Sunday in Outer Blogness: tidbits edition!

This past week didn’t have one big, over-arching Mo-related scandal (for once), but there were oh-so-many interesting tidbits!!

Archeologists recently found the mass graves of the victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Mormon population numbers don’t add up, and the fight for women’s reproductive health in Utah just got a powerful new ally — which inspired Geoff Openshaw to post an extended rant about how that’s not news (Where’s the man in that story? How can the media waste our time with something that obviously wouldn’t be important to any of mankind? Where are the real stories?)

The CoJCoL-dS itself has done some interesting things this week. It made another creepy video about porn, despite new evidence that “porn addiction” is actually iatrogenic:

The word iatrogenic describes illnesses or damages that are acquired as a result of treatment. If you go into a hospital for an appendectomy, and get a staph infection in the hospital, that’s iatrogenic harm. The porn addiction treatment model is iatrogenic, creating harm under the guise of providing treatment and support.

Plus the CoJCoL-dS appears to be market-testing a brilliant new policy! :

I just heard of a stake in Oregon who read a letter to their congregations that now forbids food and electronic device usage in sacrament meeting as an outgrowth of the sabbath day worship instruction coming down from the general leaders. And then I heard of another in Utah County.

You know what is so awesome about this plan? They already tell young parents that they need to have a big brood of kids — all of which should attend the most boring hour ever invented by man — and be reverent! the whole time, and now they will get the fun of accomplishing this magical feat without the aid of food or electronics!! (And, it goes without saying, that it’s the young parents’ fault if they fail.) Because, y’know, the JoCJoL-dS just wasn’t alienating young people fast enough. Why not make church attendance odious-to-impossible for the tiny subset of current Mormon twenty/thirty-somethings that was actually more-or-less succeeding at the Mormon lifestyle…? Genius, guys!

In commentary on Mormonism, Ana posted about rape culture at BYU and LaShawn Schultz explained why the #MormonThug hashtag is problematic:

Listen, I know it seemed like a great idea to “poke fun” about the radio host who called BYU a “religious school with a football team of thugs” because “Religious School/BYU? Thugs? Haha, yeah right. That’s flippin funny shiz.”

Translation: BYU is a bunch of religious white people, and there’s no way white people can be thugs! (but you saw how the picture used in the radio host’s article didn’t include any white guys, right? You saw that. It was about the dudes who performed the haka and got into the brawl last year. Men of Color.)

A lot of Mormon stories from last week are still going: Thinker of Thoughts is translating more Mormon memes, Julie Rowe’s followers are earning the CoJCoL-dS some great publicity (while the CoJCoL-dS just winks at the problem), and Laurel Sandberg-Armstrong made a good case for the world having already ended.

Mithryn has analysed more talks in his his “40 talks in 40 days” series, including The Parable of the Sower, Preach My Gospel, and The Music of the Gospel. Zelph on the Shelf also continues to provide thought-provoking articles on such topics as questions for Mormons about polygamy, Leaving a Sinking Boat, product-placement in General Conference (satire), Monson’s prophetic skills, a brief guide to the CES Letter (in French even!), and how the church could take a lesson from its members.

Then they commented on the talk that Alison discussed here. Donna Banta also advocated reclaiming our stories:

Consider this, my believing friends. Say a successful professional man grew up in a big Mormon family in an all Mormon town in Utah. He’s since moved to California and left Mormonism behind. Nevertheless, every once in a while a nosey nonmember asks him, “Where are you from?” Now how would you have him answer?

• Should he be vague? “Um . . . the mountains.”
• Or paranoid? “Who wants to know?”
• Should he fake amnesia? “I’ve forgotten everything that’s happened to me before I walked into this bar just now.”
• Should he lie? “I’m from France.”
• Or … should he own up to it and toe the party line? “I grew up Mormon in Provo, Utah, but I left the church because I was offended. Also because I wanted to hang out in seedy bars with low-lifes like you.”

As a counterpoint, Brandon Pearce apologised for criticizing Mormonism, and Hermia Lyly discussed another regrettable talk.

In scriptures, let’s learn women’s place.

In life journeys, ManeySmilesBack recounted a suicide attempt, and the art of Chelsey Sidler-Lartey will be featured in a Suicide Awareness Art Gallery in Salt Lake City, see here for details. Monica is dealing with life as a single co-parent and Clean Cut found a testimony that resonates.

In random stuff and fun, Dan Pearce wrote an epic love story in stock photos! Zina Jacobs-Smith-Young compiled a list of Yankee Candles not to buy an exmo (I actually want the cappuccino truffle one), I invented a new fall recipe, and the Gay Mormon Southpaw warned of the dangers of appearing on TLC!

Happy reading and have a great week!