Re: USU, BYU, the MWC, the WAC, etc…
GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gospel Essentials, Redux
I recently posted something of a bleg for suggestions on lesson topics and materials for a Gospel Essentials course which I have occasion to teach in my local ward. I made a couple of mistakes in the post and comments, and consequently the thread never really took the direction I had hoped, and instead resulted in (mostly) comments on gospel instruction generally in the LDS Church. The point of the post was to seek ideas for 5-6 lessons which could be taught at any given moment with little advance notice as the need arises. The basic issue at hand is that, on many Sundays, we don’t have any actual investigators or new members attending, and the course is made up primarily of recently reactivated folks, the missionaries, and a handful of others who attend for reasons I’ve never been quite certain of. On those Sundays, I don’t really have a preference for lesson topics, since the attendees have enough experience in the gospel and the Church to handle about any lesson they’re given.
However, from time to time, we do have actual investigators, and on those Sundays, I feel the need to accomplish a few main goals: First, I want to knock their socks off, so to speak–I want them to come away from Sunday school uplifted, inspired, and feeling like they had a meaningful experience in a Mormon meeting. Read more…
It Came to Pass, and Stayed
This is going to be a post about poop. It’s going to be pretty gross. No one is making you read this–I kind of encourage you not to. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ll regret posting this for the rest of my life.
Best & Worst Breakfast Cereals
In my office the other day, we were all debating breakfast cereals during lunch. Here are my lists:
Best Cereals: Sugary
- Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries (though I actually like all the Cap’n Crunch varieties)
- Corn Pops
- Sugar Bear (Golden Crisp, Honey Smacks, whatever)
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Honey Comb
I’m So Proud: California Gambling & Welfare Edition
California often gives me reasons to be proud, but this one may be a contender for the upper echelon of awesome:
California welfare cards can be used in many casino ATMs
Times review finds that in more than half of the state’s casinos and gaming rooms, welfare recipients can get cash from state-issued EBT cards. Officials say they’re moving to block such transactions.
This reminds me a little bit of stories I’ve always heard about students at BYU using their “Dining Plus” cards for basically anything they wanted on campus.
More Fun With Bad Legislation
After signing a piece of evil legislation bill requiring Arizona police officers to determine whether people are in the country legally, the governor of Arizona said she’s requiring training for said police officers.
“This training will include what does and does not constitute reasonable suspicion that a person is not legally present in the United States…Racial profiling is illegal. It is illegal in America, and it’s certainly illegal in Arizona.”
-Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
Training? Training will stop racism racial profiling dead in its tracks?
Sigh.
Hope for the Aggies
This is life for fans from small-time schools like Utah State University without the resources, the tradition, or the sexiness required to obtain the recruits, sponsors, media attention, or in many cases, simply the confidence that enable teams to rise above the haze into that elite class of schools with a legitimate shot at glory. Read more…
Lessons from Stake Priesthood Leadership Meeting
As reported by my brother:
I learned at Stake Priesthood leadership meeting that we can increase our spirituality by gleaning insights from the biographies of BYU football players.
I also learned that you shouldn’t make gagging noises during Stake Priesthood leadership meeting if the bishop is sitting behind you.
I Shall Temporarily Sell My Soul
Yes, it is that time of year. Despite all of my principles and the excellent training my parents provided me with as a child, I will spend the next few weeks of my life cheering for BYU.
(Vomit)
As is so often the case, Utah State’s basketball team emerged victorious in their early-season matchup with BYU–the final margin was only 10 points, but having watched the game, it wasn’t that close. On that early December evening, there was no question who the better team was by the time the final buzzer sounded, and the previously-undefeated Cougars walked off the court in sorrow and BYU fans immediately began littering Facebook with explanations and apologies for why the Cougars lost.
(This is in keeping with BYU Fan Rule #1: No BYU fan shall ever admit that any athletic team representing BYU on the field of competition, has been defeated fairly or was outplayed by a superior opponent. All losses shall be attributed to a) poor officiating, b) untimely injuries to key players, or c) dirty play on the part of the opponents.)
Read more…
My Holiday in Finland, briefly
A few observations as I near the midpoint of my trip in Finland:
1. I have flown to Finland 5 times in my life, and my luggage has been lost or screwed up on 3 of those occasions. This was the first time it happened in the middle of a freezing-butt cold stretch in Winter.
2. This is the first time I have returned to Finland since my mission where I have not been asked to speak in church. I am very grateful for this.
3. Sauna is even better than I remember.
4. Cigarette smoke stench on old people in Finland is different than cigarette stench on old people in the US. It has a slightly more stale and bitter twist to it, but less overpowering. I remember noticing this 10 years ago, but had forgotten.
6. Finland is beautiful when there is a fresh blanket of snow on the ground in the midst of the winter darkness that otherwise seems so all-encompassing and impenetrable.
7. There are several things that make a trip to Finland completely worth it–even when it’s been below freezing every minute of my time here: Valio’s Banana yogurt, watching children sing the Tip-Tap Tip-Tap song before Santa Claus comes, candlelit cemeteries on Christmas, and Budapests.
More to come…
________________________
A Brief History of Failure, BCC Zeitcast edition
Unknown to most readers at BCC, there has been a significant effort behind the scenes to reboot the once-proud Zeitcast–BCC’s podcast, in which a handful of permabloggers shoot the bull over the Interwebs about topics Mormon or otherwise. Unfortunately, each and every attempt up to this point has failed, with the grandest and most epic of failures coming last night.
Failure #1:
My first attempt at a podcast! Just before Halloween, Steve Evans, John C, and I discussed Halloween candy, Trunk-or-Treats, and a Book of Mormon-based novel that John found in his local library. After recording, I discover that the software I was using to record (Audacity) has multiple input settings, and that I had chosen the wrong one. Thus, I had recorded 15 minutes of silence. Steve mocks me harshly, and exaggerates the length of time we were recording before I caught my mistake to anyone who will listen.
Failure #2:
Another pre-Halloween attempt, in which Steve Evans, Guest Kyle M, and I fail to launch on account of Steve’s struggles with his recent installation of Windows 7 and Audacity’s compatibility with it. Of course, we don’t realize that his software has failed until we have been talking for 35 minutes or so about a variety of topics, including Halloween, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, and other minutiae. I feel poetically smug as Steve tries to reconcile his mockery of me the week before with his own foul up.
Read more…
An Insult to Turkey Bowls
I had the temerity to raise my hand in Elders Quorum last Sunday and ask if anyone was interested in putting together a Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day, and so was naturally put in charge of the event. I forgot about this responsibility almost as soon as it was given to me (in keeping with my General Theory of Elders Quorum Responsibility Forgetfulness), and didn’t give it another thought until Tuesday afternoon when I got an email from someone in the EQ asking about the game and if anyone was planning on playing. Repenting of my sloth, I drafted a note about the game and sent it to the EQ email list.
By the time the game was supposed to start–yesterday morning at 8:30am–it was clear that the number of hands who had expressed interest in playing was a gross overstatement of the number of people who were actually willing to show up and toss around the pigskin. We waited 30 minutes or so past the scheduled starting time, and finally managed to scrounge up 6 players, myself included. We all stretched out, the hardcore footballers put on their cleats, and we staked out a shortened field since our numbers were so few, and no one really wanted to run much anyway.
Thus went the Harbor Hills Ward Elders Quorum Turkey Bowl 2009: The Armpit of All Turkey Bowls:
Play 1:
My quarterback drops back to pass, I fake left, then cut right, and QB hits me in stride for a perfect touchdown pass…yeah, not really. What actually happened is my whole “cut right” thang didn’t go to swell, as my running shoes gave way on the dew-soaked grass and I bit the turf. The ball flew right into the hands of the guy defending me, who returned it for an easy touchdown. We get the ball back immediately, with our pride stung but still intact.
Play 2:
Our QB, having learned not to trust me, throws to the other guy this time, who makes a great snag on a slightly overthrown ball. After hauling in the pass, his momentum causes him to lose balance, and a slight push from his defender (“touch” football) sends him to the ground, landing on his shoulder and tearing a ligament. The following 15 minutes cannot be described here, because they were rated R for mild profanity and crude humor at a wounded man’s expense. With the injured player needing a ride to the hospital, we lose two players, and with only four remaining, decide to call it a day.
So, let’s recap the important statistics:
Harbor Hills Ward EQ Turkey Bowl, 2009
__________________________________________
Time: 4 minutes
Plays: 2
Turnovers: 1
Season-Ending Injuries: 1
Injury-Induced F-Bombs: 8 (approx.)
If you can top that for sheer suckitudeness, I salute you, and encourage you to leave your story.
Note: I realize, after a few people have responded to me about this post, that I need to make it clear that the F-bomb count was not MY F-bomb count. My count, smugly righteous as always, was 0.
________________________
A Whole Year Has Gone By
I just posted over at By Common Consent, and recounted part of the story about how I came to blog at BCC, which happened to coincide with my decision to shut this blog down (which, as you can see, I have reversed directions on a few times). It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since I was running out of steam with this blog and struggling to hang on in the wake of the political season of 2008. I am very glad that Sister Blah 2 happened to follow a link from some random comment on a blog I don’t even recall and landed on this website, and eventually invited me to guest post at BCC–if that invitation had come just a few weeks later, it would likely have gone to a dead end email address that I stopped checking when I turned the lights out on blogging.
Destroying the Flock
Mormons may be accused of herd mentality, and they may be guilty of it from time to time, but my Bishop is determined to break that stereotype.
Since I moved into my ward over three years ago, I have observed an interesting phenomenon. Every Sunday during opening Priesthood exercises, which are held in the gym, all the men stand in the exact same formation–we form a perfect half-arc around the 3-point line on the basketball court. No one stands inside the 3 point line except the Bishop, who stands directly below the hoop.
Well, last Sunday, my Bishop put an end to it, and made us all take five big steps in toward him. The awkward tension in the room was palpable–kind of like asking 50 families who have been sitting on the same pew for 20 years to find a different pew, all at the same time.
Double Blind Voting
Submitted by Fletcher, who has posted here previously. Welcome back!
The economic and mathematical analysis of voting has generated a large amount of literature. Ever since Ken Arrow showed that there is no social choice function that satisfies the logical choice properties, people have sought to find the next best solution. Recently, Marginal Revolution had a thread about range voting that generated a lot of discussion about voting systems in general. I won’t bore you with the details of range voting, but to say that you assign a score to multiple options within a range of numbers. The highest score then wins the election. This is actually similar to a Borda Count, where the range in equivalent to the number of options.
Liveblogging the Bill Simmons Book Signing
2:10 pm.
After about a dozen wrong turns around the Disneyland resort, my buddy Jeff and I finally found the espn zone where the event is being held. We picked a cool two hours early, not knowing how many people would be here, given that it’s the only signing inall of socal.
2:18pm.
We just got in line, and it would appear that we guessed right–there are only about 15 people ahead of me in line, and suddenly lots of folks are lining up behind us.
220pm.
My buddy Jeff mentions that he hopes the person in the front of the line knows what he’s doing. That would be hilarious if we are all lined up behind a guy who just needed a place to sit for a while, but has no actual connection to the event.
225pm.
Suddenly the fact that I am going stand here for two hours sets in. Everyone else is mostly sitting on the pavement reading copies of their books.
I am wearing some new pants, and I refuse.
Read more…
Differing Views…
…on the LDS Church supporting recent legislation in Salt Lake City that bans discrimination in the workplace or in housing on the basis of sexual orientation.
Not Everyone. Sees Things. The Same Way.
I like how Andrew Sullivan approaches it, though I am a Mormon and naturally prefer sympathetic takes to cynical ones (Another from him here).
Most of all, for me, this is just a welcome step away from 2008, during which I constantly was struggling with my active role in the campaign and passage of Proposition 8 in California. My loyalty to the Church and my testimony of the Prophet are strong, but my heart is tired of hurting on this one. So, for a day, I celebrate this breather.
Book Signing with the Sports Guy
I am doing a first today–I will be attending a book signing Bill Simmons is holding at Disneyland to promote his new book, The Book of Basketball. I am utterly ignorant as to how a person is supposed to behave at such an event, but from reading Simmons’ article on ESPN.com the other day regarding earlier book tour stops, I can infer that asking him to sign my chest is not likely to be considered appropriate.
Read more…
Rebooting–For Real
Okay, now this is just pathetic. I promised to get things going again on this blog, but so far I have done essentially zilch to that end. Truth is, I am kind of going through a burned out phase at BCC, too–nothing permanent, but just a seeming inability to find anything creative to say about my religious life these days.
In any case, I was reminded today of a few old posts on this blog and it suddenly hit me how much I love this blog, and much I wish I was still posting to it.
Time once again for a reboot. For reals.
A Wasted Week?
My wife and kids left last Saturday morning for a 5-day trip to see my folks in Idaho. Being the sort of person who enjoys some alone time, I expected that this would be a period of great personal reflection, goal-setting, and progress in areas I’ve neglected in favor of family obligations.
Instead, I’ve slept. A lot.
Saturday, I slept in until just after 1pm. Sunday, I got up just in time to make it to Sacrament meeting at 9am, and then slept–more or less–the rest of the day. Monday, I slept in until 9am, and made it to work around 10-ish. Today, slept until almost 10, and finally walked into my office just shy of 11am. And mind you–I have been in bed with the lights out before 11:15pm every night.
It. Is. Awesome.
Things I Shall Not Be Doing
Please pardon the seemingly endless starting-up sort of posts; it’s taking me some time to figure what is going on. While my decision to start posting here again was actually a long, thought-out decision, it was based almost entirely on the simple idea that I just wanted my old blog back, and not based on any actual conceptualization of how I would go about writing here again. More specifically, the principle reason I shut it down in the first place is still relevant: too little time and too many other responsibilities. So I need to make it clear to myself why exactly I am doing this, or at least what this re-opening is not supposed to imply. In no particular order…
Read more…
Starting Up an Old Blog
stretches hands, cracks knuckles…
I don’t really know how to start this blog up again after taking several months off. I suppose this could be the time to re-invent myself, pretend the old stuff never existed, and just literally start over, but it could also be easier to just pretend that the past three or four months never happened and pick up where I left off.
Read more…
Grrrrrrrr
That is all.
(I think I am going to start posting here again soon, because I need somewhere to let off some steam.)
The End.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for nearly a week, but every time I start, the text begins to reflect a level of self-seriousness and narcissism that I can’t stand in myself and am forced to delete it all and start over. So I’ll just get to the point:
I’d like to bear my testimony, that I know this blog is true, but I’m still going to kill it right now. Seriously.
Open Thread: The Role of Mormon Wards in Employment and Business Networking
(Note: The “Big Changes” I promised are still coming, but I had to get this post off my To-do list first. This was supposed to be a guest post last week, but I ran out of time and energy. Writing an open thread to a small audience is a recipe for lameness and non-commenting, (especially in light of GIGANTE, but I wanted to post it anyway for my own sake.)
Review of the Guest Stint at BCC
As the past several posts have indicated, I spent the past week guest blogging at By Common Consent. All in all, I wrote 3 posts (with one other post that was a wee-bit problematic, and thus died an ignominious death about 10 hours after publishing), and sort of participated in the 15th edition of Police Beat Roundtable. Despite my earlier reservations, the experience was great, and I was sorry to see the week end last night after I sent my final post to the admins for publishing. In the name of being self-indulgent, let me now favor you with some disorganized reflection.
Final Round
The 4th and final round of guest posting at BCC is now up, for any interested parties to view.
Round 1 here.
Round 2 here.
Round 3 (sort of) here. (PBR–if you’re not familiar with this feature, and some inside jokes at BCC, this will not be nearly as much fun as it could be. Also, please ignore my contribution to it, as I was on a conference call and busy at work during the entire thing.)
This time, when I say that commentary regarding my experience guest posting with the big kids will follow, I mean it.
Stay tuned also for MASSIVE changes at DeadSeriously.net in the next couple of days.
Toothpaste & Immigration Policy
If you’ve read my drivel for any lengthy period of time, you know how I feel about immigration. (hint: Me = Fan of Foreigners). In this spirit, I offer you some free Toothpaste:
Guesting at BCC, Rounds 2 & 3
Round 2 here, and Round 3 (Police Beat Roundtable) can be found here.
Incidentally, I have never been more humiliated humbled in my life than to be asked to participate in PBR. Unfortunately, as you will see if you read it, I was thoroughly out-classed. My self-censoring button was on a little too tight.
Commentary on the rest of the experience so far at BCC is forthcoming.
Guesting at BCC, Round 1
I have been informed that a first helping of yours truly is now available on By Common Consent. More posts will follow during the next week.
As an aside, I think it fitting that the post on BCC immediately preceding my own is the merciless skewering of a BYU student. And I thought I was mean.
Two Aggies on Divine Intervention and BYU
An email exchange between myself, a Mormon Utah State Aggie, and an ex-Mormon Texas A&M Aggie discussing the theological implications of today’s wonderful result.
The Dark Knight is the Worst Movie Ever, or, Guesting at BCC
I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I might not be posting here very frequently for the next bit because I was working on a “special project” of sorts. The special project I spoke about was an invitation to guest blog at By Common Consent* for a week, and I’ve been writing a handful of posts ahead of time for that gig. I had planned to start posting there this week, but I decided to put it off until next week. So I’ll be around here for the rest of the week, though posting may still be erratic.
Guest Post: A Market-based Solution for Pork
[Note: The opinions expressed below, as well as the title of the post, belong to Fletcher (bio here), and no one else. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of myself, the LDS Church, or this guy. I do not edit guest posts; as such, any grammatical, logical, or factual mistakes that may exist are entirely Fletcher's fault, and frankly, I'm astonished that he didn't catch them.]
Introductions: A New Guest Author
I will be away from my desk for a bit this week working on a special project (more on that later), and may not be posting too frequently here during that time. However, I want to introduce a new guest author before I get too far along. Because he is currently on the job market and need not have his name attached to some lame Mormon blog, I’ll just call him “Fletcher”, as he is known in the comment section of several posts on this blog.
Fletcher is on the verge of being handed a PhD in Economics from UC Irvine. His fields of specialization are econometrics and urban economics, though I’ve been told that, with the job market being what it is these days, he’d even be willing to teach macro (Boo! Hiss!) if room and board for his wife and kids were part of the deal. Other things you should know about him include:
-To this day, Fletcher remains the only person I know who has actually played water polo.
-Fletcher served a mission to Brazil many moons ago.
-His talents include crashing on his bicycle, sucking all the fun out of economics by focusing on the data, and spouting random trivia from the Star Wars expanded universe.
-Although I won’t say his name here (as mentioned above), he did approve a link to his own site, where you can read more about him and the research he’s done.
Mormon Blogging or Self-Loathing
Without question, since I decided to quit pretending that I’m not a Mormon blogger, the most-used search strings in Google for finding my site are variations on Mormon-related topics.
Running solidly in second place, however, are queries about rectal exams.
I’m so glad I can be of service.
Stake Conference Mystery and Intrigue
For the Newport Beach California Stake, in which I happen to reside, Stake Conference will be held this coming Saturday and Sunday. I am usually really excited for the conference weekend, because as odd as it may sound, I actually enjoy the extra meeting or two on Saturday without the kids where the local leadership is able to give us specific instruction and counsel for the current challenges in the area. Over the years, some of the most meaningful spiritual experiences in my life have come in these meetings. Additionally, I like Stake Conference because the 10am start time on Sunday means that I can sleep in an extra hour. Lastly, it is just a nice break from the normal 3-hour block routine.
Read more…
Great Moments in Blog Comment History, Part 1
From a comment thread a couple of weeks ago on MormonMatters regarding the lifting of the Priesthood ban:
- 137
To add one more factor to MH’s summary:
After Pres. McKay died, Pres. Smith only served for two years – then Pres. Lee served for less than two years (dying of an unexpected heart attack even though he was the youngest president to take office in decades at 73). I don’t think lifting the ban was a priority for either of them, especially since Hugh B Brown (one of the strongest proponents of lifting the ban) was not kept in the presidency of either President Smith or President Lee after Pres. McKay passed away.
- 138
I don’t think lifting the ban was a priority for either of them, especially since Hugh B Brown (one of the strongest proponents of lifting the ban) was not kept in the presidency of either President Smith or President Lee after Pres. McKay passed away.
Not disagreeing, but…correlation = causation? Hmm…
Although I suppose in the case of the latter, President Lee = causation for correlation
Just a little correlation committee humor for you, folks. I’ll be here all week.
(UPDATE: If you don’t get or like the joke, then don’t feel bad. As I note in the comment section, you’re not alone.)
The BYU – Aladdin Song Is BACK!
I have been informed that I failed to make good on a promise–I had said that I would re-post the audio to the BYU-Aladdin song that I heard on PMS a while back (read this post if you need a reminder), since the file I linked to then has been removed from Youtube. I said I would take a vote, and since only 2 people voted, the audio goes up. We’ll see how long my fragile conscience survives and I decide to take it down for being too mean.
I think re-posting this will qualify as the “really bad thing” that makes me deserving of having my site banned by BYU (which, by the way, is still in force. I’m so proud.)
Monday morning dose of C.S. Lewis
Recently I read this post on New Cool Thang about whether or not Jesus could have failed. In particular, the following bit caught my attention:
“[Could] Jesus have not lived a perfect life and brought forth the atonement? If he couldn’t fail, then is Jesus different than us, and our trying to be like Jesus is merely vanity, something we cannot accomplish?”
The second question–is Jesus different than us?–was the real kicker to me, because it had never even occurred to me that He was possibly the same as everybody else, and it actually struck me as odd that such a difference between Savior and Saved would be troubling to someone. I don’t mean that condescendingly–I am not intelligent enough to be condescending toward anyone–but rather in kind of a “Huh. Wow. Never thought about that before. Weird.” sort of way. In any case, a C.S. Lewis quote popped into my head, and I wanted to relate it in the thread, but elected not too because I was late to the conversation and I’m sure someone else already said something far more profound, so I’ll post it here instead:
“I have heard some people complain that if Jesus was God as well as man, then His sufferings and death lose all value in their eyes, “because it must have been so easy for him.” Others may (very rightly) rebuke the ingratitude and ungraciousness of this objection; what staggers me is the misunderstanding it betrays. In one sense, of course, those who make it are right. They have even understated their own case. The perfect submission, the perfect suffering, the perfect death were not only easier to Jesus because He was God, but were possible only because He was God. But surely that is a very odd reason for not accepting them? The teacher is able to form the letters for the child because the teacher is grown-up and knows how to write. That, of course, makes it easier for the teacher, and only because it is easier for him can he help the child. If it rejected him because “it’s easy for grown-ups” and waited to learn writing from another child who could not write itself (and so had no “unfair” advantage), it would not get on very quickly. If I am drowning in a rapid river, a man who still has one foot on the bank may give me a hand which saves my life. Ought I to shout back (between my gasps), “No, it’s not fair! You have an advantage! You’re keeping one foot on the bank”? That advantage-call it “unfair” if you like-is the only reason why he can be of any use to me. To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?” (Mere Christianity, ch. 4)
The quote speaks for itself, so I’ll say nothing more out of fear of breaching a level of self-seriousness that should not be tolerated on a Monday morning.
So that’s it, huh? Prop 8 is upheld?
Wow. That was fast. So says the L.A. Times, anyway.
Apparently Prop 8 is here to stay. Until the next election, anyway.
I wasn’t evening paying attention to the news–I hadn’t expected any indication one way or the other for a couple of months. Read more…
The Ikea Merit Badge, part 2
Remember my idea for an Ikea Merit Badge? Yeah, well, apparently someone else thinks this is a grand idea, too. And not just anyone–but the actual official writers and declarers of The Articles of Men. Given the date of the creation and ratification of this article, I am inclined to believe that they ripped off my idea, but I will not be bitter. They saw a need, and they addressed it.
If only they would address the paucity of legislation concerning Man-Crushes.
Who’s with me?!?
Answers to Mormon Questions: Do You Even Care if Prop 8 is Overturned?
Time* for another installment of Answers to Mormon Questions.**
Are Mormons really worried about the California Supreme Court overturning Prop 8? Or, having fought the good fight, are they satisfied with their effort and just content to let the chips fall where they may?
This question was raised (sort of) in the comment section of an earlier post, although I have actually been thinking about it for a long time. It’s a fantastic question, and I, as a California Mormon and resident know-it-all, am clearly qualified to opine on the matter. Unfortunately, like so many interesting questions in life, the answer is the ever-unsatisfying, “Well, it depends.” Read more…
Agency and the Mormon Case for Libertarianism
[NOTE: This post is my response to a guest post about whether or not a "Libertarian Mormon" is an Oxymoron. In particular, one of the arguments the author--Dan Weston--has made is that capitalism is an anti-Biblical philosophy. One assumption throughout is that libertarians subscribe to such a philosophy out of a love for capitalism. I addressed this point as a comment, but decided it is best to start a new thread. Thus, I re-post my comment below, with a few minor modifications.]
One important point of conflict here is that I think many people might be mistaken about why LDS people–if they are–might be drawn to libertarianism in the first place. If you have taken your understanding of “Mormon Libertarianism” from me, then the fault for this confusion lies with me–as I looked back over my older posts, I embarrassed to realize that I’ve never talked about this to begin with. In short, it has nothing to do with anything Jesus said or didn’t say–or Bible-based doctrinal circles that Joseph Smith “squared” via modern revelation.
Read more…
Adult Entertainment Consumption in Utah
A new article, written by Ben Edelson of the Harvard Business School, and published in the current issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives has shown that, among all the states in the United States, Utah–with it’s high-majority Mormon population–is the leader in subscriptions to online pornographic/adult entertainment (per 1000 broadband connections).
Can we just jump to the conclusion that, despite continuous warnings about porn in, well, pretty much every meeting since 1998, the biggest vice among Mormons really isn’t just caffeinated soda pop? Well, not really, in my opinion. I think it is far more likely to be a function of Mormon-influenced social policies than anything else.
The fact is, most of the alcohol, tobacco, and adult entertainment–including bars, clubs, and the like, which are legal in wonderful states like California, are all much harder to come by in Utah–even illegal in some cases. This logically results in a substitution effect: Effectively, these products have services have been exported to surrounding states. Utahns get beer and fireworks in Wyoming, get lottery tickets in Idaho, get live entertainment in Las Vegas, and get porn on the Interweb. These results are supported by the fact that, according to the published article, Idaho is considerably lower, despite a very high LDS population.
This is not to say that some Mormons don’t participate in this wonderful past time–certainly some do. However, I think that there is very little support in this article for any theory that Mormons are more into internet porn than anyone else. (That probably won’t change the likelihood of hearing at least one talk on the subject in the upcoming General Conference, though!)
One interesting thing from the article that this summary blog post highlighted was that, although areas with differing religiosity didn’t vary in total consumption of Internet porn, the timing of the consumption did vary:
“In particular, a 1 percent increase in the proportion of people who report regularly attending religious services is associated with a 0.10 percent reduction in the proportion of purchases that occur on Sunday. This analysis suggests that, on the whole, those who attend religious services shift their consumption of adult entertainment to other days of the week, despite on average consuming the same amount of adult entertainment as others.”
In other words,
It seems clear to me that the winning solution is to re-institute the old LDS meeting schedules, where various elements of “Church” were held on different days of the week, as opposed to the current 3-hour block on Sundays. Who’s with me?!?
Latter Gay Saint overturns Luke 16:13 with new Revelation: Ye can serve both God and M(or)mon
Moses had his Aaron, and I have a Gay, Ex-Catholic Atheist. Guest author Dan Weston (See here for an introduction to Dan) offered to address the first question in my series “Answers to Mormon Questions” for me. The question came from commenter MM:
What do you think is the Mormon take on “natural rights?” Are individuals born with natural rights? Are they an inherent part of creation or can they be taken away? In what sense? Or are natural rights really an illusion, i.e., “non-sense upon stilts” as Bentham refered to them? More of a way for us to describe basic respect for one another than anything else? Or are you a consquentialist libertarian not a deontic libertarian and wouldn’t necessarily have a strong opinion about natural rights per se?
Introductions: My First Guest Author
I would like to introduce the very first (and possibly, but hopefully not, last) guest author on Dead Seriously!
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, then Dan Weston requires no further introduction, as his comments have influenced many discussions over the past six months–especially those related to same-sex marriage. However, if you missed out on the earlier fun, then the following (lifted from his own blog, Zo Kwe Zo) will help:
I studied engineering physics at U.C. Berkeley, spent time in the aerospace industry, and now create software for visual effects at a major studio in LA. Before all that I spent 2 years in the U.S. Peace Corps, teaching math in French to junior high kids in Kembe, Central African Republic. I have buried one husband, am madly in love with another (now going on 6 years), have 3 dogs, and love to travel. I am an ardent defender of free speech and card-carrying member of the ACLU. I am a native speaker of English, fluent in French and German, studied 2 years’ Latin and Japanese, 1 year Chinese, and can get by in Sango (national language of the CAR).
Additional trivia and non-minutiae you should know:
- Dan is not a Mormon. He was a Catholic. Now he’s an Atheist. But he’s still a Catholic. I’m still working on turning him into a Mormon.
- Dan is gay. Dan is also married. Hence, Dan does not particularly appreciate the passing of Prop 8.
- Dan is a professional when it comes to illumination through obfuscation. I’ve often found myself nodding my head through his posts/comments, only to realize that I’m agreeing with something I completely disagree with. You have been warned.
- Dan’s vocabulary will probably make you shrink. This is not unrelated to the previous point.
- Dan enjoys long walks to Starbucks (where he orders a Tall Mocha, which we Mormons would know nothing about), the Lifetime Network, Harry Potter, and reveling in (ex-)Catholic self-loathing (we Mormons know a thing or two about that!).
The 50 Questions You’re Too Polite to Ask a Mormon, a Continuing Series
I blegged last weekend about how to explain Mormons in 1 hour, and while there weren’t a lot of responses to the questions, one of the suggestions from a commenter gave me the idea to start a new series of posts tentatively titled “The 50 Questions You’re Too Polite to Ask a Mormon.” Whether the actual number questions will sum to fifty or more (or less) is not important, but hopefully it ends up being on the “more” side. Read more…
Banned by BYU
Look at the picture you below. Zoom in, if you have to. Do you know what it means?
It means that BYU has blocked this website–www.deadseriously.net. Some friends of mine at BYU (faculty no less!) tried to look at my site yesterday morning, and discovered that I have been banned. Folks–I have honestly never been so proud of anything in my entire life. I think I’d be okay with dying now. There’s nowhere to go from here but down.
While this was probably initially due to my use of a redirecting site TinyURL.com from my Facebook profile, apparently the destination site was blocked as well, so going directly to my blog from campus was not an option either.
The irony is that I haven’t really made fun of BYU for some time now–BYU fans are almost always unbearable to be around, but considerably less so after Utah’s football season. Figures.
