Face cards

[_Danna]

I have just been reminded of a deck I bought in Greece to keep us amused while travelling. Each card showed a different example of ancient Greek art from pots and vases. Most were mundane daily life type images, but included were a couple of pornographic scenes (I guess that was daily life activity!). What amused me was that one featured two women, several were of two men, and one featured two men and one woman.

Luckily my son, who enjoyed arranging the numbers, was too young to think anything of it.

[_Sethbag]

Otherwise none of us would use our cinco hermanos.

And you say you're not gay? Busted!

[_Blixa]

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.

Actually it was Alter Idem (credit where credit is due) who had a nice little anecdote that she shared in a previous discussion about the No Face Card Tradition:

Joseph F. Smith didn't like cards because they were a waste of time. My Grandmother (his daughter in law) told me that during her day women used to play Bridge regularly, leaving their children and spending large amounts of times on these game days. Also, people played cards and gambled--hurting the financial stability, etc.

Today, unfortunately, some people have taken the Catholic church's stand that "face" cards were evil and thought that was why Pres. Smith spoke against them. I'm certain that if he lived today, he wouldn't say a word about card playing--he'd be speaking out against Television, video, computer and online games! They are the time-wasters of our day--card playing is more a way to socialize--which he would have approved of.

Previously in that thread, haleray had posted an assortment of Joseph F. Smith card game fulminations from The Juvenile Instructor and the Improvement Era. The discussion can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7256&p=185765&hilit=cards#p185765