Contemplative Dexterity

The concept and importance of family is widely regarded by the LDS Church as one of the most important facets of our life on earth. This is in large part due to the belief that there is an afterlife, and more specifically, that we can remain with our families as long as individual members live according to Church doctrine. Because of this belief in an eternal existence and the potential to remain with righteous family members for eternity, a family members departure from the LDS faith is an excruciating experience for all involved. Family members still within the faith are suddenly faced with the bleak possibility that their loved one(s) will not reach the highest degree of glory and that they will never see them once death rears its ugly head. Many are convinced that the member who strayed is only going through a "phase" or they believe that with enough fasting and prayer that their loved one(s) will return to the "light". In some cases this does happen, although...

On November 26th of this year, my brother left to begin his LDS mission, but before I get into what has been on my mind concerning this life event, I feel I should give a little background on this particular brother: He and I get along very well. We have similar types of humor, discuss movies that aren't always considered "appropriate" by Mormon standards, and enjoy playing sports. He's an extremely personable young man and has been interested in girls since a very young age, much to the consternation of our parents. He had his first girlfriend at 14 and I'm fairly confident when I say that he probably had his first kiss before I did. 16 is the recommended dating age for LDS youth, and they are encouraged not to pair off until college age, so my brother making out with girls while still in middle school was a source of worry for my parents. Another source of worry came when he was arrested his first year of high school for trespassing on school property (i...

A survey was circulated around Facebook, and I can only assume other sites as well, regarding a woman's role in the church. One can only assume that such a survey was spawned in response to the widely publicized Ordain Women movement. I was finally able to sit down and take the survey and had a few comments that I wanted to post in response. I do believe that women and men, girls and boys, are not treated equally in the church, with the benefits weighing heavily in favor of the male species. This has been a noticeable source of contention for me since I entered Achievement Days when I turned 8, but became more noticeable when I entered the Young Women's program at the age of 12. For the sake of time and space, I'm not going to post every question and my response to it, but I am going to post a handful. One of the first questions posed was: Differences between the roles of women and men in the LDS Church are... Cultural, A mix of culture and doctrine, or Doctrin...