let’s roll

Know that if you do decide to take a brief sabbatical I will miss your insight, your passion and your willingness to disagree without being disagreeable and will look forward to your return.

Here’s the post Grunt was responding to when he made his heroin analogy. I’m willing to accept his explanation of what he believes was the context of his response, acknowledging that a few of us read the response with the heroin analogy and didn’t understand it in the same context he described. In fact, I understood Gator’s comment above about introducing children to, and not sheltering children from, the basic beliefs of other religion to include, or even be a direct reference to, the kind of spiritual discussions with our brothers and sisters of other faiths that Grunt says he endorses and participates in. I’m not looking to make anyone defensive, only to understand and be understood.

Comparing other religions to shooting heroin? Ouch. God commanded all His children to share the Gospel. Which is why when someone tries to share their faith with me, I try to be respectful, find common ground and build on the good that they have in their faith. After all, all they are doing is acting on the light they have. I trust that our children, in seeing our willingness to openly, and respectfully, discuss faith with others (which would include being willing to gain a basic understanding of the tenets of that faith) would feel a spirit of love towards God’s children and our brothers and sisters.

My response was intended to be nuanced. Let me expound, briefly. If asked by the Savior, “what seek ye?”, a parent could answer, “l want my children to be active in the Church.” Or could answer “l want my child to know and be led by their Heavenly Father and their Savior.” l suggest accomplishing the latter will result in the former being true as well, while accomplishing the former doesn’t ensure the latter.

I’d suggest introducing children to God and Jesus Christ rather than to religion.

I tell everyone I’m riding as fast as I did 10 years ago, it’s the bike that’s getting slower. But seriously, kudos to you for continuing to set goals and go after them. You have my respect and admiration. For years I rode for the social aspect, lot of relays (e.g. Saints to Sinners) and enjoyed getting my son in laws involved. This year I decided to do a century for the fist time since I did Solvang in the 90s. It was hot, and I rode too much of it alone, but I’m glad I did it. Keep setting goals and go after them. Godspeed.

His Dad was our Bishop. Danny graduated BYU.

From different eras and sports: Merlin Olsen Danny Ainge Bryce Harper

Please take this as a sincere, and not a cynical, question. What makes you believe people in the Ward characterize you in the same way as you characterize yourself—as a “one foot in” family. How do you know you’re thought of as anything but maybe new in the Ward? Do you act in a way that you believe sets you apart? Sporadic attendance? Do you criticize the Church or its leaders? Something else? My experience has been that many members typically go out of their way to be friendly and welcoming to people who attend infrequently.

Priceless. Thank you.

Point of clarification. The Constitution applies to anyone and everyone while they are in the U.S.so your number is too low if it’s intended to cover only U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Not to be a wet blanket (although maybe I ought to be since I didn’t even make the list), but isn’t this fantasy football league easily manipulated since those picking their top 5 can impact the ratio for those 5 by liking every one of their posts. Btw, I won’t pretend to not care about my ratio. It would warm my heart to get to 1:1. I might even be willing to grovel a bit to do so. 😀🤪🤩

Some basic math leads to the conclusion that more than 25 billion of our brothers and sisters qualified for the Celestial Kingdom in our premortal life. I’m with Zil in the sense that I think that fact should be celebrated. It doesn’t denigrate mortality and it certainly doesn’t diminish its importance for those of us who are to be tried and tested here. It clearly demonstrates that our premortal life was much more involved than how many often describe it. When we consider that a third of our bothers and sisters were forever disqualified from mortality and exaltation by their premortal choices and billions of our brothers and sisters qualified for exaltation in the premortal world, it makes plain the importance of our premortal life—it was determinative for so many. For those of us in mortality, especially those of us with the Gospel, as the scriptures remind us, this is the time for us to work out our salvation. Despite that, no doubt there may be those that might, upon understanding these facts, view mortality as a type of spiritual repitrage or be troubled by the fact that for every member of the restored Church there are more than 1000 exalted brothers and sisters as a result of our premortal existence.

I hope it is in the new hymnal. That said, “mingling with Gods” isn’t the only lyric that might raise a question...I can see how the ”earth must atone for the blood of that man” might be perceived as having a retaliatory tone.

So when people honk do you just assume they think it’s funny or do you pull them over because you think they’re being honest? 😊👮‍♂️⚖️

Love the last one. 😀

Ah, a kindred spirit. I always remove the dealer license plate frame.

I’ve never put one on my car. I guess since I don’t like labels, I balk at something I’ve thought encourages them. Some strange need to have to clearly set out my worldview in 15 characters or less and knowing that’s impossible. But I’m open to change. Suggestions for a bumper sticker so compelling, witty, or poignant that I’ll feel the urge to immediately go stick it on my bumper?

Accepted at Chicago and UCLA, was wait listed at Stanford when I committed to the Y. The regret isn’t based on my career. I did well at the Y and have worked for great DC and NYC firms as well as multiple Fortune 500 law departments. It’s more about the law school experience itself. The experience at the Y was very good, but also very predictable and comfortable. Chicago would likely have been far less predictable and more uncomfortable...important components of a good education IMHO. On the flip side giving my seat (and scholarship) to a non-member or a member from another country would have given them the chance for that less predictable, more uncomfortable law school experience, and that would have blessed them. That said, I’ve had colleagues from Harvard, Yale and Stanford et al and that has allowed me to benefit from some less predictable and more uncomfortable experiences with them as we became friends...and hopefully I’ve repped the Y in an appropriate fashion.

Please tell me you mean Ohio State and not Oregon State. I can’t imagine anyone crying because they weren’t going to Corvallis. 😀. Just some TIC college smack from a kid who grew up in Eugene. 🦆🦆🦆

Helpful. Thanks. To clean up my bad example, the kids had the endorsement, had great grades and above average ACTscores, in short were within the range of accepted students, but were not accepted. Instead of rejoicing in what a wonderful child they had and how well they done in helping them become so wonderful...tears and regret (and not just for a moment)...it’s akin to the regret parents express (and youth sometimes feel) when the youth is called to a mission in the States...happily that one tends not to linger as long. 😊

I’m with you on that. If the child was raised in Boston, I’d see merit in going to the Y to experience LDS culture (good and bad), but if they grew up anywhere else, Harvard would be a great choice. I regret not going to the University of Chicago or Stanford for my law degree. My seat at the Y would have been better utilized by a non-member.

Respectfully, I’m not sure there’s a benefit to continuing a conversation with someone who finds no credibility in my statements. I’m not sure what you’d consider magic words that would convince you this unhealthy attitude exists. I have no doubt it does. A few more examples. I can think of at least two occasions in interviews where parents wept about their child not getting into the Y and characterizing that as a “failure” on their part as parents. I was both bribed and threatened by parents as a Seminary teacher in connection with Seminary graduation issues. In every instance the threat or bribe included statements about the perceived importance of graduation in getting admitted to the Y and the unmistakable perceived need for their child to be admitted. If you could witness even one of those emotionally charged encounters, any doubt you have about the existence of this unhealthy attitude would disappear.

I’m sorry, and asking sincerely, what assumptions do you think I made about the above in my response, which was only my personal opinion agreeing with your comment that tithes and taxes are completely different and a statement about what I would consider inappropriate action for me.

As I said, far too many to mention. The examples I gave were of youth to illustrate the unhealthy impact the attitude has on youth. Even if exaggerated, the perception itself would be unhealthy and counterproductive. But I can tell you in some cases it’s not exaggerated at all. I’ve had parents tell me the same thing, both in my role as a Priesthood leader and Seminary teacher. When that’s happened my two cents is usually that youth benefit from diversity of thought and culture and that their wonderful children are strong and valiant and will thrive in that environment, which will likely only deepen their righteous convictions. Thats my sincere belief and while I think most agree in theory, the desire of Y attendance on their child’s LDS resume almost always wins the day. I understand your skepticism because the attitude is so blatantly unhealthy. But it’s there.