Face cards

[_Scottie]

If I recall correctly, this is just another slippery slope argument. If you play with face cards, eventually you will gamble, which will eventually cause an addiction to gambling. So just don't play with them at all!!

[_collegeterrace]

Pass me a tourniquet, we've got a bleeder!!!

[_Dr. Shades]

Some time ago Blixa made a fantastic post that detailed the reason for the Mormophobia surrounding face cards.

She explained that back in Joseph F. Smith's time, people were playing face card games so often that they were neglecting their church callings or, in other cases, turning them down outright in favor of playing cards.

Hence the reason the church took the stump against them. Nowadays the original reason to avoid them no longer exists, but the phobia nevertheless lingers--although no one remembers why.

[_harmony]

Some time ago Blixa made a fantastic post that detailed the reason for the Mormophobia surrounding face cards.

She explained that back in Joseph F. Smith's time, people were playing face card games so often that they were neglecting their church callings or, in other cases, turning them down outright in favor of playing cards.

Hence the reason the church took the stump against them. Nowadays the original reason to avoid them no longer exists, but the phobia nevertheless lingers--although no one remembers why.

It kinda reminds me of the whole earring thing. The original comment was a throwaway from Pres Hinckley, a simple observation of a personal opinion. Yet it's been raised almost to commandment status, because of the foolishness of the members and certain of the 12.

My husband's family obeyed the "commandment" about face cards as diligently as they obeyed the Word of Wisdom. Now, long after its efficacy has expired, he still was shocked by the invitation to a pinochle party at the bishop's house (which incidently turned out to be very fun and they want to do it again).

[_SatanWasSetUp]

This is what makes continuing revelation so marvelous. At one point face cards were okay. Then in the 60s and 70s face cards were evil. Now face cards are okay again. The only reason LDS know that face cards were okay and then evil and then okay again is because of the prophets and modern revelation. Non-LDS do not know about the good-evil-good history of face cards. Those who do not have the fullness of the gospel believe face cards were either always just cards that you play games with, or some religious groups believe that they have always been evil. LDS are the only ones that know they were once good, then evil, then good again through the marvelous process of continuing revelation.

[_solomarineris]

I was raised in a family that played pinochle. I learned when I was ten, after I didn't chew my fingernails for a whole week. I think my dad was just dying to have a partner.

When I married, I wasn't allowed to play pinochle any longer. Face cards were evil. We played Rook, but not pinochle. When we played pinochle with my parents, my husband always felt guilty. He had sinned with face cards. We attended my mom's pinochle parties, but he was never comfortable playing with the devil's cards.

Fast forward 33 years. My 4th son married into a family that were pinochle fanatics. He loves the game so much, he converted all of his siblings to it, and we now have pinochle tournaments at family reunion.

Fast forward to today. The wall is definitely coming down. My daughter is going to a pinochle party tonight... at my bishop's house!

That which was evil yesterday is not evil today!

Just wait, all you SSM folks. Your time will come too.

Not all families were intimidated by that. We loved to play that game in my In-Laws house.
It was one of the best past-times I can remember.

Scottie
If I recall correctly, this is just another slippery slope argument. If you play with face cards, eventually you will gamble, which will eventually cause an addiction to gambling. So just don't play with them at all!!

Sounds like you're describing that sick M.F***er SWK; he was great explaining how masturbation, reading Playboy Led
to homosexuality.
No wonder his book is still popular in Corridor today.

[_SatanWasSetUp]

Sounds like you're describing that sick M.F***er SWK; he was great explaining how masturbation, reading Playboy Led
to homosexuality.
No wonder his book is still popular in Corridor today.

Well, if you ask any gay man if they masturbated in their youth, 80% will say yes, and 20% will lie and say no. Going by that statistic, masturbation leads to homosexuality. I'm sure SWK used some stat like that to come up with his theory that masturbation leads to homosexuality. Of course he will ignore the stat that 80% of straight guys masturbated in their youth, and 20% lie and say they didn't.

[_cinepro]

I told the story on my blog of one zealous bishopric member actually throwing a deck of playing cards into the fire at scout camp a few years ago.

This is definitely one of those things about which there is a huge variation in attitudes among Church members, and it seems to only be maintained by "tradition", since I have never heard it mentioned "officially" in a church setting. Even a search at LDS.org shows that it really hasn't been discussed in Church publications since the 70's or 80's. This was actually published in the Ensign back in 1984:

Elder John A. Widtsoe has given a useful perspective:

“It must be added that relaxation from the regular duties of the day is desirable and necessary for human well-being. Wholesome games of recreation are advocated by all right-minded people. Moreover, the … objections [to card playing] are not directed against the many and various card games on the market not employing the usual ‘playing cards.’ Most of these furnish innocent and wholesome recreation, and many are really instructive. It is true that they may be played to excess, but in fact it seldom happens. This is true even when such cards are used in games imitating those with ‘playing cards.’ It is true that such cards may be used for gambling purposes, but in fact it is almost never done. The pall of evil seems to rest upon the ‘playing cards’ handed down to us from antiquity” (Evidences and Reconciliations, Murray & Gee, 1943, pp. 218–19).

While it is best to avoid the use of “playing cards,” my personal experiences indicate that our family has enjoyed many benefits from playing games with cards. At a time when amusements are generally enjoyed alone, for example TV viewing and video game playing, we in our family like to play card games together. It has been both unifying and has provided the arena for much give and take. All in all, playing card games has given us many delightful moments.

How Should I Feel About Playing Cards?

[_solomarineris]

Well, if you ask any gay man if they masturbated in their youth, 80% will say yes, and 20% will lie and say no. Going by that statistic, masturbation leads to homosexuality. I'm sure SWK used some stat like that to come up with his theory that masturbation leads to homosexuality. Of course he will ignore the stat that 80% of straight guys masturbated in their youth, and 20% lie and say they didn't.

Any Gay&lesbian&straight, when jacking off they have their pre-conceived fantasies. I always thought about a naked woman, others have different tastes, as a male I hated looking at male bodies.
Mastubating does not change one's preference. It just feels good.
Otherwise none of us would use our cinco hermanos.

[_Danna]

This was actually published in the Ensign back in 1984:

Elder John A. Widtsoe has given a useful perspective:

“It must be added that relaxation from the regular duties of the day is desirable and necessary for human well-being. Wholesome games of recreation are advocated by all right-minded people. Moreover, the … objections [to card playing] are not directed against the many and various card games on the market not employing the usual ‘playing cards.’ Most of these furnish innocent and wholesome recreation, and many are really instructive. It is true that they may be played to excess, but in fact it seldom happens. This is true even when such cards are used in games imitating those with ‘playing cards.’ It is true that such cards may be used for gambling purposes, but in fact it is almost never done. The pall of evil seems to rest upon the ‘playing cards’ handed down to us from antiquity” (Evidences and Reconciliations, Murray & Gee, 1943, pp. 218–19).
How Should I Feel About Playing Cards?

This was part of the message we got - the spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts, not to mention the face cards were taken from earlier Tarot cards which were given by the devil as an entrapment. They were evil of themselves. Like Ouija boards and suchlike. Gambling was just one of the ways the evil cards could 'get' you. I guess the other ways cards could ensnare you were played up for we in the mission field, since card gambling wasn't such a big issue.

I don't think it would take too much for the pendulum to swing back. A superstitious, simple-minded apostle would do it.