I found a cool quote today, and a made a couple of changes to the layout of the blog...
First, the quote. (I found it here. This is by a guy called Hugh Nibley. He was one of the high up muckety mucks in the LDS Church a while back. I believe he passed away 4 years ago.
"The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism... the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances."
I've shared criticism and praise for the LDS Church on this blog. I believe it is based on a number of true principles, but I also believe part of it has become corrupt and a culture has developed which seems to be at odds with what the religion should be standing for. In the last 2 congregations which I've been involved in, immense attention has been paid to dress and grooming standards. I myself am currently sporting a full beard, for personal reasons, but also to annoy the Pharisaical leadership amongst whom I find myself living!
I've also made some changes to the blog... On the right are links to "Just Good Stuff". Blogs which I read daily, or try to at least, and whose content I find informative and amusing.
Below that are links which existed before but which I have now categorized and will continue to add to. I like political view points by people who have taken the time to think them through, and formed their own opinion. Even if I don't agree, I like to see the other side of the coin, as it were.
Below those are some religious links. Most of these are humorous sites, poking a little fun at the idiosyncrasies of LDS Culture. The more fundamentalist types tend to miss the point of these blogs. If you're not LDS, some of the content may not make a lot of sense, but then again some of it is hilarious no matter what your religious view point. On the other hand, if you're a religous zealot, who support Prop 8 because you were supposed to and would find my facial hair offensive, you probably want to steer clear of these. You have been warned.
Hey Koda,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was seventeen I came "out" (LOL!) to my parents and told them I wasn't going on a mission. They threw me out of the house over thanksgiving and christmas weekend. That was 1987.
No great loss. They were the world's worst parents and I've been better off without them. When I left town they spread rumors that I went to Las Vegas and became a street criminal. That's the last I heard of or from them.
Saw your comment on another blog, and read a couple of articles here, and thought I'd chime in. I've been a thousand times better off without my ultra-religious Mormon family, and have had a much better life, so I hope you're not too discouraged. The world is a fairly wonderful place and I have no regrets. I'm confident things will work out for you.
Take Care,
G
Thanks G!
ReplyDeleteYou're right! The world is a really wonderful place, and there are plenty of terrific and amazing people out there, regardless of religious affiliation or whatever else people think you can define people by.
Things will work out - they always do, sometimes it just sucks having to deal with them at the time!
Thanks for stopping by!
First, glad to be on the list! Second, loving the hot babe trifecta. And I'll check out some of the other links, especially the religious blogs. Not being religious, I have a tense relationship with religion: I want to be open-minded and listen to religious points of view, but sometimes I just get all, omg this is voodoo madness!! So I will check them out. It is important to keep an open mind, even if left to its own devices it will close.
ReplyDeleteThanks E! And you should know I think you, Morgan Mouse and Gatsby have been on that list longer than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteThe religious ones... They all have a distinctly Mormon perspective, and that could be good or bad. Bishop Higgins, is just hilarious (I don't think he's an actual Mormon Bishop, but if by some chance he is, I would so be moving into his congregation). Gatsby's blogs - there's actually a funny story behind that one, that ties in with your blog, and my recent issues, I'll have to share it with you sometime. Latter-day snark, is on the border of being funny and insightful, and then the last one... The liberal Mormon that Could, is someone who appears to be at a very similar place to me with the Religion.
I'm actually thinking of starting another blog about my religious beliefs, just not sure how exactly to do it, because I want to keep it open, but not offend any of my LDS readers. The thing with Mormonism is that what it has become and how the world views it, is almost a complete turn around from what it originally started as. Originally, it was about the quest for truth, about understanding our place in the Universe. It was founded on questioning and bringing something positive and refreshing to the world. But somewhere along the way, the tremendous power that comes with understanding and sharing spiritual ideas got perverted with stuff like Polygamy, denial of rights based on race and gender and a bunch of other stuff, until today where the vast majority of the membership believe in blind obedience and subscribe to a mentality that is cultish in its implementation. It's a really sad state of affairs, and a state which shouldn't be there...
So there's my preaching for the day!
And G - not sure if you're following these comments, but if you are...
ReplyDeleteThank you again for your words of encouragement yesterday. It's always tough to be able to share the whole story when making comments, but I should add... I'm in my early thirties, have a wonderful wife and 5 incredible kids.
While the events of my personal life over the past month or so, have been a little tough, the long term effect is somewhat limited and superficial at best.
It's sad that the cult culture surrounding the LDS Church leads people into doing the tough love thing if those they care about make different choices. As I said in my previous comments to E, it's just a sad state of affairs for all involved, especially when it really should be something positive and uplifting.