Skip to content
Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Sunday in Outer Blogness: Missionaries and Modern Miracles Edition!

chanson, October 7, 2012

If you say a prayer (sort of) to find an important lost object and it works, is that evidence of divine intervention?

On a related note, the exmo reddit is crowing about how they predicted the big revelation from conference. And now the LDS blogosphere is all abuzz with analysis of the change in missionary policy! (Not everyone likes missionary work.)

Of course, everybody knows that the best part of General Conference is the cinnamon rolls. DMI Dave slammed “Cafeteria Conference-goers” who are listening for the message that is relevant to them in Conference, but I think he missed the point. Listening for your special message in General Conference isn’t so much about rejecting the other stuff as it is about convincing yourself that there really is a nugget of substance hidden somewhere in that conference that justifies the hours you spend sitting there listening to it…

Other things that could have been predicted or guessed: health-promoting foods, the results of Obama’s administration, and Dad’s Primal Scream’s orientation. Oh, and the first non-English best-seller by a Mormon is a book on becoming an millionaire — who could have predicted that?

In other miracles, all that fasting for Romney worked!! The consensus is that he won the debate (using some Mormon techniques) (and despite the popularity of Romney’s nemesis Big Bird). Religion and politics continue to mix. Of course neither candidate is good enough for non-centrists.

This was a great week for the journey. Some are getting tired of answering for their Mormon identity. Others tire of having their doubts belittled. Then the shelf of doubts comes crashing down (another infamous conference talk was the last straw). Another starts identifying as atheist. And another is moving on from blogging. (Fortunately new bloggers are arriving all the time!)

I hope your International Blasphemy Day went well, and you exercised your right to blaspheme without too much trouble. Or maybe you even engaged in substantive theological discussion.

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

That’s probably my favorite Star Wars quote, and I’ve always thought it applies well to a lot of the CoJCoL-dS’s strategy. Ziff wrote a good article outlining the many ways…

Postmormongirl reviewed the Mormon Diaries, and So Says Me got to see the Book of Mormon Musical!!

Then there were a number of slices of life (Mormon or not): Froggie found pelicans in Utah, Monica and Serge are celebrating an important anniversary, Dad’s Primal Scream has to sadly leave the Gay Mecca, and Just Zena attended a Court of Honor. Elder Chantdown told an interesting story in which (I think) he forgives President Kimball and buys his Cadillac, and Paul Senzee told a disturbing story about a terrible prophetic dream. Aerin and Kiley picked up some insights at work. So did Chandelle, actually, she learned that

If there is not a single green thing to be found in the vicinity except the cool oasis of your painstakingly maintained garden, cattle will not be stopped by a measly 2000 volts.

In conclusion… well, I’m glad I didn’t spend my weekend listening to General Conference. Happy reading!

General Conference Mission Revelation Sunday in Outer Blogness

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

pesky Mormon missionaries

June 7, 2008October 20, 2010

I caught this article today about a Christian Orthodox priest trying to get Mormon missionaries kicked out of Bulgaria for, get this, proselytizing in an Orthodox Church during Easter services. There’s “zealous evanglism” and then there’s over-the-top, in-your-face, you-are-all-going-to-hell-unless-you-convert evangelism. If the account of the priest is accurate, wow, those…

Read More

Missionary Chat: Philadelphia Apartment Building

March 13, 2014January 8, 2025

I had another question I wanted to run by some Mormons: Why is the LDS Church building a for-profit, 32 story apartment building in Philadelphia?  Same rules as before… Bob (me): Hello? Ken: How can we help you today? Bob: I have a question about the LDS Church. Casey: Great!…

Read More

Sunday in Outer Blogness: Christmas Edition!

December 26, 2016

Wow, just when you thought the CoJCoL-dS didn’t have a shred of integrity left to sell, they’re sending the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform for Trump’s inauguration. The same Trump that hasn’t even taken office yet in is already putting us all in an incomprehensible level of danger from both…

Read More

Comments (2)

  1. John Thomas says:
    October 13, 2012 at 2:52 am

    Great post. Brilliant use of links. It was happy reading!

    Reply
  2. chanson says:
    October 14, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Thanks!!! I hope you like the new one as well! 😀

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mormon Alumni Association Books

Follow us on Substack!

Please use the "no pledge" option because we are not set up (or even want) to get money from Substack.


donna * monya * johnny * holly * chanson


Brodie Awards!!!


X-Mormon of the Year!!

  • 2025: Rebecca Bibliotheca!!
  • 2024: Nemo the Mormon!!
  • 2023: Adam Steed!!
  • 2022: David Archuleta!!
  • 2021: Jeff T. Green!!
  • 2020: Jacinda Ardern!!
  • 2019: David Nielsen!!
  • 2018: Sam Young!!
  • 2017: Savannah!!
  • 2016: Jeremy Runnells!!
  • 2015: John Dehlin!!
  • 2014: Kate Kelly!!
  • 2013: J. S. Anderson & M. Ferguson!!
  • 2012: David Twede!!
  • 2011: Joanna Brooks!!
  • 2010: Monica Bielanko!!
  • 2009: Walter Kirn!!

  1. chanson on Thanks Gloria!September 20, 2026

    @Donna -- I wouldn't say you were one of the "dumb girls". You were a young starry-eyed convert who thought…

  2. chanson on New church schedule! Good? Bad? Inspired?September 19, 2026

    @Holly -- yes, I have absolutely felt that parallel in my life. I was fortunate enough to be able to…

  3. Holly on New church schedule! Good? Bad? Inspired?September 16, 2026

    You're no doubt right. Living in Trump's America right now feels to me the way I felt about the church…

  4. Donna Banta on Thanks Gloria!September 15, 2026

    There were years of cognitive dissonance, at least in my case. I told myself that the church was a compassionate,…

  5. chanson on New church schedule! Good? Bad? Inspired?September 14, 2026

    I can't help but feel like in today's church you wouldn't even have had the opportunity to mention Santa's not…

8: The Mormon Proposition Acceptance of Gays Add new tag Affirmation angry exmormon awards Book Reviews BYU comments Dallin H. Oaks DAMU disaffected mormon underground Dustin Lance Black Ex-Mormon Excommunicated exmormon faith Family feminism Gay Gay Love Gay Marriage Gay Relationships General Conference Happiness Homosexual Homosexuality LDS LGBT LGBTQ Link Bomb missionaries Modesty Mormon Mormon Alumni Association Mormonism motherhood peace poetry politics Polygamy priesthood ban Secularism Sunstone temple

Subscribe


 

©2026 Main Street Plaza | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes