Betty G, do you mean Southern Baptists or American Baptists? I know very little about the former except Jimmy Carter was pained by the choices made by his beloved church. I know a bit more about the ABC and its commitment to social justice. But the ABC pastors I knew had seminary educations. Other than that, I know nothing about the polity of either.
Forum: Recovery Board

Northern_Lights, Do you want to be told that your child will burn in Hell for eternity?
Forum: Recovery Board

blindguy, I understand the history of religion in the U.S. differently. Mormonism and Christian Science certainly arose in the U.S. and could be seen as uniquely American. Methodism and Baptism arose in England, 1612 for the Baptists and around 1730 for the Methodists. Both were movements of revival against the Church of England. Other groups, Puritans, Quakers, Mennonites, Anabaptists, etc.
Forum: Recovery Board

Robert Sole, what makes you think a big congregation is the sign of a successful church?
Forum: Recovery Board

Are there any old timers here (I'm 77) who knew about the Santa Cruz ward back in the fifties and sixties? I was baptized there and attended until junior high, when I just stopped. My mother was lukewarm jack mormon in those days and my father was a never-mo. I know the columnist David Cay Johnson was a member there as a teen, he left long ago - as did I. Just curious if any one has memorie
Forum: Recovery Board

Ger Necker - That's a fairly shallow assessment of the world wide Anglican communion. Desmond Tutu was more than a good hymn - as an example. Most denominations are declining for various reasons. Some are more honest about it than others. Even the mega churches have a revolving door aspect. The numbers game is not really what matters - the message of what is stood for does. I respect the
Forum: Recovery Board

They will be more mainstream when they have coffee hour after church.
Forum: Recovery Board

Lot’s Wife, I agree with you about cultural Mormonism - it is a version of non observant Jews who refer to themselves as secular Jews. Early training always leaves a marker. Refuge was a wonderful book. When I met her it was at a literary fund raiser in a small city. She also spent time talking to my never mo husband who is a pathologist. She spoke of the cancer in her family. Her brother
Forum: Recovery Board

Human, I had not read that particular book as I had lost interest in her many years ago. I went to read reviews of this particular book and noticed most of them referred to its focus on environment. I know she is at Harvard Divinity School now. That is big league stuff and would make the LDS leaders proud to own that in some way - if at all. IMO, they would use such a connection to shore up LD
Forum: Recovery Board

Fame certainly helps to buffer her. And her passion - which I find sincere - is environment. That is a safer controversy than if she had challenged the church directly. I don't think she feels called to that challenge. I think she truly honors her ancestors, particularly the female ones. And her writing is exquisite, but somewhat erudite. I think many garden variety Mormons, if they knew of
Forum: Recovery Board

I met her once (2004) and spoke with her when she was visiting the East Coast for a lecture. We shared some stories about common family locations in Utah. She thought it probable that some of her family had worked with some of my cousins. But, most of all, I remember her comment about Mormonism - "It's in your blood." I didn't feel the same, but my family of origin wasn't as immerse
Forum: Recovery Board

Summer - it is an extremely poor country. The NYT recently had several articles on poverty in the Philippines. Skilled Filipino workers come to the U.S. Many domestic and labor workers migrate to Hong Kong,Singapore, Dubai, etc. Exploitation of same workers has been a problem in those countries - but people are desperate. I think the shortage of volunteers refers to skilled LDS personnel
Forum: Recovery Board

Dagny - I don't know how the system is supposed to work, but here is info from the email letters I have received: Missionaries mostly come from Asia,Polynesia, India, Africa, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and U.S. - in that order. Average is 50 new trainees weekly, but has been as high as 105. Many are in need of extensive dental care and assume all their dental needs will be met.
Forum: Recovery Board

A distant cousin (oral surgeon) and spouse are serving a medical mission at the Philippine MTC. They report long hours, extreme shortage of qualified volunteers, and the poor dental health of the young missionaries. He also serves to perform patriarchal blessings as many of the young trainees have not received their blessings. The whole subtext sounds like a giant cluster f… to me. They
Forum: Recovery Board

Dagny - for the KoolAid loving crowd, it is always the "Hokey Pokey." (Hokum Pokum)
Forum: Recovery Board

Thanks, Lot's Wife, for clarifying. Part of the message included my cousin's feeling that "God has spent all his time blessing me this past year!" Of course. Nothing like a dose of moral superiority and arrogance says "Merry Christmas" better. LOL
Forum: Recovery Board

This reminds me of the Quaker Fight Chant - for those unfamiliar with Quakerism, they are pacifistic, trust their inner light for guidance, and practice consensus as a governing ideal. So - as sung at Earlham College: Fight, fight Inner Light Kill, Quaker, Kill Knock them down, Beat them senseless Do it 'til we reach consensus!
Forum: Recovery Board

LOL- after I looked at the photo and rotated around for the street. I think the words are architectural excrescence.
Forum: Recovery Board

There have been many laws against Catholicism in the history of the U.S. Maryland was originally a sanctuary for Catholics in colonial times. In terms of marriage, did I miss a mention that RC nuns are considered "Brides of Christ" and part of their final vow taking involves wearing a wedding dress and prostrating themselves before the cross? I also think that fewer and fewer Catholic
Forum: Recovery Board

I lived in Lancaster, PA - Amish Heartland - for 30+ years. That area is rich in the history of the various Anabaptist sects who fled the post-Reformation persecutions in Europe. There are many variations of "plain people." In terms of technology, they cannot sell milk without proper cooling. So, electricity is allowed in barns but not houses, as an example. Human problems - sa
Forum: Recovery Board

Assassination could make one remember the Kennedys and other beloved by many political figures. Assassination is far more powerful an image than martyrdom and would make JS seem like a more powerful figure than he actually was.
Forum: Recovery Board

All the mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking -some dramatically. But so are other denominations. In the Evangelical world you can find lots of church hopping/shopping that is personality driven. And we don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the lapsed Catholics. ELCA is still a pretty strong denomination and they support lots of well respected smaller colleges, especial
Forum: Recovery Board

I believe this thinking was also part of the politics known as the "Southern Strategy." Giving a poor white man something to look down upon - i.e. poor blacks - was a way to recruit poor whites, who had traditionally voted as Democrats to the Republican Party.
Forum: Recovery Board

You are right - see my correcting comment above. I am guessing the large Catholic and Lutheran populations of ND are the reason for the holiday designation.
Forum: Recovery Board

You are absolutely right! My bad. I was thinking about the palms and the burning of the palms and jumped from Holy Season to Holy Week. Thanks for catching that. The palms are an important part of the season, not just for the Sunday, and I was thinking that Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday are inextricably connected. I did have a Mormon once tell me that they didn't need the Lenten Season be
Forum: Recovery Board

I read with interest the posts about Palm Sunday and the new emphasis on same in the Mormon Church. Like all things they co-opt, they will make a crafty hash of it instead of bothering to learn from those who have long practiced the ritual. So, next year will they add Ash Wednesday to the list? In denominations that observe Palm Sunday, the palms are burned and the ashes saved for the foll
Forum: Recovery Board

Waldorf schools have a religious bent following the teachings and principals of Rudolph Steiner. Country Day Schools are secular, as are many others throughout the U.S.
Forum: Recovery Board

Love the word "sectarians." It sounds like a Brahmin referring to lower castes - which is, of course, exactly what he meant. Too funny.
Forum: Recovery Board

A new ward assignment will be vacuuming up pink eraser crumbs or the crumbles from gummy erasers.
Forum: Recovery Board

Beth, There was a schism over the ordination of women beginning in 1974. And there have been challenges to the ordination of LGBTQ folks. The Worldwide Anglican Communion is a fractious group and historically has straddled the Catholic Protestant divide in complex ways. The Episcopal Church is one member of the worldwide union - 85 communion members total, if I remember correctly. I believe
Forum: Recovery Board