Non-medical vaccinations

Before heading to Mexico to live for two years, I was given several shots. One of them felt like peanut butter being pumped into my hindquarters—chunky, not smooth. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV, but as I understand it, vaccinations are basically injecting a person with a small amount of whatever disease you’re trying to protect them from.

When I learned about that, I thought it was the dumbest thing ever. Why would you expose someone to a disease you don’t want them to get?

I remember being told that a small amount won’t cause you to get the disease, but instead, it will allow your body to learn how to fight the disease if it encounters it in a big way.

In the LDS church, there is a saying that members should be “in the world, but not of the world.” What does that mean? Well, my take on it is this: members need to exist in society, but should live to a higher standard than society. I think it’s a great idea. Just as there is peer pressure to do bad things, there can also be those who are an example of making good choices.

And here is where I may upset a few people—which won’t be the first time and I doubt will be the last. Sometimes I feel that there are those, and not only of the LDS faith, who focus too much on only part of the phrase “in the world, but not of the world”—that being the latter half.

As a parent of four daughters, three of them teenagers, I understand the desire to keep children out of harm’s way. Yet, if I shelter them too much, I’m doing a different type of harm: they won’t know how to deal with worldly issues if they aren’t exposed to them.

My vaccine metaphor is imperfect. I do not advocate that any parent should give kids drugs, or hand them a magazine of pornography, or swear at them so their children can learn the “bad words.”

But neither do I suggest that parents should never talk to their children about the vices of the world for fear that the children may become curious enough to seek them out.

What I’ve seen firsthand are young adults who leave their parents’ home and cannot interact with people in the “real world.” They’ve never had any exposure to what is out there, “in the world,” and when they are faced with it, they haven’t learned how to deal with it.

And if people can’t interaction with the world, how can that be a positive influence on it?

Restaurants

There was a recent story about how some 150 people left the Mormon church en mass. It gave me a lot to think about. I decided to express my feelings in a short story.

Take from it what you will.

After Jim entered the restaurant, he noticed everyone was looking at him. Their expressions showed different emotions: curiosity, indifference, and distain. Everyone was in either a fancy dress or a tuxedo. He looked down at his T-shirt and blue jeans. They were clean and free of holes or rips, yet still he felt uncomfortable.

He had heard good things about this restaurant. The food was supposed to be excellent. He didn’t realize how they patrons would be dressed.

“Welcome,” the hostess said. She smiled at him. “How many?”

He’d come by himself, which only added to his feeling of awkwardness. The food smelled delicious and his mouth started to water. Still, his growing feeling of uneasiness overrode his desire to eat.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I came to the wrong place.”

He spun and left the restaurant and walked out to the busy street. Everywhere he looked, he saw different restaurants. People were walking up and down the sidewalks, looking at the different places to eat.

Jim saw several people wearing T-shirts and blue jeans going into a restaurant a bit further down the street. He followed after them.

He stepped into the restaurant. No one looked up at him when he came in. There wasn’t a hostess at the door to greet him. He saw that he would have to go up to the counter and place his order and then find a place to sit.

The menu was on the wall lit up with neon lights. Most of the meals listed were offered at the restaurants he’d visited before. Jim walked up to the counter, placed his order and soon was sitting down to eat.

“I’m so glad I left that fancy restaurant across the street,” someone said at a table next to him. “I didn’t like all the way they ran it.”

“Yeah,” another person said. “While most of the people were nice, I felt like some of them judged me because I didn’t wear a tuxedo.”

“And they didn’t have my favorite drink!” yet another person said. “I tried to get them to offer it, but they wouldn’t. They are so close minded.”

Jim looked around the restaurant. In general, people were eating and looked comfortable. His meal was okay, but he thought back to how the food smelled at the nicer restaurant. He wondered how that would have tasted. He considered that as he looked around the restaurant full of people largely ignoring each other and focusing on their own meals.

Sunday School Answers

Regardless of what religion you follow, considering you believe in God, I'm sure there are basic things you are taught to do. I've often heard these referred to as "Sunday School Answers".

For example, if someone were to ask you what you can do to be more spiritual, the Sunday School answer would be, "Go to church, read your scriptures, say your prayers."

What about if you are going through a rough stretch in your life? Maybe you've lost your job, had a relationship end, had health issues, or any other number of things. If you ask a religious person what you should do, you may get the same Sunday School answers.

Lately, I've noticed some people ask questions in a religious setting, and before they allow people to respond, they'll say, "And I don't want the Sunday School answers."

To which I reply, "Why not?"

I honestly think that sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. There is something to be said for doing the basics consistently. That's true in many aspects of life. Do you want to lose weight? Eat right and exercise. Do you want to learn how to play a musical instrument? Practice. Do you find that you are tired all the time? Make sure you get enough rest.

For the example of losing weight, how many different diets are out there? How many of them contradict each other? But no one can deny if you eat less and exercise, you'll lose weight.

There is a great story which I'm sure I'll mess up if I try to retell it verbatim, so I'll paraphrase.

A Native American young man has a vivid dream one night. He sees there are two wolves inside him—each fighting for dominance. The dream is powerful enough that he goes to see his wise grandfather to ask about it. The grandfather responds that every person has two wolves inside of them: one that seeks to be good, and one that seek to be evil. The young man asks, "Which one will win?" The grandfather responds, "Which ever one you feed."

My point here is that by doing the basics in a consistent manner, we're feeding the proper wolf.

And so, the next time someone responds to a question with the "Sunday School answers", I'm going to stand up and shout "Halleluiah!"—or at the very least, smile and nod my head in agreement.

Book review of "All that was Promised" by Vickie Hall

Having been raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints, I am very familiar with its history. Still, I enjoy reading stories about the early saints and the trials they had to endure. I've also been drawn to the UK as my father's family came from a small town outside of Bristol, England. So, when I got the chance to review a book that featured these two areas, I was excited to do so.

All that was promised takes place in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales in 1847. Reverend Richard Kenyon is the leader of a Methodist church in the area. His brother, Rodger, continued with the family business, while Richard felt a higher calling. Early in the book, Richard meets Ben Lachlan, a missionary from America sent to Wales. Ben is there to teach the people of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Richard finds himself drawn to this missionary, and he converts, much to the chagrin of his wife and many others in the town. Over time, more people join, but just as there are forces of good at work here, there are those who would try to stop it. 

Enter in one John Morgan (which happens to be my father's name--and hopefully no relation to this character) who seeks out to destroy the church. What happens next is often heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating, but also, faith promoting. When you know something is right, it is amazing what you'll put up with. 

It seemed to me that Hall did her research on this project. Everything fit into the time frame perfectly and seemed very plausible. I like how she included words and various customs and foods from the time period. It's those little details that help give credibility to a book. 

Overall I enjoyed the book. As a fellow author, I know how hard it is to write a novel, so over all, I applaud Vickie Hall on her accomplishment. 

There were a few minor things I struggled with in the book. First, it seemed people tended to embrace or fight against the Mormon church fairly quickly. Now, as a member myself, I get that. Once you've received an answer to your prayers through the power of the Holy Ghost, it's something you can't deny. However, for those that haven't experienced that, I can see them doubting that some people were too quick to join. For that reason, I think current members of the LDS church will understand, but others may find it hard to believe. 

The second thing that tripped me up a bit was that the book was written in third person, but would often jump from person to person in the same scene. Example, at the start of a scene we may be in Richard's head, experiencing what he is experiencing. A few sentences later, we may be in Ben's head, seeing things from his point of view. Because we didn't stay with one character for any length of time, I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters like I wanted to. Again, to be fair, this was my opinion and no doubt based on my personal preferences. My wife read the book and had no issues with the point of view changes, so again, I think that is just a personal preference. 

Third, the brothers in the book are named Richard and Rodger. I sometimes got the two confused. My wife said she noted the same thing. Perhaps the names were too similar? 

As for who would enjoy this book? For certain, members of the LDS faith, I'd say 12 and older. There are some pretty dramatic scenes in this book which may be disturbing to younger readers. Even then, I'd say this would equate to a PG rating. 

Lastly, the book leaves the possibilities open to continue the story. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not. It doesn't really feel like it has a proper ending, though in general, it does end on a satisfying note. I'm curious what happens next, so I would be interested in reading a follow up to All that was Promised.

As a final test of how good this book is, my wife stayed up late (like reallllllllllly late) one night to finish it.

To find out more about Vickie Hall, click here.

To purchase this book, click here.

**Disclaimer: I received a promotional copy of this book for reviewing purposes. However, the opinions stated in this review are truly my honest feelings about the book.**

A "I can't believe what just happened" moment, part 2

In a previous blog, I discussed a certain situation where if I hadn't experienced it personally, I'm not sure I would have believed it.

Today, I had another one of those moments.

At my place of employment, we were wrapping up for the day. I was talking with one of my co-workers about religion. She's Catholic and I'm a Mormon. It was a very nice conversation. She was curious about what I believed in and what made it different from other religions. I explained some of the basic beliefs as we walked around the building, closing things up for the night.

We got to an area that requires two people to close, but we couldn’t do so until a certain time. I pulled my smart phone out of my pocket (I don't wear a watch) to see if it was time. We had to wait a couple of minutes. As we stood there, I explained to her that in the end, my faith doesn't come from what I know as much as what I feel. I can deny things I read or what people tell me, but I can't deny what I feel. And sometimes that feeling tells me what I'm reading is true, or what I'm hearing is God's word.

As I was basically bearing my testimony to her, we started to hear angelic music. At first I thought it was muzak piped through the building, but the sound was much closer and it wasn't the type of music that we normally heard.

She asked me, "Do you hear that music?" I said I did, and asked her if it was her cell phone, because mine didn't have a ringtone like that, plus, mine vibrates when it rings and I would have felt it. She said her phone was at her desk.

We looked at each other for a moment, not sure what was going on.

As my ears tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, I thought to check my phone which I had put back into my pocket. On the display was the internet radio app Pandora, and the song it was playing was a Christmas song from Amy Grant I'd not heard before. (Pandora has different "stations" you create by picking certain types of music or artist, and it was playing the Christmas station I had created.)

"You did that on purpose!" she accused, laughing slightly. I told her I hadn't. Sometimes if I don't turn off my phone just right, it will randomly activate an app. Before then, it had never started the Pandora app. Even stranger is that is started my Christmas station.

She said how it was a big coincidence that here we were talking about God, and all of a sudden my phone decides to play angelic music. I told her I didn't believe it was a coincidence--I told her that when I heard the music, I felt peace and comfort.

And those feelings were things I could not deny.    

Calling good evil and evil good

Warning! Warning! Highly opinionated blog posted ahead!

First of all, if at any time during this blog you feel the need to write a scathing comment below of how wrong I am, please just walk away. The purpose of this blog is not to incite harsh feelings in anyone. If you start to feel upset at me for what I've written, then stop and move on. This blog isn't intended for you.

Before I dove head first into the writing world, I had never had a Facebook account. Nor did I have a blog. But both of these have been invaluable tools to reach out to many people as well as connect with people of similar interests.

 
Of course, when you become socially active, you run into people who don't share your beliefs--which can be enlightening or frustrating or somewhere in the middle.

Last night, I came across this ad on Facebook:

And no, I didn't alter it at all.

The first thing that came to my mind was the scripture from Isaiah 5:20 that says: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness‍ for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

Can you imagine that same message being placed on a pack of cigarettes? "This product is dangerously addictive. Smoke now!"

I'm not going to put out a blanket statement that all video games are bad. There are those that believe that because some video games may be bad, they all should be avoided. But couldn't that same logic be used on magazines, TV shows, Movies, Books, Internet sites, blogs. . .

That is why Heavenly Father gave us the ability to choose and have the ability to discern good from evil. Just like I stated before, if you find yourself reading this blog and are offended, well, stop reading it. You have a choice.

For me, nothing symbolizes this concept of calling good evil and evil good like the recent Broadway play, "The Book of Mormon." There have been a lot of articles written, both pro and con about the play. It recently won numerous Tony Awards. (Trademarked name I'm sure)

I haven't seen the play, nor do I intend to. I have read the synopsis and was saddened by what I read. It's almost hard to believe that such a play could ever be produced, let alone get awards, for its blatant mockery of an organized church.

One article I read compared it to the "Amos 'n' Andy" days of America--something that wouldn't be tolerated now. The writer of that article went on to suggest that in a few decades, people may look back at this play and shake their heads that it was produced.

In an attempt to justify the play, one of the people commented on the article by saying, "The play won numerous awards. How many awards has the actual Book of Mormon won?" Awards? Is that how we base if something is good or not? How about asking the millions of people who have read the Book of Mormon and have had their lives changed forever.

However, one thing I've learned over the years, is that there are people who won't understand how offensive something like this play is to those who hold the doctrine sacred.

I imagine it would be like trying to describe the different between red and pink to someone who has been blind from birth. Without a common point of reference, all the detailed explanations in the world won't help them understand the difference.    

Stating beliefs isn't the same as attacking someone

I'm leery about posting this blog, which is the very reason I need to do so.

To make one point clear off the top: I believe that everyone is free to choose their actions. I also believe that people are accountable for their actions. Having said that, I know I have opinions and beliefs that are different from others, just as they have opinions different from mine.

 

What bothers me, and is the point of this blog, are the inconsistencies in society.

 Here is what triggered me thinking on this subject: Mitt Romney is running for President of the United States of America. I'm not going to bring up politics or discuss his policies. But almost without fail, every article about him has to mention that he's a Mormon. For the record, so am I. And therefore, all sorts of things are brought up in the media about the Mormon church, which, by-the-way, is a nickname for the true name: The Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints.

When I lived in Connecticut, I faced all sorts of questions about my religion. Some of the comments / questions bordered on harassment. Examples: How many wives do you have? Can I see your magical underwear? Did you have to shave off your horns when you left Utah? One person went as far as to say I was prejudice against gay people because Mormons believe it's a sin to commit a homosexual act. Had I personally done anything or said anything to demonstrate any sort of prejudice behavior? No. It was just because of my religion that this person made this assumption and comment about me.

Another thing I found disturbing was when Romney was running back in 2007. There was a local paper in Connecticut that was very "liberal" (their word, not mine) which ran a very negative article about Mitt Romney. Their main issue with Romney? Because he was a Mormon. They went as far as to print the "damning evidence" against Romney. What was this evidence? It was a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World released by the Mormon church in 1995 which states that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

 

Also recently in the news is the story of Roger McDowell, pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves who was suspended because he made some anti-gay slurs towards some fans. There was an outcry at his behavior, with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation calling on the Braves and Major League Baseball to take "real disciplinary action and send the message that anti-gay slurs have no place in sports."

Do I agree with them? Yes, absolutely. I believe verbal attacks on anyone based on their beliefs shouldn't be permitted.

However, there is a difference between slurs and stating your beliefs on something.

The Mormon church made it very clear in its support of California Proposition 8 in what it believed in. Yet, it was amazing how many verbal attacks were made against the church for supporting it. Which brings me back to Mitt Romney. I'm going to find it very interesting to see the comments made toward him and the church from people who don't share the same beliefs.

It boils down to this: can you verbally or in print attack someone and state your beliefs at the same time? Yes. Can you state your beliefs and not verbally or in print attack someone? Yes.

In other words, just because I don't agree with you, doesn't mean I hate you or am out to get you. At the same time, if I feel strongly enough about something, I'm going to do all I can to support that belief. But for heaven's sake, if we disagree, let's use tact and keep it civil.   

"Who's at the door?" book review

It's rare for me to read a book in under a day. Honestly, I can't recall the last time I did that--until I read "Who's at the door?" by Dan Harrington.
The subtitle of the book is "A memoir of me and the missionaries"--and that is what it is. It's more than just a one person's dealings with Mormon (LDS) missionaries, it is also a book where Dan explores his own belief system--and why he believes what he does.
This isn't a typical conversion story, but almost a "work in progress" as Dan searches for understanding. He asks questions I'm sure most of us have asked, and then either excepts or struggles when the answers don't fit into his previous beliefs.
While this book has highly spiritual overtones, it is also very funny. Dan has an excellent sense of humor and I found myself laughing more than at any recent movie or TV show in recent memory. He certainly is an excellent writer--and knows how to keep a narrative flowing.
There were surprises throughout the book, which I don't want to spoil, but that got me, as a lifelong member of the LDS church, to ponder.
There is so much more I want to reveal about the book, but I fear in doing so, I will ruin the experience for other readers.
So, who would enjoy this book? Well, it isn't just for Mormons. In fact, I can think of a dozen or so non-Mormon friends I'm going to whom I'm going to recommend this book. Granted, members of the LDS faith, especially those have served missions, will get an extra kick out of the book. There is so much as Mormons we take for granted, and it was refreshing to see our church through Dan's eyes.
I honestly hope two things for Dan. Number 1: that he finds the answers to his questions and lives a happy life. Number 2: That he writes more books--and soon.

Ohmyhecknoway!

Growing up in Utah Valley was quite the experience. It most certainly has its own unique culture--which isn't a bad thing. It just is what it is. As a general rule of thumb, traditional swearing was frowned upon by the general public, but that didn't stop people from uttering different words instead.
What kind of "curse" words would you hear in Utah Valley when I was growing up? Well, there was "shoot", "darn", "fetch", "heck", and "jeeze" to name a few. One of the more common exclamations was "Oh my heck, no way!" However, it was so common, and often said very quickly, it was jokingly referred to as one word, hence, "ohmyhecknoway!"
There were those that told me that saying a substitute for a word was just as bad as saying the "real" swear word. For example, if I were to hit my thumb with a hammer and then proceeded to yell, "FETCH!" it was the same as dropping the F-bomb (that's a nice way we referred to that other "F" word).
On this point, I'm going to respectfully disagree. I don't believe that using a different word in place of a swear word is the same. Why? Simple. Words have power.
Now, I'm not talking about the "My name is a killing word" (Dune reference) type of power. I'm saying that certain words in and of themselves have power. For example: "I now pronounce you man and wife" has a totally different meaning than "I now pronounce you man and banana."
Need another example? How about instead of "You are under arrest" you say, "You are under a mattress". Still not convinced? All right, one more: instead of "You're fired!" you say "You're hired!"