The Mormon Mourning
I'll be honest, I have been completely shocked this past week to hear the reactions from the outcome of the presidential election. A large number of my Facebook friends are of the Mormon faith, and they seem to be in mourning. These same people, who a day earlier were singing the praises of a free land where every voice is heard, and every vote counts, now curse the fraudulent nature of the voting system that has apparently been manipulate by men with dirty hands.
Let me clear up a few things to try and ease the pain and suffering I've witnessed among those who supported Mitt. This is also done in an attempt to inform those who are not Mormon, that not all Mormons are in mourning. The way I look at it, Obama and Romney were pretty much the same. They like a war-based foreign policy, showed no commitment to cut spending, supported government run healthcare, and have an agenda of "security for America" (aka less freedom).
Here are some things to consider before you lose all hope in the future of our country:
1. I don't believe Mitt Romney was God's choice. I have no doubt he is a wonderful caring man, so I'm going to chalk up his political platform to ignorance. I have a hard time understanding how someone who supports the Patriot Act, the Federal Reserve, detaining US citizens indefinitely without a trial, and an aggressive, military minded foreign policy - I have a hard time understanding how he was the hope of a people who follow the Prince of Peace.
2. Mitt Romney was not going to save the Constitution. Ron Paul was. Mitt even acknowledged
(see here) that Paul was the expert on the matter. One one occasion, Romney was asked if it was constitutional to declare war without a declaration of war, Romney said "I'd have to consult my attorneys".
3. I have not lost faith in my religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is still true. To clarify again for those not familiar with the Mormon Church, here is our church's statement on
political neutrality. Our church as a whole was not backing Romney. I don't consider this a defeat for Mormonism. I wonder how many Mormons would have voted for Romney if he wasn't Mormon, and actually understood his policies on war, the federal reserve, civil liberties, etc. I also wonder who they would have voted for if Obama was the Mormon. I understand that many did know his policies and still supported him, but I also know of many who didn't listen to one debate, have no idea what he stood for, and voted heavily based on his religious persuasion.
4. I didn't vote for Romney, and not all Mormons did. I've always said, "The only thing more disturbing than not voting for someone because of their religion, is voting FOR someone BECAUSE of their religion." Again, this is not to say that all who voted for him did so based on religion, but it's just to reinforce that I don't understand how so many people can be SO devastated that he lost, when his record in Massachusetts and his platform is so disturbing.
I've played this over in my mind countless times. My wife has even asked me if I think I'm clouded. I've thought that many times through this whole election process. I keep having this one thought come into my mind: It's the actions that count. It's not what a man says in politics, but it's how he votes and it's the policies that he puts in place that is the measure of who he is.
Thus concludes my one and only Election 2012 post. Good night all.
Labels: election, mormon, mormons, Obama, presidential, Romney
The Best Day of the Year
My kids were playing another scintillating game of "Would you rather?". It's actually pretty disgusting. Example: Would you rather be stung by one hundred bees or have to sleep in cat litter your whole life? The questions getting weirder and more disgusting. I decided to adjust the game slightly. My version: "Would you rather have two Christmas' or two birthdays". It definitely made for a more breakfast-friendly conversation.
This got me thinking about my favorite time of the year. What day is it? Not my birthday. Not Christmas. Not the Fourth of July. It's any Sunday there is a new bishop called in our ward! (A bishop holds one of the key ecclesiastical positions within the
Mormon Church. He is the leader of a local congregation, known as a ward.) It's pretty exciting to think about who will be the new bishop, though all wonder and inquisitiveness goes out the window once you step inside the chapel. Why's that? Well, knowing who will be in the new bishopric (comprised of the bishop and two helpers called counselors) is pretty easy to discover. It seemed such a mystery when I was younger, but as I told my kids yesterday, there are three easy ways to pick out the new members of the Bishopric.
"Daddy, daddy! Do you know who the new bishopric will be?"
"No, but I know how we can find out."
"How?! How?!"
"Here's how."
First, they will be surrounded by family members you've never seen before. From great grandpa Smith who needs help to his seat, to nephew Bill who reeks of cigarette smoke, they'll be take up two pews. Uncle Rico might even make an appearance.
Second, they will be dressed in a nice new suit. It's easiest to determine when people who only come in shirts and ties suddenly have a suit on.
Third, if there was any facial hair before, it will all be gone. No more of this.
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| Sorry Brother, this has to come off before Sunday. |
The funny end to this story is yesterday we walked to church and I was lagging behind with the younger kids. My wife had time to enter the chapel, scope out the field, find our seat and come back to me and say, "Brother X,Y, and Z". She was DEAD ON!
As the good brother who was sitting behind me said yesterday, "We might not know who the bishop will be, but we know who the players are!".
Labels: bishop, calling, lds, mormons
Fruit Snacks and The Mormon Church
Hypothetically speaking, let's say you had a one year old who would not allow you to sit through Sacrament Meeting, or Sunday School, or Priesthood/Relief Society. How many packages of fruit snacks would it take to keep her happy during a three hour block if I were to give her a fruit snack every thirty seconds?
Calculation would be: # or fruit snacks in each package x packages of fruit snacks x 2 x 180, right? Well, my little darling is a little too young to not choke on fruit snacks so instead I let her make a wonderful mess with graham crackers.
I really don't think God intended for children to go to church. There's a reason they're baptized at 8 right? I assume Joseph Smith was mistaken when he prayed to know if little children should got to church. He thought God said "Nursery". He really said " No siree".
Labels: church, fruit snacks, mormons
