Letters to the Editor
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Sex
"Then why does the Mormon Church have any opinion at all about morality, if all morality is equal and is based on the individual's subjective comfort level?"
For this one, I have to descend into my opinion, since most Mormons would disagree with me. But, I would say that the Mormon position on sex, sexuality, and homosexuality does not flow from Mormon theology at all, but from ninetheenth century American Puritanism, from which most early Mormons sprang. In fact, for a while, Mormons were quite the sexual outsiders, marying multiple wives and all. The hyperpuritan Mormon is an artifact of the 20th century, when Mormons were trying to rehabilitate their image with very prudish Americans. It does not come from the 19th century, when Mormons were generally seen as oversexed deviants.
Most of what you now see as "Mormonisn" (i.e. the 2oth century variety) is the result of a compromise between the polygamous, communalist, trangressive 19th century Church and the American public, which would not tolerate such goins on. But the compromise is now three generations old, and most Mormons see it as an integral part of who they are.
Cid
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Anonymous:
I have to say, I don't necessarily find Mormonism to be all that much nuttier on balance than any other religion.
And I know that people of faith often believe things that they cannot logically justify: I've reached some nutty subjective conclusions about how the world works myself.
But after years of thought & reading & discussion, I still can't quite figure out how certain religions function.
Non-relatavistic Catholicism I get. Judaism I get. Hinduism I get. Islam I get.
Don't get me wrong - I hate being told I'm going to hell.
I hate fear and shame and misogyny, used as tools to ontrol the masses.
I take this shit personally, which is precisely how its intended, and I get kinda pissy when people ask me NOT to take it personally.
But I can grasp the internal logic of a system that sends me to hell.
What I don't get are "liberal" theologies that don't judge or condemn, but still issue Church-approved stances on moral issues.
"Homosexuality is a sin, but homosexuals are fine."
"Atheists are blasphemers, but they can still go to heaven."
If the religious teachings are just about principles, I get it (be nice, be of service, don't cheat on your wife) but any religion that actually HAS tenets but doesn't attach any consequences to contrary behavior just baffles me completely.
If you have a God, and your God has standards, how can your adherence to them possibly NOT be matter of reward & punishment?
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Cid:
Gotcha. Very interesting.
But isn't there stuff in the theology about the traditional man-and-wife set up being sacred somehow?
Even when Mormons were polygamous, wasn't homosexuality a Very Big Blasphemy?
I'm sorry to jam you on this, but I really truly don't get the dissonance.
If the Church says "be like God" and by the way, "God isn't gay"...then, in the final analysis, isn't the Church telling gay people they're bad?
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Emily
"If the Church says "be like God" and by the way, "God isn't gay"...then, in the final analysis, isn't the Church telling gay people they're bad?"
Yes, there is no doubt that the Church does do this, and, in my opinion, this is wrong. All I am saying here is that the anti-gay stance of the Mormons (even in the 19th century) proceeds from two facts: 1) that most first-generation Mormons were New England Puritans before they were Mormons. This is the starting point from which the Mormon position on homosexuality evolved. and 2) American society at the end of the 19th century basically told Mormons, with the army backing them up, that they had better get in line with the way that the rest of the country saw sexualtiy or else.
Of course it has now been mapped onto many of the unique aspects of Mormon theology, but I don't believe that it proceeds logically from these aspects.
But remember, I am a minority here. Most Mormons believe exactly as you say: that God said that homosexuality is wrong and that's the end of it. All I would argue--not in defense but by way of explaination--is that this feeling grows out of what connects Mormons to the Christian tradition rather than what separates them.
Cid
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No Black Soap Operas? Write one!
"And why has there never been an all-black daytime network soap? It would probably blow the white soaps off the map."
Well, there was a part-black NBC-TV soap called Generations about 10 years ago, but the ratings were low. The critically-acclaimed, Emmy-winning Irish-American soap, Ryan's Hope, ran for some 13 years in the 1970s and 80s, but I don't think it scored big enough with WASPs.
If you know so many colorful Black characters in Philadelphia, why not create the soap yourself? Pair up with Suzanne de Passe or Quincy Jones or Spike Lee--or perhaps with a struggling Black writer or two--and write a spec script or treatment and propose the show to your TV contacts. Let's see: a Cosby-like up-and-coming family, another family of hustlers and lowlifes, and third family, unemployed or on welfare, trying to scrounge some hope out of the hopelessness, another family that had been doing well but are being done in by Bushinomics...
Hey! Maybe I should write this soap!
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Vocational training in Australia
Camille -- The Aussies are trying to implement the high school vocational track you write about. The government just announced that they are promising $2.5 billion AUD (approx $2 billion USD) over 10 years for training centers in high schools to encourage non-academic students to stay on and learn a trade.
Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi !!!
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“Christians”
aren’t Christians at all, duh. If Mormons aren’t “Christians”, then it’s possible that they are, in fact, followers of the teachings of Christ. Turns out, on any cursory examination, they aren’t Christians either. Duh.
Next debate: now that U.S. freedom fighters have liberated Iraq, isn’t it time to free the people of Iran?
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Emily
Cid already gave a fairly good answer on the concept of heaven and hell in Mormonism but just for clarification purposes the three degrees of glory he mentioned are called the clelestial kingdom (what most people call heaven, a place where eternal prgression is possible), the telestial kingdom and the lowest the terrestial kingdom. Even thought the lowest kingdom is much better that earth (no fire and brimstone) what makes it hell is that you have to live an eternity there knowing what you could have had.
As for the subject of sexuality, I don't completely agree with Cid, who stated that it came more out of 19th century 'the old grey guard' mindset and is not so much coded in Mormon theology. It actually is coded to a degree. Mormons believe that pre-marital sex is very wrong--as well as sex within genders. This IS codified in Mormonism.
Unlike Catholicism and many other religions though, Mormons do not believe in 'original sin' and do not consider sex as inherently evil or dirty. In fact Mormons believe sex to be beautiful, healthy and good--but only within the confines of a legally binding marriage to someone of the opposite sex.