Sunday in Outer Blogness: Countdown to awards edition!!!

Folks, you just have a few more days to vote for X-Mormon of the Year!!! Also, we’re getting tons of great nominations for the Brodie Awards!!! This week I plan to review all of my SiOB posts from 2013 to select all of my nominations, and I will have the categories finalized by next weekend. Then you’ll have a few more days to add some more nominations, and I’ll put the polls up on Thursday (Jan. 30), and allow two weeks for voting.

(Yeah, I know, it’s a little ridiculous to have the yearly awards bleed into February like that, but next year I’ll start in December, like I did last year…)

The Utah Honeypot posted an amusing update on the guy who went on a hunger strike against gay marriage and his latest bizarre rant:

Let’s be clear about something, my mission, my purpose in life is to stand against the homosexual movement. Not to persecute or hate gay individuals, but to stand against and defeat the homosexual movement.

I will never stop, as long as I draw breath. I will stand against them when they attack the churches. I will stand against them when they attack individuals. I will stand against them in my old age. I will stand against them in sickness and health. They can kill my body, but my spirit will never submit to their tyranny. I will expose their hate and rage. I will expose their persecution of religion. And I will expose their hidden plans. This secret combination has made a powerful foe. This is only the beginning!

I just don’t even know what to make of that. It makes me want to make a poll!!!

What’s wrong with restricting leadership and counseling roles to men? Let’s count the ways. Teaching modesty to 6-year-olds is just so messed-up, and Alliegator explained how the church’s treatment of modesty isn’t good for boys either.

But there’s so much more to say about the CoJCoL-dS! One great doctrine of the CoJCoL-dS that I’m sad to see hit the dustbin is that bit about the importance of always learning. Thinker of Thoughts discussed why disavowing the doctrines of past prophets is problematic and April waxed a bit leery of anonymous editors changing the meaning of talks through elision in official church publications. And Steve Bloor reviewed what it means to be atheist, humanist, and/or agnostic.

Jake doubts that the Bloggernacle et al can make an impact on the CoJCoL-dS from within. And — speaking of the Bloggernacle — Ivan Wolfe claimed that “accusations of bigotry are objectively worse than accusations of apostasy”, in part because

In my own limited, subjective experience, the accusations of apostasy tend to be implied whereas the accusations of bigotry are more explicit – and accusations of apostasy tend to be more general (“Failing to support the Proclamation on the Family is apostasy”), whereas accusations of bigotry call people out by name (“John Doe is a racist for failing to support immigration reform”), but I could be wrong in my impressions here,

In my own limited, subjective experience, I feel like when I read a post or comment on the faithful blog that has a whiff of questioning the leaders of the CoJCoL-dS, they get personally invited to check on their testimony pretty much every time, which is one of the reasons I’m glad to have chucked the whole testimony thing long ago.

In life journeys, Heather is on part 7, in which her shelf cracks, and Mormon X (and Jan) have had quite a dramatic week as Jan used her own mutant powers. Also, I’ve found some new blogs for Outer Blogness this week: Atheist Behind the Zion Curtain, Mormon Doubter, and my oxy-Mormon life, and they’ve posted their stories so you can see where they’re coming from — swing by and say hello!

In this week’s Old Testament lesson, an often overlooked theological question: what the beep is a firmament? Daymon added some important lessons from Esther. Secco pointed out an interesting irony in Mormon belief, namely multiple authors for Ether 3 from the Book of Mormon, but Genesis through Numbers written solely by Moses. In other scriptures, Philip Wells explained how the BoM handles a rising generation of unbelievers among other fun stuff from Mosiah, and Molly has deconstructed the second Article of Faith.

In book reviews, False Prophet got a good review from Kirkus, and The Soong Dynasty shed some light on Holly’s experience in China. And if you’re curious about why Denver Snuffer got X’d — but not curious enough to read his books yourself — Corbin Volluz has done you the favor of wrapping it up in a nutshell.

In random life stuff, Postmormon girl is giving her life a tune-up, Knotty and her husband are in Europe, littlemissattitude has some movies for you, and Aerin discovered what happens when you store wine in the garage in polar weather. J G-W is facing some serious challenges. I’m still adjusting to life in Switzerland after all these years — I’ve been here about as long as Ren has been in Minnesota, yet she’s done better at embracing her new land without losing her Mo-Dar.

In other fun, what if J.R.R. Tolkien had been Mormon? And how did that meeting in the pre-existence go?

A lot to read, huh? But worth it, and I hope you’ll also find the time to vote for X-Mormon of the Year and add some add some Brodie nominations if you haven’t yet. Have a great week!