I am so glad to be living in the Internet age!! There is so much fun stuff that happens today that just wasn’t even possible before the Internet. Case in point, a Mormon lady posted about the gay agenda in the Disney movie Frozen — and the whole Internet blossomed with responses!!!
The main themes were the absurdity of finding gay themes in this movie, when one can just as easily find other themes, not to mention other motives on the part of the original poster. And if found, the gay agenda isn’t so bad (see this poem).
Personally, I think it’s clear that stories have messages and reasonable to want to analyze the messages in the films your children watch. I’m much happier having my kids see stories that teach that it’s OK to be different (including being gay) rather than watching stories about how it’s totally cool for the good guys to make fun of the kids who are different (i.e. the geeks and freaks deserve it, lol — they need to conform, or be ashamed if they can’t). Really, the film answers a real need in terms of female representation, but maybe we grown-ups don’t even want to watch that film or the Lego movie (I do!! but that’s me).
Then the original poster came back with the retort that haters gonna hate. Much like Mormons gotta morm.
We have some more updates on the people vs. a certain real-estate corporation, specifically how relevant is it that the contributions are voluntary. If only the modern prophets could perform BoM-style miracles! In other church-watch, academic study of Mormonism is still a bit dangerous.
Then there was a major theme about sexism in the CoJCoLd-S, how girls are taught early to please — remember girls, you are what you wear. A new Ensign article sparked discussions of the problems with modesty and holding women responsible for the actions of those they may tempt:
Because I read the Ensign. And it wasn’t even the ‘rape culture’ endorsing line of “most women get the men they dressed for†article that’s pissing off so many women, and rightly so, because hello, women are raped in military uniforms and corsets and petticoats and the burka and when they’re still young enough for their clothes to be purchased in the little kids section, and sooner or later you have to stop saying ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘she was asking for it by dressing that way’ and admit that you’re excusing your own behavior and the behavior of a whole bunch of other people where we would justifiably put down a dog if he demonstrated that level of aggression.
(And the church’s sex shaming on the other side of the equation is also pretty questionable.)
The disparity in punishment for sex-related sins is enough to make you want to leave in disgust for this alone, yet I wouldn’t be too harsh on those who have reason to stay and work on the problems.
And stuff in the outside world seems to mirror the issues we’re dealing with in Mormondom…
Now for theology and philosophy!!
Is God’s love unconditional?? Here’s one I used to ponder: “So, since Mormons are such a small drop in the bucket of the world population and much of the work that will be done during the Millenium is temple work, why bother now?” Getting information straight from God — and finding it’s not quite right (to say the least) — is still a problem (if you’re aware of it). Alex found some what not to do lessons for laywers in the BoM, and Chris found an American holiday in there!! I like Steve Bloor’s explanation of the difference between Humanism and Atheism. Jen collected faith-affirming pep quotes that stave off cognitive dissonance — cause you don’t want scientists challenging your faith about where the Sun’s light comes from.
Did you ever wonder about the intersection of President’s Day and Black History Month?
To close with some fun, Elder Young is on his way back, Roger Hansen found some joy from simple things, Mormon X is famous, the BunYon reports on paternity pants, Brandon had an amazing voyage, Knotty is stepping out in red, and hawkgrrl drew some conclusions from her weekly polls!!
Happy reading!!
I can kinda see where the Frozen mom is coming from. The first X-men movies 10 years ago I saw as an allegory for queerness at the time, but of course they’re just about “accepting difference” generally. The fact that Frozen mom is seeing “gay” in this Disney film says more about her own issues presently. Messages about accepting difference are going to read like gay arm-pulling for Mormons for some time.
@1 Yes, exactly.
I think there’s been a cultural shift over the past several decades towards accepting and celebrating differences. Embracing queerness isn’t the whole story, but it’s definitely part of it. And t’s not surprising that’s the only part the “well-behaved Mormon woman” if it’s the part that touches on her own issues (some of the reddit folks linked above know the woman’s lesbian daughter.)