I've never watched Glenn Beck

and he may be as crazy as they say. But given all the hate he's getting on this thread, my guess is that he's probably okay. I mean, when Dan the psychotic Democrat declares that you are insane, you're either so far gone that you aren't even human, or you're perfectly normal but conservative.

If by their enemies you shall know them, Beck's looking just fine to me right now. I might change my mind after I dart over to youtube and watch some clips, but I doubt it.

UPDATE: It's only gotten worse since I posted this. Dan has taken over the thread, insulting everyone that is to the right of him. And then Kaimi comes on and tries to put Communist atrocities in some "perspective." Frankly, I think Kaimi just wants to justify wearing his Che T-shirt in public.

And Dan really should be banned. He ruins every thread he comments on. The only reason he's tolerated is that most of the permafrosters at T&S, BCC, etc. agree with his politics, and he allows them to seem reasonable by comparison. Didn't Dan declare he was retiring from blogs or something at one point? That was the best idea EVER! Too bad it didn't take.

The answer for Rebecca J.

Rebecca J. asks:

I am curious, however, if there is anything the Church can do–or do less of–institutionally that would (better) communicate the message that God intends to meet us where we’re at, and that the church is a safe place for us to find our way to where He wants us to be.

The answer is:

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Just to emphasize, here it is in another translation:

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The church is about as open as it needs to be. We really don't want to go the liberal protestant route (like the UCC), and tell people they are fine just as they are. There is no good reason to broaden our gates any larger, unless we wish to become the way to destruction.

Of course, Zion is commanded to "strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever" (Moroni 10:31). Hrm......

Okay, never mind. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

Sane Things I Know For Certain

I know things, things other believe are just opinions. Sometimes they claim to "know" the oppossitte, but they are wrong (or crazy). Here are some of the things I know are super duper true blue through and through beyond the doubt of a shadow:

* 1. I believe that Jesus’ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane was exactly what the prophets have told us it is, nothing more, nothing less.
* 2. I believe that the temple will stay a sacred place, set apart from the world. People who think otherwise really need to get over their "gee I wish that Mormonism was more like liberal Protestantism" fetish.
* 3. I believe that the future exists, we just haven't gone there yet. Just like I know a physical world exists outside the internet, even if I am incapable of going there.
* 4. I believe that people who claim to believe in contradictory things and then add semi-self deprecating asides really don't believe what they claim to believe, but they think it makes them sound cool.
* 5. I believe what the scriptures and the prophets have said about the degrees of glory, and know that speculation beyond what we have been told is pointless.
* 6. I believe that we don't remember our pre-earth life.
* 7. I believe God doesn’t interact with us more directly because we aren't worthy yet, mostly due to our pride and self-aggrandizement (as typified by our blog posts)
* 8. I believe polygamy makes no sense to us now, but will someday, if we make it to the Celestial kingdom.
* I believe that I've lost track of how long this list is, so I'll just stop using numbers now.
* I believe romantic Love is awesome! I don't care if it's a chemical reaction or not.
* I believe something so obvious, I don't think it bears repeating here.
* I believe the Prophet really is a prophet, and since he communicates with God in a way the rest of us don't, we cheapen him with crude comic book references.
* I believe that all art is quite useless.
* I used to believe in evolution, but after seeing the sorry state of the Bloggernacle, I'm more of a believer in De-evolution. (Go Devo!)
* I believe Padre Pio belonged to a church that is not the only true and living church on the face of the Earth.
* I believe the Holy Ghost exists - beyond that, I refuse to speculate about when he (or she? - have to throw that bone to the apostates) gets a body, etc.
* I believe animals aren't human.
* I believe orange juice is full of carbs and thus is bad for the Atkins Diet.

Of course, maybe I don't believe all that after all. Who knows? It's not like it matters to me - I don't really exist.

The Bitter Fruits of Pride

In an odd bit of coincidental serendipity, I was considering posting something totally, completely, 100% serious (of course, all my posts are serious - except when they aren't). I had in mind a post about the dangers of pride, using President Benson's famous and well-known talk. I was going to use this paragraph as my theme:

The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works. . . [The proud] aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s. Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them.

But wouldn't you know it - DKL beat me to the punch, with his pitch perfect post that exemplifies everything Benson was talking about. Unable to accept the authority of God? Yep. Not interested in changing his opinions to fit those of Christ or God? Yep. Enmity towards his fellow man (especially leaders in the church)? Yep. It's all there. Go read the entire Benson talk, and then read DKL's post. DKL could not have created a better portrait of the prideful man if he had planned on it.

Thanks DKL, for portraying pridefulness, so the rest of us can know how not to behave.

BCC - By Coarseness Consumed

Going by the theory, propounded by some at BCC and elsewhere, that those who are most obsessed with chastity and talking about porn often are the ones who have a problem with porn -

I declare all the bloggers (and most of the commentators) at BCC are a bunch of porn addicts.

There's also some problems with porn over at T&A - I mean T&S (yes that joke was a bit too on the nose) - but it's nowhere near as pervasive as the obsession over at Big Consumers of Computer porn.

That explains a lot about BCC, actually, and why they react so vehemently when someone suggests their apostasy might stem from unresolved sins.

[Hmm, that last sentence was almost too mean, even for me. I should probably delete it, but I won't.]