Tuesday
Another average day in the mines.

NPR/PRI Stories
The World: Arab Opposition to U.S. Offensive Plans in Iraq
The World: European Opposition to U.S. Offensive Plans in Iraq
The World: American Marijuana Expatriates in Canada
The World: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The World: Fossils Found on the Isle of Man
Talk of the Nation: Women’s Health (Part V): Mental Health and Depression
Talk of the Nation: Addressing September 11th in the Classroom
All Things Considered: Saudi Relations
All Things Considered: Transplanted Cells as Diabetes Treatments
All Things Considered: Clinton & Elvis (commentary)
All Things Considered: ‘The New Rabbi’ (This ties into tonight’s rant.)
All Things Considered: Foster Siblings
All Things Considered: ‘Esther’s Children’ – The Jewish Experience in Iran


Soapbox Rant
(Note: I will be using some terms that are specific to the LDS faith here. It’s amazing what you pick-up living here for four years…. I have attempted, with Jess’ help, to find analogues for these in terms of other Christian faiths. Click here for a rough outline of the Catholic Church hierarchy, for comparison. The definitions follow the diatribe.)

Land (friend, co-worker, owner of the “boy truck”) spoke at Sacrament Meeting¹ in his Ward¹ on Sunday. As a Young Men’s Leader¹, he talks with and counsels some of the teen youth… who often ask him things that they are not comfortable bringing up with their parents. Sometimes, these questions involve things of a sexual nature. And so…

As I said: He spoke at Sacrament Meeting this past Sunday. (Note: His Bishop¹ wasn’t there, but the Stake President ¹ was.) Part of his speech was about the need for change in the way that some issues are addressed, or at least thought about, in Mormon culture. And, yes, sexual mores were a big part of it. He also asserted that the challenges that “Baby Boomers” faced are not the same ones that their Generation X kids are facing today… and that the Boomers needed to be aware of this and might have to do some paradigm shifting in order to deal with this. Some people got what he was saying. Some didn’t. The reactions ranged from “I don’t get it” to “Oh, my….”

Land received a call from his Bishop Monday. It seems that there was just enough uproar and furor over what was said to make some people uncomfortable. So, the people spoke with the Stake President and he, in turn, spoke with the Bishop. It seems that most of the criticism was not so much about the content of Land’s speech, but the venue. To his credit, the Bishop did listen to Land’s points and reasons for making them and gave them due reflection. However, Land was basically told that he will not be asked to speak for “some time…” at the Stake President’s insistence. And, from what he told me, he will remain a Young Men’s Leader.

What’s my take on this?
In the two years (and some months) that I have known him, I have never known Land not to stand up, with conviction, for his beliefs. His points are usually very well thought out and organized. His arguments are very articulate. And, as with most good debaters, he is willing to listen to and consider counterpoints. It takes fortitude to stand before any group of people and present an idea or a concept. To do so in a congregation and challenge the established mores? That takes not only fortitude, but bucketloads of moxie, too! I commend him for taking his stand and for not being afraid of what some members might think.

  • Land hears things from these kids that they are not willing/able to share directly with their parents.
  • As a member of the congregation, he feels responsibility to both the youth and to their parents.
  • He wanted to make sure that the parents were aware of the types of issues that the kids are bringing to him.
  • He had a forum in which to present these topics to all/most/many of the parents, at one time.

Was the Sunday afternoon pulpit the best place for this? Possibly not, but I won’t say “no” here. I think that it is important for people to be aware of what is going on in their kids lives. Were they shocked? You betcha! And that, to me, is a good thing. Why? Because, on the most basic level, it means that they were actually listening. It is also good because once the initial shock is over, it can lead to dialogue between the generations (and possibly even within the hierarcy of the church). I said “can” there because some people will prefer to gloss over the subject and act like it never came up OR they just didn’t get it (or see anything wrong) in the first place.

I’m sorry that the congregation felt so… threatened (?) …disquieted (?) … uncomfortable with his topic and his chosen venue, but if it is a catalyst for change or at least a few good discussions, then I think that he did the right thing.

¹ Definitions (or as best as I can approximate them):

  • Sacrament Meeting is roughly analogous to a communion service/Mass
  • Ward: Congregation (roughly). However, more than one Ward may meet in the same building; their services are held at different times.
  • Young Men’s Leader: Youth Minister for teens/young men.
  • Bishop: Minister/Pastor
  • Stake: A group of Wards.
  • Stake President: Similar to a Catholic Bishop


Peace.