Tunnels

I live in Utah. There are no train tunnels in Utah. On a recent trip to London, England to teach self-government principles there, we found ourselves alone in a maze of tunnels under the city of London.

At first our friend, Jason, told us about the tunnels and which ones to take. He even took us on a training trip through the tunnels so that we could feel more confidently about underground travel and to get a vision of where we were going and how to get back, when the time arrived. Continue reading →

It’s been some time since we’ve discussed gay marriage on M*, so in the interest of increasing traffic, we are about to rectify that problem.

I want to draw your attention to a very well-written series at “Real Intent” on gay marriage.

Let me excerpt a few key portions.

1) Gay and straight isn’t an on/off switch. A few people may be exclusively attracted to members of the same gender regardless of culture and context. A few people may be exclusively attracted to members of the opposite gender regardless of culture and context. But the vast majority of us are somewhere on a spectrum in-between, at least theoretically capable of feeling a variety of levels of attraction, admiration, and emotional investment in members of the same sex. It is historically strange, to say the least, that we view so many manifestations of male connection and affection as signaling membership in a separate gay minority group. We stigmatize feelings and ways of relating today that are probably normal components of human nature for almost everyone.

2) The 1960s and ’70s gay rights movement used language of sexual liberation and personal freedom from social accountability, which created a common public association between homosexuality and casual sex or promiscuity — but that’s not necessarily representative of same-sex relationships now or throughout history. There have been and are many same-sex couples who are deeply committed and faithful to one another. And I think we do ourselves a collective disservice if we treat the emotional reality of those bonds lightly as we decide which legal framework to use for same-sex relationships in a democratic society where subjective experience should carry weight.

As somebody who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and had a gay roommate in college, I find the way this issue is discussed among Mormons (especially left-wing activist Mormons) to be very unfortunate. The above quotations show a much better understanding of the spectrum of sexual attraction. I cannot tell you how many times commenters on this blog have implied that all people must be divided into categories of either “totally gay” or “totally straight,” and this attempt to group people is artificial and incorrect. The implications for prophetic guidance (same-sex attraction is NOT a sin but same-sex sexual activity IS a sin) make much more sense if we understand the truth, ie that there is no on/off switch and people are responsible for their actions.

Continue reading →

I wanted to give a shout out to the “History of the Saints” podcasts, which I started listening to about a month ago.

The podcasts that appear to be available on iTunes are all the post-martyrdom period. I have listened to about a half-dozen so far, and they are pretty good. I especially enjoyed a recent podcast discussing different dissident groups and how they formed. The production quality is excellent.

In any case, check it out.

To download the podcasts, go here.

For more information on the series, go here.

All of the talk in Washington lately is regarding the “draconian” cuts to the budget from the sequester. The word “sequester” seems strange to most normal people, but the bottom line is that these were cuts made as part of the 2011 deal to raise the debt ceiling. The idea of a sequester came from the White House and was approved by Congress in case the feds couldn’t come up with a long-term debt deal.

For anybody with a historical perspective, the talk of “draconian” cuts is just crazy.

The U.S. federal government is spending more than it ever has. Check out this chart, which shows federal government debt:

Why is there so much debt? It is true that tax collections are down because of the overall down economy, but for anybody with eyes to see “it’s the spending, stupid.”

Looked at another way, here is the growth of government spending over time and the proposed cut.

Continue reading →

Having established that families are the most important organization in the Eternities, the next step is to discuss how the Lord has delegated responsibilities. Any research or psychology demonstrating men or women are better for or equal to tasks is besides the point. What the Scriptures and prophets have to say will be the baseline. There surprisingly is a lot of very specific information and guidance. Despite modern sensibilities, men are commanded to be the leaders and protectors.

What we know about gender roles starts with Adam and Eve. The first creation was a male. Eve comes out, in a non-charitable reading, almost as an afterthought to help him as a sort of servant. Other readings are that she was created to harmonize and complete what he lacks. Regardless of what viewpoint, Adam is given the duties directly of tending the garden and naming the animals. Eve comes later when eating the fruit and bringing mortality.

Mormon beliefs about Eve split from traditional theology with the fortunate fall, but that will come later. We learn after the apple incident that men are cursed where they once had been blessed. The easy pickings of paradise have been replaced by hard work in bad conditions. It is here that the first and a primary role of men is given by the Lord. We learn in Genesis 3:17-19 the curse:

“17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Satan has a worse fate because he will be eating the dirt that plants grow from, symbolizing a completely worthless existence. The woman Eve has her own curse, but for the moment it is important to recognize this specific message. Bringing food to the table will be a constant struggle. The work requirement is not left to Adam only, but repeated for any male who will some day form a family. Continue reading →