Spitting Prohibited

An open letter to Ms. Goldberg amonst others

Dear Ms. Whoopi Goldberg,

I wanted to write and let you know I will no longer support your show or any others you have done.  This action saddens me, as I have enjoyed your movies in the past and your commentary on The View.  However, in light of the choices you have made regarding attending a protest rally in New York outside a Temple dedicated the Lord.  I can no longer in good conscience support any venture you are involved with.

I wonder would you protest outside the Wailing Wall?  Would you attend a protest in the inner gardens of the Vatican, while faithful members of that religion were going through on their knees.  Would you protest at a Mosque while the members were at prayer? Would you travel to Holy land that was revered by followers of Native Religions and desecrate it?  Would you scorn their faith, their belief, their attempts to do the best they can in this world. I suspect the answer is no.

And yet, you have no problem, no qualms about attending a protest outside a temple of my faith.  Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attend the temple for many reasons, foremost though, I think, we attend to serve our God and our Savior.  We attend to find spiritual guidance.  We attend to find comfort in trial.  We attend to lay aside the world and refocus our lives on what is of Eternal Value and Eternal Growth.  We attend for what I suspect other members of other faiths hope to find in their most faith promoting activities, as they commune with their God.

You did not choose to protest outside the church office buildings.  You did not choose to protest outside the headquarters or subsidiaries of  "Yes on Prop 8".  You chose to protest in front those members only seeking for peace and spirituality.  You chose to attempt to take from them what spiritual peace they may have discovered and in the moment of their descent from the mountain as it were to throw them back in to a world of turmoil and anger.

You have a platform.  You have a show.  A show that is designed to allow you to express your beliefs and your opinions on the topics of the day.  You did not need to attend such a rally to air your support.  Yet you chose this course.  One that can only hurt and betray me, one of your viewers.  You of course are free to do so.  Just as I am free to no longer support you in any way.

It may interest you to know that "the Mormons" are not the only people who voted against Proposition 8 in California.  We were not the only church involved.  California for that matter was not the only state to vote against Gay Marriage.  Are you protesting all of them.  Every race, every religion, every creed?  Because we are not the only ones.  I know you discussed this topic on your show, but perhaps your attention was otherwise engaged.

However, protest should you feel the need to.  Far be it from me to deny anyone their rights to Free Speech or to gather peaceably.  You should know that it will not change faithful members of my church.  You may not know our history, so forgive if I share it with you.  In Missouri the governor of the state signed an expulsion order himself, ordering that either the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would either leave the state immediately or be killed.  "Mormon" hunting and harassment became a regular occurrence.  It was the dead of winter, many of the Saints were poor, without provisions.  They asked for 3 months, to please wait until Spring and they would leave.  They were told they had 15 minutes.

They asked for redress for lost land and possessions and for those engaging in the persecution to be brought to justice.  They were told to seek the circuit court judge.  The same judge who took part in the attacks.

One report was thus:

"I saw one hundred and ninety women and children driven thirty miles across the prairie, with three decrepit men their only in their company, in the month of November, the ground thinly crusted with sleet; and I could easily follow their trail by the blood that flowed from their lacerated feet on the stubble of the burnt prairie." Lymon White

As a side note, you may not be aware that although there were many points of contention between the new "Mormon" settlers and the old settlers, the one that really started the blaze burning was the members of my faith's opposition to slavery.  And the fact that they were now becoming a large enough group to impact the voting in the area.  Fears were rampant amongst the community at large that the "Mormons" had come to free the slaves and lead them to revolt.

I tell you this not because I do not know you could tell me stories of persecution of your own people, perhaps even more recently than events that have happened to mine.  But to illustrate that we will not be moved by threat or force or protest.  We will remain committed to the commandments and edicts of our God.  You by your actions may have distressed me, but you have not changed me.

How does change come to a church devoted to the service of God?  It does not come from such measures.  It comes from revelation from our Father in Heaven.  It comes through the leadership of our church.  And then comes my part, I have opportunity to that same revelation, that same spiritual guidance.  And when it is received, I promise you it will be acted upon.  Until then, though stones may be cast upon us, be they in the form of words or in actuality, we will remain steadfast and immovable in the service of our God, according to our understanding and our knowledge. 

Of course there may be some who falter, or who step away, but the bulk and majority of us will be unchanged by such actions, however saddened they may make us.  We have seen worse.

Somehow, I doubt that change of a law can be your ultimate goal.  As you did not choose to protest in California or any of the other states where voters stood up against Gay Marriage.  You chose to protest in New York.  Although I can't believe you lack the resources to attend a rally in a more revelant location.  As a side note: It is interesting to me, that you did not see Anti-Gay rallies upon the courts decisions in California and in other places from members of my church.  Although the decision of the courts was not one many of us would support.  You did not see hateful signs or shouts of violence or demonstrations outside spiritual venues attended by homosexuals or lesbians.  We used our free speech and our voting rights, like so many others, and attempted to restore what we believe is the right and moral standard of marriage.

Ultimately, in spite of all this, what I take umbrage to is not your disagreement with me or my church or your public expression of it.  You have your free speech just as I have mine.  I would not deny it.  What offends me deeply is that you would choose to do it in a place that is Holy to me - a place that is Hallowed Ground and Dedicated to the Lord.  Did you consider the impact?  The hurt? Would you act thusly to any other group or people?  Would you take what is holy to them and attempt to trample it?

Because this is what you chose to do to mine.

And thusly, while I can respect your rights to act in such a manner, I cannot and I will not support them.

Sister Julie B. Beck

Sister Julie Be Wonderful.

Sister Julie Be Funny.

Sister Julie Be Delightful.

Sister Julie Be My Hero!

I was so privileged today to attend a Women's meeting featuring Sister Julie B. Beck, who is the current Relief Society President (my church's women's group).  What a joy and a delight she is!  She didn't have a prepared message for us, instead she allowed us, the members of the congregation, to ask her questions.  What an opportunity!

I think I would have been scared to be stumped if I were her.  But she just answered deep and difficult questions with spirituality, with humility, with humor when circumstances warranted, and above all with such love.  I felt blessed just being with her and with my fellow sisters.

She shared so many wonderful things I can't hope to tell you them all, but I thought I'd share just a few that touched my heart.

So many times, a woman (even a few young women) stood up and asked for help with a situation, you could hear in their voices how alone they felt.  How they struggled as much with their problem as with a feeling of isolation.  Sister Julie Be Lovely, has a voice like a hug.  Though she spoke from a pulpit and to an audience, it was as though she was sitting in her kitchen with her arm around each one.  I wished I would have been closer to the mic, just so I could hug them and tell them how I knew just what they were experiencing.  It surprised me how many times I could say "I've been right where you are."  Not because I had some amazing advice to share or wisdom to impart, but just so they could know they are not alone.  In the end I don't think it was necessary, Sister Julie Be So Kind was enough.  But I wanted to hug them anyway.

One young mother stood up and shared her experience bringing 3 rambunctious and somewhat wild boys to church and asked for advice.  Sister Be Wonderful, smiled as she thought of those boys and told her "what I tell my daughter.  I say, just remember, you are raising future prophets."  I admit I didn't follow her at first, I thought she meant, remember their potential as children of God sort of thing...but no, she went on and said, "I've never yet met a prophet that wasn't an energetic man, just full of energy!"  The difference she said was now they're older and the Lord is able to use that energy, to channel it in more productive ways.  !!  LOL  Let me say as a mother of 3 rambunctious and wild boys myself, that answer made me smile and gave me a little peace.  So to you mothers of more staid and placid boys, in your face. 

No not really, that sort of destroys my peaceful feeling.  Enjoy your peaceful, easy boy, I'm sure he'll grow up to be something nice too.

Often when women would stand and ask their questions she reminded them to seek the Lord in prayer, to study their scriptures, that they have the right to receive personal inspiration for their questions.  And then she quoted this beautiful scripture to tell us exactly how to do that, how to receive revelation.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good--yeah, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

...I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.  (D&D 11:12-14)  (emphases mine)

What a blessing it is to know that we have a Lord who has descended below them all, who is able and willing to respond to our needs, what ever the circumstances, what ever the need.  Not that every answer will be given to us automatically, every challenge with be overcome with our say so.  With His infinite wisdom I'm sure He can tell when we need rescuing and when we need to struggle a bit to strengthen our "muscles".  But, that He is there with us to give comfort, inspiration and peace... What a blessing!

There was a young girl who stood up, who could have been me as a teenager.  She spoke of how she wanted to be a mother someday, but how she really wanted a career that could impact the world (her personal goal is to build cars that do not run on nonrenewable resources...well that wasn't mine, but it probably would have been had I grown up in todays day and age).  Sister Beck applauded her goal, and told her that it was a good one.  But she reminded her that with nothing else could she impact the world for good so fully as with raising a good and decent human being.  She, the girl, was talking about building things...good things, but things.  Things that would eventually rust, and beforgotten in a landfill somewhere left until they eventually fade away forever.  By mothering, and doing it well, you have the opportunity to create Life.  Life can go out in the world and do more good works than you ever could have done with just your two hands.  That is real creation.  And then she added, "And if it's your experience to have the opportunity to build and design then do it.  I want to ride in your car someday."

And lastly, Sister Julie Be Delightful reminded us not to get wrapped up in comparing ourselves to one another or even to our own expectations of what we thought we would have.  She speculated on how we had covered just about every issue facing women today.  All of the ways in which life can seem to come at us from all sides.  And she said something so profound that it just sort of sunk inside me and I think will become one of those things that I can go back and reflect on throughout my life and struggles.  She equated all the wonderful things we can have in life, all the blessings, all the goodness with "the dream". 

"Let us remember, in this life," she said, "we aren't promised the dream."

"That is Eternal Life.  In this life we are promised experience."

If we let it, experience will teach us many things.  It can humble us.  Strengthen us.  Sometimes tear our hearts in two.  Sometimes give us joy so that it feels are hearts will swell 'til they burst. But it will never be "the dream".  So let's go together and experience this life we've been given, not judging those who have been given different experiences, but with joy wend our way.

In this life we are promised experience.

Sorrow and Thanksgiving.

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant.  Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.  Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."  Matt. 25:21

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.

In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.

In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.

President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.

At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.

Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 91 languages.

Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.

President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.

Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by Heber J. Grant, then president of the Church, to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.

President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.

On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.

President Hinckley received a number of educational honors, including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.

President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2004, President Hinckley was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in the White House.

In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also addressed the Religion Newswriters Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

President Hinckley wrote and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he championed the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testified of what he called the “guardians of virtue,” namely traditional marriage and family.

President Hinckley married Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They have five children and 25 grandchildren. Sister Hinckley passed away 6 April 2004.

Sweetness

Today was Jon's baptism.

It's GREAT to be 8!

It's GREAT to have a kid who is 8, too.

                                                                                                                                   Love you Jon.

A religious kerfunkle.

Me friend Millie directed the world at large through use of her blog which apparently has world wide connections to she friend Dapoppins who told an amusing tale of we (friends) LDS who ...gasp... don't drink coffee.

One of her commenters, the letter R, responded "I hope your mormon friends can take a joke."  Well, let me tell you letter R, it pretty much varies person by person.  And it's possible that this could be extended beyond the boundaries of the LDS religion, but unfortunately my husband stole my shoes to keep me housebound so I can't go and check...I'm thinking of just stealing his other shoes back and going out for a looksee, but have you seen the state of his "yard work" shoes?  :::cringe:::  (and if you want that joke to make sense you will have to go clicky clicky on that Dapoppins link above.)

It seems I am always testing that boundary of "is this funny or just wrong".  I'm not even sure where the boundary is actually.  But I know there is a boundary.  Sometimes Oh Good Golly Goodness there IS a boundary.

Take last Monday night (please!).  Our ward planned a group family home evening night.  Very fun.  Kid pandemonium with a quick message a couple of songs and cookies.  Mmmmmmm cookies.

But alas it was the Mmmmmmm cookies that proved to be the sticky wicket.  See one of the Moms who was nominally in charge of the event was asking people to round up their pandemonium-lets and head to the "message" area.  And to stow their treats away until after the lesson and closing prayer.  Unfortunately what she actually said was:

"Just keep them under your shirt."

....

Now you don't expect me just to let that go do you?  Come on I dare you to let that go.  Of course I had to quip back, right?  Que the ward smart alec: "I don't want any of the ______ family's cookies!"

Shock and blankness from the _______ family.  Now stammering a bit I had to mumble fumble along "I mean, uh, you know, if you actually followed that advice...you know, ick, cookies against your bare chest...ewwww..."

Finally his wife managed a patronizing smile something along the lines of the "aha ha ha" little laugh of "Boy that wasn't funny but I don't want to completely hurt your feelings."  While her husband just continued to stare in wonderment and not the good kind.  I suspect in his mind he was wondering "Is she coming on to me?  Thinking about cookies against my bare chest?"

But Mom Nominally in Charge laughed.

Apparently the boundary is somewhere after look at those silly pandemonium inducing children and after making fun of someone's cookies, or possibly bare chest comments.

So can Mormons take a joke?

Apparently like my grandpa's underwear...it depends.