On the Road...

Yo bleaders. One of these days I'll tell you about what happened to me this week, but not yet. I'm still too raw.

But today, let me tell you about today. Today was good. Lesson of the hour is this:

When you drive for six hours with three little boys and you get to the much awaited hotel room and you turn on the tv and flip around the channels...(when you have not been watching tv for months), don't be surprized if the violence and sex has increased and your young ones are traumatized.

Not sure I will go back to having it again.

God verses Darwin

I've been reading Finding Darwin's God, by Kenneth Miller. Think of the song "I Am a Child of God"...Now try singing this to that familiar tune..."I am the product of natural selection, genetic chance and environmental necessity" I know. It just doesn't sound as good, does it? That's because it leaves out purpose and hope and family. My brain is evolving as I read!!!

Okay, looking over what I wrote and reading it from the perspective of one who doesn't believe in God I recognize that I didn't write that exactly how I meant it. I don't mean to knock anyone else's beliefs. The book I'm reading is about how God and Darwinism fit together. But if you don't believe in God and you need scientific proof and logic for answers, you may feel frustrated at someone belittling your beliefs. I never want to do that. I truly believe we all have the right to our own opinions.

I guess I just want to be free to have mine, too!

My belief in the other side has so much to do with the emotional connection I feel with friends and family members who have gone before. I don't want here and now to be all there is.

"This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous - indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose."

Richard Dawkins...


I 'get' that lots of people can't fit science with religion. I'm not a serious student of hard science. I'm just reading a book and had a thought.

Here is how I see it:

If there isn't a God
and a life after this one
I haven't lost anything by believing there is.
and I've gained everything if I believe and there is.

Of course, I've been told that I may miss out on life experiences by limiting my belief and my actions to what fits in with my religious beliefs. The ole' "Eat, Drink and be Merry" idea. If this life is all there is, I should enjoy it.

But I do enjoy. I live within certain limits and boundaries and I get to enjoy the experience of home, family, stimulating conversation, intimacy, love in all its forms, and a connection with heaven.

I eat my veggies, I drink milk, and I am merry with my friends and fam without the use of mind altering substances.

My life is full.

I Am a Child of God...with a little help from Jesus, my parents and me

I've been reading a book Pearl gave Doug for Christmas. It is Finding Darwin's God, by Kenneth Miller. Think of the song "I Am a Child of God"...Now try singing this to that familiar tune...

"I am the product of natural selection, genetic chance and environmental necessity" I know. It just doesn't sound as good, does it. That's because it leaves out purpose. My favorite line from a movie, (this week), is from "Corrina, Corrina". The mother died and the maid told the little girl that the Mom was in heaven with the angels. The Dad explains to the little girl that people made up religion just to make themselves feel better. The little girl replied, "What's the matter with that?"

Love that line.

What is wrong with it? Why is it so horrible to believe in something that you can't see that may or may not make sense? Isn't that alot of what science is? Theories? They may or may not be true.

In speaking of the Darwinian universe, Richard Dawkins said, "This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous - indifferent to all suffering, loacking all purpose."

wow

How sad.

I like believing, partly because I like hope.

Hope is my friend.

I taught a lesson on The Creation last week. Have you noticed when you teach by the Spirit you hear things coming out of your own mouth you haven't heard before? I heard myself say that God delegated the creation to the Savior who delagated the dominion of it all to us. (not THERE'S a lesson in leadership).

And WE create our own world...in many ways. In the choices we make and the thoughts we think. We create pathways in our brains by our actions. We evolve every day. We help the world along as it evolves. Brains evolve, Cultures evolve, packaging of food evolves.

We were created by God, our parents and ourselves. And we are responisble for the planet...including the creation of our own bods. But ultimately, He CAN turn even our doozies of whopper mistakes into goodness. Because He is good.


Delegated

We take part in God's creations
Fires, plagues and infestations
Each unwanted pregnancy
And the wanted ones will be
Part of Heavenly Father's plan
Even stonings in Iran
All that happens in the world
From the smallest fallen bird
To the lillies in the field
Every stalk of grain we yield
Doesn't miss the Father's eye
If we live or if we die
Only adds to all the dirt
And the glory of His work
He will turn it into good
Omniscience does what it should


and thats all I have to say about that.

Lollie the Naughty Blogger

This is me Repenting:

I have been a naughty blogger. You might call me deglectful of my blog. Sorry folks. You know the only person you hurt when you don’t do what you say you will do is yourself. You start to not trust you. Especially if you are the only person you really promised anything to.

And lets face it. That is who reads this blog the most.
So self, blog baby blog.

About my life without TV I’m faced with a dilemma. My husband thinks we should get cable. I know. What is his problem? He thinks our boys would be inspired by watching the Olympics.
Okay.
I admit.
They would.

But almost in the same breath, he spoke about the latest article he read in American Family Journal about the sexually explicit programs on nickelodeon. And do you know what? You don’t, but I will tell you.

I really like not having cable. I like watching movies and reading books and I hate to admit it, I like not having to watch all of the devastation going on in Haiti since the earthquake. When people talk about how terrible it is, I feel a little out of it, but not enough to actually have to participate in the voyeuristicness of it all. I picked up a time magazine and saw some of the pictures. I listen to NPR every morning so I get the scoop. But people, I am so happy in my cozy little Cableless world. I study and play the piano and go hang out at the The Family Tree, (where I’m doing my practicum), and I get to focus on a smaller world of my own choosing rather than that big, nasty, ugly world the media likes to show us all.

Just call me Ostritch Lollie...burying my head in the sand.

I know there is good on cable. My argument to Doug is that I don’t want the temptation of cable. He says we should only have it for a month. I don’t think I could watch cable for one lovely month and then go cold turkey. I’m worse than an alcoholic. It is a serious addiction.

True confession.
TV is the black hole of time wasting. I know. You thought facebook was. It isn’t. Television is for me.

A&E’s Movie about Benedict Arnold

In the spirit of not watching Television, (but renting the occassional movie), I watched a great flick about that guy the yummy eggs are named after.

According to the film, Benedict Arnold was really a decent guy. He was considered to be a great hero at one point in time. His wife was an interesting piece of work. She was as different as can be from another revolutionary wartime hero. Abigail Adams encouraged her husband in goodness and much of the good that he did was following advice from his wife.

Ironically, Benedict Arnold’s wife was (according to this film), the motivating factor behind much of Arnold’s idiocy. Her tendency toward disloyalty was evidence in her choice to marry Benedict after making promises, (albeit unspoken), to her redcoat boyfriend. Arnold is depicted in this movie as being deeply in love with Peggy and willing to do whatever it took to make her happy. She wanted to be married to a powerful man and was in love with his potential to be king. It was interesting to watch the evolution of both of their personalities.

Peggy was a contemporary of Jane Austen and much of my understanding of the culture of the times is from Austen’s books. Peggy obviously married to enhance her power. She encouraged her husband to betray himself and his country even when he wanted to do the unselfish and difficult things. When he was busted, she told him to escape and helped him do it then blamed it all on him when Washington found her.

Arnold struggled with the decisions he made as a result of his wife’s advice…but he still made those decisions. The saddest scene was the very end where he challenges a long time collegue to a duel for defiling his name. Peggie is cowering in the carriage as the men duel. Both of their lives have disintegrated to nothing and Arnold recognized and states that future generations will categorize him with other traitors like Lucifer and Judas.

I was empowered by this movie because it really made me think aabout the decisions that I make not only in my personal life but in the advice I give my husband. Marriage can be very challenging and I often feel like my influence isn't really felt. Yet, as I look at these historic events, I realize that my general attitude makes a difference in his life, whether for good or ill. I wonder how much I have influenced the choices he has made.

Moes being Marginilized...

The Marginization of Mormons
Mormons are marginalized within many groups and subgroups in our culture. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of feeling like I have to stick up for myself because of choices I make to follow my religious teachings and not drink, smoke or have sex outside of marriage.
I don’t think of myself as better than others because of these choices. I’ve seen what drinking has done to others and my choices are as much because of self-preservation as they are following the teachings of Mormonism.
Members of my faith believe that the people of the world are a continuous flow of spirit children from heaven who are coming to earth for their physical experience. Because of this belief, Mormon ought to have a tendency toward empathy. Sometimes LDS people may respond to those outside of their faith in a negative way. If they do – they are not living the doctrine.

And then there is the statement by Joseph Smith, "We claim the privilege of worshipping all mighty God, according to the dictates of our own consciense and allow all men the same privilege let them worship how, where and what they may".

Depression is a Verb

There is a theory by William Glasser called "Choice Theory" which states, "It is therapeutic to view our behavior in terms of verbs. For example, it is more accurate to say to oneself, "I am choosing to depress" instead of thinking, "I am suffering from depression." we are immediately aware that we are choosing to depress, and have the choice to do and feel something else. People who instead say, "I am depressed," mistakenly tend to believe the depressing is beyond their control or it has been caused by something or someone else.

This is a controversial theory, but I think there is lots of truth to it.