By participating in the women’s march on Saturday, many have called into question my gratitude for living in such a blessed country. Let it be known that I love America. I am grateful to live in a country where I have the right to protest. And I am grateful to all the people who paved the way for me to have the opportunities that I now have. I march to honor them. And to continue their work.

I do still believe there is work to do. I blame no one, but I recognize that women are still not equal. Women are still raped and victimized (don’t forget the Brock Turner case – and don’t forget cases like that aren’t anomalies). Women are objectified, catcalled and sexualized. Women are judged by their bodies before anything else. Women are not equally or accurately represented in media, congress, or in positions of leadership. Women are abused by their partners. And this is just America. And I could go on for a while. There is work to do.

America is a nation with a proud history of protesting. From the Boston Tea Party to the Suffragettes to Martin Luther King Jr. and every protest in between, America has become great because of the diversity of voices that have demanded to be heard and were listened to through protests. Protestors are not complainers or whiners – they are people who believe in their cause and need to be heard. There is a reason our first amendment is first. Americans throughout all of history have utilized that amendment to bring about amazing changes. (Side note: this march was the largest march in the nation’s history and did not have a single arrest.)

I march because I believe America to be an amazing country and I am committed to help those who feel under attack with this president. Not just women but Muslims, immigrants, LGBT, and disabled people. Many hurtful things were said towards groups of people by our current president; many people are genuinely scared that their rights will be infringed upon and that they will be treated poorly under this presidency. I have entered into a covenant to “mourn with those who mourn” so I will not tell these people to not be sore losers, to get over it, or to stop crying “liberal tears.” Instead, I will listen and do all I can to address these concerns and to ensure that we all belong (and feel like we belong) in this country I love.

A favorite childhood hymn by Carol Lynn Pearson sings, “If you don’t walk as most people do, some people walk away from you, but I won’t! I won’t! If you don’t talk as most people do, some people talk and laugh at you, but I won’t! I won’t! I’ll [march] with you. I’ll talk with [and listen to] you. That’s how I’ll show my love for you.”

At the march we chanted: standing on the side of love, we will always rise above. I believe that. I believe that charity and compassion are the most powerful tools we have to change the world. Above all, that is why I march.

I march to show my love for my spiritual brothers and sisters, regardless of nationality, race, religion, color, sexual orientation or gender. All people are deserving of our love.

My great grandmother was one of the first LDS sister missionaries. She was a wonderful leader in her church and family. She broke down stereotypes for women of her era. I march for her.

My great aunt Linda was one of the first women to go to law school in Idaho. There was not a single women’s bathroom at the law school so she had to walk out of her way to use the bathroom every day. I am grateful that things are different now. And I marched in gratitude for the women and men who helped to make those changes. I march for her.

My grandmother taught at an early integrated school in 1960s Mississippi. She had received a degree and was qualified to teach and bring a fair education to people of all races and upbringings. I march for her.

I march for the women who came before me. I march for the women who have influenced my life. I march for the women I may raise one day. I march in solidarity with strong women throughout time who have improved the world around them. I march with the hope that our world will continue to be a kinder, more equal, better world for all who live in it. For this reason, and so many more, I march.

#WhyIMarch

JANUARY 24, 2017 ~ LEAVE A COMMENT ~ EDIT

By participating in the women’s march on Saturday, many have called into question my gratitude for living in such a blessed country. Let it be known that I love America. I am grateful to live in a country where I have the right to protest. And I am grateful to all the people who paved the way for me to have the opportunities that I now have. I march to honor them. And to continue their work.

I do still believe there is work to do. I blame no one, but I recognize that women are still not equal. Women are still raped and victimized (don’t forget the Brock Turner case – and don’t forget cases like that aren’t anomalies). Women are objectified, catcalled and sexualized. Women are judged by their bodies before anything else. Women are not equally or accurately represented in media, congress, or in positions of leadership. Women are abused by their partners. And this is just America. And I could go on for a while. There is work to do.

America is a nation with a proud history of protesting. From the Boston Tea Party to the Suffragettes to Martin Luther King Jr. and every protest in between, America has become great because of the diversity of voices that have demanded to be heard and were listened to through protests. Protestors are not complainers or whiners – they are people who believe in their cause and need to be heard. There is a reason our first amendment is first. Americans throughout all of history have utilized that amendment to bring about amazing changes. (Side note: this march was the largest march in the nation’s history and did not have a single arrest.)

I march because I believe America to be an amazing country and I am committed to help those who feel under attack with this president. Not just women but Muslims, immigrants, LGBT, and disabled people. Many hurtful things were said towards groups of people by our current president; many people are genuinely scared that their rights will be infringed upon and that they will be treated poorly under this presidency. I have entered into a covenant to “mourn with those who mourn” so I will not tell these people to not be sore losers, to get over it, or to stop crying “liberal tears.” Instead, I will listen and do all I can to address these concerns and to ensure that we all belong (and feel like we belong) in this country I love.

A favorite childhood hymn by Carol Lynn Pearson sings, “If you don’t walk as most people do, some people walk away from you, but I won’t! I won’t! If you don’t talk as most people do, some people talk and laugh at you, but I won’t! I won’t! I’ll [march] with you. I’ll talk with [and listen to] you. That’s how I’ll show my love for you.”

At the march we chanted: standing on the side of love, we will always rise above. I believe that. I believe that charity and compassion are the most powerful tools we have to change the world. Above all, that is why I march.

I march to show my love for my spiritual brothers and sisters, regardless of nationality, race, religion, color, sexual orientation or gender. All people are deserving of our love.

My great grandmother was one of the first LDS sister missionaries. She was a wonderful leader in her church and family. She broke down stereotypes for women of her era. I march for her.

My great aunt Linda was one of the first women to go to law school in Idaho. There was not a single women’s bathroom at the law school so she had to walk out of her way to use the bathroom every day. I am grateful that things are different now. And I marched in gratitude for the women and men who helped to make those changes. I march for her.

My grandmother taught at an early integrated school in 1960s Mississippi. She had received a degree and was qualified to teach and bring a fair education to people of all races and upbringings. I march for her.

I march for the women who came before me. I march for the women who have influenced my life. I march for the women I may raise one day. I march in solidarity with strong women throughout time who have improved the world around them. I march with the hope that our world will continue to be a kinder, more equal, better world for all who live in it. For this reason, and so many more, I march.

War on Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Oh Holy Night"

You can listen to it sung by our earth angel, Josh Groan, here: 

This Christmas and every Christmas we hear about the "war on Christmas." This controversy involves objections to the avoidance of Christian associations during the holiday season. Walmart now greets customers with "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" is where the battle is most frequently seen.

I believe in Christ. I am not ashamed of that. And I am grateful for the opportunity to remember His birth during the Christmas season. However, these efforts to be more multiculturally sensitive are not to blame for a lack of Christ in our hearts during Christmastime.

The real war on Christmas is our failure to live out a Christ-focused life. Refusing refugees, violence committed against blacks, and love of power over principle: these are at the heart of the war on Christmas. When Jesus Christ was born He was a Middle-Eastern refugee fleeing state sanctioned violence, so we need to remember that when we set up our nativity. We need to remember that one of the few things the Bible is absolutely clear on is that we must take care of vulnerable people.

In one of the verses of "Oh Holy Night" it says,

"Truly He taught us to love one another, and in His name all oppression shall cease." 

As we strive to be like our Savior, loving one another and helping the defenseless and oppressed, we will become a better society. We won't be focused on the lack of the word "Christmas" in advertisements because we will be focused on the abundance of Christ in our lives and on spreading that to others.

Absolutes in a Post-Modern World

What is post modern?

Time changes things; perspectives, cultures, and belief processes. Before the Renaissance people were guided by beliefs of super-naturalism, mysticism, and collective altruism. By the 1700s these beliefs developed to naturalism, objectivism, and individualism. This persisted up until the mid 20th century.

Basically the pendulum effect jumped in and people swung to the other side.

We now live in what is called a postmodern society. Jeff Leffel - author of The Crossroads Project - made it really simple to understand and split the ideas into five sections:

1. Reality is in the mind of the beholder. (Each person constructs his/her own reality)
2. People are not able to think independently because they are defined—“scripted,” molded—by their culture.
3. We cannot judge things in another culture or in another person’s life, because our reality may be different from theirs. There is no possibility of “transculture objectivity.”
4. We are moving in the direction of progress, but are arrogantly dominating nature and threatening our future.
5. Nothing is ever proven, either by science, history, or any other discipline.

What does this mean for me?

We have changed from a world of absolutes, objectivity, and dogmatism to one of relativism, subjectivism, and tolerance.

Relativism: knowledge is relative - to time, to place, to society, to culture, to personal conviction, etc. the value of knowledge depends upon the value of one or more of these variables. Relativism and subjectivism ignore the law of non-contradiction (two opposite things can't be true at the same time, i.e. your shirt can't be purple and green at once). For example, "I am not religious, but if that is what you believe then that is what is true for you. I think the religion that is true for one person might not be true for the next."

With relativism religion and faith is reduced to the status of an opinion. This belief makes statements like Christ saying He is "the way, the truth, and the life" and that "no man cometh unto the Father but by me" invalid because Christ can't be the only truth, and there is more than one way to get to the Father because truth is relative.

Tolerance: This is very postmodern of me but this word is quite subjective in my opinion. If this word means to live in peace with people of different beliefs than that is very good. In Ephesians 4:1-3 it shows how the church preserves unity by being tolerant. If someone is annoying, sings off key, has a temper, or disagrees with us we should certainly be tolerant. But if it means that everyone needs to forfeit notions of objectivity than that is problematic.

Thou shalt not tolerate. Has become the new command that enforces our society's behavior. Evangelical leader, Charles Carlson, said, "Tolerance has become so important that no exception is tolerated." You can believe in your belief but you can not assert that your belief is right because that would assume another's belief is wrong. In another conversation I heard the idea being expressed that "no one can say what is a sin for somebody else. That wouldn't be right because they don't know another person's life."

These beliefs make it difficult to share our beliefs with others. By bearing our testimony to someone we are violating the code of tolerance we must embrace.

When the rejection of absolute truth and complete tolerance is expected are what we hear expressed every day by our peers, stated on television, and perpetuated throughout the majority of the aspects of our life it's kind of easy to see why believing in God-given absolutes is difficult in this era we live in. Cool. It's hard to be a believer, what else is new? But now what?

Where do I stand?

I do not think this culture is inherently evil. Too often we hear about the evils of relativism and tolerance. I think subjectivity is awesome, and tolerance too. There are so many things about this way of thought that I embrace.

Personally, I think there is a spectrum. Here are four categories that can be identified (I found this somewhere but can't find the source again to link it)

Situational Relativity: right and wrong are dependent on culture, time, situation, etc. For example, women not wearing a head covering (1 Cor 11:5). The sin was dependent on the cultural expression. Also, personal revelation could fall into this category. If I receive revelation to not go to a party, that for me is objective whereas my good, inspired friend may be also living a righteous life and attending the same party.

Autonomous Relativity: Truly relative, there is no right or wrong. Which hymn is best? (Okay, for me this is objectively "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go")

Essential Objectivity: Truths essential for salvation. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.

Non-essential Objectivity: Doctrinal and not issues that are not necessary for one's salvation. There is objective truth, but at the same time it is non-essential because it is not necessary to believe one way or the other.

We live in a postmodern world that functions on the relative side of the quadrant, and belong to a church that counters living on the objective side. By looking at the little (not perfect) quadrant it helps me to realize what may be objective versus relative. I encourage you to create your own!

I think it's most important to remember that Heavenly Father exists and is there for us. All truth comes through Him. If we look upwards for our guide, we will be able to live in harmony with the truth He can give us.

check out a talk I love by Dallin H Oaks: Balancing Truth and Tolerance https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/02/balancing-truth-and-tolerance?lang=eng

one of the believers

The title "one of the believers" comes from one of my very favorite scriptures, 1 Tim 4:12:

"Let no nam despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

 I have loved this scripture since my early days as a Beehive. Now I love it even more. I think the plurality of the word "believers" is very important in this scripture. It doesn't say to be "an example of the believer" this scripture realizes the plurality and diversity of opinions that will be had even in a unifying faith.

It is easy to think that all members of the LDS Church think the same. And it is easy to desire that we all behave and believe the same way. But the Gospel is highly individualistic. We will not all think, believe, or behave the same even though we share the same underlying belief system. And that is okay! That is something God planned on. It is something God encourages.

This is just a voice of one believer. One believer among many. I share the same church, the same heritage, the same faith, and the same goals for the future. My personal interpretations of the Gospel and applications of it's principles may be different than yours. And that's just fine.