What's Climate Change All About?

     

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Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.
--Christopher Morley

On Moyers & Company this last Sunday I heard from atmospheric scientist Katherine Hayhoe about a new outlook on Climate Change and from watching that show I began to give the global warming subject some more serious thought than I had previously.

After considerable research (via Google) on climate change, I have come to an undeniable conclusion; nothing concrete will any time soon be done about it.

One aspect of the whole climate change controversy eludes me, and that is: If climate change exists due to man made interference with the correct balance of gases comprising the Earth's atmosphere, why then do those who have the power to restore the proper balance not do so? And if this is a matter of utmost, perhaps 'supreme' importance to the continuance of mankind as a race, why then do the politically powerful not act to solve the problem... 'immediately?'

It seems to me that those individuals who are leaders of nations, whether long-established kings, self-appointed emperors and dictators, or democratically elected presidents or prime ministers would all jump right in and wield what power they have... lay down the law, - saying the future of the human race is being threatened, and therefore now decree that this is what we must and will do, starting this very instant.

Since nothing, in this threat of absolute devastation, except the futile flapping of political lips mouthing obfuscative rhetoric is being done, then the national leaders are all guilty of either malfeasance or malpractice, or both.

Not so?

Oh... and the solution lies not in raising taxes. That just makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Tax money (easily diverted) does not reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, nor rdoes it lower the average global temperature.

Nothing fruitful is going to get done.

Just watch.

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Did You Know . . .?

A bite from the Brazilian wandering spider can give a man an uncomfortable erection that lasts for hours.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1845, Phineas Wilcox was stabbed to death by fellow Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois, because he is believed to be a Christian spy. The murder of Wilcox reflected the serious and often violent conflict between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the surrounding communities. Joseph Smith, who founded the Mormon Church in 1830, had been living with his followers in Missouri, where they had various conflicts with locals, including an armed skirmish with the state militia. In 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs signed a military order directing that the Mormons be expelled or exterminated: "The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary, for the public good."

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WORD FOR TODAY

voluminous  [vuh-LOO-muh-nuh s]
adjective
1. forming, filling, or writing a large volume or many volumes :
a voluminous edition.
2. sufficient to fill a volume or volumes :
a voluminous correspondence.
3. of great volume, size, or extent:
voluminous flow of lava.
4. of ample size, extent, or fullness:
voluminous petticoats.
5. having many coils, convolutions, or windings.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

David Copperfield

(born September 16, 1956)

David Copperfield is an American illusionist, and has been described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.

Jennifer Tilly

(born September 16, 1958)

Jennifer Tilly is an Canadian-American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. In 1983, Tilly had small roles and had a recurring guest role on Hill Street Blues as Gina Srignoli. She played Frasier Crane's seductive-but-ditzy date on an episode of the fourth season of Cheers and appeared as a similar character on the eleventh season of Frasier.

Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. 

(born September 16, 1949)

Ed Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St. Elsewhere and his most recent reality show about green living called Living With Ed on Planet Green.

Kimberly Alexis Bledel

(born September 16, 1981)

Alexis Bledel is an American actress. She is known for her role as Rory Gilmore in The WB/The CW comedy-drama Gilmore Girls. She has since starred in films including Tuck Everlasting, Sin City, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Post Grad.

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Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
--Albert Einstein

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This Is Who I Am

6-27-14

     

Tucson Weather Today

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If all goes according to schedule, I will be going back home this afternoon.

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Did You Know . . .?

Ferdinand 1 of Austria's only known quote was, "I am the Emperor, and I want dumplings."

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1844 Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Mormon religion, was murdered along with his brother Hyrum when an anti-Mormon mob broke into a jail where they are being held in Carthage, Illinois. Two years later, Smith's successor, Brigham Young, led an exodus of persecuted Mormons from Nauvoo along the western wagon trails in search of religious and political freedom.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire

(born June 27, 1975)

Tobey Maguire is an American actor and film producer who began his career in the late 1980s. He is known for his role as Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007), as well as for his roles in Pleasantville (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999), Wonder Boys (2000), Seabiscuit (2003), Brothers (2009), and The Great Gatsby (2013).

Madylin Anne Michele Sweeten

(born June 27, 1991)

Madylin Sweeten is an American actress and comedian. She is perhaps best known for playing the role of Ally Barone on the CBS television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996–2005.

Emma Kate Lahana

(born June 27, 1984)

Emma Lahana is a New Zealand actress. She is best known for her role as Kira Ford, one of the Yellow Rangers of the Power Rangers franchise, in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, and as Jennifer Mason on Haven.

India de Beaufort

(born June 27, 1987)

India de Beaufort is a British actress and singer-songwriter whose appearances include roles in Basil Brush and Run Fatboy Run. She played Aneka, a pagan warrior maiden, in the 2009 series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. She starred as Miranda during the seventh season of One Tree Hill in 2009/2010. She was a series regular on the ABC Family show Jane By Design, playing as India Jourdain.

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This Is Who I Am

   

Latter Day Saints

Tucson Weather Today

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During my daily walk yesterday I was stopped on the sidewalk by two bicycling young men wearing white shirts with ID Badges and ties around their necks. They were Mormons and they were out to make me  pray for enlightenment from God and for His wonderful gift of FAITH. One of them tried to shake my hand but I said I don't shake, or bump fists, or give high-fives, and I don't even touch other people whenever I can keep from it.

One of the questions the 19 year old whose badge identified him as being Elder Flake, asked me was, "Do you believe in God?" Trying to keep the conversation short, I said, simply, "No." "Well then if there is no God, where did we come from? How did we get here?" I said, "I don't know. - and I'm pretty sure you don't either."

"But I do know," he said. "God created me and you and the Earth and everything that exists."

Well, you can probably imagine how that little flame inside me was getting stoked and growing larger and larger and hotter and hotter.

But after listening to a few more of their canned platitudes and missionarial inanities, I politely thanked them for their concern and told them I was not interested in listening to any more children's fairy tales.

And I resumed my walk.

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Did You Know . . .?

After President Kennedy's autopsy, his brain, tissue slides, and other autopsy materials immediately disappeared and have not been found since.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1933, a deranged brick layer named Giuseppe Zangara shouted, "Too many people are starving!" and fired a gun at America's president-elect, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Roosevelt had just delivered a speech in Miami's Bayfront Park from the back seat of his open touring car when Zangara opened fire with six rounds. Five people were hit. The president escaped injury but the mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak, who was also in attendance, received a mortal stomach wound in the attack.

Zangara was initially tried for attempted murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison, but when Mayor Cermak later died of his wounds, Zangara was retried and sentenced to death. He died in the electric chair on March 5, 1933.

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WORD FOR TODAY

faith
noun
1.  Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2.  Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
3.  Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.
4.  Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Harvey Herschel Korman

(Feb 15, 1927 - May 29, 2008)

Harvey Korman was an American comedic actor who performed in television and movie productions beginning in 1960. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS's The Danny Kaye Show, but he is best remembered for his performances on the sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show and in several films by Mel Brooks, most notably as Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.

Evelyn Renee O'Connor

(born Feb. 15, 1971)

Renee O'Connor is an American actress, producer and director best known for playing the role of Gabrielle on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess.

Christopher McDonald

(born February 15, 1955)

Christopher McDonald is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream, and Mel Allen in the HBO film 61*.

Sarah Wynter

(born 15 February 1973)

Sarah Wynter is an Australian actress, most widely known for her roles on American television - such as Kate Warner on the television drama 24 and as Beth on Windfall.

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This Is Who I Am

   

"Oh GOD!"

    
Tucson Weather Today

 

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I was surprised to find how many accepted Catholic practices are forbidden in the King James Bible.

For example:

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
--Matthew 23:9  (King James Version)

This seems straightforward enough to me. Don't call any man by the title, Father. But the Catholic church does just that. They have a priesthood wherein all priests are hailed using the honorific, Father.

I am not the only one who has called attention to this fact; the Catholic church has set up a website to answer such anomalies.

Catholic Answers

When reading from these Catholic Answers it is immediately obvious that they were written by relatively modern day scribes and apologists who by clever twisting of words add foolish complexity to the original statement.

I am not attempting to compare the Protestant religion with the Catholic faith, and not proclaiming one as being superior to the other.

After all . . .

Organized religion is nothing more than man made foolishness.

As in:

When Joseph Smith was 21 years old, an angel named Moroni gave him the ancient records. Joseph had little formal education and was unfamiliar with the ancient language written on the metal sheets of gold, but he was able to translate them because God gave him the gift and power to do so. The translation took less than three months, and in 1830, 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were published in Palmyra, New York.

God chose Joseph as a prophet, seer, revelator and translator to restore The Church of Jesus Christ in modern time, and the Book of Mormon was essential to this restoration. Joseph Smith was given an extraordinary calling, and because he kept himself worthy of the blessings of heaven, he was able to bring the Book of Mormon to the world.

Now that's ridiculous.

After all, here in the United States of America all citizens have the right to worship as they please.

And, after all, I could be wrong.

. . . but I'm not.


The phone rang while I was typing the above, and I hurried into the far bedroom to screen the call on the answering machine. There was no message. It was probably just one of those pesky telemarketers.

I wonder what Eva thinks about my hurrying through the house every time that bell rings.

I wonder if Eva has a religion.

 

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Did You Know . . .?

Since 1815, more than 2.5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold worldwide. It has been translated into more than 2,200 languages and dialects.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, November 18 in 1978, Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones led hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their agricultural commune in a remote part of the South American nation of Guyana. Many of Jones’ followers willingly ingested a poison-laced punch while others were forced to do so at gunpoint. The final death toll at Jonestown that day was 909; a third of those who perished were children.

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WORD FOR TODAY

anomaly
noun
1. Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule.
2. One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Linda Evans
(born on November 18, 1942)

Linda Evans is an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she first gained fame after playing Audra Barkley in the Western television series, The Big Valley (1965–1969). However she is most prominently known for the role of Krystle Carrington in the 1980s ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty, a role she played from 1981 to 1989.

Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr.
(Nov 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998)

Alan Shepard was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, NASA astronaut, and businessman, who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit. Ten years later, at age 47 the oldest astronaut in the program, Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission, piloting the lander to the most accurate landing of the Apollo missions. He became the fifth person to walk on the Moon, and the only astronaut of the Mercury Seven to walk on the Moon. During the mission, he hit two golf balls on the lunar surface.

 

Megyn Marie Kelly
(born November 18, 1970)

Megyn Kelly is a news anchor on the Fox News Channel. Kelly currently hosts The Kelly File on weekdays at 9–10 PM Eastern time from the network's New York City headquarters. She previously hosted America Live. Prior to that, Kelly co-hosted America's Newsroom along with Bill Hemmer. Since 2007, the two have hosted Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve special every year.

Owen Cunningham Wilson
(born November 18, 1968)

Owen Wilson is an American actor and screenwriter. Wilson is known for the films Bottle Rocket (1996) which was his acting début and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001 as well as acting in Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Cars (2006) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007).

Wilson is also known for his collaborations with Ben Stiller, appearing in eight films together including Meet the Parents (2000) and the cult classic Zoolander (2001) and for starring on his own in other popular comedies such as Shanghai Noon (2000) and Wedding Crashers (2005). More recently he has starred in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011).

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Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
--Napoleon Bonaparte

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Stopped In My Tracks . . .

Tucson Weather Today

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Quite by accident, I stumbled across a website that startled me. It's called The Weed and is written by a Mormon, one who happens to be homosexual. One particular entry  on June 7, 2012 was exceptionally startling to me -- it is titled  Club Unicorn: In which I come out of the closet on our ten year anniversary.

Below is a description of the writer:

Facts about The Weed (written by his wife, who has adopted the role as his publicist):

1. He's a Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Auburn, WA (Come and see him if you would like counseling -- seriously!)

2. He's an active Mormon

3. He's gay

4. He's married to a woman (who is awesome!)

5. He's amazing.

6. He writes this blog. He writes about ALL kinds of things. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It might even make you mad or offended. Give it a try.

This entry is long so if you decide to read it, you might wish to wait until you can devote sufficient time to it.

Here is The Link

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WORD FOR TODAY

polemic
Noun
A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
The art or practice of engaging in controversial debate or dispute.

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Michael J. Fox

Born June 9, 1961

Canadian American actor, author, celebrity, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990); Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties (1982-1989) for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City (1996-2000), for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened. He has since become an activist for research toward finding a cure. This led him to create the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and on March 5, 2010, Sweden's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson's disease.

ALSO

Cole Porter

  Born June 9, 1891

Died Oct 15, 1964

"Night and Day," "I Get A Kick Out of You" "You’re the Top," "Begin the Beguine," "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" --  some of the cleverest, funniest, and most romantic songs ever written came from the pen of Cole Porter. He was unmatched as a tunesmith, and his Broadway musicals -- from "Kiss Me Kate" and "Anything Goes" to "Silk Stockings" and "Can Can" -- set the standards of style and wit to which today’s composers and lyricists aspire.

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The ruling passion, be it what it will.
The ruling passion conquers reason still.
--Alexander Pope

Mormonism, Politics, And Insanity

Tucson Weather Today

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Question: What Is Mormonism?

Answer: The doctrines and practices of the Mormon Church based on the Book of Mormon.


The Latter Day Saint movement, including Mormonism, originated in the 1820s in western New York. Restored by Joseph Smith, Jr., the faith drew its first converts while Smith was dictating the text of the Book of Mormon.


This book described itself as a chronicle of early indigenous peoples of the Americas, portraying them as believing Israelites, who had a belief in Christ many hundred years before his birth. Smith claimed that he translated over 500 pages in about 60 days, and that it was an ancient record translated "by the gift and power of God". During production of this work in mid-1829, Smith, his close associate Oliver Cowdery, and other early followers began baptizing new converts into the Christian primitivist church, formally organized in 1830 as the Church of Christ. Smith was seen by his followers as a modern-day prophet.

The following Articles of Faith were taken from mormon.org:

13 Articles of Faith

1.
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2.
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4.
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5.
We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7.
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9.
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10.
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12.
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13.
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.


Okay . . . but what is Faith?

According to Dictionary.com --

faith
noun
1. Strong or unshakable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

So, faith then is believing a thing without any logical reason for believing that thing.

How can I, a person who believes in logic, vote to put a candidate who professes to believe things without any logical reason for believing them into The White House as President of the United States of America?

And yet I suspect that voting for President Obama will merely help to continue the nation's current direction toward a government that will soon grow so big and so powerful that a future unscrupulous leader can (and will) be elected who then will turn that government into the most dangerous and unstoppable dictatorship the world has ever known.

And there will be no God The Holy Father to step in and miraculously intervene, no Mighty Moses to lead the oppressed people out of bondage into some glorious promised land.

There will be only Big Brother.

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WORD FOR TODAY

hallucinate
Verb
Experience a seemingly real perception of something not actually present, typically as a result of a mental disorder or of taking drugs.

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Faith: not wanting to know what is true.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

The Saturday Morning Missionaries

Tucson Weather Today

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Yesterday morning (Saturday) there came a knock on my front door. I opened it and was greeted by a man, his wife, and their daughter. The man (who said his name was Nick) began a seemingly quite innocuous discussion, to which I listened ever so politely. But when I asked what organization they represented, Nick admitted that they were Jehovah's Witnesses. And that made a world (a universe) of difference in my attitude toward these well-dressed intruders.

My immediate announcement that I'd had considerable experience with members of that particular cult and did not believe in the personal God they served, nor in the existence of a god-man named Jesus, nor in the bible as being anything more than an elaboration of myths, proverbs, and morality tales told to children of ancient nomads wandering in the desert, tall tales of rewards and punishments intended to make their hordes of wild little kids toe the line.

They seemed to be gentle folks so I reigned in my usual caustic berating of organized religion and allowed the two adults to speak freely to me of modern-day living, of the economy, of personal computers, and of other mundane conversational bits and pieces, managing to steer them away from associating each of those separate topics with the Jehovah's Witness dogma.

All in all it was a pleasant enough half-hour's diversion from the eternal toil of my creative writing tasks.

They were such nice people that I wondered how they could possibly believe in all that denominational clap-trap. But then I have trouble accepting that a person (such as Mitt Romney) is sincere in his stated belief in Mormonism. "Mormon" is most often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Any person who actually believes that some angel named Moroni brought visions to Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s who then established the new religion is: 1. mentally unbalanced -- 2. a conniving liar -- or 3. unbelievably stupid... in my opinion.


The angel Moroni delivering to Joseph Smith the whereabouts of the buried golden plates upon which are printed the Book of Mormon.

Moroni And Joseph Smith

Upstate New York in the 1820s

I recently learned that Liberal Mormons take an interpretive approach to LDS teachings and scripture. They look to the scriptures for spiritual guidance, but do not necessarily believe the teachings to be literally or uniquely true. Perhaps Mitt Romney is a liberal Mormon. Suppose?

I've read that a practicing adult Mormon is expected to wear religious undergarments. A young woman (a former Mormon) once laughingly described them to me.

Oh well...

So it goes.

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Didn't I make a New Years Resolution on December 31st? To be more considerate of the beliefs of others?

Okay... I'll stop.

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"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"
--Douglas Adams