Last year we got snowed in over Martin Luther King Day. Anna was really intrigued by him, and so to entertain her Lolly was trying to find a short video about him online, but there wasn’t really much out there for kids. Anna asked if she could make one. And Lolly said yes before she realized how much work it would be!!!
Anna was a trooper and didn’t want to give up even when some of the words of her script were hard for her to say. They stayed in all day long recording and recording. And then they ended up with a really great video!
Unfortunately, not too many people online got to see it because MLK day had already passed by the time we uploaded it. But this year, we were reminded to unroll it early when we got this sweet note today from a kindergarten teacher. Here’s what she said:
Wow! Thank you Miss Anna! I am a Kindergarten teacher, and we are learning about Martin Luther King Jr. this week in school. I came to youtube to search for a video that would be perfect to show my students, and I found your video! We will be watching this inο»Ώ our class tomorrow! You did an awesome job, and I know my students will love this and learn a lot! You may be the next Katie Couric!
What a nice comment! Now Anna has accomplished her goal: when someone is looking for a video about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids, there is one to be seen. All her hard work has paid off!
Betchya wanna see the video now, don’t you? Well you’re in luck!
There. Now you know all about a great man. And you’ve helped Anna’s goal of having her video be seen by many people be accomplished. So thank you.
The Weeds wish you a happy MLK day (next week*)!
*We don’t get our Christmas card out in time for Christmas, but we sure are prompt with our MLK Day greetings!
OH MY SOUL! You guys must be bursting with pride! This is awesome.
Nice work Anna!
He did a better world for everyone , We love him
Wow that was really good! That is so cute that she wanted to do that! It actually is a very informative video and I could see a lot of teachers wanting to show it to their classes. Great job anna!
Way to go, Anna! And way to go, Lolly!!!!!! What an amazing mom you are to take the time and energy with three little ones to do this!
Love that Anna! And love that you took this project on because she wanted to and you let it happen for her! Way to go Mama!
I will forever call him Martin Lupher in my head, now π
Sweet!
OMG, this is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. I'm REALLY impressed. Good work Anna & Lolly!
soooooo AWESOME!!
Awesome, Anna!!
I loved that even more this year than I did last year! π Good job Weeds! π
Ursula
It is an amazing and an amazingly cute video. But Josh, Josh, MLK Jr. fought for equal rights for black people at a time when the Mormon Church was doing all it could to make sure that black people did not geet the priesthood and at a time where some Mormon leaders were rejoicing that natives were starting to look more white. I know that nothing pre 1978 counts or that what the Mormon leaders said does not count and I'm not mocking what Anna did – it is incredible and really shows how far Mormons have come – so please don't think that I am. I just think it is incredibly ironic. I know that someone of colour who is Mormon will respond here to negate what I am writing – but it doesn't need negation. Until 2000, Utah did't even call it MLK day.
What would MLK Jr. have had to say about the Mormon Church's stance on black people?
It's progress for sure. And, hey, maybe Anna's kids will do a youtube on Ellen Degeneres one day!
If you're a Christian, the chances are that your church has a racist past as well. If you're not a Christian, it shouldn't be a surprise to you that churches' teachings reflect the human prejudices of their members (or leaders), which naturally change as society as a whole changes.
Churches should be way ahead on the social justice thing, not following society. The Quakers for example, were quite involved in the Civil Rights movement. The excuse of 'well other churches were racist too and we didn't know better' doesn't wash. Nor does the 'whatever was said pre-1978 doesn't matter.''
Also, by your reasoning, churches follow what society does and are influenced by it. So, yeah, in a way that's good because it means the churches that haven't yet caught up to gay civil rights will one day, as Tammy says.
Sure, there are churches that don't preach the established moral norms, but they aren't the establishment churches. The LDS church isn't the mainstream in most of the United States, but it is and was in Utah. Churches that go against societal norms are still shaped by their followers' beliefs; they have different niches of followers.
As you're a Christian, I doubt you'll agree with me as our starting assumptions about the nature of churches are too different. But I'll just reiterate that whether or not you acknowledge, "other churches were racist too" is the empirical truth.
I haven't said whether or not I am a Christian.
Yes, it is the truth- other churches certainly were racist – absolutely, no argument there at all. Many Christian churches, for example, turned away Jews at their doorstep during the Holocaust. So absolutely I agree with you completely. Gosh, the Catholic Church literally decimated generations of native people through residential schools and the forced extinguishing of native culture and languages.So yes, it is an empirical truth. Also an empirical truth is that the Mormon Church lagged quite far behind Christian churches in terms of 'officially' ending the racism. And no other Christian church would deny their racist past and say that it no longer matters or is no longer a part of their history.
'Niches of followers' is never an excuse for racism. And I'm not understanding how, even if all churches were racist, it makes it okay. If the societal norm was to kill all people with brown eyes, would it be okay for the church to agree with this? Or would the church look to Christ's example?
And yes, regarding the followers' beliefs – that is why what you are saying gives me hope that one day the Mormon Church will get behind the gay civil rights movement because, as you say, the church will follow the changes in society. On that we definitely agree!
Anon, I'm assuming you're the same Anonymous at 5:31 PM, 8:51 AM and 9:55 AM.
I was responding to the "ironic" comment and later to the comment that churches should be "way ahead" on social justice. I assumed you were a Christian because if you look at churches as human creations, it's not at all ironic that they change their teachings and it's predictable that most of them will follow, not lead, social changes.
Of course, other churches' racism doesn't make racism okay. Even Christians rarely make that argument, so I'm not sure why you're mentioning it.
Re: the Mormon church and gay civil rights, just reading the comments on Josh's blog should give you hope for change. π
I'm (mentioning it because some people (not you) use it as an excuse for the racism in Mormonism ('But all of the other churches did it!"). Churches are human creations as is religion but if someone says they are following God, then I'm assuming God is ahead of the curve. By saying churches/religions follow societal change, that would seem to imply that religious people follow what society does and not what they think God is saying.
I'm not sure that I feel hope for real gay civil rights in the U.S. based on what I read in the comments here other than a few people. But eventually hopefully.
Just to clarify a bit…
I was raised in Utah and attended public school. We "celebrated" MLK Jr day as long as I can remember.
And I graduated from high school in 1991 π
Also, wanted to add that I think it is kind of tragically sad that in response to a cute video posted by a young family, someone has to bring up Mormon history in a way that implies Mormons (again!) are hateful and mean.
Ignorant? Perhaps.
Slow to change? Perhaps.
Mean? Almost never in my experience.
It's true. LDS have historically been downright generous with the "negro". http://www.lds-mormon.com/racism.shtml
I don't care!!! π π π
I don't think it ironic a 5yo Morman Girl made an MLK video. I think its beautiful that a 5yo girl and her mum made an MLK video.
That's a GOOD thing. It doesn't matter if her religion STILL was whatever it was 50 years ago before either she or her mum were born. Its a beautiful thing, not an ironic thing.
– Grey!
What grey said.
It's not that astounding. Or Ironic. No more than the rest of the US population. It's not like Mormons were super-racist and the rest of the US was just kinda racist. They were all (for the most part) racist. I mean honestly, if it's so ironic that a 5 year old whose parents don't even have a working memory of that time are making an MLK vid, then it must be absolutely mind blowing that a rural idaho/oregon raised gal who was 13 at the time of 1978 would have a baby by a black man 10 years later (aka me). Should blow peoples brains out really (this is called sarcasm, I implement it regularly in my daily life).
And God doesn't dictate, He works with. It means that no, he won't force the people to do what they don't want to do or fully accept. The priesthood ban didn't come with the commencement of the restoration. It came when the ideas and reservations; fears and prejudices caught up with the practices of the people. He works with an imperfect people, is patient, loving, kind and caring. In time we come to Him more fully. The gift of the atonement doesn't stop with one person but peoples and grows and molds and changes us over time.
That pattern is easy to pick out in any scripture. God commands. People don't listen, falling into the trappings and thoughts of their time. He works with them, tries to bring them to where they should be. They don't, some do, many don't. He still works, even if it takes centuries or millenia…He still works. That is the wonder of God…that he continues to work with an imperfect people.
As i said, I knew some would come along to negate what I am trying to say.
I think and will continue to think that it is ironic and it is great. It is great that the Mormon Church has evolved to the point where a little Mormon child can make such a great and touching video. As the quote says, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it so it is fine to not forget the past. And as Tammy said, this bodes so well for a time in the future when gay people living gay lives stood up for their civil rights – maybe one day little girl will do a video about one of them an that as Tasha says, God works with an imperfect people who when they come to know him more fully, will embrace gay people living gay lives.
And so this little video gives me great hope. It is not about condemning Mormons – rather, I say hurrah! and see great hope in it especially in light of how Tasha has framed it. I was more skeptical before but her comment helps to give me hope. Thank you.
obviously tasha didn't say anything specifically about gay people – I am referring to the general idea behind what she is saying – that God brings people to where they need to be. Won't that be an amazing day!
True, Tasha.
Historically, there has been a lot of racism in this country. But sometimes it's helpful not to compare one's self or one's group to the lowest common denominator. The word "discrimination" often has a negative connotation, but "discriminating" minds tend to demand a better and more believable explanation than "well everybody else was doing it!" That excuse might wash for any random church or organization. But for a church that purports to have the only pure authority line going back to the time of Christ and therefore, the most enlightened church on the face of the earth where one would expect to receive divine inspiration from a living prophet, seer, and revelator, your logic falls flat. Where was the revelation from God denouncing racism? Oh that's right. 1978. Maybe he was just too busy playing sky golf prior to that.
Tasha, was god capable of finding enough people who weren't racist? In your mind, who is running this show? You make god seem weak and not very omnipotent.
I took Tasha to mean that God was patiently waiting for His people to catch up and when they did, He revealed the equality of black people. And as I said, I find hope in that because God is waiting for His people to catch up regarding gay civil rights as well.
Well, no harm no foul, right? I mean except perhaps to the many homes that were denied the blessings of the priesthood (if that's what you believe).
I mea, that really is a laid back approach to Godding, isn't it?
It couldn't just be that there, in fact, is no god despite the overwhelming amount of people who are willing to commit all manner of autrocities in his name. Nah. Couldn't be that. (eye roll)
"god ding"…lol. Now that is funny.
If God if perfect, then there shouldn't be any evil, racism, discrimination, or "any unclean thing" correct? Whenever I ask myself this question, I do wonder why the church didn't allow blacks to minister the priesthood. As Tasha puts it, it is because the people have stubborn hearts and are not prone to change their ways. So God tries to work with them the best he can.
As BQ and most of the Anon have put it, if there is a perfect god, then The LDS and more importantly, his called leader should be ahead of the curve and should have been more active before 1978, if not at the beginning of the foundation of the church.
To me, when it comes down to it, I can't be the one to scoff at what people did when they did. I don't hold a simple answer that could explain why. I believe in the BoM, so then to me the church is true, if the church is true, then the prophets revelation must be true.
I then looked at the bible dictionary to explain to me what a prophet, seer, and revelator is. To put in a nutshell, a prophet is a foreteller who holds a testimony of christ and above all else, to remove false views of god. A seer means to be a prophet and revelator. A revelator is someone who gets knowledge through revelation.
Did this answer my question to the 1978 revelation? Only A little, since I am only reading a definition and not an answer.
But it does answer my question to what BQ said @ Jan 18. 6:15 P.M.
P.S. thanks if you read all the way through, I have decided not to lurk anymore and find this blog to be full of awesome people.
P.P.S. I am not the same anon throughout this thread, still thinking if I should use my real name or a fake one.
God works with imperfect people the best he can, eh? So I am to believe
a) God was too apathetic to set all those disciples of his straight on racial issues.
b) God tried, but was powerless to change the hearts of his disciples. The needs of black families took a back seat to the whims of god's followers.
c) God was racist.
Please feel free to choose which ever of the three seems most palatable to you. None for me, thanks. I have nothing to defend here which is a nice position to be in, frankly.
Happy MLK day, everybody!
Anon, if god is perfect then evil will exist but it will be renounced by god and his highest level management. What is so difficult to understand? Of you're a company owner and your CEO is acting like a tool and not running the company according to your directions, you get a new CEO. Or you are a schmuck.
BQ, I disagree with all of your ascribed potential reasons. But I also don't have time to write out much of a response. MLK day for me is really a needed day to catch up with all the other crap I haven't had time to catch up with from the beginning of school….needless to say that's more crap than I care to admit.
Generally, I've researched this puppy out to wazoo and am content with my own conclusions. I disagree with the idea of a perfect God as described here. "Perfect" here is not as what I would describe it. I wouldn't describe him as having a board of directors per se either.
On finding enough people who weren't racist….in the early 1800s….in america….no. Simple as that. Even the vast majority of abolitionists would still be described as racist today. From what I've read, in some ways the people in the church could be described as progressive, in others they fit right in….generally I would describe their views as moderate within the context of their society (Yes I've read what BY, and a various assortment of leaders of that time wrote. I base my statement on those, within not only the context of the quoted material but various other sources/material in that time)
Personally I think for them, a single issue, even one I would deem important, is not all that God is looking out for. Perfect to me is having enough foresight to see beyond that minute. To recognize the needs and concerns of His church in its time to mold it into a people who are of one heart and one mind in the future. I believe in a perfect God. I do not believe in a perfect people, a perfect history, or immediate equity/zion in each generation. I believe that is a continuing process that is still not done. I don't think it means what
God is not weak. He's patient. Far more than I am or will be in this life (heck, I can't even wait for then end of this week to come for something (well really someone) I really want). His promise is that he would wipe away all tears…God is fair and all will be rectified. But not it our manner and not in our own sense of time.
Of course I don't expect any agreement. I expect you to still see God as a dumb/weak/ets. That's yours to do. The greater reason for me about why I'd disagree with you on that has nothing to do with blacks in the past and everything to do with the heart.
But I figure I would clarify what I meant quickly. Now excuse me as I go explore the wonders of genes, culture, and gender from a text book. I'm so enthused (Man, I love sarcasm).
Amen! and that is why, again, I can totally have peace that when his people are ready, God will reveal that gay people can marry gay people and be equal. You have really helped make that clear, Tasha. Again, I really appreciate that.
Tasha,
I don't envy you. I would find your position of having to defend such morally reprehensible behavior to be quite mentally exhausting. But I do understand that it's necessary for you to attempt to do so in order to justify your continued involvement in this church.
I disagree that there were no progressives in the 1800s. But let's say for a minute that there weren't any. Do you think an omnipotent God might have had the ability to compel somebody to become a progressive? Or are you going to stand here and tell me that God always gives people free will? Have you read the Bible? The Book of Mormon? There's the story of Sodom and Gomorrah that you folks are so fond of. In that story, did God wait patiently for people to decide on their own what the best thing was? Shall I make you a list of all the accounts written in scripture in which God was observably impatient? You see, Tasha, I'm not calling God dumb/weak/etc. I would have to believe in God in order to do that. YOU are the one calling him dumb/weak/etc. If you think that he couldn't have turned things around and found himself a couple progressives or made a couple progressives had he cared enough to try. People write God how it best suits them and how it best promotes their faith in various situations. That's what you're doing. And not very well, might I add. I'm not doing that. I'm just calling BS on it.
But that aside, regardless of what things were like in the 1800s, there were a few progressives in the 1960s weren't there? At least a handful of them. And yet, 12 years after the passage of the civil rights act of 1965, the church was still busy defending their position of racial discrimination. They started out on the wrong side of history like so many others but unlike so many others, save, perhaps, some white supremicy organizations that exist predominantly in the South, they stayed there for as long as conceivably possible. Longer, in fact. And they continue to do so today in regard to gays, which brings me to the point Anonymous already made. (Why would you not want to stand behind such a salient point, Anonymous?)
How do I begin? I suppose the story of Enoch and Alma could be looked at about God getting people progressive. But to me that is rare, as Enoch had faith to begin with, but lacked courage. Alma got "called" (certainly not the best word) through his Father's Prayer and his faith for hope to Alma and his friends.
Hope, Mercy, Love, Faith, and Forgiveness all have their part to change for the better. Seeing inward to see if you need to change for the better is one of the hardest things to do (at least if was for me). To understand one another, and to give compassion is vital.
If you understand why people did what they did, and use these principles, perhaps you can do something about it the right way.
People change through what they perceive as reality. This perception changes as their life continues. How do we know what is then truth and not (as Tammy put it in a previous post) filters? A lot of people use religion as a standard (yes, I understand there are plenty of hypocrites an this matter, but you missed my point earlier if conclude to that point) some use law as their standard. Others use compassion of their fellow men. Some people don't care one bit.
Humanity constantly seeks betterment. Whether personal or for others. This brings me to my point I made (not sure which Anon you were referring to BQ, either me at Jan 20. 10: 55 AM or Jan. 21 2:05 PM, I am going to guess me) I can't scoff at what others did without understanding PERFECTLY why they did what did. I can honestly say I have much to learn, much to study (not only on this matter but on all matters) and research to form a conclusion that is not judgement. Will I be perfect in this process?
Hell no, but I will give what I can, and try not to slip up . The point I made was I believe that the GA are holders of true knowledge, as are many others,and that I believe that everyone receive inspiration through the trials they face in life.
I don't think we are perfect at all, but we should strive to do good, and have faith in our fellow men. That the good acts through good intentions be understood.
The heart is where it all begins. We should strive for a compassionate one.
As for why God "doesn't" compel others to be progressive can be explained in many answers. I find D&C 50 to be a good scripture to study BQ. Though this only explains inspiration of Men metaphysically, not physically and somewhat Mentally. I don't hold all the answers, heck, I know very little. But I hope this explains a few a little of this huge pile of questions you have.
I was referring to anon Jan 21 2:05. I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Look, either God (if you believe there's a God) cares to set us on the right path or he doesn't. Either he cares to speak forcefully or he doesn't. Either the prophets and disciples of today are the most choice, select, capable, spiritual, in tune, or they are not.
If they are not, that's fine. Just please don't expect for it to be both things happening at the same time.
If you believe that a man can be swallowed by a whale and live to take something from that experience ( which I do not, btw), then that might be one way of getting through to a thick headed racist. That is, if you consider racial equality to be a higher priority than masonic covenants. Far be it for me to give pointers to a god I don't believe in. Just a thought.
Bennet: Thank you, but I don't have questions. I have comments.
The word question implies that I am confused regarding concepts like justice and equality. I am not trying to reconcile the things I know about justice and equality with a very very flawed organized religion. There's no conflict. Only clarity.
I was thinking the other day.. why are we just celebrating MLK day anyways.. I mean yes, it was great what he did, but why are we so focused on black freedom instead of all freedom for all people. Other cultures have been oppressed too and still are. How about a Women day for freedom for oppression for women, or all the other wonderful darker skinned people in this country.. I will have to admit I was super annoyed that we just celebrate the black people's freedom…when there are sooo many more people who were given rights because of MLK… I think the name sure change to cultural day or something… π
what I mean is the holiday needs to expand beyond just black's freedom. Thats all I am saying…
With all due respect Anon(and as a black woman who's endured racism and bigotry), I'm all for having more holidays as you suggested, but I also feel hurt and offense at your suggestion that Martin Luther King Jr's day should be minimized and called something else. If you do a simple wiki search, you'll discover that that was indeed attempted by some before it was finally recognized as a federal holiday. Blessings to you. π
I agree Val. To me, that suggestion sounds a little "Buttars" and I don't mean that in a nice way. Utah is on the short list of states that were reluctant to celebrate MLK day, calling it Civil Rights day until 2000. Maybe our legislators figured they would kill all their civil rights birds with one stone or something. Lol. Like "let's get this over with". Kidding (mostly). I mean, the problem has been rectified. But 21 years after 1978, refusing to use the name MLK was just another way to look dodgy for no good reason. Lord, why do we do it to ourselves? I JUST WANT TO GO TO WALMART AND GET A MIKES CRANBERRY LEMONADE LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO!!!
If my extended family didn't all live here…
Pardon my outburst, Josh.
i think this is my FAVORITE post of all. thanks for sharing!!
It is kind of ridiculous how cute this video is. Way to go Lolly and Anna!!!
Dear Anna, I think you did a wonderful job on your video. I once visited a church in Atlanta, Georgia where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor. It is very near a Center that is set up to share the story of his life and teachings. I'll bet the people there would be very proud of what you are doing to encourage people to treat each other fairly and with kindness. Thank you for sharing your video with us. xxx Beth in Oregon
Just 2 weeks ago I visited Martin Luther King's National Historic site in Georgia. http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm. I loved learning more about MLK and the goodness he encouraged in others. Sweet video. Nice tribute.
Stellar job, Anna & Lolly!! Well done.
And I knoooooooow, JW that you were at least half joking, about Xmas v MLK… But
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
– MLK jr.
Keep the voices strong.
– Grey!
Thanks for sharing that quote, Grey.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
That seems to come down pretty hard on people who are silently complacent and I agree. Personally, I just can't stand the types of mealy mouthed individuals who sit by when there is an injustice (some would argue that God did this) or worse, DEFEND the wrong doers. I say "Keep the voices strong" and that's what I'm doing. The church needs to issue a public apology renouncing past racism. They need to renounce any scriptures, articles appearing in their publications, and anything on the website that promotes racist views. They also need to denounce anything in the Journals of Discourse that promotes vengeful racism enacted by God.
Incidentally, Grey, I'm not sure how the above quote gels with the statement "I don't care!!! π π :D", because apathy and the kind of activism that is intended to defend and protect the disenfranchised really just don't go together at all. As you stated above, if you don't care, you're part of the problem.
But thank you just the same.
I don't believe that adorable Anna Weed is a racist. Nor do I believe her parents are. Nor do I believe that most of the posters here are. But people here who have tried to minimize what the church did or defend past or present leaders by using the "imperfect" argument really need to stop. They need to stop because I know they think the prophets and apostles are / were demigods beyond reproach. But actually, the ones who promoted racist views were demagogues. And any defense of these leaders is an insult to the people who were hurt by their policies.
I'm no idiot. I know about Mormonism. I was told I was doing a horribe thing by choosing to marry ouside of the "covenant", thus denying my children a home "with the priesthood". Apparently having the priesthood in the home is THAT important. Or do we only think that it's important for white families? (If that's what you believe, of course.)
DQ, you know the truth is the truth and God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. It ok that you stand up for what you believe but please let others do the same. Just because you feel that the church needs to apologize for "breathing" basically, doesn't mean they should. The church and everyone else in the dang country were racist at one point in the history… I know my parents grew up with segregation, your's probably did too. Not that it was right but it was happening even in ALLL the churches. It was the time in history, and now it's changed, so really you need to stop on this "I hate the mormon church" thing and move on…… Ok so your not active anymore, heck, I don't even know if you took your name from the records.. but geez it's time to get over the hurt you feel..
Having the priesthood in the home IS THAT IMPORTANT… I hate to say… Minimizing doesn't mean that it's not important. Just because you lost your way doesn't mean the church is wrong. In fact, God and his plan will be the same regardless of how you feel or think. It will happen, it has happened in the past and is happening right now. The great work of the lord will continue without your blessing because God's plan of salvation has never changed and won't. We are made in God's image, he was like us once, walked through life trying to learn and grow and he "made it". How great is that? If we never know the character of God, we can not know ourselves. If we don't know ourselves we can never really understand his plan and what "reality" is. Reality is not what we see today in this world. Today's world is misguided and does not understand who and what we are and the "real" nature of things. We are blinded by our own fears, our own "god" per say. We do not really try to know God in the way we should.
People who trully understand the nature of God will not be fooled by the ideas of men. They would never allow things of this world to get in the way of things of the spirit. They would not put themselves out there for the wrong cause. They wouldn't stand in the middle of issues when they know the middle ground is in the gray. They would stand up for God's plan and not worry about what others think. To be honest, I see alot of what I am talking about on this blog from posts. Standing in the middle is not a place that will provide safety in the end. You end up changing your moral base eventually… It's like sin..if you keep talking about it, and thinking about it, you eventually do it…. it's the nature of the beast sadly.
I went of topic completely, but it's been on my mind a lot recently. Not taking a complete stance one way or another is riding the middle …. and people in the middle do not understand the plan and will eventually fall….
Anon, first of all. You know it's BQ. And thanks for making me crave Dilly Bars.
Secondly, the only person here with the power to stifle another person's right to voice their opinion is Josh Weed. And let me assure you that I stand at a much higer risk of having my comments delted than you do. Your views are well represented here and if I sound overbearing to you it's because I'm doing a job that should be done by fifty people. Most all of them have given up and decided to spend their time on other endeavors because they're not gluttons for punishment, apparently. So save it.
Third: The "hurt" I have felt in the past has nothing to do with my decision to advocate for equality. I wish it were not this way, but as long as the church stands against equality, I will oppose them in that regard. Not for personal reasons, but because it's the decent thing to do. And since you asked, yes, I have resigned my membership completely.
Fourth: I did not lose my way. I found it. I found my way after struggling greatly with two decades worth of mind control that caused a very painful mental breakdown, the details of which I won't go into at this moment. I found my way against all odds and I don't take that for granted. And I see how differently my life might be today had I not found my way and it makes me ill to think about.
Fifth: You can spout off about how God's ways are not our ways. But if I were to choose that line of reasoning, there would be no limit to it. No act, no matter how vile and injust, would be off limits because I could simply reason that it's the Lord's way and not my way and who are we to question the Lord's ways? Don't take it up with me. Take it up with God. I prefer not to go there for reasons that are obvious (at least to me). I can only do my best to be a decent person using the brain I have and my own ability to reason. If there is some higher sense of logic and reason out there that understood only by unseen deity (I doubt there is), then it is obviously not for me to use. If this is going to anger the unseen deity, then the unseen deity is downrght foolish to not give me insight into the higher sense of reason in the first place. This is all very reasonable and rational and straight forward. It surprises me you haven't thought of it. But I think religion often exists, unfortunately, to make us doubt our inborn and very trustworthy ability to reason in favor of something that is often ludicrous and hard to justify. MY reason and MY logic tell me that racism is wrong. I don't have faith that racism will make sense one day. Why would I want to have faith in something like that? Why would YOU want to have faith in something like that? Oh, that's right. Because your religious beliefs would fall to pieces otherwise. But who ultimately benefits by our faith that racism will make sense one day? People who seek unrighteous dominion over others. That's who. None for me, thanks.
Truth is truth and opinion is opinion. My opinion might not trump another person's opinion, but my views help me sleep better at the end of the day. I think you will find (if you haven't already) that your "truth" is becoming less and less acceptable among enlightened people. That's something you're going to have to live with if you persist in holding antequated views. Because it doesn't get better.
It does't get better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geCZlIX0noo
How adorable! Thank you for reminding me why I get tomorrow off of school π I really enjoyed that video.
That is the sweetest thing. You can tell your precious children have big hearts. I have no doubt they get that from both you and Lolly. And how patient Lolly must have been to put together that video. I am proud of my heritage. I heard stories from my great great uncle when I was really young where he told me about being a young child and remembering his parents being involved in the underground railroad. That his mom would rock her chair over the trap door.
Wow, famous Anna is featured on Deseretnews.com!
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865571134/Today-in-the-Bloggernacle-Cute-video-helps-explain-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day-to-kids.html
Wow! How fun!
BQ, thanks for the link! π
Thanks, Anna, for the video. What a sweet heart. Josh and Lolly, better start putting money away for that Ivy League education now.
I think we are going to incorporate Anna's cute video into our homeschool studies of MLK for a basic beginning π
We used this with our kids and my girls (8 and 5) loved it. Great job Anna
Out of the mouths of babes who sometimes grow up to become opinionated adults. How this adorable and well thought out video which was shared by a very proud father became a vehicle for the "adult" discussion of the LDS Church and blacks is beyond me. I love Anna's history lesson and say thank you Lolly for teaching Anna all you did about MLK. I love your commentary Josh. You both should be very proud of Anna.
I have to agree with you hd. While I stand by my views, this was not the time or place. I regret my part in it but hope an appropriate opportunity will present itself some time in the future to discuss what probably should not have been discussed here.
Awesome video! My son is 7 and we used it in our homeschool lesson on Monday. π
Totally used this video for my nanny job today! She is five and loved learning about MLK from a fellow kindergartner. Anna is WAY too cute!!! π thanks for sharing Josh!
What a great video! Way to go Anna!