Well, this has been one of the most horrifying weeks I have ever seen. Fortunately we have some lighter topics, like the Brodie Awards! You have until Thursday, February 2 to get your last votes in!
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s performance at the Trump inauguration got mixed reviews. Fortunately not all faithful Mormons are Trump voters — some were at the march and in the pews. Others advocate non-violence and support religious freedom for all. As Trump’s spokesperson treats us to a new euphemism for lying, Mormons are constructing their own moral leadership.
(Of course maybe the problem goes even higher.)
I imagine many of you have been having some interesting discussions on social media lately:
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who skip the gym to make cupcakes for church activities. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are sleek and silky and frizz-free. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are passive aggressive.
Here’s another response to the Mormon women’s critique of the Women’s March:
You are calling your own sisters in this church rude, greedy, and vain. Do you HEAR yourselves? Many of you protested when your politically liberal sisters called you racist, sexist, and xenophobic for your Trump vote just a few months ago.
“We voted for his policies!” you cried, “it doesn’t mean we agree with EVERYTHING he said!”
“How can you call me these horrible things?!” you said. Well, now you know.
In Mormon news, the SCOTUS declined to hear the Kody Brown polygamy case. In Mormon culture two podcasts responded to a devotional about “worldly sex”, plus Zelph provided new evidence of Mormons’ love of queer culture! In life journeys, Monica is making peace with death. And in scripture study, we have an overview of the issues with the Book of Abraham, and some commentary on everyone’s favorite Bible fan-fic:
In the Bible, Jesus makes a vague reference to his ability to grant someone life until his Second Coming. In the Book of Mormon, he explicitly gives three people this supernatural longevity. That’s much awesomer than the Bible.
When the Three Nephites were cast into the earth (verse 20), “they did smite the earth with the word of God” and were “delivered out of the depths of the earth.” That makes them way awesomer than Joseph of Egypt.
The Three Nephites were thrice “cast into a furnace and received no harm” (verse 21). That makes them three times awesomer than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
But wait, there’s more! The Three Nephites were also, on two separate occasions, “cast into a den of wild beasts…and received no harm” (verse 22). This makes them each twice as awesome as Daniel.
That’s all for now — I wish you all a safe and pleasant week!