Sunday in Outer Blogness: Happy 2012 Edition!

Warren Jeffs has decided to start off the new year for his followers on an interesting note. And, by interesting, I mean that — if you doubted that the FLDS are a danger to themselves and others — Jeffs has decided to remove all doubt. At first, it looked like he was threatening to command his followers into mass suicide. Then it turned out that he merely declared their marriages null and void, and told them they can’t have sex again until he re-seals them. As a result, he may have lost some communication privileges.

On that note, even if you’re not thrilled about the holidays, your year wasn’t so bad, was it? Some things have changed for the better! Here are some examples of holiday traditions, presents, holiday celebrations, holiday memories, reviews of last year, and plans for the upcoming year. Personally, I’m grateful for Kuri’s good reads, for people who contribute interesting content to MSP, and that I didn’t grow up homeschooled in Rexburg. Also, people have had positive and negative experiences with family and friends. The faithful had to attend church on holidays this year (somewhat grudgingly), and some less-believing got sucked in as well!

Anyway, at church I seemed to catch a fairly surprising amount of hostility. I slipped out to the bathroom in the middle of services between musical numbers and was given a couple of full body scans and scowls from the women standing in the back with irritated children. My sister goes to a Mormon church, but I was raised Mormon and am fully able to dress myself appropriately for church (and I had the shawl fully covering my shoulder actually in church). I don’t know if standards have changed or if hopeless spinsters like myself are expected to be more mild and, I don’t know, pastel. Perhaps the rumors we always heard about Utah mormons being more cliquish and judgy than the rest of the world, but that seems a little unfair of me to conclude with so little data. Oh well, I think I was fabulous.

Now, to be clear on what we’re celebrating, remember Jesus’ birth calculations don’t quite add up, and the Christmas story isn’t as rosy as you may think. Astronomers can explain the orbit of the Earth, but simply predicting the end-times based on the Mayan Calendar may be simpler.

Here are this week’s discussion topics: First, does the CoJCoL-dS encourage mediocrity, and is that why so many of us square pegs have trouble fitting in? Also why is female sexuality so threatening? To the point where it’s the first thing some parents worry about and we end up with these awful object lessons? And while things are getting a little better, it seems that from day one women have to put up with a lot of shit. Bonus topic: is “I’ve Experienced God in My Life” a good reason for belief?

Happy New Year!!!