Benediction comment

[Gwen]

if he did instruct them and it was ignored, if he wants to really bring unity then he needs to point it out... let ppl know he was not ok with someone taking advantage of the situation to promote their beliefs especially when they are contrary to what he stands for... if he brings it up before the media i can respect that, if the media points it out and then he backpeddles to that, i won't believe it.

[hordak]

I truly do not understand why all people aren't more tolerant of others. And why we aren't all held to the same standard. Its ok for certain races to be offended by racism but its not ok for whites to be offended? There has been a double standard for a long time.

I had a similar conversation several years ago with a co-worker of a race/culture different than mine. She said white people could never understand how it felt to be persecuted. After I explained some of Mormon history and the persecution my ancestors endured. She apologized and we were able to discuss bigotry from a shared perspective.

All groups of people are the brunt of bigotry by somebody. It needs to stop. I'm not offended by the benediction. I'm disappointed.

applepansy

Race/color is an inborn genetic marker inherited from one parents that can't change and has no effect on that individual personality.

Religion is a chosen set of beliefs, practices and customs that have a huge effect on ones personality.

While I agree with your premise, the idea that whites can't be persecuted is absurd, your comparing apples to oranges.

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

Interesting to me that no one in the thread seemed to realize that the whole thing was based on a (rather well-known) saying. Doesn't anyone read Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, or James Baldwin anymore? (I read all of them as an English major at BYU, BTW.)

As a skeptic I'm annoyed by all public prayers (particularly after what Jesus said about them). Much preferred the opening prayer (which ended with the Lord's Prayer) to the closing prayer, though.

[ADoyle90815]

I think my signature quote fits nicely with this, even though I'm not LDS, I like this quote.

[applepansy]

Race/color is an inborn genetic marker inherited from one parents that can't change and has no effect on that individual personality.

Religion is a chosen set of beliefs, practices and customs that have a huge effect on ones personality.

While I agree with your premise, the idea that whites can't be persecuted is absurd, your comparing apples to oranges.

Hordak, you misread or misunderstood me. "After I explained some of Mormon history and the persecution my ancestors endured." My ancestors are white and they were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Some were even killed.

applepansy

[Palerider]

Interesting to me that no one in the thread seemed to realize that the whole thing was based on a (rather well-known) saying. Doesn't anyone read Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, or James Baldwin anymore? (I read all of them as an English major at BYU, BTW.)

As a skeptic I'm annoyed by all public prayers (particularly after what Jesus said about them). Much preferred the opening prayer (which ended with the Lord's Prayer) to the closing prayer, though.

Who has time to read anymore....we are all playing on the computer....

[AngelLynn]

I agree that the poem at the end felt odd and did feel as if it contributed to the sprit of the moment. It was out of place and didn't really have place within any prayer at all. I could see it being used outside the context of a prayer but.... I consider prayer a scared moment with God and so I did consider it just slightly irreverent. It didn't feel right with the invocation or with the speech Obama gave after he had been sworn in. Overall I was content with the inageration and feel that Obama will do the best that he can in his new postion as President.

[Elgama]

Interesting to me that no one in the thread seemed to realize that the whole thing was based on a (rather well-known) saying. Doesn't anyone read Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, or James Baldwin anymore? (I read all of them as an English major at BYU, BTW.)

thank you Captain I knew it was familiar also wasn't it in a song as well? don't suppose you know I tried googling it and couldn't find it.

-Charley

[Maureen]

..thank you Captain I knew it was familiar also wasn't it in a song as well?...

Elgama, you almost know everything and you're so young. It's possible that the ending of the benediction was inspired by this song by Big Bill Broonzy.

http://www.lyricstime.com/big-bill-broonzy-black-brown-and-white-lyrics.html

PS - I have to pratically put everything in quotes since I'm at work and this computer is so uncooperative. :)

[Wingnut]

Hordak, you misread or misunderstood me. "After I explained some of Mormon history and the persecution my ancestors endured." My ancestors are white and they were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Some were even killed.

applepansy

Perhaps hordak was pointing out that your ancestors were persecuted and even killed and they happened to be white. I don't think that your LDS ancestors were persecuted based on their white skin.

[hordak]

Hordak, you misread or misunderstood me. "After I explained some of Mormon history and the persecution my ancestors endured." My ancestors are white and they were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Some were even killed.

applepansy

No I understand. I was just saying that your ancestors were persecuted for a choice they made while people persecuted for race (no matter what race) are persecuted for being born.

For example when I went through basic training i was the only Mormon in my flight and had a few jokes thrown at me. A few months later in tech school my friend Hernandez took to his "barrio" (as he put it )one weekend and I was the only "gringo" there and got a few jokes tossed at me as well. Not really persecution per say but the jokes about my race were more offense because it was something i was born into while the jabs at my religion were a result of my choice. Neither are right but the two are apples and oranges.

[hordak]

Perhaps hordak was pointing out that your ancestors were persecuted and even killed and they happened to be white. I don't think that your LDS ancestors were persecuted based on their white skin.

Bingo.

[Elgama]

Elgama, you almost know everything and you're so young. It's possible that the ending of the benediction was inspired by this song by Big Bill Broonzy. PS - I have to pratically put everything in quotes since I'm at work and this computer is so uncooperative. :)

it could be the song but I think not sure it was one Bob Dylan wrote and Bobby Darrin sang. I am sure also that this was something used during the civil rights movement and remember seeing a clip with either it as a prayer or speech, if it was then I think it was highly appropriate for use on the occasion of the inauguration of the first black president highlighting actually the prayer was answered especially if the gentleman offering the prayer was the one who did it intially, which given who he is would be a possibility - I remember listening to the ceremony on the radio with my husband and said it was very reminiscent of the civil rights movement, and Obama has over past few weeks modelled his image more closely on Martin Luther King. I'll probably never find out lol will wait a few weeks and google it again right now pages are taken up with its recent usage.

-Charley

[Hemidakota]

Anyone hear the benediction? Nice .......until the end???:eek:

I spent five-minute watching on what was being presented only to feel sick to my stomach. I can only think how two Apostles were feeling.

I am thankful for the church and the righteous Saints who keep the faith in allowing this country to exist.

[applepansy]

Perhaps hordak was pointing out that your ancestors were persecuted and even killed and they happened to be white. I don't think that your LDS ancestors were persecuted based on their white skin.

Bigotry is Bigotry.

[applepansy]

No I understand. I was just saying that your ancestors were persecuted for a choice they made while people persecuted for race (no matter what race) are persecuted for being born.

For example when I went through basic training i was the only Mormon in my flight and had a few jokes thrown at me. A few months later in tech school my friend Hernandez took to his "barrio" (as he put it )one weekend and I was the only "gringo" there and got a few jokes tossed at me as well. Not really persecution per say but the jokes about my race were more offense because it was something i was born into while the jabs at my religion were a result of my choice. Neither are right but the two are apples and oranges.

Thank you for explaining. . . I hope you understand my point. Just because someone has white skin doesn't mean we can't understand bigotry. And I've witnessed Bigotry agaist white people because they were white. My neighbors daughter did also.

Bigotry is Bigotry, no matter the cause. . .and it shouldn't be tolerated. Its also naive to assume someone of another color doesn't understand when quite possibly they do. Like in your example Hordak.

applepansy

Edited January 22, 2009 by applepansy
typos

[Wingnut]

Bigotry is Bigotry.

I don't disagree with that. However, this issue at hand is not so much bigotry in general as it is racism.