Rough Stone Rolling

Recently, Kathryn Kolbert, president of Peope for the American Way– a non-profit advocacy group that supports equality and freedom of speech and religion– posted an editorial on CNN.com, explaining why choosing Rick Warren to offer the invocation at Obama’s inauguration was a mistake.

I know very little about Rick Warren. I know that he is wildly popular among the moderate Christians and is being called the “next Billy Graham.” I know his Saddleback Church offers a class on how to talk to Mormons about religion, and that, unlike most Christian groups, it’s designed to preserve a constructive and positive spirit rather than a WWF bash-off (obviously the class spells out how we’re wrong and they’re right, but that doesn’t bother me– the mere attempt at being patient, attentive and loving prompts me to give snaps to the effort). I also know the hard right fundamentalist Christians feel he’s too soft on some issues, including on Christians’ relationships with Mormons. Looking at and listening to Warren, my first impression is generally positive. Beyond this, I don’t know much about the man.

Over the past couple of days there’s been much-ado about Obama’s choice of Warren. On the one hand, I see how any miniscule presidential assignment brings with it strong political cachet. On the other hand, it’s a prayer, people! Obama’s asking a religious representative– with whom he disagrees on a multitude of issues, but whom he befriended long before the presidential race– to offer a prayer and a blessing on the next administration. And liberal secularists like Kolbert take issue with this, like it’s some policy-dictating post, because the man opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. It appears now that– in response to every individual, public or private– whomever supported Prop. 8 gets the riots-in-the-streets treatment and everything else they’ve ever achieved, championed or given counts for naught. He’s a Christian minister– he believes and teaches from the Bible! Why the HELL should he compromise his religious beliefs, re-adjust his sermons, to accommodate sodomists so they won’t be offended? Just so he can appear as a champion of equal rights– because that’s what Jesus would do?

A woman approached me at a service station last night. She was looking for money, claiming it was for gas. She pointed to an old Ford Explorer, saying she was stranded and her kids were waiting in there for her to take them home. I’ve heard this pitch a dozen previous times at gas stations over the years. “I just need a couple dollars to get home.” She looked through me, not at me. Her schtick was rehearsed, practiced, tired, void of any humility or emotion. “I’m a Christian,” she said. “I pray to God you can help me.” Now I was pissed. “Stop it,” I said. “Don’t disrespect God to me.” “I mean it!” she protested. “Look,” I said as I took out some bills, “the routine’s old. Try something else.” She gave me a rehearsed look of dejection. “Merry Christmas!” she spat at me as she went off with my lunch money (NOT in the direction of the station cashier to get gas, I might add).

At one point in her discourse, when discussing Warren’s position against those who support abortion, Ms. Kolbert said:

“He is disrespectful of progressive people of faith…”

What does that mean? To me it seems to mean, people who claim to worship God and edit His teachings to meet their own conveniences.

“There is no shortage of religious leaders who reflect the values on which President-elect Obama campaigned and who are working to advance the common good.”

Translated: There is no shortage of men of the cloth who sell out for popular appeal and tailor their sermons to fit their congregations.

I am so sick and tired of secularists using God as their spokesperson and religion as a conveniently adjustable apparatus to serve their lifestyles. And I am sick of them howling like banshees when someone who doesn’t agree with them is offered any nod of recognition, with the press there like a faithful lap dog, yapping its assent.

I, for one, am glad Rick Warren is giving the invocation. If for no other reason, to piss off the opponents and expose them for the whiny extortionists they are.

To this day, I don’t know what constitutes “reindeer games.”

However, the Daddy Games are in full swing– nay– they are in EXTREME swing these days as I’m finding all of these wonderful buttons on my 12-year old girl.

As Miss D. embarks on her hormonal teenage hell ride– and takes us with her at metaphorical gunpoint– I’ve been finding new, exciting ways to torment her right back. I believe all fathers should make the most of these years, for there will come a time when the shelf life of such happy, petty torments will be past due and the progeny will become impervious to their effects. They have to know that their chemical imbalances don’t give them carte blanche to repeatedly run over us without the possibility of retribution. And so, here are a few examples of how I keep balance in my patriarchal universe:

[Read more →]

 Full-page ad in the New York Times on December 5th– Activists, scholars and politicians decrying the campaign against the Mormon Church. Note one of the signers is Alveda C. King, niece of MLK and a political activist:

http://www.nomobveto.org/images/nytad_lg.png

I still get excited about Christmastime; I’m thankful it’s still got that magic feeling. It also makes me very sad on a certain level that I can’t quite put my finger on. Could be a Catholic thing. And it makes me reflective of Christmases past.

[Read more →]

Oh no, they say, we’re not going to demand equal time in school curricula, we’re not going to force churches to marry us against their will… We just want “marriage,” that’s ALL we want. Then we’ll be happy, we’ll go home, we’ll get off your temple gates shouting hateful obscenities and threatening your livelihoods and lives– because we’re really loving, gentle people, folks!

[Read more →]

I like slumming in the “Today in the Bloggernacle” section of MormonTimes.com every morning. Its host, Emily W. Jensen, does a pretty bang-up job of digging up compelling blog entries and I like sharing in her latest discoveries (she’s cited THREE of my articles so far, so I can’t help being a fan).

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on a link today entitled, “Now a glorious dawn is breaking”– purportedly about Mormon overtones in the “Twilight” vampire series– but instead came face-to-face with an ad for Mormon garments:

Mormon Garments
Bargain Prices. Smart Deals. Save on Mormon Garments!
Shopzilla.com

Well, this WAS a find! I’ve been yearning for the day when I could get my G’s online. My excitement flamed as I clicked on the link and watched the familiar Shopzilla gold n’ green screen percolating the results of my search.

It produced a list of links, mostly Mormon, but nothing to do with garments. But wait!– there was one for “Mormon Underwear” at bodybody.com!

Another click and– drat!– another list of links. Now the closest result was “Christian Underwear”. To which I asked myself, “Is Mormon underwear Christian underwear? And what does this have to do with vampires and their Mormon overtones?” I felt like the mysteries were unfolding before my eyes and I couldn’t stop.

As it turns out, “Christian underwear” refers to “Andrew Christian,” a line of very stylish– but inapproapriate– men’s cotton briefs (there IS a cool Obama low-cut trunk with the president-elect’s face on it you might want to consider for when you go to the gym or the doctor’s office).

So, I guess the answers I found this morning were: 1) Mormon underwear is NOT Christian underwear; 2) You still cannot purchase garments online; and 3) Finding Mormon trends in “Twilight” requires a discernment I do not possess.

Thank you, Emily W. Jensen! I love your column– AND my new Obama briefs!!

Based on Proposition 8′s passing, it’s obvious the sentiment here in California is to uphold the longstanding description of marriage. To try to obtain a favorable decision from the courts now would only further inflame the majority who voted to pass Prop. 8. That would only lead to a further backlash. The People don’t like to be told their voice has no power.

In all fairness to the “No on 8″ crowd, the time is not right to change the definition of marriage. Taking their lumps, biding their time and making their alleged case to the majority will do more to help their cause than the hostile outbursts, protests and boycotts. Enjoy the rights you’ve got and be patient for tomorrow.

Nov. 4 was a day another group of people could only dream of just 25 years ago. When Barack Obama was declared the winner and 44th president of the United States, it wasn’t the result of a lawsuit or pressure by attorneys. It was the culmination of a successful campaign, by an articulate candidate, to a country willing to accept him.

Blacks certainly waited a lot longer than one generation to see this happen, and have suffered a great deal more for their civil rights. That’s what truly makes this the greatest country ever conceived — that if you want something and are willing to work at it long enough, it could happen. Frankly, I’m outraged the gay community would even pretend to compare themselves with them.

I admit I voted for Prop. 8– and when this issue comes up for vote again, I’ll vote the same way– but I would have been just as vocal against any proponents of Prop. 8 trying to go to court to gain an advantage over the voice of the majority had it been defeated. If McCain won the presidential election, how would you have felt if the Obama camp went to court saying the majority vote didn’t count and we should be fair to the black candidate? I value the power of elections that much. You need to shake it off and work for the future. What you’re doing now is only losing supporters you already have.

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??

Finally– it’s almost over.

I’ve got to tell you, I’m almost to the point of not caring who wins the presidency, just as long as those people all shut up. I’m beat… disappointed, disillusioned, disheartened. I hate that McCain tries to strike fear in our hearts with words like “socialism” and “terrorist,” and Obama chuckles about “senior moments” as if age made one less of a leader. I hate the rhetoric and the obscene amounts of money spent to smear, belittle and lie.

[Read more →]

I’m becoming increasingly aware that the LDS Church’s campaign for Proposition 8 is about much more than just trying to get the bill passed. The rift between members (see here)– the passion and commitment– tells me this is a complex exercise that also, in simplest terms, comes down to each individual’s relationship with God. It’s a test and opportunity for each of us to exert our faith and wrest with the issue through prayer and pondering.

That is not to say that everyone will or should come away with the same answer, and it isn’t whether the Church is right or wrong. It is, however, about whether each of us can individually attain a confirmation and sense of peace from the Lord that it’s all right to hold the sentiments we do.

That being said, we should recognize that whatever answer we each receive is valid to no one but ourselves– and we should afford the same courtesy to our brothers and sisters with different positions. Because when it all comes down to it, in the end it’s just us and the Lord– one on one. And the question won’t be how we voted, but how we strived to build a relationship with Him.

The other day we received an email from a friend who goes to another ward in our stake. Angry over the California Teachers Association’s million dollar donation to “No on 8,” she was trying to help facilitate a protest:

[Read more →]

It’s interesting to see the contrast of my beloved old ward and my new ward while in the middle of the great Proposition 8 crusade.

My old ward resides four miles from Hollywood. It’s populated by men and women who work in all areas of the entertainment industry. It’s known to be a “maverick” ward, an eclectic ward, full of young couples just starting to spawn and new converts still donning their pre-born again tats.

The new ward is 30 miles from Hollywood. It’s wholly suburban, clean cut, white bread. The families are older, with teens and older primary kids. The men all have “suit” jobs and everyone sparkles.

The old ward has worked hard to drum up sufficient numbers to walk the neighborhoods and attend the meetings. It’s not that the membership is against Prop 8, it’s just that it’s such a right-wing campaign ill-fitted for these free-spirited “industry” types. Of course there are those who don’t agree, but certainly not strongly enough to rebel. It’s…inconvenient.

The new ward totally drank the Kool-Aid. The meeting attendance is SRO and on the way out members scramble for their signs and bumper stickers. Their expressions are impassioned while responding to the pleas of their leaders and they’re eager to get out the vote.

These two wards– old and new– are about 25 miles from each other.

And worlds apart.

“I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or, by me when I was president, to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie May and Freddie Mac”
-Bill Clinton

 I’m still in the process of moving and my computer’s not hooked up yet, but I felt strongly enough to post this from work (I’ll deduct the time from my lunch break).

VIEW THIS BEFORE THEY BAN IT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_5

For the past couple of months California Mormons have focused on trying to secure the passing of Proposition 8, the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as a “union between a man and a woman.” There’s been a lot of hooplah about it on the blogs (if not in the media). Yesterday I received this email from a couple in my ward. They’re very reasonable, intelligent people, so for this reason I took the plug pretty seriously:

[Read more →]

Our family is in the process of moving, and while we’re as giddy as rugrats over creature comforts like a dishwasher and central air, we’re in a very weird place right now. [Read more →]

Recently a freshman at the University of New Mexico named John Bundy was denied membership in the Christian fraternity Kappa Upsilon Chi because he is LDS and, therefore, not Christian. They suggested he go start an LDS fraternity instead. The fraternity is taking cover behind its First Amendment rights and the issue is a sticky one: On the one hand, student organizations have the freedom to select their members. On the other, they are not allowed to discriminate. And so it goes…

[Read more →]

The Web has been ablaze with inquiries of John McCain’s VP pick, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, these past few days. Small wonder for not only was she virtually unknown, she seized instant status as a national pin-up girl. I predict she’ll be an easy choice for LDS voters because of her values, despite all the liberal hooplah about her daughter (instead of hearing about the securing of Anbar– equivalent to the taking of Berlin in WWII– and transfer of power to the Iraqi government, we get pelted ad nauseum with Nancy Grace-like journalism on Bristol Palin and how it’ll affect McCain’s campaign. CNN caters to the lowest common denominator, doesn’t it?) . She’s pro-life, pro-family, anti-SSM, pro-gun, pro-God. In fact, one of the more popular search inquiries about this political eye candy has been “Is Sarah Palin Mormon”? A fair question. She’s from Idaho, she’s from a big family and she’s very right wing. Truth is, she’s not LDS; the Palin family belongs to the Assembly of God which, ironically, is oh-so-very anti-Mormon (and one of our ProtectMarriage.com bedfellows– even more irony!). Nevertheless, we will mostly vote for her. Because like so many other family-values folk, we like her, even though she’s not a stay-at-home mom. We like her spunk, her soccer mom freshness, her preference of honesty over party, her patriotism. And because she cleans up real nice (don’t you, you little minx…).

I like her, too. It’s not just the pig talking; I’ve gotten a lot more excited about the McCain campaign since she’s been named running mate. She a salve for most of the diverse Republican constituency and proven to be substantial.

There’s been concern about McCain’s age and the prospect of Sarah assuming the mantle of the presidency.  I’m not too worried about that. She’s a beauty queen. She’ll have the right answers for everything– and she’ll do it with poise.

**POSTSCRIPT 9/4**

To sum up my feelings about Sarah’s speech at the RNC last night, I’d like to quote Tom Shales of the Washington Post:

“If the Republicans win the presidential election in November, it may well be said that they won it last night– the night that John McCain’s brilliantly screwy choice for a running mate changed from laughingstock to national star.”

**This entry was submitted to the blog Nine Moons:

When I was attending the University of Utah one of my then favorite movies, The Big Chill, was released. Starring a very young William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum, it was about a group of friends who come together when one of their own commits suicide. One of the more powerful moments for me was when the minister gave the eulogy. In conclusion he said:

“It makes me angry, and I don’t know what to do with my anger! Are not the satisfactions of being a good man among our common men great enough to sustain us anymore? Where did Alex’s hope go? Maybe this is the small resolution we can take from here today. To try to regain that hope that must have eluded Alex.”

[Read more →]

Having grown up loving horror novels and movies, “true” ghost stories and everything else that goes bump in the night, I decided the co-existence of vampires and Mormons would be a fun proposition. At the same time, I mused that the priesthood kind of spoils every supernatural threat. If a bishopric faced Linda Blair instead of a couple of Catholic priests, The Exorcist would have been 10 minutes long– mostly taken up by the brethren suiting up, being reminded to bring home a gallon of 2%, and carpooling over to the house. So it was with great anticipation that I picked up “Angel Falling Softly,” by Eugene Woodbury. [Read more →]

The other evening my daughter and I watched ”Hitch” again, a family favorite. At one point, while giving advice to a client, the lead character (played by Will Smith) said, “Begin each day as if it were on purpose.” That line really stood out for me. It reminded me of President Monson’s most recent address, “May We So Live” where he said:

“Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved… Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must make the most of each day.”

[Read more →]