It was on my mission. Sure, I had heard parts of it quoted in talks, and maybe I had even read a few words from print-outs, but the first time when I actually finally tried to give the damn thing (looks like there may be some swears) the Freevolved stamp of approval was the first week out of the MTC on my mission.

Holy shit. Yeah that's how I would describe my first experience with it. Shit dressed up in holiness. I think I actually saw them make that dish on Iron Chef once and the judges thought it actually tasted alright, but I wasn't very impressed...in fact, I was de-impressed, or depressed, or some kind of black hole sucking all of the joy out of your life in your stomachness feeling...

Anyways, I hated the thing. And this is why. Well actually the next few sentences are why. Freevolved is a feminist. He also believes what his penis is doing as far as multiplying and replenishing the earth is nobody elses business (why is it replenishing anyways? Shouldn't it just be plenishing? I mean were there some humans here before gawd supposedly put us here?). Wow, I'm like tangent city today. Is that in Mexico? Damn I love Mexico.

So I felt like this piece of proclamation paper was attacking me.

And to make matters worse...my companion LOVED IT! He's like, "Dude, Elder Freevolved, we need to hand out these proclamations to families we tract into. They'll love it to."

And I was like, "Dude, no they won't. Oh and stop calling me dude...you're a total geekess."

Anyways, he was the senior companion, so I had to follow his "wiseness." So my first day tracting we knock on this door and a lady with a baby, tattoos (the sinner), and a wedding ring comes to the door. My companion's eyes get really big. My eyes get really small.

He starts the conversation. I zone out.

..."and so we'd like to give you this proclamation. It's written by modern day prophets. Our church puts it out to state some of our beliefs." (companion turns to me)

....

"Umm...yeah." (I can't believe I'm doing this. Why are my hands moving. Why am I grabbing it. Stop DEVIL HANDS. STOP!)

"Here you go."

The lady takes it. Smiles kindly. Tells us to have a good day, but she is not interested in another meeting.

Door closes. All I can think of are phrases like "We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force." Who are we to barge into to people's houses and tell them that?

I hope she's not mad. I hope she's not really pissed. I hope she just laughs it off.

Yeah, she's probably laughing her ass off right now.

I never read the Proclamation but everyone I know has it hanging up in their house, framed all fancy like.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2011 02:00AM by prayershilton.

My mom had the stupid thing framed and gave it to all her children for Christmas one year. We put it on the wall to appease her for awhile and then quietly took it down after a few months and got rid of it.

Once I actually read the thing I realized it was not going to stay up very long. What a stupid, arrogant, hate-filled statement. Reading it made me realize that the church was pursuing an agenda. And it was just another one of those things in the church that I could not believe in.

and said to be plagiarized from the United Nations Statement.

Or was it in response to the UN statement...

At any rate, hardly inspiring. I remember being unimpressed

I don't remember what it says and I'm not about to go looking for it, but I remember it was more about what Mormons believe about marriage being ordained of God and consisting of one man and one woman. Okay, duh. But what they were really saying is that anything that does not agree with their definition of what a family is MUST BE DESTROYED. I didn't understand that, but it's pretty clear now this is what Mormons think. They should have proclaimed that to the world and not this mincing "proclamation" that doesn't actually proclaim their intentions at all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2011 09:46AM by Makurosu.

It is a pretty lame document. Is there any wonder that the "leadership" came out and stated it was NOT revelation.

I was "less active" on church rolls but really just disinterested when this document was released. My TBM parents called me and mailed me a copy of the proclamation and used words like "divine" and "holy".

Anyone cold have written this if they were told to put something together that supports hetero sex, family, and procreation in religious and absolute terms.

I went and shredded every copy of the Proclamation in the house last year. No one has missed them yet.

Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah, I dislike so much it because it's sexist (women are supposed to be SAHM while dads make money - no exceptions), and it demands you have kids (something that's very personal). Not only does it tell TBMs this, but it tells the whole world they must fit the mormon model, which I thought was arrogant even as a TBM. I was naive and really didn't know that much about TSCC when I went on my mission.

I also hate it because it's homophobic, but I don't think I realized that on my mish, and sadly, it may not have bothered me then if I did.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2011 12:27PM by Freevolved.

Everyone in my family has the famcy framed version in their house, but I have never read it.

I did make sure to point out to TBM sis that it seemed to be hanging on the wall in one of the wives' part of the house in Sister Wives though...

If a child or relative of mine forsakes the Gospel, the holy Priesthood, his God, and the kingdom of God, farewell to
that child or relative, whether near or distant. I own none as relatives, only those who love and serve our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. All that belong to my Father's house I own. I love them, I delight in their society, no
matter whether they are poor or rich, learned or unlearned, if they observe the laws of the kingdom of God and
live according to it.

JD 9:156, Brigham Young, January 19, 1862

“Monogamy, or restrictions by law to one wife, is no part of the economy of heaven among men. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman Empire... Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. Thus this monogamic order of marriage, so esteemed by modern Christians as a hold sacrament and divine institution, is nothing but a system established by a set of robbers.”

- Prophet Brigham Young, Deseret News, August 6, 1862
-------------------------------

“... the only thing to be careful of, is to find out when Emma comes then you cannot be safe, but when she is not here, there is the most perfect safety... I think Emma won’t come tonight – if she don’t, don’t fail to come tonight, I subscribe myself your obedient and affectionate companion and friend. Joseph Smith.

- Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., letter to Mr. and Mrs. Whitney and their daughter, Sarah Ann, as cited in Mormonism – Shadow or Reality?, by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, p. 58
-------------------


“Some Utah matches were even more startling. A man named Winchester married his mother, and Young himself sealed a mother and daughter to their cousin Luman A. Surtliff... He also sealed an elderly man to a fifty-seven-year-old woman and her fourteen-year-old granddaughter.”

- The Lion of the Lord: A Biography of Brigham Young, Stanley P. Hirshon, 1969, p. 126

--------------------------

“Joseph not only paid his addresses to the young and unmarried women, but he sought ‘spiritual alliance’ with many married ladies.... He taught them that all former marriages were null and void, and that they were at perfect liberty to make another choice of a husband. The marriage covenants were not binding, because they were ratified only by Gentile laws. These laws the Lord did not recognize; consequently all the women were free...
“One woman said to me not very long since, while giving me some of her experiences in polygamy: ‘The greatest trial I ever endured in my life was living with my husband and deceiving him, by receiving Joseph’s attentions whenever he chose to care to me.’ ... some of these women have since said they did not know who was the Father of her children; this is not to be wondered at, for after Joseph’s declaration annulling all Gentile marriages, the greatest promiscuity was practiced; and, indeed, all sense of morality seemed to have been lost by a portion at least of the church.”

- Ann Eliza Young, wife of Brigham Young, Wife No. 9, 1876, pp. 70-71
--------------------------


“It would be quite impossible, with any regard to propriety, to relate all the horrible results of this disgraceful system.... Marriages have been contracted between the nearest of relatives; and old men tottering on the brink of the grave have been united to little girls scarcely in their teens; while unnatural alliances of every description, which in any other community would be regarded with disgust and abhorrence, are here entered into in the name of God....

“It is quite a common thing in Utah for a man to marry two and even three sisters... I know also another man who married a widow with several children; and when one of the girls had grown into her teens he insisted on marrying her also, having first by some means won her affections. The mother, however, was much opposed to this marriage, and finally gave up her husband entirely to her daughter; and to this very day the daughter bears children to her stepfather, living as wife in the same house with her mother!”

- T.B.H. Stenhouse, former polygamist wife, Tell It All: The Story of a Life’s Experience in Mormonism: An Autobography, 1874, pp. 468-469
-------------------------

“Some Utah matches were even more startling. A man named Winchester married his mother, and Young himself sealed a mother and daughter to their cousin Luman A. Surtliff... He also sealed an elderly man to a fifty-seven-year-old woman and her fourteen-year-old granddaughter.”

- The Lion of the Lord: A Biography of Brigham Young, Stanley P. Hirshon, 1969, p. 126

I was thinking the same thing.

I just remember coming home from church one Sunday when it was reemphasized that women should be SAHMs and my ex laughingly said to me (he wasn't my ex then)--"So how do you feel about being a working mom?" I said, "They said mothers should be in the home and if I didn't work, I'd be in the nut house, so I'm following their counsel."

(This was supposed to be at the bottom).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2011 01:16PM by cl2.

... I remember a talk in GC immediately after the announcement and it was all about "oh, this is so consistent with what the scriptures already say" etc. etc. and he stated that he'd personally gathered 3000, .... 3000!!! scriptural references to the support of the proclamation.

Well, I thought to myself, when is God going to give us something relative to our time as opposed to the same-ol-same-ol. Sheesh, 3000 references!!! -- for cripes sake does this GA, let alone GAWD have anything more important to do that making sure every new word of gawd is fully covered elsewhere in the scriptures?

Yep, I was on my way out -- and I didn't even recognize it.

A couple of years ago my TBM sister made a framed copy of the proclamation to give to my TBM parents for Christmas. Bordering the edges of the text she placed a collage of photos of my siblings and their families. I was annoyed when I saw the gift, but upon closer examination I was amused to find that photos of me, my same-sex partner and our son were included. So does she not know what the proclamation says or did she just not want us to feel left out?