I'm just a good little Mormon boy who likes to shoot off at the mouth. Scripture, LDS church doctrine, LDS culture, LDS pop culture, Book of Mormon Stories, it's all here. I also like to make music, and that'll crop up in my blog, too.
While I don’t intend to resurrect a big argument over whether or not women should or ever will get the priesthood, there are many who would agree that women can provide and even deserve a greater leadership role in the church.
Today, I heard a radio discussion about the life, times, and legacy of Thomas S Monson, and there was a lot of comment about this. A few of the commenters were saying that Pres Monson (or his administration) had ignored the wishes of the women of the church in his refusal to give them the priesthood.
First of all, I don’t know how many women are (or are not) interested in full priesthood ordinations. I have heard many women comment that they would like to get more respect and leadership within the church, even if that doesn’t include the actual ordinations.
While the church is very, very traditional, and change moves very slowly, I’ve noticed something that was put into place during Pres. Monson’s leadership which, I think, will be marked as the starting point toward this respect and position.
When they announced the change in the age of missionary service, two things happened. One, a lot more young men signed up immediately. That’s not a surprise. Get going right out of high school, then go on to college afterward. There was another thing, however, that happened, and that was that many, many more young women signed up for missions.
Missions are often training grounds wherein young Mormons learn the commitment and service necessary for church leadership. Many more young women will now be going through this. As they grow up and mature, they will do so within the existing structures to be able to step into greater leadership roles.
Also, and this is going to be a critical part of that equation, the young men who serve with them will grow up seeing them more as equals in service (over time), and will likely (on the whole) grow into treating them more as equals.
This will take time, of course. It won’t happen as fast as the activists want. I do see it as a natural part of the growth of the church, and this simple policy change could very well drive that growth.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
A few years ago, I found myself tired of making New Year’s Resolutions. They were always the same, and I’d end up breaking them right away and feeling like a total failure.
Again.
Then I read a post in a blog somewhere that changed my perspective on the idea. Instead of a goal or an ideal to work on or a promise to avoid this or that thing that I happen to really enjoy, the idea is to pick a word that you want to focus on for the year.
That first year, I had been particularly depressed, so I chose to work on “Joy”. Then, throughout the year, I would remember the word, contemplate it, think about it, read and write about it, and hopefully find more of it in my life. So, at the end of the year, I could look back and see its impact.
Gone is the guilt of failure. If I have an unjoyful week, I’m fine with that. I just continue my focus and let it grow.
Other words I’ve used in other years have been “Gratitude”, “Creativity”, and “Spirit”.
So this year, I’m going to focus on the word “Prayer”. I’m feeling a real need to re-connect myself with Heavenly Father, and to feel more divine, myself. One way to do that is to simply take a quick moment to pray whenever the thought crosses my mind. To take that thought as an inspired reminder, and to think thoughts of gratitude to God, and to ask for blessings for those around me.
I know that we’re taught that there are certain times of the day when we’re “supposed to pray”. I’m OK with that, but I don’t always remember at those times. So, I’ll take advantage of the times I do remember.
In Alma 34, Amulek teaches that it’s good to pray whenever the desire or the need strikes you, and it’s good to pray over temporal as well as spiritual things:
17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.
So, that’s gonna be my focus this year.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
There has been a lot said and argued about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performing at President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Many have been angry, others supportive. One sister decided to resign the choir over the issue. I’ve seen others that seem to be questioning their testimonies over it.
This election cycle has been by far the most divisive and surprising ever. I never thought it would happen, and many are still in denial. There was talk about reversing it in the Electoral College, which didn’t happen. There were talk of recounts, which didn’t change anything.
Now we’re faced with the inauguration. The Trump administration, having a hard time booking more current and popular acts, has asked the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes called “America’s Choir” to perform.
Here are my thoughts:
First, the choir has performed for many inaugurations of both parties in the past. This one is no different. Yes, I don’t like who’s being inaugurated. I voted against him. But it’s been decided, and so the Choir wants to go sing. The Choir’s primary purpose is outreach and missionary work. Someone posted that the choir would never sing for Putin or for Kim Jong Un. I think they would. I think they would jump at the chance to share a musical message in North Korea. The choir performs in many places and for many different peoples.
Second, the Church has not made it a requirement for the members to perform. One sister has chosen to resign the Choir rather than make the performance. I admire her for taking this stance. Were I a choir member, I would have to think and pray hard to decide to perform for an event that I, personally, find so disappointing. However, I also don’t fault those that will attend. How often do any of us get to attend a presidential inauguration as an invited guest?
Third, and the part that I find most frustrating, is the fact that Mormons said they were upset by Trump and were not going to vote for him, but, in the end, did anyway. So, with 60% of the Mormon vote, Trump won most of us over. So, the choir singing for him should be no surprise, right?
Look. I’m gonna invoke the Mo’Boy Doctrine here. If Trump ends up being as bad of a president as we think he will, there will be issues far deeper than whether or not the Choir sang. And if he turns out to be a good president, well, I’ll sing, too.
But I’m not holding my breath on that one.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
This post is very difficult for me to write, because it’s impossible to set up the context enough for anyone but me and my son to fully grasp.
Really, ya had ta be there.
But I can’t NOT share it. Partly because I set it up so well with the earlier posts on Role-Playing Games (part I here, and part II here), but also because it filled my soul with so much joy. So, I’m going to do my best, in spite of it all.
First, I believe that it is my God-given responsibility to raise my family in righteousness. It is my job to help all of my children learn to understand that their life choices now will impact their lives later, and the lives of those around them. It’s my job to help them learn to make choices that will lead to happiness and joy, as opposed to selfishness and bitterness. Ultimately, within my beliefs, it’s my responsibility to teach them things that will lead them to Eternal Life and Exaltation. This is a very difficult task, and one where I have not always, or even not very often, felt success.
So, as you read in these posts, as my sons started to bug me to play Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games, and as we reworked the game to satisfy my issues, I looked at it at first as a simply opportunity to have some fun and do some family bonding. Some guys take their sons fishing and hunting. In our house, we roll d20s.
Very quickly, however, I realized that I had the opportunity, as the gamemaster, to shape the flow of the stories to be able to teach my kids eternal truths about the nature of good and evil, and how to realize which side you’re on. I saw how I could show that choices have consequences, both good and bad. Standing up for what they believe in, even in the fiction of a game, is important.
This last adventure, over the course of the last few months, was particularly steeped in religious and spiritual imagery. They were grappling with issues of selfishness and darkness vs light and service.
I could spend pages describing the story as the characters chased across the land, even through dimensional travel in search of powerful artifacts known as the “Dona Creatori” (The Gifts of the Creator). The party, in a final climactic battle, entrapped the demon that had come to corrupt and control the high priests of the major church of the land.
At that point, Brendon’s character was faced with a choice. He was in a position to take over. He could easily keep running the church and bask in all the wealth and power that would bring him. Or, he could step back and allow the uncorrupted lower priests to step up and lead the church into a new era of righteousness.
He ended up choosing the latter option, and we wrapped up the loose ends of the adventure and “closed the book”, so to speak.
Today, we were talking about that decision, and he was explaining to me how his character (who started out conflicted and even a bit of a bad guy) ended up choosing the right. He told me about his thoughts through the sessions that had led up to that conflict and as he had interacted with the ghostly Champions of the Creator that helped the party find the Dona. He told me that he had wanted his character to be worthy of the donum, as the Champion had said (again, to really “get” this, you would have either had to be there, or I would have to write the novel).
As he was telling me all of this, I thought to myself: THIS is why we play RPGs as a family. Such a powerful time for both of us to learn, by doing, by living vicariously through our character sheets and our dice. We learn, we grow, and we grow together.
My heart swelled up, and I almost cried as he was telling me. Two years after beginning to make The Hero’s Tale, we arrive at this point. THIS is why I game. THIS is me, being a father.
I guess sometimes, I do get to get it right.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
So, we went downtown to Temple Square tonight to look at lights and fountains. Nothing surprising there, we do that every year. This year, however, we were treated to a gem of an experience.
We had walked across the street to the City Creek Mall, to look at the fountain show (really dazzling, but so short as to not make it worth the wait), and we were lining up at the pedestrian crossing to go back into Temple Square.
At that corner was a man standing on a concrete platform holding a lit-up sign that said, “Joseph Lied”. He was shouting all kinds of anti-mormon rhetoric, mostly about how the God of the Bible wasn’t the same as Joseph Smith’s God, and bla, bla, bla.
I’ve heard it all before. I grew up with my Evangelical Christian friends trying to convince me that there were no more prophets or revelation, or that we were saved by grace, not by works, and any of a number of reasons why they were right and I was wrong. I had learned to tune them out.
Suddenly I noticed that the young family standing in front of me were singing, “Silent Night”, kind of as if in protest of the protester. I picked up on it, and started singing along. She turned around right away and smiled, confirming my suspicion. By the time we finished and started to loop it around again, a lady behind me had joined, and my father, standing next to me was singing along.
It wasn’t long before the entire crowd standing there waiting at the crosswalk was singing strong, “Silent Night, Holy Night,...”
And he and his partner went quiet.
Then, just as we were finishing the loop, someone a few behind me started singing “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful”, and he didn’t have a chance to start up again. We were all enjoying singing along and smiling at each other, and observing how the contention had faded, when the light dinged, and it was time to cross. We kept singing as we crossed, and didn’t stop until the song ended, and the preacher was lost in the back distance.
On the way home, my boys commented on how the spirit was there and I pointed out how gentleness can overcome shouting. It was a very powerful message to me.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
So, many years ago my kids began to play games with me. They started with video games, and then began to include tabletop games, like Pokemon CCG, and Yu-Gi-Oh. That was about the same time that I was getting involved in Magic, the Gathering, too.
Soon after, they began asking if they could play Dungeons and Dragons. I was very nervous for all of the reasons that I spelled out in the last post. It really has the potential to teach impressionalble children the wrong concepts. On the other hand, it can also teach teamwork and goodness. It can enhance creative thinking and problem solving.
In that sense, role-playing games are very much like life. What you get out of it depends very much on what you put into it. I definitely didn't want them to be playing under a GM that didn't understand this, or the nature of consequences for acts and choices. But then, did I really want to be the GM for a system where I had so many fundamental problems?
Years went by, and every so often, my kids would remind me how much they wanted to try it out. Sometimes I'd flat out turn them down, other times I would put them off. I looked at the newer edition rule books, and found that, even though there had been some changes, most of my core issues with the game were still in place.
I had some stock responses, like how I didn't have time to make up an adventure, or how we didn't have enough money to buy the books, or any of a number of excuses.
Finally, this last year, I could see that they weren't going to give up, and I could see that, at age 16, I wasn't going to be able to deny my oldest for very much longer. I also had been more active in game design, having worked through some years on Seeker's Quest Scripture Card Game.
Finally, I decided that I would make an RPG system that would deal with my fears and issues, and allow us to have a great time bonding and playing. So, last July, I wrote out a few quick pages of rules and tables and got started.
The rules themselves have undergone significant revisions already, and the core keeps getting more and more balanced. The adventure we've been playing has continued to grow and develop. We've had times where we've had to stop and rework the characters to reset the game balance, and there have been times when we've suddenly thought of great new ideas of things to add. There is still much to do.
But it has been a wonderful bonding experience with me and my children, and we'll continue to work on it.
Here's how we've dealt with the four issues:
The Focus on Fighting over Story and Character
First, from the very beginning, we began creating the characters by inventing their back story. Who is this? Where is he/she from? Why is he/she adventuring? What motivates him/her? What does he/she want to be when "grown up"? Then, rather than randomly rolling numbers for attributes, the players used a point system to develop the attributes and skills that fleshed out that backstory.
Secondly, I approached the entire adventuring process from the perspective of a story line. As the Game Master, I used the backstories of the newly formed characters to create the world and the opening situation. Then, as the characters began exploring this world, they encountered adversaries and others that made sense within that world. I constantly asked myself, "Why?" Why would these monsters be there? What is this Non-Player Character trying to accomplish?
Story became a very integral part of the game from the first session, and it grew from there.
The System for Magic, Spells, and Dieties
In order to fix the fundamental difficulties I had with magic, I had to abstract the system. We came up with five different kinds of "Powers" (I didn't even want to call it "magic"), and some basic abilities within each one. Each player that had powers had a certain number of "Will Points" that he/she could use in a day. The player would then be faced with a situation, and would think of an action within that type of power that might solve it. He/she would describe the action, and I, as the GM, would tell the player how many WP it would cost to do that. The points would be subtracted, and the dice rolled.
This made it so that the source of the power was vague, even inconsequential. There was no detailed incantations or "eyes of newt" to be thrown into bubbling cauldrons. The character simply willed it to happen, and if the die roll was successful, it happened.
The Alignment System
It was my son that suggested something that would end up fixing the idea of good or evil characters. He didn't even know it at the time. As we were creating the first character sheets, he said, "You should have a 'luck' attribute." I thought about that, and decided on "Karma Points". As the players did good and helpful things for each other and the NPC's in the world, they would gain KP. If they did horrible things, not only would the NPC's get upset and possibly attack or capture the characters, but they could be docked KP. The KP's could be used to artificially alter a critical die roll that failed.
As a result, the players began to conciously do things that would gain them Karma and avoid being bad guys.
The Overall Complexity and Inflexibility
Games have a tendency, over time to become more and more complex. That's the nature of game design. It's kind of an "opposite entropy". You encounter a problematic situation in the game design, and you fix it by adding some rules. That's OK, that makes it so you can get back to playing. But then, those new rules bring up other situations that beg for more rules, and more rules, etc...
I'm working to keep this game simple with guidelines for Game Mastering. This does mean that the GM has to really take charge, but it also frees him/her up for making the story happen instead of twiddling about looking up and administering the rules. He/she simply decides what's reasonable within a framework and goes with it.
It has been challenging to find the internal balances in those guidelines. There have been a couple of times when the system has essentially broken down, and we've had to rework the characters to keep them from being too powerful. In those circumstances, we've had to struggle with being responsible game designers while we like playing powerful characters!
In the process, however, we've really bonded as a family, and I haven't had the problems come up like I had feared. It really has been great fun.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
Please forgive my self-indulgence. These next two blog entries are about as geeky and nerdy as can be. It's all about my history as both a gamer and as a member of the Church. It's also a setup for some things to come.
Way back in the day, when I was a teenager, a friend of mine introduced me to this cool new game he had just bought called "Dungeons and Dragons". We were thrilled, and both started playing regularly. As a game, it was a totally new paradigm. It was based in your imagination. You pretended to be characters in a party of mideaval fantasy adventurers, and you fought and wizarded your way through dungeons, killing monsters and collecting loot.
It was also the first game I'd ever played where you didn't "win", because you just survived and grew. You could "lose" if you died, but you never really "won". Some of my friends would look at it and say, "how do you win?" because that's usually what people want to know about playing a game. But in reality, in role-playing games, you win by having a great time making a cool story.
This was at a point very early on in the history of the game. As I grew up playing more and more, later editions of the game became more elaborate and thorough and brought with them more and more extensive rule books.
It was a large part of the reason why my high school and early college grades were so bad. I was more into gaming than I was studying. I was a total geek. The problem was that, unlike today, "geek" was not even close to "cool".
Not only did D&D get in the way of my schooling, but it clashed with my religion as well. As it became more popular, and more well-known, many people handled it badly (iincluding many of the players), and it often got a reputation as something evil, or satanic.
In spite of all this, I often look back at my gaming life and friends and say that it is what helped keep me off drugs. I was with a group where I was accepted, and my need for creativity, weirdness, and exploration was encouraged and valued. Who needs drugs?
Then I went on my mission, and served The Lord for a time. Not long after that, I moved myself out to Utah, and soon after that married life and adulthood (jobs, etc) filled my life with practical reality. There wasn't time to devote to finding a good adventure group and developing stories, dungeons, and adventures.
As I became more and more fully devoted to the Church and the gospel, looked back at my gaming life, and though I had many wonderful memories, there were certain things that nagged at me. These were things that also made me uncomfortable about D&D in particular, and even about role-playing in general.
The Focus on Fighting over Story and Character
All too often, our adventures degenerated into die-rolling slug fests, and the victors would be determined more by the dice than any really creative problem solving. The winner was the biggest, the baddest, and with the most plusses on his/her magic sword.
I had already been playing the game for many years before I had an adventure campaign that was truly based on storytelling. I wish I could say that I was the Game Master for that one, but I have to give props to Rick, who did a fabulous job of setting scenes and encouraging interaction and real character development, not just adding up experience points. That was, sadly, a rare experience.
It's true that this aspect of the game is more related to those playing it, but I also feel that the intracacies and detailed nature of the rules of D&D created a situation where storytelling was de-emphasized. The system also had greater rewards for fighting and conquest.
The System for Magic, Spells, and Dieties
I had three problems with the way Magic was handled in D&D. One was that each type of spellcaster had a list of detailed and unique spells that he/she could choose from. They each did very specific things, and nothing else. It was very clear to everyone playing, from the GM to the newest beginner, what each spell did. This didn't allow for much creativity on the part of the player to create clever solutions to problems and situations.
Another problem I had was the details of the spells as set out in the rules. Each spell could have a verbal, somantic, and/or a physical component, many of which were written out and listed in the rules. This kinda gave me a strange feeling as a member of the Church because it began to look like a magic instruction book to me. In my mind, I could dismiss it as "just a game", but that level of detail bothered me.
A third problem dealt primarily with the Clerical spells. These were the healing and other abilities that were granted to the characters by dieties. This was the internal religion of the game. In order to "charge up" their spell lists, the cleric character had to spend so much time each day meditating or praying to his/her chosen mythological diety. These were derived from all kinds of sources, and in many cases were even evil. Clearly, as a member of the church, having any of the players around me praying to a demon in order to get their spells was a bit disconcerting, even if it was "just in the game".
The Alignment System
Which also leads me to the next issue that troubled me which was the Alignment system. This allowed players to decide if they were going to be, essentially, good guys or bad guys. I can still remember a long, extended campaign adventure that I GM'ed of all evil characters. Eventually, role playing turned to mistrust and infighting, and several real-life friendships (of many years) were almost destroyed in the proces. At that point, I swore to myself that I would never play an evil character, nor to GM for evil characters again.
Part of the problem with the playing of evil or even neutral characters is that the GM is not always prepared to nor interested in implementing consequences for evil behavior. Even though killing people brings the wrath of other people, that can often distract from an existing story line, bog it down, or simply require additional tracking and effort. It's often easier to just let it go. As a result, players can have a great time being dominant and powerful, spreading mayhem and taking whatever they want with very little negative results. With the wrong GM, the game can actually teach that it's exciting and fun to be evil.
The Overall Complexity and Inflexibility
My final problem was the intricate detail of the rules. At first, it was fun reading through all of the spells and the monster listings (that was a completely bound book, in and of itself - the Monster Manual), in the end it was frustrating because the players could access it as well. If I threw a scene at them with a two Hobgoblins and twelve Orcs, they knew immediately the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. And, if I did something wrong, or made a judgement call, they were quick to point out that I had done it wrong, and that according to page 212 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, THIS was how it SHOULD have worked.
Ultimately, it was still a great game that I loved playing. But all of these things nagged at me over the years, and I finally decided that it was good that I stopped playing. Besides, I spent some time enjoying miniatures gaming, and then I discovered Magic: the Gathering, so I still was quite the gamer.
I was, however, not prepared for how to answer to the next challenge: My kids!
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
Hey, folks, I don't usually cross-post from my other blogs, but in this case, it's really appropriate. I had the opportunity to hand make some bread to be used in our ward's sacrament meeting. It's not really a big deal in the big picture, but it was a wonderful experience for me. I wrote it up over at Mark's Black Pot. Check it out, and if you want to, leave a comment over there: http://www.marksblackpot.com/2014/06/baking-bread-for-church.html
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
In the last week, I’ve had the chance to hear about two singers and to think about what I admire in both of them. It’s a similar list. One of them is young, some would argue, at the beginning of his career. The other has had a long and celebrated career. The two are David Archuleta and Bono.
As I start this blog post, I have to set up the disclaimer. I usually don’t like admiring other humans. Too often, we set people up as heroes, and then we’re upset when they let us down. On the other hand, I think we should celebrate goodness and righteousness whenever we see it. So, let me say that I don’t know either of these people personally. I have no idea what they’re really like. I don’t know what their struggles have been, other than what I’ve read. I don’t even like every song they’ve sung.
But they have both made some choices in their lives that I find admirable, and I want to point those out.
The first event I heard about was David Archuleta’s return from his mission. I was impressed by this. Here, he’s got a growing recording and performing career, and he sets it aside to serve his fellow humans in relative obscurity in a far-away country. If his mission was anything like mine, or anything like anyone else’s, he probably had a lot of struggles, disappointments, joys, and personal triumphs. I don’t know how well he got along with his companions, or how well they got along with him, but I’m sure they all grew in the process.
Here’s what I most admire him for: he went, he served, and he came home honorably. There have been many others who have had the opportunity and have not done those three things. Others have felt that their fame would interfere with missionary work. I just admire that he made the choice to set it all aside.
The other thing was an interview Bono did with Jim Daly of Focus on the Family. In the course of the interview, Bono, who is by all accounts now, a worldwide superstar, bore his personal witness of Jesus as the Son of God, and talked knowledgeably about the scriptures. In addition to being in the band, he’s worked tirelessly in support of AIDS-ravaged and poverty-stricken Africa. He’s worked with politicians on the right and the left all across the world looking for ways to facilitate funding and treatments.
Again, I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I don’t know his flaws or his strengths.
I don’t know the hearts or minds of either of these two great voices. So, I will admire and try to emulate some of their great choices, and I will use those choices as examples to teach my family.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
So, the story goes that there was a big, tall, full willow tree atop a small rise, surrounded by a grassy meadow. It had been there for years. Many who traveled the roads by the meadow would stop and rest in its shade before moving on. They used the great tree as a landmark to know where to travel and how far they had come. It seemed like it had always been there and always would. It was fixed in place, immovable. The idea that it had once been a weak little sapling was long forgotten.
Below it the grass also grew tall, but not so much as the tree, obviously. As the breezes and winds blew the grass would sway and swing, bending to the slightest shift and motion in the air.
Not the tree, of course. Oh, the leaves might swish a little, but the tree was strong against even harsher winds. It stayed, sturdy and tall.
Until one night a storm arose like no other before it. The winds and the rains hammered the hilltop, whipping the grass and the tree in its frenzy. Wave after wave of harsh force smashed against them. The tree strained to hold together as branches snapped and tumbled. The tree held on with all its might, but finally, its shallow roots were unable to stand against the force of the wind, and with a loud crackling, it toppled over, smashing to the ground.
In the morning, the winds were again calm and the sun rose, drying the raindrops off the dying tree and the grassy meadow. The grasses rose up and again danced and swayed in the breeze. Their roots were deep and intertwined, and their blades flexible to move with the winds but still remain in place, still growing, still alive.
OK
So, I was reading yesterday an old response to Jerald and Sandra Tanner’s many anti-Mormon and anti-Joseph Smith books, and I started to see a trend. The more I read, the more I realized that the reason many good, faithful church members fall to anti-mormon propaganda is, in fact, our own fault, culturally. We cling so rigidly, dogmatically to details that we think are facts, when those “facts” are, in fact, not certain. Then, when those “facts” are challenged, our roots don’t go deep enough and so, aren’t strong enough to adapt and flow with those winds, and we fall. Maybe our roots aren’t intertwined enough with others, strengthening each other, and so, we fall.
For example: Detail Dogma might say that the Book of Abraham was the literal translation of the exact writing on the scrolls that Joseph Smith acquired. Some experts, cited by the Tanners, claim that the writings translate differently, and are not at all what Joseph wrote as the Book of Abraham. But do we REALLY know what happened? Do we REALLY know how it happened? Is it not possible that Joseph Smith saw the texts and had a visionary experience that brought about the revelation of the Book of Abraham? Is it possible that Joseph, with God’s eyes and inspiration, saw more in the drawings and text than others have? What is the difference between “translation” and “revelation”. There is so much that we don’t know. So, should we rigidly cling to the superficial dogma, or should we sink our roots deeper to the underlying belief that the Book of Abraham is sacred scripture, however it arrived?
Another example: For years and years, we were told that the native american tribes were descendants of the Lamanites. Some scientists did some studying and claimed that DNA testing disproved that theory, saying that the DNA of native americans was more asian. We took a look at our beliefs and we said, essentially, that maybe there were other groups here, too, and they mixed. Then, further DNA studies showed that it's not so cut and dried, scientifically, anyway.
We often want our histories and our stories to be clear, to be black and white, but life isn’t that way. It’s often messy and our heroes aren’t always so heroic. That doesn’t mean we stop believing in them, though. We just have to be flexible.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
A big topic in the news of late is the Arizona bill (passed by the legislature, and currently awaiting signing or veto by the governor) which would effectively allow anyone to refuse service to anyone for religious reasons. There is a lot of legalese in the text of the law, but the basic upshot of it (and the source of the controversy) is that if there’s a same-sex wedding, and they want to hire someone to, say, bake the cake or take pictures, or perform the service, a person or company whose religous beliefs prohibit same-sex marriage would be allowed to turn down the opportunity. It essentially says that if your church doesn’t like it, you’re not required to go along with it at your business.
On one side of this argument is the observation that this essentially sanctions discrimination, and undoes decades of civil rights legislation. On the other side of the argument, people are upset that businesses and business people are getting sued for “standing for their beliefs”. They are frustrated that the government, and the laws it enforces, are requiring them to do things they believe are against their beliefs and principles.
It doesn’t even have to be against gays. If someone’s Church doesn’t accept the possibility of life on other planets, according to this law, they shouldn’t be required to let aliens in their store.
Add to that this suit being brought against a Church in the UK, and the plot gets even a bit thicker. The gay couple is suing because the Church won’t marry them. Even though it’s happening “over there”, many in America are watching with interest because it could indicate a trend or precedent.
I’m a bit befuddled by it all. I don’t want to legalize discrimination and prejudice, either, but I also support someone’s right to believe what they want and to act on that belief.
This is a situation where we may actually see the colliding of words, the immovable object being hit by the irresistible force. These two viewpoints are completely at odds with each other. The gays want to get married, and there are many who don’t want to serve them. Should they be forced to serve? Or should the gays be forced to look elsewhere for services? What if the services aren’t available elsewhere, or if there are other factors in the situation?
This is why I think the LDS Church fought so strongly against same-sex marriage in California, Hawaii, and other states: the fear that, at some point, the Church would sued and forced to solemnize same-sex marriages in the temple. I think that without that spectre looming over their heads, the Brethren of the Church would have been much more accepting of the concept.
Honestly, I’m not sure what the answer is. But, it’s something that I’ll be watching very closely.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
OK, I’m so confused. I recently got on the short end of the wrath of the internets on a discussion among church members of “Modesty”. I thought this was always kind of clear, but apparently not. From the discussion, I guess girls are supposed to be allowed to “express themselves” and to not be “ashamed” of their bodies, but they’re still not supposed to dress sexy and show too much skin, unless, of course, they want to, and dress codes are the new machines of male oppression and men should be expected to control themselves, but they’re not allowed to respond to any visual stimuli regardless of how the girl parades it but the prophet still says you should wear clothing that covers the body areas covered by the garments, unless if your swimsuit is revealing then, that’s OK, because it’s all about comfort, not exposure, and... And... And I’m trying to sort through it, but I’m getting a bit lost, here. I do get the bits about dress codes. I hate them, too. I think that dress codes and social dress expectations are more about control than they are about modesty or practicality. Why on earth anyone thinks that a white shirt and a tie are sensible is beyond me. I used to work in a call center. Everyone we interacted with was on the phone. But, arbitrarily, we were required to dress up one day a week. Why? So the management could exercise that bit of control. I also get the self-expression bit. For many years, in my rocker days, I dressed very rebelliously. Sort of. By that I mean that I had the shredded jeans and grungy jacket and long hair, but all of my garment areas were covered. There was a kid in my old ward that would come to church as a punker, but still in a white shirt. The dichotomy always made me smile. I also get that a lot of the scars from the ways we were taught about sexual purity in our sunday school and seminary classes are now turning up in therapy. When it comes to sex, we are definitely a peculiar people. So, I guess I’d like some help here. Are our youth, both boys and girls, still being taught to dress modestly? Is that still valued? Are they being taught why it’s important? Is it still important?
When I read this blog entry, I had a lot of emotions well up. I, too, feel like a misfit. I have my whole life. Sometimes, I enjoy it, other times, it frustrates me. As I read this, I knew I'd have to share my feelings.
First, I must insist that this feeling is cultural. I've not felt spiritually out of place. For the most part, I've always felt like I had a connection with my Heavenly Father, and when I've felt that the connection wasn't as strong, I've always known that it's been me that was disconnecting.
When I was younger, I grew my hair out long. At one point, it was down to the middle of my shoulder blades. I used to wear shredded jeans, bandanas and untied high-tops. I looked like I'd walked out of a guitar magazine. Yet, I always carried a current temple recommend. I wore my hair like a flag, challenging all to get to know the real me.
My taste in music has never been mainstream LDS. I recognize that Janice Kapp Perry and Michael McLean are great talents and wonderful people. I've met them both. But I have no tunes by either one on my cell phone tracklist. What is there? Lots of hard rock, much of it Christian. Lots of old school prog rock, too. Some classical.
Early on, I yearned for hard rock music with Mormon themes. Finding none, I made my own. I still carry much of that in my phone lists, too. Did you know there are LDS rappers?
All of these things are superficial, I know. But I really have felt very alone through much of my church experience. I still go. It's still true. Much of LDS church culture is built on the concepts of obedience and of following your leaders. And they wear white shirts, dark suits, and simple ties. That's how you're supposed to be spiritual, right?
In the end, I grew tired. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, all the while nobody else around me knew that we were even at war. My hair is short, my shirts are mostly white. But my ties have guitars and looney toons on them, and I still love loud, obnoxious guitars.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
General Conference has always been a time of great controversy. It seems that everyone who has a beef with the church or wants to push their own agenda onto it kinda comes out of the woodwork to make their statement. I’m not surprised, either. It makes sense. This is where the saints are gathered, with the authorities, and the media. You’ve got the Ordain Women movement, and the Gay and Lesbian movement and the Mormons Are All Going to Hell movement, and they all have a place in the great wide “Supermercado de Dios” (“God’s Supermarket” - a phrase I learned in Honduras). This time, there were two talks that spoke directly to my own agendas, in very powerful and reaffirming ways. They calmed the controversies that had been brewing for a long time in my soul, and left me feeling quite weightless at the end. I wish I could find transcripts this soon after the event, but I haven’t been able to find them. The first, and probably the biggest (for me) was Elder Uctdorf’s talk on Saturday morning. I was driving home from a book signing, and listening to it on the radio. I ended up in tears. Let me set it up for you. For a long time, as I’ve interacted with many different people who have many different ideas about the church, I’ve encountered many with negative things to say about the church. Frankly, there’s a lot of material to draw from: Polygamy, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Missouri wars, the Adam/God theory, the ERA, the Salamander letters, the political involvement by the church in many issues, including California’s Proposition 8, and even, on a small scale, the expansion of the Provo MTC. In my own mind, I had come to be (pretty much) at peace with most of these issues by arriving at a personal understanding that the leaders of the church (historical and current) are humans, and that God allows his human representativess to make choices. Sometimes, those choices are good and wise, and other times, not so much. In other words, I truly believe that God leads this church, but that sometimes we humans get in the way, and He allows that as a part of our growth. One thing that has consistently bothered me about these things is the way the church has handled the dissent. Either they’ve ignored it, shouted it down, or simply excommunicated those that were dissenting. The tone of the talk by President Uctdorf was finally one with openness, compassion, reconciliation, and forgiveness. And by “forgiveness”, I mean both extending it, and asking for it. A member of our highest governing body (the First Presidency) stood up in General Conference and admitted that we have, now and in the past, made mistakes. That was HUGE. It confirmed all that I had been feeling, yet wondering about, for so long. A massive weight was lifted from me. My spirit and mind are both still reeling from the lightness I’m feeling, even days later. Then, if that wasn’t enough, in the afternoon session, Elder Holland talked about mental illness, particularly depression. He talked about how important it is to recognize it and to treat it, even with contemporary professional methods. He said we wouldn’t send someone with appendicitis home to “study and pray”, but we’d send them to the hospital for an operation. He called on everyone to treat those with mental health issues with compassion and support. While I don’t really know if I would be diagnosed with an actual clinical depression, I’ve been through long periods of “down” throughout my life. I’ve gotten therapy from time to time and dealt with a lot of my issues. It was very nice to hear from that grand pulpit that I’m OK. That I can be healed, and that I can take steps to be healed. Another weight lifted. So, say what you wish about the controversies and the agendas, my two big problems felt, if not resolved, at least at peace.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
For my non-mormon friends, here’s the story in a nutshell:
Joseph Smith, when he was a teen, was very confused about religion. There were a lot of churches and preachers contending with each other and he couldn’t figure it all out. One by one, his family members joined one sect or another, or stayed away from them all completely.
He read in James, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...”, and decided to pray about it.
He went to a secluded grove of trees, knelt down and prayed. At first he was surrounded by darkness, and after struggling against that, was surrounded by light. He was visited by to glorious “personages” who he identified as God the Father, and Jesus Christ. They told him to wait, and that the truth would soon be restored.
But, therein lies the trouble. Because there are not one, but several different versions of the story, all of which are purported to be written by or spoken by Joseph Smith himself. Many detractors from the church like to use that as the crux of proof that Joseph was a fraud and a liar. The author of the Meridian article, Steven C Harper, studies the variations of accounts and sees a more affirming point of view.
Was Joseph Smith a prophet?
I kinda think the whole thing is fascinating. I mean, really, it all comes down to faith, doesn’t it? None of us were there in the grove, and none of us actually saw what happened. Just like we weren’t there outside the tomb when the resurrected Jesus appeared to Mary. None of us were there when Moses parted the red sea, either, at least not in our mortal forms.
On a more micro-viewed level, none of us were there when each of those accounts was written or spoken, either. We don’t always know who the audience was, nor what the purpose of the discussion. Atheist scholars for many years have said that the four Gospels prove that Jesus wasn’t the son of God because they all disagree, and they don’t tell the same story. Believing scholars say that each Gospel was written to a unique audience, and for a unique purpose. Both cite valid academic and historical arguments.
So, was Joseph Smith a prophet?
I, myself, believe. I have seen many historical arguments that show me he was a complex, flawed human, just like the rest of us. But I believe him when he said, “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God.” D&C 76:22-23
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
In 1982, I had a girlfriend. I was also contemplating and deciding whether or not to go on a mission. Under the best of circumstances, that would complicate life enough. My situation, however, was even more messy.
I lived in Indiana, where Mormon girls were rare. So, in high school and early college, I dated mostly non-members. Even though at the time, most of the church leaders were trying to discourage this, I didn’t have many options. Not only were there few Mormon girls, they didn’t like me much.
So, this girlfriend I had was not a member of the church. She didn’t understand my growing commitment to my faith, and didn’t get why I had to make any kind of choice to leave. Still, we were “in love” (whatever that means to a 19-year-old). One thing she had going for her was her morals. She was one of the few in the college there in my home town who understood that it was a good idea to wait for marriage.
One thing that worked against her, however, was her mother, and this is really what I wanted to talk about today. This lady hated Mormons.
Let me restate that: This lady H A T E D Mormons.
In her eyes, I was just this side of the spawn of Satan himself, and why her beautiful daughter would waste her time with me was just beyond her. She spent a lot of effort trying to get her girl to break up with me, both while I was deciding whether or not to go on the mission, and, later, when I actually was out in the field.
One of her tactics was to try and get her back with her ex-boyfriend. My girl and this guy had been together about a year and a little more before she and I had started dating. This guy was a prize, truly. A real mother’s dream. In the two years that followed their time together, spanning the time that the girl and I were dating, this guy was married and divorced, all the while trying to get back together with my girl and having a baby with yet a third girl. My girl used to tell me about how he’d get drunk and come on to her, but she had always been able to keep him off.
And yet, when you add up all of his points, he still some how totalled up to be a better choice than a Mormon.
To tell the end of the story, by about a year into my mission, I could tell that this wasn’t going to work out, so I ended it. Her next few letters made it clear to me that it was the right choice for both of us.
Then, fast forwarding to now, I’m looking at Mitt Romney, and I’m feeling connection. Not a political one, I still disagree with his positions too much to actually vote for him, but a personal connection. The republicans are kinda like my girlfriend and her mom. Yeah, maybe Perry and Bachman are a homophobic idiots, and maybe Cain and Gingrich both need to learn to control their libidos, and get things clear with their wives (no matter how many they’ve had up to that point), but at least they’re not, well... You know... How do I say this nicely...? ...not MORMON.
Mitt, I feel yer pain...
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
A few days ago, Mo’ Boy celebrated it’s 8th anniversary. That’s right - Eight Years! That makes it one of the longest-running blogs in the Mormon blog world. Unfortunately, that alone doesn’t make it the most consistently posted, nor the most frequently read. But still...
There are a few issues that I’ve been stewing over lately, and it suddenly occurred to me that I’ve been alternatively laughing at them, and angry about them. I thought, “It’s a great time to dust off the ol’ Mo’ Boy Doctrine for some good ol’ invokin!”
For the unfamiliar, the Mo’ Boy Doctrine came to be after I once wrote about our President Monroe, and his Monroe Doctrine. A friend suggested I make my own. So, I did. It’s clear, and it’s simple. I hasn’t changed the world, yet. It contains two very important and complimentary parts. It is this:
1. Everyone should just not get so bent out of shape.
2. If that bothers you, read it again.
Here’s how we, as a family, are dealing with it. First of all, we’re doing our own family Halloween celebrations on Saturday. Most of our neighbors are also church members, since we live in a small town in Utah, so I imagine that many of them will also choose to do that. Second, we’ll leave our lights and our pumpkins lit on Sunday, and we’ll have extra candy for those kids that decide (for whatever reason) to do their celebrations on that day. They’ll come and yell to our door, and we’ll open it, and fuss over their costumes, and give them their candy, too.
...And it will still be fun! Even on the Sabbath!
Also, the irony of having Christians debate the celebration of an essentially Pagan holiday (celebrating death and scariness) is not lost on me at all...
Next, we have this story of a Mormon family denied the opportunity to serve in a Cub Scout Pack because they’re *GASP* not Christian! This is another story to not get bent out of shape about. In spite of this, there’s been a lot of blogger and news buzz. The noise has ranged all the way from “How can they be so unChristian as to deny the offer of service from fellow souls...” to “It’s about time those Black- and Gay-hating Mormon bigots get a taste of their own medicine!”
It’s time to get real people. First of all, I support the right of any privately-owned and run group to choose their own members and leaders. So, if they don’t want to have Mormon volunteers, they don’t have to. Second, as I was growing up in the Mormon youth programs, which included Church-sponsored Boy Scout Troops, I always had Mormon Scout leaders. The Church youth program and scouting were seamlessly integrated. What’s the big deal?
Although, I have to say, based on my experience as a scout leader in our own Church-sponsored Cub Scout pack, I have seen non-mormon and inactive mormons serve side by side with active Church members in scouting leadership capacities.
But in any case, my point still stands. I think that it’s not something that anyone, Mormon or not, should waste their time and ink getting bent out of shape about.
So, I hereby invoke the Mo’ Boy Doctrine on these two issues. May they rest in peace. But they probably won’t.
Whatevs.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
I had a bit of a spiritual epiphany the other day. An epiphany is one of those moments when you see, with sudden clarity, what you really should have known all along. For a long, long time, the debate had raged about Joseph Smith. Is he an inspired prophet of God, or con man and a charlatan? Is he a sex-driven madman that stole his friend’s wives, or a fierce opponent of polygamy? The historical debate rages.
Of course, over the years, I’ve gained my own testimony, and formulated my own understandings.
Then I read this post at the Pure Mormonism blog, and I was fascinated to read the information there and the interpretations thereof. It turns out that the historical evidence isn’t always what it seems. New documents are constantly being found, old documents are re-examined and understood in different light.
But what really hit me as the epiphany wasn’t the historical evidence that shook or supported my faith. It was the sudden realization that we really don’t know what we think we know. All of the ideas and interpretations and assumptions we’ve all made about Joseph Smith’s life are just that, and no more. There is simply not enough empirical evidence to say with any certainty who he was as a person.
Perhaps the truest words every written about him are, “No man knows my history.” People have been saying for years how the Church’s “official” history is glossed over and even inaccurate. Well, it looks more and more that the anti-mormon histories are no more sure.
The cool thing about that, and the source of my epiphany, is that, once again, it really comes down to testimony. Do you believe that he translated the Book of Mormon? Do you believe that he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ? Historical evidence will not prove nor disprove it. Prayer alone will.
...And I believe it.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
I’ve seen some of the new church ads on the ‘net, and I’ve seen the new member section of the church’s website. In fact, I’m working on my own profile. In many ways, it has me very excited.
I’m sure that there are all kinds of reasons for the new approach. I’m sure that at some point someone did some “market research” and discovered what everyone outside of Utah already knew, that being that outside of Utah people really don’t know Mormons very well. The new ads and the new site are a chance for people to get to know some real Mormons.
One of the ads, for example, features a surfer, who talks about all the things she’s learned from competitive surfing, and about all of the family bonding that has happened as they all went to the ocean together. Up until the very end, when she says, “...And I’m Mormon”, it could easily be any kind of ad, for almost any product.
The profile pages, too, are opportunities for browsers to log in and encounter some real church members, bearing real testimonies and talking about real lives
My first thought, as I began perusing this new outreach, was to remember President Hinkley (at least I’m pretty sure it was him) talking about the enduring symbol of Mormonism not being the Angel Moroni with the Trumpet, but being the lives of the members. If that’s the case, then the Church is acknowledging that in a big way!
Other thoughts:
On diversity: One of the challenges the Church faces in modern life is the perception that we are all the same. We act the same, we think the same, we are, in fact, all little robots manufactured and shipped from Stepford - I mean Provo. This site and promotional initiative is a great way to dispel that myth. To show that we are all unique, and that Heavenly Father not only gave us that uniqueness, but celebrates it.
Sadly, this is a message that is desperately needed within the walls of the church, as well as without.
On freedom: As I’ve been filling out my profile, there have been guidelines that encourage me to avoid language that non-members wouldn’t understand, like “Relief Society” or “Bishop’s Youth Council”, etc... But other than that, I’ve been free to put in the content I want. Now, granted, if I don’t know what would happen if someone were to try and publish anti-mormon rhetoric on one of these sites. But there has been no attempt to control what I’ve written so far.
Another message that we need to share both within the gospel and without is that the Church does NOT rule us. We are free to learn and think and grow. It’s all our own choice.
On marketing: Some, more cynical than I, will think that this is just a way of “commercializing” the Gospel. I see it as a way of throwing the doors open and letting the world see us as we are. And that the Gospel shines better through the lives of extraordinarily ordinary saints than it does through any other means. And that will do far more to help the world understand our light than will a million press releases telling the media that we’re not polygamists and that we shouldn’t be called “Mormons”.
...I’m a Mormon!
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
I must confess to being quite confused on the issue of illegal immigration. There’s a lot of rhetoric going around, and most of it confuses real issues and problems. It’s starting to boil over here in Utah. Many people are pressuring legislators to act, and pressuring the church to make a stand. Others are publishing lists of violators, and saying public prayers in Spanish. A lot of anger flying around. Here are some thoughts, based entirely on my own experiences.
Draw your own conclusion
1 - The Church’s Stand
The Church today issued a statement of its stand on immigration, prior to the Governor’s big summit meeting about the issue. It was, as expected, pretty much a non-statement of neutrality. Not only is that not surprising, it’s prudent, in my opinion.
A long time ago, when I lived in West Jordan, I was called as a stake missionary, and assigned to work in the local Spanish-speaking ward. I met and worked with a lot of wonderful people there. At one point, as a part of that calling, I attended a big conference in the chapel at temple square. The theme of the conference was all about ministering and teaching to the hispanic population in the valley. The conference was conducted by some mid-level general authority, and I can remember him saying (even though he made it clear that it was his own opinion) that he found it interesting that many people were immigrating to the state, and then finding the Gospel and being baptised.
That struck me as well. Much of the rhetoric focuses on the immigrants that come into the state and commit crimes and drain our social resources. It doesn’t mention those that come in, and become productive and valued members of our communities.
2 - English
The other day, while I was up at the hospital with my son, a lady came in to clean out our room and empty our garbage cans. It was clear to me after we exchanged a few words that she spoke Spanish and only a very little English. I started conversing with her in Spanish, which I enjoy doing a lot. It turned up in the conversation that she’s been living in Utah for 20 years, and had raised her family here.
OK, this is one of my gripes. I can understand someone struggling with living in a new country, and having to learn a new language. I did it, myself, when I did my mission in Honduras. I can understand the frustrations of navigating foreign bureaucracies in a foreign language when you first arrive. I’ve been there, done that. It’s not easy, it’s not fun.
But after 20 years, you should be able to speak the language of the land where you live.
3 - Viva La Raza
I think that much of the problems that immigrants face when dealing with the majority population are made worse by the choices of the immigrants themselves. As an example, I remember seeing a protest demonstration in downtown Salt Lake City a few years ago. Local Latinos had gathered to express their frustrations. Yes, they, too, are frustrated.
The gathering was peaceful, and essentially respectful. But I noticed that they were all flying and waving Mexican flags. Now I don’t have any problem with the Mexican flag, nor with people expressing their heritage. But if you want to send the message that you want to be a part of the country, wouldn’t it have been a stronger statement to fly American flags? If you want to assimilate, if you believe in the “great melting pot”, then join us. Become American. Not just in citizenship, but in your own personal demonstrations of your loyalty.
4 - If It Ain’t Broke... Oh, wait...
I, personally, don’t have a lot of problems with Mexicans living and working in Utah. I know that the issue has caused a lot of problems, but I’ve not had any problems with it myself. I’d like to see a way established that it could all happen legally. I would like to be seen as a friendly, welcoming country, even if that welcoming needs to be regulated to some extent.
I don’t know the answers. Clearly what we’ve got going on right now isn’t working. If we want to keep people out illegally, then we’re not doing a very good job of it. If we want to welcome them in, that’s not working very functionally, either. I do applaud the governor for his reaction to the “blacklist” mentioned earlier. I also applaud the summit. I hope that some good comes from it.
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
