One of the elimination round question from last night's episode: Q: "Male students at Brigham Young University need a doctor's note to grow what?" The contestant was eliminated after answering "plants", then "children." A: "A beard" Confused looks all around.
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*womp* *womp* https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/09/05/mormon-church-publishes-image-of-obi-wan-kenobi-thinks-its-jesus/
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Sadly, this isn't the first time violence has flared up between the Mormon settlers in Mexico and local cartels. It likely won't be the last. In 2009, Benjamin LeBaron was abducted from his home in Galeana and murdered. He had previously led a vigilante/crime-watch group called SOS-Chihuahua. Vice has a good documentary on the subject - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpIyaIHsJbc
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https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/07/24/overcoming-the-mormon-legacy-on-race
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I have to say, Netflix provides great opportunities for me to share my past experiences with my nevermo wife, and maybe one day, with my nevermo daughter ;) Mike: “Girls go to science camp?” Dustin: “Suzie does. She’s a genius. Think Phoebe Cates, only hotter.” Max: “You know, I’m pretty sure people in Utah have telephones” Dustin: “Yeah, but Suzie’s Mormon” Lucas: �
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Someone should tell the author that there are open creative marketing positions to be filled in Pyongyang.
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http://gothamist.com/2019/05/22/brooklyn_heights_tunnels_jehovahs_witnesses.php Some real creepy stuff. "Since the tunnels were largely secluded, some elders reportedly saw them as an opportunity to corner members away from the rest of the community. Once, Hall said, an older JW man took him into the tunnels, then started talking to him about masturbation."
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A real-estate investor friend sent me this. It doesn't look like it's online. Clearly, the media hasn't gotten the memo about the name change! Mormon Church Said in Talks on $129 Million London Office Deal By Jack Sidders and Prashant Gopal (Bloomberg) -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in exclusive negotiations to buy a City of London office building whose tena
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My wife and I hosted a campaign organizing event yesterday. It consisted of having our friends, neighbors, and random people who signed up online over to our apartment to watch a promotional video explaining how to best get the message out in support of our candidate. I've never actively volunteered for a political campaign. While I knew canvasing is an integral part of the process, it made me
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It's really no different than when religious Cristians see gays marrying and the Church pews emptying. They flip out, mobilize, declare that the world is going to south fast, and often bring about more suffering.
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Americans are pre-disposed to freak out and exaggerate everything. And it's not necessary our faults. Not a single American alive, nor their parents or grandparents, ever faced a national "near extinction" event anywhere close to the level that the majority of the rest of the world has faced. No civil war, no invading armies, no famine. It's generally speaking been great for the domi
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It's probably far scarier to be a Russian. You're flanked by U.S.-led NATO to the West and China/U.S. Pacific Fleet to the East. You lack any defendable borders such as oceans and mountain ranges. Your population is shrinking, putting a strain on your ability to patrol your vast landmass. Also, a long history of being invaded and nearly exterminated as a nation and people (Mongols, Napoleon, H
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A member in my ward admitted to getting high a few days before her worthiness interview. She said she repented. TR renewed. No additional questions asked. I imagine this is a similar problem that the FBI and CIA were having with too many qualified people unable to get security clearance because of past drug infractions. At a certain point, you're forced to relax the antiquated and arbitrary st
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Natural resources, young consumers, and souls. We're truly in a new "scramble for Africa."
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I've met a few BIC recovering alcoholics and substance abusers who became super active after reaching sobriety. I assume it's 1) out of desperation to not fall back into old habits by surrounding themselves with "wholesome" individuals and 2) feeling in debt to their member families and friends. I can relate. After freshman year of college I was physically and mentally spent and exha
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Race/ethnicity is the defining class structure in my ward, though that often correlates to economic status. Whites at the top of the pecking order, followed by Asians and Latinos (owning to the fact that their own language wards/branches lead them to leadership positions), and blacks at the very bottom. There isn't outright, public racism, but it blatantly manifests itself in the social sph
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As we have off on Good Friday, we always take advantage of the long weekend and visit my parents.
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Whenever I find myself being tempted by acquaintances to come back - usually indirectly, e.g. FHE, outdoor activity, volunteer work, concert, etc. - I login to RFM. Immediately settles the matter.
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Version 2.0 is incredibly delicious. It's actually so close to the real thing that my vegetarian DW who hasn't eaten meat in over ten years had an initial "ick" reaction when she chomped down for the first time.
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Love this comment - "You don't become a hero by putting out a fire you started." Going to use that.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/brigham-young-university-students-graduates-call-more-forgiving-honor-code-n990981 Just started following this account. I didn't go to BYU. Even more relieved I didn't.
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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/05/us/mormon-policy-reversal/index.html "Now, each bishop has the choice of how to respond to same-sex marriage within his congregation -- a sin that once, technically, would necessitate excommunication. While the church states that same-sex marriage is still a "serious transgression," this policy will allow more liberal bishops to determine ecclesias
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I'm thinking back to the NYT's Monson obituary and the massive, hysterical outcry from the TBM faithful for its highlighting of the LGBTQ policy. Whoops.
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I genuinely believe that a pure service-oriented mission would lead to an increase in coverts. Most of the converts (not to say there are many) in my local ward are recent immigrants who took the free English lessons provided by members and missionaries.
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I've always wondered if it would be strategically advantageous for the SLC church to drop the "one true church" blah blah and bring all the LDS denominations "in communion" so to speak. Like modern judaism, you'd have the mainstream religious movement, the whackos, and the non-believers (the majority) united in a shared pioneering, American intermountain west history and cu
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Public speaking (and to a smaller extent expository writing) is one of the few valuable skills I believe I sharpened during my time at church. This was especially true in the YSA ward where I constantly felt the need to show off to XYZ girl I wanted to impress. Guess the risks of honest self-reflection are too high to be allowed to continue unchecked.
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I imagine that changes to WoW would NEVER be announced publicly. The news media would jump on top of it and the world (and future converts) would be reminded once again how strict LDS membership requirements are. Sounds like the type of change that would start with small edits in the bishop's handbook about not denying recommends because of coffee/tea infractions. There would be no more mentio
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https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman-ebook/dp/B07M7S79BT/ IMHO the best book on the historical authorship of the Hebrew Bible. I often reference this material whenever discussing with TBMs.
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Stevo and Heroin Bob have you all beat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcFm96WxAZY
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I've been completely out for almost two years now, but many years before as a non-believer. My nevermo wife and I still take the missionary's call (every few months after new transfers) and invite them over for dinner. We actually enjoy it. I like to cook, she loves entertaining, and we both like distractions after putting our little one to bed. Also, it doesn't look like anyone from the ward obe
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