#Latter-day Saint

[churchsideblog]

the state of my dashboard is very disorienting right now--i keep getting genconf posts and pokemon roleplay posts right next to each other and it's uh. whiplash.

#crossing my fingers that i don't accidentally rb a conference post to a roleplay blog... #edit: or vice versa i guess but it's less awkward to explain to you guys that i'm a roleplayer than to explain to the roleplayers that i'm #latter-day saint #yknow

[not-so-superheroine]

reorganized saint attending an LDS Ward tomorrow. what do I need to know?

hey y'all

most of my congregation will be out of state tomorrow so i was considering attending the local LDS ward instead. i haven't ever gone, and so let me know if there is anything I should know. I imagine it won't be that different than a Community of Christ meeting, as I have listened to Brighamite Saints who visit with us and they find our services familiar, but in a parallel universe sort of way. I am sure there are some differences. i know how to dress church-style modestly, and know to bring money for an offering, for example. But I will be attending alone and know that y'all have different types of wards, rather than being all together. i have scriptures but know mine are numbered and verified differently (and are sometimes in different books. the PoGP is in our Inspired Version of the Bible (the full JST) instead of a separate scripture book). I assume that won't be too big of a deal. Is there generally Sunday School? Should I try to go to a specific type of ward? Do you have anything to be avoided? Like some Christian sects don't like it when people wear red to church, for example.

#tumblrstake #queerstake #latter-day saint #latter day saint #so i am a “Latter Day Saint” but not a “Latter-day Saint” which only matters in writing. its a square / rectangle sort of situation

[mormonbooks]

Agents of Shield 1x09 "Repairs"

Alright, so this will be one of my exceptions to the rule. An episode that is not written by LDS people (to my knowledge) that has characters who are NOT explicitly stated to be LDS. However, I still wanted to include it.

Hannah Hutchins is a safety inspector for Staticorp in Batesville, Utah. In the real world, Batesville is a county within Toole, Utah, which is not far from where I grew up. Historically, Batesville was founded by Mormon Pioneers in 1852. The population of Toole is 70.2% members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, so given the fact that the people in this episode are portrayed as being very religious, it is fair to assume that they are meant to be Mormons.

From her appearance, Hannah Hutchins looks like she could be LDS. This denim jacket, over a sweater vest, over a button up shirt look feels very much like something I saw people wearing in 2013. Its definitely modest enough to cover up the temple garments if she wears them. There is also something about the way she talks that just feels right to me, although obviously that has more to do with region and less to do with personal religious beliefs.

One thing wrong with her costume, however, is the cross around her neck. Although we are Christian, most Latter-Day Saints don’t subscribe to the iconography of the cross. There are various arguments as to why not, but regardless of the reason, it is simply not a part of our religious tradition. A Mormon would be more likely to have a Young Women’s medallion around her neck, or maybe something purchased from Deseret Book.

She works as a safety inspector for Staticorp – a company that was trying to create a particle accelerator. This means she must have had a high level of both technical and scientific understanding, enough to understand when things were up to code and how to fix them when they weren’t. I think this job makes a lot of sense for a Mormon, because a huge part of our faith is a respect for science and a push to become educated about how the world works. It also makes sense, as a safety inspector is meant to keep everyone safe, and as Skye observes in the episode, Hannah is a very empathetic person.

Skye’s whole description of Hannah sounds like a perfect fit for many Latter-Day Saints I know; “Overly nice, never misses a birthday post for her friends, runs the youth program at her church, rescues dogs….she genuinely cares.” In general, Mormon Culture is full of people who make sure they never let anyone feel forgotten. It sounds like she probably works with the Young Women in her ward (I will forgive Skye for changing the phrasing), potentially as the Young Women president. There are also a lot of Mormons who love dogs, and see it as part of their duty to God to take care of his creatures on the earth. (Of course, none of these are specific to Latter-Day Saints, but they certainly don’t detract from reading Hannah as Mormon).

However, the religious attitudes presented in the episode fall far from Mormon belief. For one, Hannah has a tendency to say “oh Lord,” or “oh God,” and although these are not said flippantly and there is a reverence behind them, most Latter-Day saints simply do not say that. It’s considered taking the Lord’s name in vain, and it’s just not common for us to do. Additionally, the way her neighbors react to the tragedy Hannah was apart of feels distinctly unmormon. Although LDS wards can certainly be cruel to people they reject, the cruelty never expresses itself as angry mobs throwing things at people. I have seen many people become pariahs in their communities (although never for causing the death of 4 people, but still) and Latter-Day Saints are much quieter and more passive-aggressive. I suppose it is possible for this to happen in some LDS communities, there is sometimes really WILD Drama that happens in certain wards, but if this kind of situation were to happen in MY community, I imagine that most people would simply feel too awkward to talk to Hannah, and the Bishop, Relief Society President, and others, would probably go out of their way to see how Hannah was doing, and give her the resources she needed to repent and heal from this terrible occurrence. People who loved those killed in the accident would likely be praying and reading the scriptures asking God to help them forgive Hannah for killing their loved ones. Nobody would throw a brick at her.

Hannah’s response to her neighbors, however, does seem like something a Mormon could say. She wants to turn the other cheek, forgive them for being angry with her. She is trying to be accountable for her actions, an attitude that is often encouraged in LDS spaces, even to a fault. Her fear that God has abandoned her does not fit into our doctrine, however I could see a Latter-day Saint coming to that conclusion after what Hannah has been through. We believe that keeping the commandments helps us have The Spirit with us, and wearing our temple garments (if we keep the covenants we made in the temple) protects us. Her saying that God isn’t protecting her anymore could mean that she fears, killing those people – even by accident – broke her covenant with God, so she no longer has the protection she had before. Most people don’t think the garments literally protect us from evil spirits, but after what Hannah has experienced, I could see her coming to that conclusion. However, a Mormon would not say demons, we would say Evil Spirits.

Another phrasing issue is Tobias believing he is in Hell. Although we talk about Hell very often, it is in more of a metaphorical sense, we do not believe that there is a place of fire and brimstone where sinners go. Instead, we believe that after death our spirits enter The Spirit World, and they can either be in a state of peace of prison. I guess saying “I’m in spirit prison” or “maybe I won’t go to the telestial kingdom” sounds less epic on television. Additionally, for Mormons who grow up in a culturally Christian US, although we might not technically believe in Hell, some of us internalize that belief anyway, which could explain why Tobias fell to that as an explanation for his state between worlds.

An interesting thing about this episode for me, is that I was always taught the Spirit World was like another plane, or dimension, that existed parallel to our world. This is not a commonly taught Mormon belief, as I’ve talked to many Latter-Day Saints who have never heard of such a thing, but having that as my personal background made this episode rather interesting. The “Hell” dimension that Tobias enters is parallel to this earth and he is able to shift between the two of them. For Mormons who believe in ghosts and spirits (not too many will talk about it openly but some do) this portrayal of dimension shifting actually kind of fits. Although neither of the supposedly Mormon characters in the episode think of it that way.

But finally, it is Hannah’s characterization of God that feels the most out of place. One thing that sets the LDS church apart from many other Christian faiths is that we do not harp on about “God’s wrath.” Yes, we believe in Sin, and yes, the church can be a very unpleasant place for people who don’t fit into “the ideal,” I’m not trying to claim that we are all perfect people, but our depiction of God is of a loving Heavenly Father (and Heavenly Mother) who will do everything possible to help us come home to Him (and Her).  What Skye says to Hannah is much much more reflective of how the LDS church talks about God.

“’God is love.’ It’s simple and it’s a little sappy, but that’s the version I like. God is love…the thing that holds us together. And if that’s true, I don’t think he would punish you for making a mistake. I think he’d forgive a mistake.”

Now for my ratings:

1. Well written – 4 Stars. The episode is interesting but some of the dialogue comes off too cheesy for my taste

2. Fun level – 5 stars! The background fun happening among the agents is really entertaining. Also I’m biased, this is my favorite TV show

3. Complex faith – 2 stars. The actual religious people are not portrayed in a very kind light, but I really like Skye and Hannah’s conversation about God. I was gonna give it 4 stars because it’s the only episode of AoS where people are actually allowed to be religious at all, but this episode made my roommate’s mom feel really sad and hurt so now it gets 2.

4. Homophobia scale – 1 star. Ward and May are having sex and I find that personally offensive.

5. Mormon weird – 0 stars. Nothing specifically Mormon happens in the episode. It really feels like they wanted to have an episode about deeply Christian communities, and decided to put it in Utah because that’s where the “fanatics” are or something, rather than actually looking at the majority religion in this area.

6. Diversity of characters – eeh 3 stars. The Mormons are all white, which is fair in Utah but not all of us are white. AoS cast has their lovely 2 female Asian leads though, so that’s fun.

7. Other problematic stuff – 5 stars. It’s great! Idk, the pranks are silly.

All that being said, it is possible that Hannah is meant to be a different kind of Christian, and a religious minority in Toole, Utah. In that case, all of this can be disregarded.

#mormon representation #lds representaiton #Latter-Day Saint #Agents of Shield #Religion #Mormon #Church of Jesus Christ

[josiahreckons]

Sabbath Speeches: Authenticity

This talk was delivered in a sacrament meeting in the Summer Hill Ward, in Palmerston North, New Zealand on the 10th of March 2024. ‘To thine own self be true’, is a line from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. It is spoken by a man giving his son advice. The sentiment has become very popular. Be true to yourself, we say. Intuitively, it feels like a good thing. Sometimes it’s hard to even pin down who…

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#Against Authenticity #be true to yourself #Elder Gong #General Conference #Jesus Christ #Josiah reckons #latter-day saint #Love is Spoken Here #Matthew 16 #Psychopath Diary #The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

[heathersdesk]

There are a lot of adults going to church today who are going to be Pikachu-face surprised when they get to judgment and are handed a millstone to place around their necks because of how unsafe they've made this world for children.

#mormon #lds #mormonism #tumblrstake #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #religion #faith #queerstake #christianity

[christiansinternational]

#bible #bible quote #bible scripture #bible study #bible verse #christian tumblr #christianity #jesus christ #god #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints

[demigodofhoolemere]

Let’s go!

#religion #genconf #ldsconf #general conference #the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints

[eve-ate-the-right-fruit]

I don't wanna think celestial, I wanna live celestial

I wanna help build a society without poverty, where we recognize the divinity within all members of our human family, and I wanna build it here in this world rather than being preoccupied with the next

#ldsconf #tumblrstake #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints

[beautiful-littlefool]

People who talk about how “how could you believe in the church ever, how did they talk you into getting baptized when you were 8? I NEVER would’ve fallen for that!” Did you believe in the Easter Bunny? The tooth fairy? Santa Clause? All things that are made up but you believed were true even though there were some weird and honestly creepy aspects of it if you look at it now, but you still believed in it and believed in the good parts of those things. Do not blame people for believing in something that they were fully taught was the truth because the people around them were taught it was the truth. Do not criticize a little kid for believing in Santa.

#exmo #pimo #exmormon #santa claus #easter #easter bunny #tooth fairy #church of jesus christ of latter day saints #ex christian #christianity #religious deconstruction #religion

[latterdaysainttemples]

Inside the newly renovated Manti Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Read the Church Newsroom article. Learn more about Latter-day Saint temples, their purposes, and find a temple open house near you.

Built 1888, renovated 1985, rededicated 2024.

#manti utah #utah #ut #usa #church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints #lds #temple #mormon #history #art #interior design #photography #architecture #christianity #christian #religion

[victoriadallonfan]

I don't agree with a lot of Sanderson's politics - and they aren't, in fact, based in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints doctrine, but rather Utah culture - but it also makes me pretty uncomfortable to hear you badmouthing the church I'm part of?

I badmouth religious organizations in general, Catholic Church included (in which I was raised) because they tend to be overwhelmingly corrupt and abusive towards their own church members (and especially towards people outside of them)

Mormonism in particular is especially bad for how being part of the church requires “tithings” from paychecks plus their treatment of women, minorities, and even men in ways that are almost so explicitly manipulative and cultish that it feels like it comes out of parody.

(For example, I simply declared, “I am no longer catholic” and that was it. Done. You cannot generally do the same in LDS without incredible backlash and slander by its members)

And it’s very obvious when it shows up in fictional books by a lot of Mormon writers, because it’s so conservative that it’s a step or two behind the times.

It’s not as bad as Westeros Westboro Baptist Church or Scientology, but that’s not a high bar to clear.

If your time in the church was different, I’m happy for you, because it means you likely avoided the worst parts of their abuse.

Still, if you have the time, I’d suggest watching these videos (in no particular order):

Why I Left Mormonism - Video covering the creation of the channel “Cults to Consciousness” and her abusive home life under the church

The BITE Model - Simple PowerPoint explaining the reoccurring factors of cults

Ex-Mormon Cast Reacts to Mormon Debates -Cast of ex-Mormon members react to a Mormon debate and highlight various lies and falsehoods presented, as well talk about teachings/history Mormon Church does not want revealed publicly

How the Mormon Church ‘Help Line’ Hid Child Abuse - Exactly what it says. Survivors speak out and the church has done nothing for them or worse.

If you don’t want to watch these videos, if you can’t stomach the testimonies, ask yourself and others these questions:

- How often are you allowed to preach about Heavenly Mother?

- How often do you see women in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine and not just playing piano or making food for the men?

- How often do you see minorities in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine or being treated as a token?

- How often does your church talk about the incredibly high suicide rates for children and how it’s associated with its practices?

- How come when a racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic etc Prophet speaks its “the word of God” and doctrine, but then another Prophet can simply claim it was mere “policy”. Was ‘God’ lying to the prophets? Were the prophets lying about God? How can you trust what is their words and what is God?

- How come the church hid $30 Billion dollars from the public and even its own lower members?

- How come the founder lied about what was on the Egyptian papyrus, claiming it was a translation from God, but people who can actually read Egyptian pointed out he was lying?

- How come you get treated differently for asking these supposedly easy to answer questions?

I do not go after Brandon or you because you happen to be religious. I think belief in a higher power is one’s own choice and prerogative.

I instead care far more about the religious system that is using well-intended people like pawns for goals that pretty much boil down to money and power.

#rant #religion #cw: religious trauma #religious trauma #mormonism #Mormon #church of latter day saints #lds church #cults to consciousness #ex mormon #ex Mormon podcast #brandon sanderson #utah

[spurgie-cousin]

#flds #fundamentalist mormon #ex-mormon #tiktok #fundamentalist church of latter day saints

[roses-red-and-pink]

Do the LDS have any special holidays or is it just Christmas and Easter? If the answer is yes, please talk a bit about them! If not, any ideas what they might be?

Hmmm the only one I can think of would be Pioneer Day?? (July 24? I think?) But I think that’s mostly just a Utah thing not worldwide. Since I live in the “Mormon Corridor” of Canada with lots of our ancestry being from Utah we do sometimes celebrate a little bit as in like we sing a pioneer type hymn in church that week. Some years I remember talks about pioneer ancestors in church. I don’t think it happens as much anymore here.

I guess we also remember the anniversary of the church’s reorganization (Apr 6) and those who are really on the ball might know the anniversary of the first vision (I don’t) It’s not really a holiday though. More just like “huh thats neat” and maybe some years they will do a special broadcast on like the 175 anniversary or something.

But as everyone knows, general conference weekend is the biggest holiday there is 😂

#christianity #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #sorry I should explain #general conference is a worldwide broadcast twice a year from church leaders #a weekend each in April and October #we watch the broadcast instead of going to church #lots of families have traditions like special meals or staying in pjs all day or conference watch parties #it’s like the Super Bowl but spiritually uplifting lol

[growingupmormon]

Reading M. Kelters essay in Knowing Why: adult diagnosed autistic people on life and autism 

There was a moment where I couldn’t help but feel so seen and this page was it

I hid, but my favorite place wasn’t in the ceiling but in a tiny secret closet off of one of the classrooms on the second floor above the sacrament meeting. I could see the meeting from up there and would know when it would be over.

And yes I see the irony of literally hiding in a closet at church!

#former mormon #lds #exmo #exmormon #mormon #apostake #ex mormon #apostate #mormons #church #asd #autism #actuallyautistic #religion #church of jesus christ of latter day saints #exlds #ex lds #ex cult #formermormon #former lds #lgbt+ #mkelter #m Kelter

[josiahreckons]

Modernising the standard works with machine learning (part III): LDSBot

In part II, I used ChatGPT to modernise verses from the LDS standard works. ChatGPT is a fine-tuned GPT-3.5, trained using supervised learning and reinforcement learning. I recently read about LDSBot, an OpenAIAPI project that uses the ChatGPT-4 model. LDSBot is part of the Mormonr project by the B. H. Roberts Foundation. I wanted to see how LDSBot would modernise these…

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#Book of Mormon #Early Modern English #Joseph Smith #Josiah reckons #latter-day saint #LDS #machine learning translation #Modernisation #Scripture #The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

[heathersdesk]

"Do not let them make you feel small."

#mormon #lds #mormonism #tumblrstake #religion #faith #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #queerstake