welcoming
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It’s All About the Roots
In the spring, my kids call me the tree lady. This is probably because every spring, I am outside planting trees! I have joyfully planted over 100 saplings in the last several years. I have a friend who digs them out of her yard and brings them to me. I get so excited when I begin planting, in hopes of new growth and long life. But I have learned a few things over the years so I am a bit picky in my placement of them—the healthier the roots, the better the spot they land on my property. So to try to ensure wise placement, I give the trees a thorough…
- Acceptance, Anger, Danna Hartline's articles, Empathy, fellowshipping, Healing, lds culture, Love, Mormon Culture, welcoming
Mormons (and Post-Mormons) Have a Bullying Problem
Hold tight. This is raw and this is real. I am going to call it like I see it: Mormons have a bullying problem. Maybe it is just a war among us and not outside of us but having been on both sides of Mormonism, I am appalled and deeply saddened by what I see. Here’s how it goes: If you are a member, you are bullied by other members if you don’t fit the mold. If you don’t act right, dress right, believe right, look right, think right, worship right, talk right, parent right, gender right, associate right, say the name of the Church right, smell right, marry right,…
- Abuser Loyalty, Acceptance, Anger, Codependency, Courage to Speak Up, Danna Hartline's articles, Effects of Trauma on the Family, Examples of Courage, Fellowship, Healing, lds culture, Leadership, Love, Mormon Culture, Self-trust, Sex, Shame, Unrighteous Dominion, welcoming
Is the LDS Church Increasing Its Appeal for Sexual Predators?
I have to say it: I really wonder about the direction the Mormon Church is moving. It just feels the Church is regressing. Two red flags have been raised recently: One is the disheartening excommunication of Sam Young in his effort to change policy about one-on-one interviews and the sexually explicit questioning of our youth. That alone is enough but I see another connection to Sam Young’s movement to protect LDS Children, which brings me to concern number two: the Church’s withdrawal in the Scouting program (which had interesting timing—two weeks after the BSA announced they would no longer discriminate against women, the Church backed out.). These two recent actions alarm me and…
- Acceptance, Empathy, Fellowship, fellowshipping, Gerry Baird articles, lds culture, Love, Mormon Culture, welcoming
Saints in Training
Throughout history there have been countless ideas postulated. Most never took off, but some grew into cultures, traditions, legends and religions. Some of these ideas have yielded good fruit, like the invention of the light bulb and toilet paper. Other ideas have been tragically destructive, costing the lives of millions. Sometimes seemingly good ideas can go terribly wrong and vice versa. Suffice it to say, everything we experience in our lives depends on ideas. The chair you are sitting on began as an idea in someone’s head. The car you drive began as an idea, as did the clothes you are wearing. Ideas shape the world. Religious ideas are especially…
- Acceptance, Empathy, Examples of Courage, Fellowship, fellowshipping, Gerry Baird articles, lds culture, Lost Sheep, Love, Mormon Culture, welcoming
The Struggle to be Seen
Hi. I’m your neighbor. Your friend. Your grandma, your uncle. I’m everyone you’ve ever known who has found it difficult to attend church, to believe, to measure up. I’m the one who doesn’t fit in, who feels different and alone. I’m the one who left, the empty chair, the apostate who wishes that label didn’t exist. Because in truth, I am always me. I laugh. I cry. I have adventures. I don’t believe exactly how or what you believe, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have value and values. It doesn’t mean I don’t want love. I’m the one who had an impossible choice to make between a lifetime without…
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Boundless Love
Recently a family member went to the temple for an important life event and I was unable to attend due to some personal struggles. Of course, I’d heard of people experiencing this “being left out” associated with Mormon temple ceremonies such as endowment and marriage, but I never thought I’d be the one sitting in the waiting room. It hurt even more when I was blamed for it. “This was one of the most important days of my life, and you weren’t even there with me.” “I would have been, dear, if you’d been a little more patient.” I regret the events that combined with my personal imperfections and decisions…
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Freedom to Worship
In many of the LDS Church classes I’ve attended, the size of Church membership has been compared to the population of the planet. This comparison is often used in conjunction with the term “salt of the earth” to convey the idea that members need to be as pure as possible in order to accomplish the great work of spreading the gospel. Terms such as “Babylon”, “the world”, and “Gentiles” are used to describe those who are not LDS. In Mormon temples, work is done for the dead. This too is seen as part of the saving work of the Church. The impression one gets as a young LDS person is…
