BYU Football

Hate it or love it, BYU Football is way more significant than you think. The program ties into our lives on so many levels.

First, the call to Rise Up applies to all of us. We need to be better than we have been in the past. We need to be constantly working towards making ourselves better and bettering the world around us.

Secondly (and most importantly) just like the BYU football team, we need to remember that we can still do our best in the future, despite our failures in the past. Because no matter how often you do this...

...people always want to remember this...

But no matter how many mistakes you make in the past, you can move on. And you don't have to be haunted by the mistakes of the past anymore (D&C 58:42).

Primeday & Family Home Evening

"Everybody's looking forward to the Rebellion."
- Princess Leia in "Primeday"

Maybe it's because I'm the youngest in my family. Maybe it's because I'm a Polynesian living in the heart of a conspicuously homogeneous Caucasian community. Maybe it's just because I love underdog stories. Maybe it's because I was brainwashed by Rastafarian ideologies and dreams of Utopian society since I was a child. Or maybe it's just because I love rebellion in general. I don't know what it is, but I've always felt like I was meant to form some part of an "underground" movement to change the world for the better.

And I guess that's what I like about Family Home Evening (FHE). FHE is the perfect time to get together with your family and strengthen your rebellion against unwanted influences imposed upon your family by outside forces. The best thing about it: you decide which influences you don't want imposed upon you. There's nothing more backwoods, colonial, "don't-tread-on-me" American than that, boy.

If you need ideas for how to fill the time, you can always check out the FHE Resource Book. In all honesty, our Family Home Evening is more like Family Home 5 Minutes because it's hard to keep the kids' attention and participation in structured activities for an entire evening. But more than anything, it's a great opportunity to spend time together and just have some fun.

Monday is the suggested day for FHE, but you can change the day to fit your family's unique situation and needs. Just find the best or prime day which works for you.

What I learned from Wiz Khalifa...

"No keys--push the start!
Uh-huh. You know what it is.
Everything I do, I do it big."
- Wiz Khalifa in "Black and Yellow"

In Sunday School today we talked about Peter, one of the original Apostles. Specifically we talked about Peter's humanity and his penchant for passionate, almost impulsive, discipleship coupled with imperfection and moments of weakness.

Some of Peter's most memorable flubs include:

• Trying to walk upon the water and then falling into it (Matthew 14:28)
• Trying to encourage the Lord not to complete His mission (Matthew 16:23)
• Becoming overwhelmed at the Mount of Transfiguration and mumbling something about building 3 tabernacles there (Matthew 17:4)
• Telling Jesus not to wash his (Peter's) feet (John 13:8)
• Falling asleep at the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:40)
• Denying his association with Jesus (Matthew 26:75)

I guess we talk about Peter's weaknesses so much because we know about his great accomplishments while leading the early Church in the wake of the Ascension. It makes us feel good that such a great leader had such glaring imperfections. It's like a reminder that even we can achieve greatness despite our shortcomings. I mean, if one of the Church's leaders can have such weaknesses and still be the leader, the Church's followers can't be expected to be much better, can they? Maybe not.

But I think that's where I disagree.

While we traditionally think of the Prophet, or President, of the Church as the leader of the organization in the current absence of Jesus, I actually think it's the body of the Church which generally dictates the position the President takes.

Example:

"God Appears to Moses in Burning Bush" - St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg

 The Israelites celebrated Spring Break while Moses was on Mount Sinai and, though he advocated for them, they made themselves unworthy of the blessings Moses wanted to bring them (Exodus 32:11-19). As a result, Moses brought down a lower law after having broken the tablets containing the higher law (JST Exodus 34:1-2). The Israelites then wandered in the wilderness for several years until all the wicked Israelites had passed away and the people were worthy to cross into the Promised Land.

And that's exactly the point; it doesn't matter who is at the helm of the organization. What matters is the attitude and condition of the followers. If the body of the Church is ready, the Lord will reveal wonderful things. If we're not ready, then we will have to wait until He decides upon a better time to reveal it. So while it's cool that Peter and the successive Presidents of the Church were all given the Keys of the Kingdom, and we normally think of those with the keys as drivers of the cause, in reality the thing that will help jump start the cause of the Lord and help it advance most quickly upon the earth is His regular, everyday, key-less followers.

No keys? Push the start!

Zombieland

So Dish Network is celebrating the Starz 30th Anniversary by providing free access to Starz programming for a full year. Whoa! This means we finally get to watch movies we never would have seen otherwise. Score!

So today I finally got around to watching "Zombieland."

I had heard a lot of good things about it, so I decided to finally give it a spin, now that I had nothing to lose. After all, I love zombies and post apocalyptic themes. So I strapped myself in, ready for the ride.

An hour and a half of my life later, I'll have to say that I thought the movie was just alright. It was really funny, but I was expecting a little more.

First of all, most zombie movies I've seen do a great job of serving up some sort of metaphorical commentary about our society. If Zombieland did that, I probably just wasn't paying close enough attention because I didn't quite see it. More than anything, it made clever commentaries about the entire genre of zombie movies.

There was something, however, that I thought was really interesting; the main characters didn't really have names. They only identified themselves by their city of origin. This was a way of protecting themselves from becoming too "attached" to each other so as not to cloud their judgment and threaten their chances of survival.

Identifying themselves by using city names reminded me of something really important: the scriptures and the fact that we are like cities.

Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:14).

In Book of Mormon times, settlers would often name their cities after the explorer who discovered the area they settled in (Alma 8:7). The Book of Mormon then dedicates several of its chapters (Alma 45-62) towards an in-depth look at how these cities were fortified, protected, destroyed, captured, and recaptured. There is even a comparison between the difficulty of recapturing fallen cities (Alma 59:9) and the difficulty of recapturing those who have turned from God after having enjoyed some of His greatest blessings (Alma 24:30). This principle is also found in the New Testament (Luke 11:24-26).

Jesus even addressed cities as if they were specific people, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37).

The Old Testament has a few gems too. Like "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls" (Proverbs 25:28).

So on second thought, maybe Zombieland did make me think. Maybe it was a better movie than I originally thought it was. Hmmmm....

Pay Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')

Pay Day always reminds me of this classic from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony: "1st of tha Month."

It talks about the all-encompassing "joy" which accompanies the feeling of temporary financial freedom--specifically from cashing a welfare check. Of course, Bone mostly addressed blowing their new found fiscal backing on "fun" and frivolous things, thus perpetuating the welfare cycle. But regardless of where your funds originate or what you decide to spend your paycheck on, I don't think I know anyone who doesn't enjoy the feeling of getting paid...except maybe The Mahatma or Mother Theresa. This also excludes those who are underpaid...like teachers.

In Mormonism, pay day has a few more implications other than financial freedom; it also means we're about to pay tithes, fast offerings, and other charitable donations. One of the fundamental tenets of Mormonism is that our temporal means should be used to make the world a better place for everyone and help forward the work and glory of God.

"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God" (Jacob 2:17-18).

Tithing means we set apart one-tenth of our income and give it to the Church. Church leadership then combines our funds and uses it to construct meeting houses, fund humanitarian aid, or other projects intended to improve the overall conditions of the world.

Fast Offerings are separate donations made specifically to feed the poor or aid the less fortunate with health or housing costs. Fast Offerings are usually paid on Fast Sunday, normally the first Sunday of each month when members of the Church abstain from at least two meals, donating the money they would have spent on those meals as Fast Offerings. Typically we also bless babies on Fast Sundays, as we talked about here.

The payment of tithes and offerings is an old school practice. So old school, in fact, that it is even found in the Old Testament.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3:10-12).

While all of that sounds fine and dandy, I think one of the practical advantages of making the regular payment of tithes and offerings a habitual, almost instinctive or reflexive, practice is the development of an internal protection against impulsive spending or outliving your means. If you can successfully develop the strength of character to prioritize the use of your means to helping the poor and needy, there are lots and lots of frivolous purchases which will naturally fall by the wayside. This way you can reduce your risk of buyer's remorse and you'll never have to worry about overcoming a mountain of debt. And that's probably the greatest blessing of all.

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6) | Ep. 2 | Ke$ha Challenge

Tags:

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6), MTV Shows

You have no idea how happy I am about the results of this episode. I. Am. Extremely. Happy.

I'm so glad we got rid of the pole dancers. It's not that I have anything against pole dancing and pole dancers. Hey, make a living how you have to make a living. It's up to you to decide what you would do.

But, sexiness aside, what I'm really against here is the fact that the pole dancing was SUPER boring. I mean SUPER boring. I mean, watching this guy was way more exciting, plus he chose to perform to the Halloween theme song for some (obviously) messed up reason. I'm not a pole dancing connoisseur, but I was expecting something along the lines of Cirque Du Soleil. Maybe I was just expecting too much.

Which reminds me...

I was flipping through the Bible Dictionary the other day and found this interesting tidbit regarding poles.

"Grove. In Hebrew, called Asherah (of which the plural is Asherim or Asheroth), either a living tree or a tree-like pole, set up as an object of worship, being symbolical of the female or productive principle in nature."

Kinda weird huh? Apparently we have been associating women with the pole for a loooooong time now. Maybe this is why our society is so deeply messed up? Idk.

Hump Day (Wednesday)

So I discovered the Camelizer on Lifehacker a few years ago. It's an add-on which provides historical data about items on Amazon.com. It's been especially helpful in identifying cyclical pricing for seasonal items like sleds or swimming pools.

I've always wondered why it's called the "Camelizer." But today it struck me that it might have to do with the "hump" that occurs on a graph when the price of a product goes up for a long period of time. This hump apparently inspired someone, who was influential in the add-on naming process, to think of a camel. Thus, the Camelizer was born...or programmed. I guess it depends on your attitude towards programming and Creationism in general.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Which got me thinking...

Remember that time Rebecca drew water for a dude and his 10 camels?

"And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels" (Genesis 24:20).

Seriously. Who does that? Camels can drink anywhere from 26-40 gallons of water in one sitting. So Rebecca could have drawn about 400 gallons of water on that occasion. Yikes!

Meanwhile, Abraham's servant was just chillin' and watching her draw water. So instead of just being "very fair to look upon," Rebecca must have also been RIPPED and probably able to kick some ace (the Mormon equivalent of @$$), making her the Old Testament Angelina Jolie--aka the modern Salt of the earth.

Yeah. I could have said Rebecca was the Old Testament Jennifer Garner or Hilary Swank. But they just haven't been in as many action movies. Plus the fact that Hilary Swank also acts on a regular basis seriously reduces our ability to pigeonhole her into an action role for purposes of humor. On top of that, none of them were in Salt, reducing our ability to use them in our multi-layered Salt of the earth reference.

That being said. I'm sure that the Bible and the other Standard Works are rife with strong female characters. It's a shame we don't have much information about them though.

Yesterday was Monday (Monday)

Today was Tuesday.

I don't think Tuesdays are all that exciting other than the fact that new episodes of Glee usually come out on Tuesday nights. Which reminds me, TV as we know it has gone to hell in a hand basket ever since the inception and ridiculous popularity of reality television...especially from shows like American Idol.

Nowadays, entire seasons of programming are put on hold so networks can schedule their best shows around finales or other important events taking place on reality TV shows. This type of reactionary maneuver makes American Idol the modern Makaveli, meaning American Idol causes fear of a wipe out of retail interchart movement--whatever that means.

Now don't get me wrong. I like American Idol. The show has put out several great artists with listenable music.

I've only seen a few episodes following the first season, including the finale when Jordin Sparks won. But, to me, nothing will ever top that tangible feeling of euphoria from listening to Kelly Clarkson sing "A Moment Like This."

Remember this song?

That's some good stuff right there.

Anyway, the point is that Tuesday is such an exciting day in the real world that it apparently makes an ideal night to run some of your best television programming. Awesome! However, there is something else that commonly happens on Tuesday nights that you may not know about: Mutual.

As a teenager, I never really understood what Mutual was or why we called it "Mutual." Most Tuesday nights we attended Boy Scouting activities or just played basketball in the gym of the chapel. But Tuesday nights in our ward were supposed to be reserved for Mutual. I guess it's because you're supposed to be associating with young people who have mutual beliefs, standards, and aspirations.

Periodically we'd have an activity that included the young women of our ward, so that was exciting. But most times it was a major sausage fest. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I guess. But we didn't really do a lot.

And I guess that's the point. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has numerous well-intentioned programs designed to help kids have a good time and learn about their options so they can make effective choices as they grow up. The thing is, these programs are run completely by volunteers who are often busy trying to take care of their own kids and make sure their own kids are making good decisions. This basically means that, if you aren't taking care of your own kids, nobody else will. You and your family have to learn to be self-reliant.

Then again...maybe they were teaching me something on those Tuesday nights after all...

Visions

So I've been thinking about finally upgrading to an HDTV and officially entering the 21st Century. Of course, I want to get the most bang for my buck. Mormons are supposed to be frugal after all. So it's mostly a question of how I define bang. Does "bang" mean I get more screen? Is it more HDMI inputs? Is it 3D or Wi-Fi readiness?

I don't know that much about HDTVs, so, naturally, I decided to start my research at ConsumerReports.org. I remembered reading a few of the magazines when I was a kid who did a lot of window shopping. I think the biggest purchase I ever made as a kid was a Super Soaker 50. Anyway, there's a ton to learn about HDTVs, electronics, and modern technology in general.

But all this thinking about televisions got me thinking about something that I hadn't really thought about for a little while: visions.

Ok. Well not just the First Vision. But rather visions in general--like Lehi's Dream. I have serious questions about these phenomena. So maybe I just have one real question about these occurrences. My main question is, who decides what the camera angle is going to be when you have a vision? Seriously, who decides that?

Baby Blessings

"And I was like baby, baby, baby, noooooooooooooooo!
Like baby, baby, baby, noooooooooooooooo!
Like baby, baby, baby, noooooooooooooooo!
I thought you'd always be mine."
 - Justin Bieber in "Baby"

Today we went to a Mormon baby blessing. These blessings usually take place within a church building (often called a chapel) on a Fast Sunday. Fast Sundays are usually the first Sunday of each month. During this day, members whose age and health permit, fast by abstaining from at least two meals, donating the money that would have been spent on those two meals to help the less fortunate. This donation is called a "Fast Offering."

I say Fast Sundays are usually on the first Sunday of each month because there are certain events which may disrupt the normal Fast Sunday schedule. One of these "disruptions" is General Conference. We mentioned General Conference in passing here. Seeing as General Conference (I sometimes call it "G-Con" for short) normally takes place the first Sunday in April and October, today was designated as Fast Sunday--even though it was the second Sunday of the month.

This is the chapel we went to for the baby blessing:


View Larger Map

We got there just as soon as our cousin and the other men were carrying the baby to the front of the chapel, for everyone to see, so they could proceed with the baby blessing. I don't have any footage of the blessing, since typically we don't use recording devices in the chapel, but here is some info from a Church handbook about what usually happens during a baby blessing.

"Naming and Blessing Children

“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (D&C 20:70). In conformity with this revelation, only worthy men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may participate in naming and blessing children. The ordinance of naming and blessing children requires authorization from the presiding authority.

When blessing a baby, men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood gather in a circle and hold the baby in their hands. When blessing an older child, brethren place their hands lightly on the child’s head. The person who gives the blessing:

1. Addresses Heavenly Father.
   
2. States that the blessing is given by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
3. Gives the child a name.
   
4. Gives a priesthood blessing as the Spirit directs.
   
5. Closes in the name of Jesus Christ."
   

Typically, the person who prays will bless the child with good health, strength, and sound intellectual properties. You know. Normal stuff that every parent wants their child to have. After the prayer is over, the proud father usually holds the baby up for everyone in the congregation to see. At that point, the crowd usually "Oooohs" and "Aaaahs" a little bit as you would expect from a crowd of people who think babies are cute.

 Picture of a baby blessing from a lesson manual

I love going to my relatives' and friends' baby blessings. I think life, and especially the promise of a "new" life--like that of a baby or someone who has undergone major changes in their life--is a beautiful thing. But, as always, it does have a bittersweet feeling since you know that a baby blessing is just one more step in a baby's progression...and progression means change. And change, as you know, can be a beautiful thing as well...even though it inevitably means that you'll eventually have to say goodbye that little, cute baby. And on that note, we outro with some profound words from Justin Bieber.

"You can give all of your love
But sometimes it won't be enough
Never told me this day would come
Now I'm all gone."
- Justin Bieber in "Baby"

Gettin' Our Swagger Back

"Tell them [haters] I say put my name on the wall
I speak the Truth, but I guess that's a foreign language to y'all."
 - Lil Wayne in "Six Foot Seven Foot"

The truth can hurt at times. But if we are honest with ourselves and have a sincere desire to be the best we can be, we will learn to love the truth regardless of how sharp and pointed it may be. Yet, regardless of our attitude towards the value of truth, whenever the truth is spoken, someone runs the risk of being injured.

With that in mind, you can always expect some fallout after the close of each General Conference--a worldwide gathering of Mormons to hear sermons from Church leadership. Someone will always take issue with something that has been said during the Conference.

This time around, I've seen some backlash among men regarding some a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson, entitled "Priesthood Power," in which he encouraged men to play a more active role in getting married.

After receiving this counsel, some of our more prolific writers (from CougarBoard) hit the internets to chime in on the topic, suggesting that the same counsel should be given to women. There was also a Reciprocity Resolution launched which proposed something along the same lines i.e. that the responsibility for marriage falls upon both men and women rather than solely upon the shoulders of men.

This type of response to gentle correction and encouragement is so old school that it probably pre-dates old school, dating all the way back to the original man.

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12).

In other words, I know I messed up. But, as you can see, I'm not the only one messed up around here. In fact, I think you could be more involved in the solution than I can be at the moment. To err is human. But to blame someone else is even more so.

I know asking a girl out can cause some anxiety. Rejection can be a terrible experience. On the other hand, acceptance may be 10x more nerve racking if you don't normally enjoy the company of other humans. I think the key is obviously to change the type of music you listen to. You've gotta get yourself psyched into it, man. Seriously. We just talked about how music affects you here.

Instead of listening to "Creep" by Radiohead and telling yourself you're a loser...

...you gotta get your swagger back by listening to Lil Wayne or something.

"Your boyfriend is lame
I make it rain on ya
He never make it rain
Like Southern California"
- Lil Wayne in "Make It Rain (Remix)"

That's the kinda swagger our guys need! Now if we can only figure out what to do with the rest of Lil Wayne's lifestyle pursuit that may not be consistent with the aspirations of Mormonism.

Cookie Cutters

Yesterday, we finally decided it was time for my son to get a professional haircut.

So we packed him and his sister into the car and drove beyond far Egypt to a lil town called Lehi. Yes, my friends, somewhere nestled deep within the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, there's a little town called Lehi. It's big enough to have El Pollo Loco, so that's really all I need to know about the area. Yum!

Anyway, we went to a barbershop that opened fairly recently called Cookie Cutters.

It's a fun (not to mention colorful) place that's pimped out to cater specifically to children. (Great idea considering the number of chillun we have here in ol' Zootah) They have a small playground in the waiting area and kids can watch their favorite cartoons or play video games while sitting atop a vehicle (motorcycle, car, airplane, etc) of their choice during the haircut. They even give you a balloon when it's all over. It's a little bit on the pricier side, but my son loved the experience...so I'm willing to cough up a few bucks to see him smile and hear him laugh.

UPDATE: We found a video! Hooray!

You can watch a Cookie Cutters commercial here. It's kinda lame that they disabled embedding. They probably haven't heard of using the internet as a means of advertising before. Hopefully they'll catch on soon. In the meantime, you can get a Talulah discount ($2) for printing out and redeeming a coupon.

Although part of me is sad to see my son growing so quickly and getting his first professional haircut, the whole traumatic experience reminds me of this...

"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7).

As much as I love my son, I'm thankful that he has a Heavenly Father who loves him even more. And I'm thankful that our Heavenly Father loves us all so much that He sent His Son.

America's Best Dance Crew: Season 6

ABDC: Season 6 is here!

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6) - MTV Shows

I'll admit, I was afraid the show had been canceled--especially since the last episode of season 5 was an idea that I'd had for a final season of the show. But I'm really glad we're doing season 6. Personally, I think IaMmE had the best performance of the night. What can I say? I love tutting and isolations.

I love hip hop and ABDC, baby!

Did you know Mormons dance too?

Here's some info about music and dance from the legendary For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, a pamphlet to help young people make decisions about standards they will uphold for the rest of their lives. The pamphlet is sometimes lovingly referred to as FSOY.

"Music and Dancing

Music can help you draw closer to your Heavenly Father. It can be used to educate, edify, inspire, and unite. However, music may be used for wicked purposes. Music can, by its tempo, beat, intensity, and lyrics, dull your spiritual sensitivity. You cannot afford to fill your minds with unworthy music. Music is an important and powerful part of life. You must consider your listening habits thoughtfully and prayerfully. You should be willing to control your listening habits and shun music that is spiritually harmful. Don't listen to music that contains ideas that contradict principles of the gospel. Don't listen to music that promotes Satanism or other evil practices, encourages immorality, uses foul and offensive language, or drives away the Spirit. Use careful judgment and maturity to choose the music you listen to and the level of its volume.

Dancing can be enjoyable and provide an opportunity to meet new people and strengthen friendships. However, it too can be misused. When you are dancing, avoid full body contact or intimate positions with your partner. Plan and attend dances where dress, grooming, lighting, dancing styles, lyrics, and music contribute to an atmosphere in which the Spirit of the Lord may be present."

Warning: This is a personal interpretation of a Mormon standards and is not an official statement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Basically, the counsel given in FSOY is to avoid music or dancing that may potentially lead you to make poor choices or commit sins. Let's be clear, these standards are not declaring it is a sin to listen to certain types of music or dance in a certain way. The standards are warning you that being careless about your music or dance choices may lead to sin.

This is confirmed on the front page of the pamphlet.

"You can avoid the burden of guilt and sin and all of the attending heartaches if you will but heed the standards provided you through the teachings of the Lord and His servants" (emphasis mine).


Yes. This means that you can still run into "good" Mormons (those who are trying not to sin) in the strangest and perhaps even the most compromising of circumstances. I'm not a perfect example of Mormonism, but I'm trying. But I still went to Summer Jam when Sean Paul, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z came in concert. My point is, there are still good people (I'm not going to count myself as a "good" person) who consume media that is generally not considered spiritual in nature...or at least you won't find this media in the "Gospel" or "Religious" section of your local store.


Even the Mormons of the olden days struggled to reconcile mainstream media with their solemn understanding of their beliefs.


"The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children" (Matthew 11:19).

And it is this that we Mormons often need work on: separating actual sin from situations that are questionable at best. It is one thing to try to avoid sin altogether. It is another thing to claim that failure to avoid and prevent sin completely is sin in itself. That's just called "looking beyond the mark." And when we look beyond the mark, we might miss seeing the Light altogether.

"The Stars On Facebook" - The Altoids Curiously Strong Awards

"The Stars On Facebook" - The Altoids Curiously Strong Awards

It's kinda funny how much our generation shares information. We post statuses about what we're doing, where we are, and what we're thinking. The internet makes it possible for us to be connected all the time. The internet also makes it possible for everyone to know about everything...in theory. It's getting harder and harder for people to hide things now that everyone has portable cameras and audio recorders that can upload information to the internet for billions to see.

Mormon, an ancient prophet, was right when he said, "all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops--" (Mormon 5:8). While unclear as to what he meant specifically, Wikileaks, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media or news sites only help to prove his point.

Just to be clear, the important thing about a prophet isn't so much an ability to foresee the future. The important thing about prophets, in my mind, is their ability to teach us about Jesus so we can avoid sin.

"E.T." - Katy Perry featuring Kanye West

"E.T." - Katy Perry featuring Kanye West

One thing you gotta realize about Mormonism is that we believe God is a tangible being who occupies time and space. We are literally created in God's image. This is one of the reason's why Joseph Smith's vision is so important--it means that God is real and exists independently of our interpretations of Him.

Of course, there are other implications to God being a tangible being. Like, where does He live? Well, if He doesn't live here, then He obviously lives somewhere else, right? It is precisely this type of question that I ponder sometimes as I listen to Katy Perry's "E.T." Yeah, I'm weird like that.

Selected Lyrics:

"Could you be the devil?

Could you be an angel?"

"You're from a whole 'nother world
A different dimension
You open my eyes
I'm ready to go, lead me into the light"

"I'm a disrobe you
Then I'm a probe you
See I abducted you
So I tell you what to do"

Commentary:

So I doubt "E.T." was intended to be a spiritual song, but you can see that if you take some of the lyrics way out of context, it's actually a nice little song about Jesus. The moral of this story? Even in one of the darkest and most twisted videos of 2011 to date, you can still end up finding what you're seeking.

"When Thugz Cry" - 2Pac

"When Thugz Cry" - 2Pac
Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics




2Pac may not have realized it, but he was describing some of the precursors to the collapse of civilization in many of his songs. Then again, considering that his "last" album was called "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory," he probably knew exactly what he was talking about.

Most Mormons will probably steer clear of 2Pac's music, but I love it because I can see such clear ties to issues I've learned about while studying the gospel. In the interest of time and space, I'll just include the first verse and the chorus.

Lyrics:

"Born thuggin'
And lovin' the way I came up--big money clutchin'
Buzzin' while evadin' cocaine busts
My pulse rushin'
Semi-clutchin' into insanity
They shot at my cousin, now we bustin' at they whole family

Cowards wanna see me buried
I ain't worried
I got a line on the DA 'cuz I'm [buds with] his secretary
I black out and start cussin'
Bust 'em and touch 'em all
They panickin', [people] duckin'; I rush 'em and [bust] 'em all
Probably be an old man before I understand
Why I had to live my life with pistols closed in hand
Kidnapped my homie's sister--cut her face up bad
They even raped her; so we blazed they pad
Automatic shots rang out on every block
They puttin' hits out on politicians, even cops
I ain't lyin'! They got me sleepin' with my infrared beams
And in my dreams
I hear [all these people] screamin',
'WHAT IS THE MEANIN'!?!?'

When thugz cry
Battle scars and closed caskets are multiplied
[All these people] die
Don't ask why
When thugz cry
We don't shed tears; we shed blood
Do you still wanna be a thug?"

Commentary:

I love this song so much because, to me, it captures the feel of what it's like to watch your society crumble. Meanwhile, you're continually hoping the situation will improve, but you don't know how to fix it. All you know is where everything went wrong--at home.

Each time I hear this song, I am reminded of the conditions of society that preceded collapses of entire civilizations documented within The Book of Mormon aka The BOM. I hope our society doesn't fall apart so drastically and I hope to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

What is "sin?"

Warning: This is a personal interpretation of a fundamental Mormon doctrine and is not an official statement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'll leave the responsibilities that accompany such statements to living prophets. What follows is merely an attempt to explain how I understand the doctrine.

So here goes.

If you know Mormons or have heard of them, you probably have also heard that there are certain things Mormons can or can't do. Most of those rules you've heard about probably have you all scratching your head like, "WTF?"

Well, let me allay your fears and attempt to clear up your confusion by reassuring you that Mormons can do absolutely anything within the scope of human possibilities. Anything at all. Yes, Mormons can lie, cheat, steal, and kill with the best of 'em. And some do. The rub is that Mormonism attempts to persuade its followers to choose not to do such things (i.e. lie, cheat, steal, and kill). Why? Because such activities are commonly seen as sins.

I say "commonly" because sin is a concept that is often circumstantial.

But wait! So Mormons believe that sin is relative? Mormons are Relativists? Well...sorta.

Let me try to explain...

As Mormons, we believe that one of the purposes of this life is to follow Jesus Christ's example and emulate His attributes and character so we can be prepared to meet God when this life ends. So a lot of our decision making processes revolve around how we perceive our course of action relates to our aim to become more like Jesus.

This idea is found in the Book of Mormon.

"And we see that death comes upon mankind...which is temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state...which is after the resurrection of the dead" (Alma 12:24).

So what is "sin" then?

In its simplest construction, sin is intentionally rejecting an opportunity to emulate and become more like Jesus Christ.


So is that why Mormons don't drink wine or smoke or see rated "R" movies? Well, that's why some Mormons don't do those things--they interpret those actions as harmful to their goal to become more like Jesus. On the other hand, some Mormons don't do those things purely out of habit or cultural convention. Still, others don't do those things simply because they don't have the opportunity.

So is one group of Mormons mentioned above better than the others? It's hard to say. After all, it would depend on how you define "better" and how you would determine a measurement to fit your definition. Really, the people who know best would be the people involved in the decision making process. So you'd have to ask them.

What I can say is, if you have Mormon friends who accept / decline an invitation to participate in a particular activity, feel free to ask them why. You might be surprised / confused by what they might say.

First!

"Saint Peter" by Peter Paul Rubens
(Anyone else think Peter looks creepy here?)

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

Let's face it. People think Mormons are weird. Don't believe me? Go ahead. Google "Mormonism." I'll wait.

Alrighty then. Ya see what I mean?

But why are we so weird? I dunno. But something tells me it all stems from the fact that we're supposed to be a "peculiar people." It probably is.

Well I don't know about you, but when I think of "peculiar people," I think of that creepy guy with the 'stache that's eye-ing your kid from across the playground. Now that's peculiar to me. We Mormons might like kids a lot, just not like that...at least we're not supposed to.

And that's why I'm making this blog, to show that we're not all creepy (even though you may think I am...sorry about that). But most of all, I want to show that there are a wide variety of (non-splinter group) interpretations that exist within the "mainstream" of Mormonism.

Believe it or not, this blog is actually aimed at mainstream Mormons. But anyone can read it...and comment on it. After all, we need both sides of the story here. So feel free to share what's on your mind about the topics we discuss. We'll try to keep it as candid, but respectful, as possible.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to post something mainstream (read: non-Mormon) everyday and see if I can reconcile it with my Mormon beliefs. This could be interesting. Let's see how it goes.