It is that Time of Year again

[_Sethbag]

Ahh. Efflorescence problem. Now I know what you're talking about. I don't have that problem here because the ground is naturally pretty dry, so there's not a lot of minerals being sucked up through my concrete floor and left as salt deposits on the surface, or other the epoxy or whatever.

[_Brackite]

Here is part of another infamous General Conference Talk Titled, 'A Self-Inflicted Purging' given by LDS Elder, Vaughn Featherstone:

Did you buy some pornographic literature?

Now suppose those names are removed, and the names of all those who attended or viewed x-rated movies are presented so that all who are in the congregation may see. Again, is your name on the list?

Now, my young friends, and I am sorry to say, many adults, how about all those of you who have a masturbation problem? If the names of those who had the problem were projected across this big, huge scroll, would your name be there, or would you be able to sit back confident and pure in heart?

And, in a few cases, what if we had the names of those who had a homosexual problem? What if their names were on this huge scroll? Their names removed, then what if we had those who are adulterers, who are serving in priesthood positions, unbeknownst to many, unbeknownst unto anyone except themselves and the partner in sin?

Again let us talk about a self-inflicting purging. My young friends, how about all of you who have committed fornication? Or have been involved in petting? Suppose their names were on this huge scroll, so that all may see. Now, I can tell you this, I bear my solemn witness that if you do not self-inflict a purging in your lives, the time may well come when there might not be a scroll, but it will be as though there were. It may be as though it had been shouted from the tops of houses. People cannot hide sin. You cannot mock God and hold the Lord’s holy priesthood and pretend to propose that you are his servant.

I know of a great man who held his dead son in his arms, and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power and authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, I command you to live.” And the dead boy opened up his eyes.

This great brother could not have possibly done that had he been looking at a pornographic piece of material a few nights before or if he had been involved in any other transgression of that kind. The priesthood has to have a pure conduit to operate.

President J. Reuben Clark gave me great light many years ago on a great tremendous subject. He said (and these are my words, not his) that the sex urge does not have to be satisfied, that Satan’s old lie is that it does have to be satisfied.

I am sorry to tell you that there are men in high places who have some fairly major moral problems, even as youth have the same problems.

We shouldn’t have a problem with masturbation. I know one fine father who interviewed his 11-year-old son and he said, “Son, if you never masturbate, the time will come in your life when you will be able to sit in front of your bishop at age 19, and say to him, ‘I have never done that in my life,’ and then you can go to the stake president when you are interviewed for your mission and tell him, ‘I have never done that in my life.’ And you would be quite a rare young man.”

The father again interviewed the young man, who is now 18 years old, and he asked the son about masturbation. The son said, “I have never done that in my life. You told me, Dad, that if I didn’t do that, I would be able to sit in front of the bishop and stake president and tell them I had never done it, and I would be a rare young man, and I am going to be able to do it.”

( Link: )

Thanks to Runtu, for bringing up this infamous talk on the Further Light and Knowledge (The Foyer) Message Board.

[_harmony]

I spent the entire morning, cleaning my home office. Last week, I cleaned my bedroom. This week, the office. Next week, the kitchen. Then the following Saturday, we're participating in an All-Team Yard Sale in a bank parking lot with direct access to a very busy street in town.

Yeah! Spring cleaning done, the Relay team benefits, and even if the good stuff doesn't sell, the Goodwill truck will haul it away!

[_Brackite]

I will be playing General Conference bingo with my little sisters.

"TITHING FOR THE WIN!!!!"

That sounds kind of fun, Nehor.

The Brackite doesn't pay tithing anymore.

[_Brackite]

It is now the Priesthood Session of General Conference. I am wondering how the Priesthood Session of General Conference is going so far? Are there going to be any Priesthood Session talks about Porn?

[_Roger Morrison]

I will watch it in somber silence & reverence with unsmiling folks in the functional sparsely seated Chapel in my small town. When Thomas Monson is presented to the Whole World as THE ONLY living oracle of God, and to be sustained as such, I will vote non-sustaining of him in that office.

It seems the least I can do for the cause of truth. A leader, and President of the Church as Incorporated by man, he surely is. A Prophet of "God", he is not.

I am curious, will other Fring-Mos take this opportunity to "stand-and-be-counted" as non-sustaining? More curious, if not, why not? Respectfully, Roger

I am thinking about you right now at the end of this process Roger.

Best wishes.

Thanks for your thoughts and wishes, Jason. Voting to "not sustain the First Presidency and the other hiearchy" was preceeded with many thoughts. My LDS baptism, first Temple visit, many ordinations and callings, my many positions held, the decades of service, and the thousands of dollars donated to the "cause of Zion". All because i believed "THE Church is/was TRUE."

This decision was not made without a lot of thought and "prayer". Should i attend the broadcast casually dressed, or follow the request to dress-best? I chose the latter to be identified as a respector, and not as a rebel. As such i could warmly greet those in attendance who, i'm sure were quite surprised to see me there. It was noticable that my initiative in this was more spontaneous than theirs--which was fine by me.

Actually it was very gratifying to have the clerk give me a head-lock from behind as i was seated, and plant a big kiss to the top of my bald head. WOW!

Then a young woman, late 20s, who was a stranger came into the row in front of me, turned smiled and asked, "did you write articles for the news paper?" I was somewhat surprised, as that was a couple of years ago. "Yes, as "The Contrary Christian". She said how much she had enjoyed them, which was also most pleasing. I think she might be an investigator or recent convert??

Amidst this kindness would it be easy to be the contrarian? There was no one on the podium. Only the TV, front & centre tied down with a piece of red webbing to stabilize it on a table, not quite big enough for its load. Some what robotish and lacking a human touch, with fifty some souls transfixed on the images in far away Salt Lake City Utah. Efficient if nothing else.

The broadcast followed the familiar somber, joyless pattern of years. Even seeming more morose than usual. Maybe this is due to my exposure to more humanizing, spiritually stimulating presentations of others, who don't even claim the honour of lterally being God's annointed??

When performing the business at hand, which began with a bit of confusion locally, Elders and High Priests seated around the world were asked to stand. About 12 or so stood to respond to the sustaining question. There upon 11 hands were raised.

As my reasons of ney-saying flashed through my mind: homophobic declarations, suppression of women (gender prejudices) sectarian supremacy, stratifying LDS members by male edicts proclaimed in "God's" name, the countless thoughtless and stupifying statements of egotists--such as the one of Benson, Brackite sited--it was not difficult for me to be the sole discenter to this misrepresentation of "truth and goodness".

A second opportunity was granted as the whole LDS membership were called to stand en masse to sustain, or not. Again i stood the sole discenter with absolutely no hesitation nor following regrets.

While i do understand and respect the general indifference of Ex-Mos, and others, who think and feel differently than i, i think the general reluctance to meaningfully assert one's self, roots the malaise we find permeating society and threatening the future. In the realm of religion, Mormonism must be seen for its "evils" as well as its "goods".

The following conference speakers displayed, in their pleas for good-families, nothing one will not find printed in books from every publishing house on the subject. On the subject of eternity you will not find supporting thoughts from any other group of thinking writers or speakers. The speakers regarding temple ordinances and such were culpable in the extreme of planting unreasonable expectations and fantasies that play on people's insecurities, anxieties and ignorance, IMSCO. Interesting to me as a student of body-language, was the hand-to-nose impulse when one is stretching the truth, displayed by the predominate speaker on that subject...

Will i receive a call from the BP or SP? I hope so... Warm regards, Roger

PS: Jason, i guess my dots were too far apart for clear meaning, re Benson's article as a past leader's thought that i'd rather not see repeated by another man officiating in "God's" name, pretending to be divinely authorized to do so. Did you check out Brackite's newer link to the article re Your Name On The Grand Role Of Immorals? Again confirming my thoughts re the exposure, and repudiating of such nonsense RM :-)