Part 2 - Cracks in the Facade
page 119 - Yup, Utah is white. At least you explained the why behind it. I don't think that is unusual for states in our area - look at Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, the Dakotas - white white white sprinkled with Hispanics.
****page 120-123 - The racist thing... I get tired of this... (yes I realize that apathy about racism is bad but you've gotta pick your battles at some point). She points out that racism was quite common in most traditionally white protestant churches, and the LDS church is not an exception, unfortunately. Our position on blacks started out as quite liberal in the first 15 years of the church, and then went the wrong way (Perhaps because we wanted to be seen as more legitimate and mainstream? Who knows). Thankfully this all happened before I was born and the tides have turned. I think many Mormons today stereotype blacks because they are not as familiar with them, but church leaders have come out and said that how blacks were treated in the past was wrong and we should not try to rationalize it. I agree.
page 124 - Boy how the tides have turned at BYU in the past 17 years. Studies have shown that Millennial Mormons (20-32ish as of 2017) tend to be moderate or liberal, especially when it comes to social issues. We want to recognize and celebrate diversity and multiculturalism!
page 125 - "we believed that God was a changing God"... we do??? uh... no we don't. God doesn't change, His will and way has always been the same, from Adam to now. What changes is the hearts of the people and their willingness to accept and obey His word.
-I was always taught that the BoM verses about being cursed with dark skin applied only to that time and that generation and had nothing with future generations.
-"black children were as scarce as good wine" hahahahahaha!!! so true. Unless they are black children adopted by white Mormon parents, which has become really common.
page 126 - Just let me say here that most old white Mormons are racist. My grandparents are racist. My great-grandparents were even more racist. My aunts and mother sometimes whisper that their adopted cousin is black because... well is it okay to recognize race? I hope my generation is doing better and I think we are. If we are at least doing better than our parents that's all I can hope for. And as for the prophet saying something racist - Mormons do not believe that a prophet is always speaking as the Lord's mouthpiece. Sometimes he's just being the old less-than-PC white guy that he is.
page 127-128 - I don't think that it is arrogant at all to believe that God had a work for you to do in teaching the students at BYU that the racist past of Mormonism is wrong. Like you said, He is the Master and you are the servant - He had a work for you to do, and as His servant you should listen to that call and obey. That is no more arrogant than someone believing they are called to ministry or missions work.
pg 129 - am I the only one that thinks there is a disconnect between the racism discussion and the church not being true? We can say that the church was totally wrong in their racism and still say that the gospel the church preaches is true... right? I mean, if the Catholic church was wrong to send a bunch of people on the crusades that doesn't mean that Catholicism isn't true, just that they went off course for a time. Organizations, like the people who run them, make mistakes. (Even if those people claim to be guided by God)
pg 130 - Joseph Smith also dared to be anti-slavery in Missouri in the 1840's and allowed blacks to live and worship among the people as equals. He may have been racist by today's standards, but he was awful open-minded for a man of his time.
***pg 131 - again, I guess I was taught a different interpretation of the scriptures than she was.
pg 133 - here she pretty much admits that it was the culture that turned her away from Mormonism, not the doctrine. Culture changes, truth does not.
pg 135 - "He was a doctor and we were LDS females, it was expected in the culture not to question males in authority." so do it anyway! If you don't do anything about it the culture will never change! You are the child's mother and have every right to stand up for him. Tell that doc to go to hell and take your business elsewhere.
pg 136 - sounds like you had some really crappy neighbors.
pg 138 - you got missionary emails in 2002?! lucky!! My husband was restricted to only letters and absolutely no internet access clear in 2008!
-so I'm confused about why Josh is just now praying for Micah, and why this prayer is answered rather than any prayer in the 14 months previous. I mean, I realize I shouldn't question God's timing, but why is this time the "true Jesus" and all the other hundreds of prayers a fake Jesus?
pg 139 - Just a note, I know of missionaries serving now (2017) who have been allowed to virtually attend family funerals via Skype. The accessibility of technology has made things easier.
pg 141 - "in an effort to proselytize covertly" so long as you acknowledge that Christian missionaries of many denominations do the same thing with the same goal in this area of the world, it's a fair statement.
pg 142 - the "Dancer of grace" term is creepy to me.
-Yes there's a huge culture shock after living in another country for an extended period of time (missionaries of all faiths will agree) but this kid seems to be having legit PTSD problems - was counseling ever on the table?
page 143 - "the sin janitor"? by which you mean Jesus? The One who sweeps our sins away?
-I agree that these sins are very common among LDS college students. I dare say at least half of the LDS college students I know have had the same experience and the same (or even lesser) consequences).
page 144 - DUI and pregnancy would be physical consequences and don't really have anything to do with spiritual consequences. Whether or not the girl got pregnant, he still violated the covenant that he made with God at a Temple altar that he would obey the Law of Chastity. Whether or not he got a DUI, he still broke the covenant that he made with God that he would obey the Word of Wisdom. The physical consequence has no bearing on the spiritual consequence.
145 - I think pretty much everyone would agree that having a drink on the weekends and having sex with a girlfriend are not excommunication offenses. This is against church policy and the way the court is described is also against church policy. According to the Church Handbook of Instruction, excommunication for a regular Melchizedek Priesthood holder (i.e. not someone in a position of high authority) is only possible in cases of: murder or attempted murder, abortion, incest, deliberate and public apostasy (speaking out against the church), preaching of false doctrine/heresy, rape, a pattern of physical or sexual abuse, transsexual operation, or entering into a homosexual marriage (new as of 2015). Either this isn't the full story or the Stake President was clueless. Josh has every right to appeal to the area authority Seventy at this point.
146 - I think it's funny and weird that he didn't have ANY "Gentile" underwear. I think most Mormons have at least a few pair... especially one who hasn't been going to church for awhile.
-"worked his way around the table" by... just being there for awhile? You can't really earn your seat, like she said before it's done by seniority.
-yup, here she lists essentially the same things I said above. Again what Josh says he did is not on that list.
147 - "Closed culture gossip cesspool" again, yes it is a problem but it is not one unique to Mormonism. Many churches face the same problem.
-Maybe I'm mistaken in this, but I don't believe that a Mormon leader can remove salvation from a person. Salvation belongs to Christ alone. A church leader can only remove church membership. Not all church members will be saved, and not all nonmembers will be damned.
-I'm pretty sure I've said it before, she's got to stop seeing church leaders as infallible mouthpieces of God. They're just regular guys trying their best. She's got to stop trying to serve God and mammon.
148 - again, her logic is not something I follow. I think she is interpreting things way differently than they should be and way differently than I have been taught and experienced.
-Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is not the same as apostasy. Not just saying the church is true and then deciding it isn't. It's when you have received a "sure witness" and then denied that witness. It's compared to declaring that there is no sun while it is shining, or declaring that Jesus is not your Savior even when you stand in His presence.
-for the record, the idea of an unpardonable sin is from Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10, Hebrews 6:4-6; and Hebrews 10:26. It should not be unique to Mormonism.
-yes repeated behaviors face more serious consequences (still not typically excommunication, especially for a young college student). I'm kinda confused as to why he was repenting of the same sins twice? Unless she means he had sex, confessed, and then did it again. Especially in a short period of time. Isn't that exactly what the D&C verse just said "unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return". You can be offended by that, but it was just proven accurate. (It was also taken slightly out of context, or at least not explained in context. I encourage you to look up and read the entire section.)
-"there is no such thing as unconditional love, forgiveness, or the Dancer of grace"... I have NEVER felt this way, for the record. My salvation is in Christ alone. He is the author and finisher of my faith. He alone can grant or remove my salvation. He alone can forgive my sins and does so liberally. Nothing can separate me from His love. His sacrifice is not only enough, it is everything. My church leaders are simply fallible men who try their best to be counselors and mentors, they are not the executors of my eternal salvation or damnation.
page 149 - Kinda interesting because I remember exactly what I did on April 13, 2004.
page 150 - "the LDS church owned our sons"... more verbiage. Again, they are legally adults, who voluntarily signed up for this knowing what they would face and what would be expected of them, and may voluntarily leave at any time.
-"the pain of Jesus sacrifice and rejection were mostly just words to me" that is nobody's fault but your own.
page 152 - why is she expecting her son to be selfish and feel like the Lord's work is his? Yes his words are weird but missionaries kinda end up talking like that. Missionaries in general can be weird because they live in a bubble. If all you read was the New Testament, you'd start sounding like Paul too.
153 - forever families aren't just for Mormons, this is why we perform sealings for all of our deceased ancestors, so that everyone can have a forever family.
-I personally don't love the term "Heavenly Father" and usually only use it when talking to children. I do express praises to Him through hymns and prayer daily. But, I agree that a Mormon would not say that we raise our cross next to Jesus. Jesus suffered on the cross so that I don't have to. His cross is my cross too.
154 - she used the word citadel again?
-You should have been reading the Bible. It is makes up the bulk of our scriptural canon and thus should take up the bulk of our scripture study.
-I don't love the "rely on the Bible alone" bit of modern Protestant Christianity. I rely on JESUS alone. The Bible is a wonderful witness of Him, but given it's complex history (which I will not go into here) it is should not be the one foundation of our faith, only a building block of it.
***At this point, the book was due back at the library, and I was really sick of forcing myself to read garbage. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday, but probably not.
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