006-06-06T19:20:00.000-04:00

Normally I don't care if people take what I put out on the internet, even without credit. Even in this instance, I'm aware it may happen, and for the most part I will not pursue it; however I have become aware that the MorgBots frequent "anti" blogs, boards and sites (Know your enemy better? Perhaps they know it's a sham and want to see how many other people also know. Or maybe it's a little from Column A and a little from Column B?) and I want to cover my ass (Legally; I don't care if my 'backside' shows because I'm not a Mormon prude)