It was a great disappointment yesterday when members kept shoe-horning Prop 8 into their testimonies and lessons. The greatest infringement was when the high priest group leader practically proselytized the issue during his testimony with examples of pro’s and anti’s he came across. The only time Jesus’ name was mentioned was in the closing.
The five signs mentioned in the title are not about any symptoms or doctrinal portents looming over the horizon. They refer to five Prop 8 signs in the trunk of my car. As members tried to crawl out the parking lot to go home yesterday and break their fasts, high priests manned the exits, handing out multiple Prop 8 signs to each car so they could stake them in various public places around town. It was the goal, I believe, to make sure that when people closed their eyes last night, they would see yellow and blue, and big “8s” floating around.
Tomorrow is election day, so I guess I have to get my signs out there. On the way home Friday I saw several of them clustered together on the I-5’s dirt meridian– someone actually pulled over into the middle of one of LA’s busiest freeways and posted those suckers. I wonder if they’ll still be there today.
I haven’t softened on my own commitment to support Prop 8, despite my disillusionment with some of the enthusiastic gestures. Au contraire, I recently came across a talk by Neil A. Maxwell– entitled, Meeting the Challenges of Today– which only strengthens my resolve and fortifies my initial reaction– follow the prophet.
I’ll just be glad when the election is over. I want my ward to be normal again.
P.S. – Steve Young advertising “No on 8″?? Oh, no, that’s his wife… Hey, who wears the mantle in the family, Steve-O??
19 responses so far ↓
1 Yet Another John // Nov 3, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Someone’s still calling the plays for Steve!
2 Clean Cut // Nov 3, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I’m glad I don’t live in California. I completely understand what you’re saying about “disillusionment with some of the enthusiastic gestures.” I am in favor of the proposition, but not with zealous and evangelistic proportions. Whether wrong or right, I have with mixed feelings about such a merger of church and politics.
3 queuno // Nov 3, 2008 at 11:00 pm
For the first time, my NTexas ward had Prop8 testimonies yesterday. Whew. I was afraid I was living in a different country.
(The first counselor, conducting the meeting and bearing his testimony first, was gleeful at the prospects of change in this country and how it was going to come about. Obviously an Obama fan. But apparently also pro-Prop 8.)
I’m just waiting for it all to be over.
4 queuno // Nov 3, 2008 at 11:01 pm
And obviously, if Steve Young had served a mission, he’d understand how to follow the prophet.
Tsk, tsk.
5 xoxoxoxo // Nov 4, 2008 at 3:57 am
ROFL the Steve Young comments.
I just wanted to stop by tonight and say that if the world ends tomorrow and the Desolation of ObamaNation er…oops…takes place-it’s been great knowing you .
You make me laugh
You make me cry (sometimes because I am laughing so hard)
You stand up for what you believe whether it was PC or not but without being “in your face” about it
You honor your priesthood
You love your family
You make me proud to be a member of the same church
You are what made (and hopefully still makes) America a land choice above all others.
And hey, those signs will either come in handy as torches during the looting or as weapons during the pillaging eh? Just one more way your Emergency Preparedness Committee has your backs people! *grin*
6 xoxoxoxo // Nov 4, 2008 at 4:05 am
P.S. Maybe you could email Steve Young and offer a couch or fold out ya know? Sounds like he might be shut out of the quarterback sack at his house ya know? I don’t think my husband used the words “love” and “support” as many times in ANY love letter he ever wrote to me as Ol Steve did in the monotoned reading of his official statement to our news station yesterday…
7 David // Nov 4, 2008 at 6:04 pm
xoxoxoxo,
Seriously, what DO you do with a radical spouse, and one that doesn’t want to see to reason? I’ve known a few brothers with such albatrosses and they’re usually quiet. A couple of them went so far as to jump on the bandwagon which, in my opinion, is being a bigger milksop (I had another word for it, but this IS a family blog) than staying mum.
8 cheryl // Nov 4, 2008 at 10:19 pm
You would think Steve Young –despite the radical spouse –could still be a little less vocal. I don’t see Gladys Knight telling people how to vote politically (of course, she doesn’t live in CA, so what do I know?).
I agree –the all-out-zealots are kind of out of control. And annoying. But I’d rather have an all-out-zealot than a fence sitter any day.
Sigh. Tomorrow cannot come fast enough!
9 Karron // Nov 5, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Well, its over, time to go into survival mode. Get the food storage up to par, and start cutting back on luxuries so I can afford to pay the taxes our new king would have us working chumps pay. Must have really put his knickers in a wad when Prop. 8 didn’t go his way. I know my friends in the entertainment field were truly ticked off. I pointed out that their boy got in, and he is going to bring in all his Chicago cronies and pals to run our country. They should all be doing the party thing about that. But, to no avail, they are all bummed out anyway.
Me? I am truly expecting things to go to hell in a hand basket over the next four years, worse than the Carter years, worse than the Clinton years, hubris on a stick. Batten down the hatches and keep your head down. Become a political activist in a way like never before. And have the RNC’s next Republican candidate for President start campaigning in February. Build up the money pit for the next time around. Beat Obama at his own game.
I’m not depressed, I figure the man who would be king will provide all of us with a lot of court jesters via the Senate and Congress so we can have a few laughs and bring them down in the midterm elections.
10 xoxoxoxo // Nov 6, 2008 at 5:50 am
David-
“Seriously, what DO you do with a radical spouse, and one that doesn’t want to see to reason?”
Well….since you asked, as for me and my house, we grind up sedatives and add them to his protein shakes and restrict access to the checkbook and the media. *grin* It isn’t always the brothers who end up with large webfooted birds hanging around their necks.
Karron-
Agreed on the food storage and luxuries-but instead of becoming an expert activist, I plan on becoming an expert marksman with the new gun I plan to purchase before the new guy makes it illegal. If he sends some of his intended “militia” into my neighborhood THEY had better keep THEIR heads down.
11 Karron // Nov 6, 2008 at 4:05 pm
xoxoxo you read my mind! We are actually going to a gun show this coming weekend to buy a new hand gun for me and a new shotgun for my husband. Lots of ammo too. And we are both taking the class required to get a gun carry permit. I am taking this VERY seriously. I live in the south where long hot summer nights tend to make people a bit edgy.
Since I am considered the radical in my husband’s liberal family, I just keep talking no matter what they do to me. Thank goodness my husband and one of his brothers agree on politic, if not religion, or he wouldn’t talk to any of his family.
12 Tug // Nov 7, 2008 at 3:44 am
Eh. That happened in our sacrament meeting too. And during the opening/closing prayers. It was pretty awkward. :/
13 David // Nov 7, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Tug,
Let’s just hope some return to normalcy greets us this Sunday.
14 Bridget // Nov 7, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I agree with the testimony portion of the meeting and how it should at least mention Christ more than in the end. A member of our bishopric asked that our testimonies involve Christ and be brief. Very few members took that to heart. I am so glad this is over!! I love the prophet and this church with all my heart and no matter what happens or what is said the gospel is true and I will continue to follow the prophet!
15 Karron // Nov 8, 2008 at 5:54 am
This should all be over now, but the reports coming from California seems amazing violent toward LDS and our temples. What about all the other religious groups who supported the proposition? Why aren’t they being targeted too? Goes to show that we are still battling prejudice and hatred for what we believe.
16 Patrick // Nov 10, 2008 at 10:26 pm
What about all the other religious groups who supported the proposition?
Protestors are picketing other churches, though admittedly not to the same degree as the are at LDS temples. One reason for this might be that no other religious group was as involved at the LDS Church was in donating time and money to the cause of Prop 8.
17 Karron // Nov 17, 2008 at 6:39 am
Er, um, Dave . . . where did you go?
18 David // Nov 18, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I’m here, Karron, just been a little busy. What little ME time I’ve had lately hasn’t been meted out to the blogs. BTW, I submitted an article to Sunstone for an issue they’re putting together dedicated to Prop 8. I’ll probably end up on the editing room floor, but it was fun doing it.
19 brooklyn // Feb 7, 2009 at 6:25 am
i am sickened by how judgemental some of you are about someone else’s marriage. it is none of your business.
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