If you’ve come here to yell at me for my comments about the FLDS post, I welcome you, but ask you to at least not swear (feeble attempt at lightening the mood). I’ve been crying and trying to understand the motivation for creating the post, and I don’t believe there was a malicious intent. But it made me really, really sad.
The members of the FLDS church that have been in the news have had a great tragedy befall them. Whether you think of the tragedy as their upbringing or their being wrested from their homes and thrown into the spotlight of the national media, they are in turmoil. The feeding frenzy of the media has highlighted such interesting tidbits as the bed found in their temple, and the fact that sometimes, girls are married as young as 14. Mormons have enough in their history and current practice to make us need to think twice before pointing fingers at others and calling them weird. (Initiatory, anyone? To an outsider, that would surely seem weird. And how about that endowment prior to 1990?)
It makes me sad that people, throughout the history of time, have used religious differences as weapons. Nobody ever benefited from someone hating them, but as most religions teach, people do benefit from someone loving them, even if they are different.
So call me what you want, I just think that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches us to love each other.
H. I. P. 
April 14, 2008 at 12:34 am
I posted on your other blog, but I have more to say.
I do not wish to yell as I do think you have a point…however, it has ALWAYS been my argument that LDS women (I do not prefer to be referred to as Mormon due to much confusion in the word) are way too hard and critical toward each other.
Gab posted on her own blog. So be it. That is her right. It wasn’t offensive in any way. And while some thought it was funny, I did not…I thought it was well said and made the line that the media is happy to blur, clear again.
I am always saddened when someone says to me “oh I know about your church, I watch Big Love” WHAT?? That is NOT my church…yet MY temple in the background of his office window sure makes it seem that way.
LDS women need to stop nit picking each other to death, and though you did not agree with the post, save your disagreement for your own blog…that’s my honest opinion. Your comment and then the back-n-forth that followed just didn’t do anything for how we looked as a people. Heck, how can we be taken seriously when we try and are so willing call each other out.
And EVERY church has things in their past that they’d rather forget…EVERY.SINGLE.CHURCH. I’m not sure of the point you are making by bringing up all that? This was originally about drawing a line in the sand between FLDS and true Latter Day Saints. I think the quote used by Pres. Hinckley says it all. If my prophet can stand and say we have nothing to do with those who practice polygamy, then Gab can sure say it as well.
I do hope no one comes here and yells…that’s NOT what Latter Day Saints are about…but neither is coming down on and judging each other either.
April 14, 2008 at 7:36 am
I think you said what I was trying to say better than I did.
April 14, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Hey there…I think I picked a busy time to go on vacation. Not sure I’m sorry about that. But I didn’t come to yell at you, I thought you’d like to know.
April 15, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Sarah, although I don’t have any idea who you are, I applaud you for saying exactly what I wanted to say… I’m too late, the comments are conveniently closed.
Why is it when statements like this are made: “The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don’t cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME….the last thing any of them want is another wife.”
I shake my head at the complete ignorance of it all? Are you for real? And NOBODY bothered to call her out on this statement? That’s a pretty BIG blanket statement to make considering YOU DON’T KNOW THAT, you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, Can you read the thoughts of these Honest, Hardworking, Mormon Men? No you can’t, And I’ll betcha if you opened your eyes a bit, you might just find those not-so-perfect-members struggling just like every other NOT-SO-PERFECT-HUMAN-BEINGS in this world today.
Were we not persecuted for the EXACT same thing back in the day? Just because it doesn’t exist in the church today, doesn’t mean that it didn’t and will not again some day perhaps, I mean who really knows? Our prophets still get divine revelation today. What if tomorrow we are commanded to practice polygamy? Then what?
As for “v”,
you might want to read what you wrote again: “and though you did not agree with the post, save your disagreement for your own blog…that’s my honest opinion.”
hmmmmmm, interesting, if that’s how you ignorantly want it to be… save it for your own blog, eh?
Also, how can we be taken seriously if we DON’T call each other out v?
Can there not be a discussion? A disagreement? Why not? Heaven Forbid we actually have a debate.
So needless to say, thank you Sarah for standing up for what you believe!!!, it’s refreshing.
April 15, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I agree with you Sarah. I like Gab, but I found the post to be condescending and a little superior. I don’t think she meant it that way, but when you are posting on the world wide web and representing yourself and choosing to represent a group, I think you need to consider the tone of your message, even if it is your own blog.
Far too many times, what I have read on Mormon blogs is intolerance, superiority, and even ignorance. I sometimes become embarrassed to be a part of this group, not because of how the media represents us, but because of how we represent ourselves. Seriously, I think it all comes down to how Christ has asked us to treat one another and how He would have us represent Him, and love is what comes to my mind.
April 17, 2008 at 3:31 am
So glad to see there are other people who get Sarah’s point! I was shocked about all the comments on that post. I wish Gab had just made a post about ich and famous Mormons. That could have been funny. And of course NONE of us want people mixing up our church with what we consider to be an apostate break-off. I think even SARAH doesn’t want that. So, v- I think you don’t get it. And as far as polygamy being something in our past that we want to forget, um, wrong again. Something in our past that we don’t want emphasized right now? Yes. I’m with Kate on the who knows when/if we may be asked to live it again. Polygamy was not a mistake. I never realized you’re supposed to only leave comments with praise for the author of the post. Gab thought she was trying to clarify a misconception about our faith, and Sarah was trying (I think)to keep people from thinking that what was represented in the post was a reflection of how LDS women feel. She wasn’t even remotely rude about it. But at least v didn’t “come down on” or “judge” Sarah. Good thing.
April 20, 2008 at 1:18 am
erm… guess I missed something?
April 21, 2008 at 11:22 am
Sarah, I finally happened upon the blog in question, the post in question, and the comments in question. I wish they were still open, so that I could leave my two cents. I completely agree with you.
““The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don’t cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME….the last thing any of them want is another wife.” But, er, Joseph Smith did. And Brigham Young did. And the commenters seem to miss that when they go on and on about how weird and strange and NOT LIKE US, the FLDS are. Yeah, they’re not like us. But they’re like the prophets were.
The original post didn’t bother me as much as the comments. Yikes.
April 22, 2008 at 2:00 am
I just found the original “we are not them” post today and I have to say that I think you’re very brave to stand up to fellow members of the mainstream LDS church (why is it so hard to do?).
It seems to me that it’s all too easy for mainstream LDS to feel some resentment, even anger, and rarely, even hatred toward FLDS members because it’s easy to believe that they make us look bad. I believe that the reality though, is that they are just simple people who are living what they believe, just like we are. While I can’t condone their practices because of the sexual abuse allegations; to me it’s just as simple as they are trying to follow what they believe to be right. And as the Lord’s people we need to be tolerant, loving, and accepting of all PEOPLE (though not nessecarily acts). We have no right or place to judge anyone else because there is ALWAYS more to what’s going on than meets the eye.
I don’t think that the original post was horrible but I do think the author is walking a fine line between wanting to be distinguished from another faith and resentment like I pointed out.