Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

I sent a few friend requests, but I got one response. FYI, I'm the one with the Vitameatavegamin profile pic.

I just want to say that...all of you have really cool last names.

thanks! mine is pretty awesome.

Is it just me or is this whole "know who everybody is" thing SOOO anti-climactic?

not for me! it's like christmas!

Craig Jessop wrote:Is it just me or is this whole "know who everybody is" thing SOOO anti-climactic?

Yeah. It's fun for about 5 seconds.

I'm tempted to join in, but I am a fan of my anonymity a little too much to start sending out friend requests.

you're all going about this all wrong. i'm enjoying going through your pictures. they're fun! you all do things i never do!

also,y'all's babies are cute. and the elders who left a card at my house have terrible handwriting.

Imogen wrote:also,y'all's babies are cute. and the elders who left a card at my house have terrible handwriting.

Most do. Which is why I was always the one to write the notes.

Craig Jessop wrote:

Imogen wrote:also,y'all's babies are cute. and the elders who left a card at my house have terrible handwriting.

Most do. Which is why I was always the one to write the notes.

maybe they should offer a handwriting class at BYU. i wish we offered one at the middle school i teach at.

Portia wrote:Can someone be Mormon if ... they're indistinguishable from Mormons in every other way but just don't believe the church is true? ... Are you only a "true" Mormon if you never question, never mess up, follow all the checklist boxes? I know about 4 people who have done that: all lovely, but a pretty small number!

I'm not so sure. Assuredly, being 'Mormon' is more than simply a checklist of beliefs, yet can one in full honesty and clarity say "I'm a Mormon, but I don't believe what Mormons believe"? Though potentially necessary, beliefs aren't sufficient in and of themselves, as has been pointed out, religion is as ritualistic as it is belief-based; someone who believes all that Mormons believe and hasn't been baptized nor followed other rituals isn't exactly Mormon either. In my eyes, to be able to lay claim to any such title, both beliefs and actions must be attested.

And because my attraction to the Tao is found in its opposites, I must point out that I'm not convinced that those who 'never question' are the only "true" Mormons, and would have to wonder at what level they qualify, if at all. Questioning and conflict are important (some claim necessary) elements to understanding. (One of the first things God says to man in the Bible is "Where art thou?" as I read it, trying to get Adam to question his actions and therefore better understand his circumstances.)

Katya wrote:

Marduk wrote:You're a loose cannon Craig. You have to play by your own rules, don't ya? Well I got the mayor ridin' my butt now thanks to you. Don't screw up again or I'm gonna have your badge on a platter.

When Che Guevara thinks you're a loose canon . . .

+1

thebigcheese wrote:I just want to say that...all of you have really cool last names.

Still don't know who you are. But then again I've never been very good at stalking.

Portia wrote: I would argue that one could be Mormon without necessarily being active in the LDS church. Possible examples:

...

Culturally: ... have played the piano since the age of 3 and collect board games... well, you're not normal, that's for sure. Good chance you're "Mormon" if you were at least raised in the Church

Since this topic has derailed more than the train in that episode of Human Target I was watching with my roommate, I'm going to slightly move it back: are you saying my relatives are not normal? Did I inherit this abnormality? If so, great. If not, is that curable?

Moving it back more: I think that to claim to be "Mormon" you don't necessarily have to be "active", but I think (for example) that if you don't believe any of the church's basic tenets it doesn't make sense to so label yourself. In that case I would probably say "I was raised Mormon" or something like that.

On the other hand, being inactive doesn't disqualify you automatically from claiming Mormon-ness any more than failing to attend any other church would disqualify you from claiming that as your religion, or failing to attend Weight Watchers disqualifies my mom from membership in said institution.

Even doubting or questioning beliefs doesn't stop you from being Mormon (otherwise I would have stopped being Mormon a long time ago). If you don't question anything anyone tells you either (A) are a computer, (B) are under the age of ten, or (C) have recently been processed by the Ministry of Love.

Five years later ... I'm writing the book I wanted to see! O_O An editor used that exact comparison to "My Name Is Asher Lev." *dies*

I want to read that book! When's it coming to an e-reader near me?

mic0 wrote:I want to read that book! When's it coming to an e-reader near me?

I'll be submitting around Christmas, hopefully finding an agent and doing edits with him/her early next year, then maybe a pub date in late 17 or 18! I turn 30 in 2018, so.

I just looked up "My Name is Asher Lev," it looks great. I'm excited to hear more about your book-progress in the future! Sounds so cool/relevant to my interests.

mic0 wrote:I just looked up "My Name is Asher Lev," it looks great. I'm excited to hear more about your book-progress in the future! Sounds so cool/relevant to my interests.

Thank you. I'm very flattered. Are there any other loss of faith books/movies that you enjoyed?

I don't know a lot of books/movies in this genre, so I'm intrigued. I can't even think of anything besides The New York Regional Mormon Single's Halloween Dance, which I did really enjoy. +