zionlist.com: Edifying discussion and news for Latter-day Saints

cookiecaper on Have compassion for immigrants, lawmakers urged -- 2008 article

2010-07-17T01:27:26.018769+00:00-0700

I guess I hadn't submitted this before, thought I had. Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy was assigned to attend this forum in early 2008 and urge lawmakers to be kind in their approach to immigration reform. And then Mormons in Arizona pushed through their repugnant, anti-Constitution and anti-human-rights immigration law, and now Mormons in Utah are trying to push through the same thing, though we've had GAs explicitly tell them _not_ to do so. But they'll still argue they're in the right, along with the Glenn Beck disciples. What else do they want?

Have compassion for immigrants, lawmakers urged -- 2008 article

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:25:03 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to politics
[link] [2 comments]

cookiecaper on What's Wrong With '8: The Mormon Proposition' About LDS Support for California's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

2010-07-15T05:52:00.153925+00:00-0700

I mean that as part of the sentence, "The connection is that to outsiders, since polygamy went through the same...Latter-day Saints should be sympathetic." The outsiders think that, that's what I mean. People _do_ want you to say "I'm so sorry, they did it to me 120+ years ago", because they think that it is the same thing to deny polygamy as it is to deny same-sex marriage. Clearly they are mistaken though, and it is not.

cookiecaper on What's Wrong With '8: The Mormon Proposition' About LDS Support for California's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

2010-07-15T05:40:11.011886+00:00-0700

The connection is that to outsiders, since polygamy went through basically the same process where the majority demonized the practice and vilified its practitioners, as the "moral majority" now does with same-sex marriages, Latter-day Saints should be sympathetic to this kind of thing. What they miss is that homosexual marriage and plural marriage are opposites. Homosexual marriage is the halting of family, the negation of Priesthood governance and authority, the lack of progeny, etc., and plural marriage is the eternal continuation of family, the increase of Priesthood governance, the creation of many children as well as their upbringings, care, and education. We are opposed to the one that destroys family and in favor of the one that improves it when the practice thereof is authorized.

cookiecaper on Solo Piano Arrangement - Called to Serve

2010-07-14T03:14:35.012010+00:00-0700

Also, this Cufon thing is interesting. It's cool, but really should be using @font-face for everything possible; perhaps you could try implementing that instead of using individual canvas elements. Maybe a new version of Cufon implements it?

cookiecaper on Solo Piano Arrangement - Called to Serve

2010-07-13T15:02:05.792124+00:00-0700

Thanks for posting this, I like the arrangement a lot and have listened to it a few times since yesterday.

zionlist blog: Seeing Beyond Babylon

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:31:09 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to blogs
[link] [1 comment]

cookiecaper on Are Mormons Ready for an LDS Study Bible?

2010-06-16T04:28:12.852604+00:00-0700

An interesting discussion, I think. To my mind, the main barrier is that we don't have the funding to dedicate to that kind of effort. The Church has already made their contribution on the matter, which is the Study Helps and footnotes in our current Standard Works. Unless someone can convince LDS investors to bankroll such a project, I don't see it happening.

zionlist blog: Presidency in the Home

Fri, 28 May 2010 01:13:32 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to editorial
[link] [comment]

cookiecaper on zionlist blog: First Post

2010-05-27T21:40:33.937047+00:00-0700

Created this to promote zionlist.com and provide off-site news updates in a more canonical format. The big aggregators can add this easily and it should be easier to get people down with that format, and then drop news/hints about zionlist a lot to try and get more activity. If you're a regular reader of ZL, thanks for your patronage, I like you a lot. This thing doesn't take anything away from here, just hoping it will get more to happen here soon.

zionlist blog: First Post

Thu, 27 May 2010 21:37:07 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to zl_news
[link] [4 comments]

Arizona immigration law thwarting LDS missionaries

Sat, 22 May 2010 01:09:56 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to news
[link] [comment]

Kansas City Temple Chaser account of groundbreaking ceremony. New rendering of temple included in photos.

Sat, 08 May 2010 19:00:01 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to temples
[link] [comment]

cookiecaper on LDS Church Temples gets revamped design -- sadly including Flash.

2010-04-25T13:10:55.623809+00:00-0700

I agree that it's a disappointing redesign for the main page. They've removed some functionality and the H is distracting and overly gaudy. The temple subpages are an improvement, though, I think, with horizontal centering and clearly defined navigation. Did you not know of this site before? You're right that it isn't official but I've found it much more useful than the Church's temple pages.

cookiecaper on San Diego Mormon temple getting touch-up

2010-04-25T13:08:53.554418+00:00-0700

The comments on there are really crazy. What is with that?

cookiecaper on Did Ezra Taft Benson unfairly inject politics into religion?

2010-04-25T12:42:27.486842+00:00-0700

Well, first of all, I wouldn't categorize Benson's philosophy as "neoconservative". It is classical conservative. Neoconservatives believe in government intervention and war when it suits them and blind party loyalty; see Bush, who pushed through a couple rounds of bailouts and had all of the neocon pundits singing his praises, but when Obama does anything remotely similar, it's this big horrible thing, as just one example. One might be correct in saying that many misinterpret Benson's statements as endorsements of the Republican Party, seen in America as the "conservative" party. This is really disappointing because today's Republican Party represents almost nothing that Benson espouses, but I don't think this is Benson's fault; the blame lies on the uninformed masses that accept punditry without question and take Benson's remarks as implicit perpetual endorsements of what the common psyche deems the "conservative" party. I think that when the Lord elevates an apostle to President of the Church, it's an elevation of their previous work as well. Everyone pays more attention to the prophet's teachings, whether they were given before or after his assumption of that calling. As such, I think that when the Lord suffers a certain apostle to become Church President, the Lord is intentionally placing additional emphasis of that specific apostle's teachings over the entirety of the apostle's tenure, not just any forthcoming teachings after the assumption of the office. In light of all this, I think that Benson's political rhetoric is an important guideline for Church members, but I think that only insofar as it is appropriately applied. As discussed earlier, members who assume that Benson's teachings imply or necessitate continued patronage of "apostate" political creeds are obviously misapplying the teachings of the Prophet, because no such statement was ever made. Likewise, those who assume that Benson's "proper role of government" forbids negotiation with those of differing persuasion are misappropriating the teaching as well, as are those who assume that we must pretend we have a legitimate free market and operate as if a hypothetical ideal capitalism free from government interference exists in our nation. I think the best thing to do is just to encourage depth-of-thought among members. That would solve many of these problems. I don't know if it's generational or what, but people by and large, including church members, seem to find external propaganda channels authoritative and do not really question the claims they hear from TV. There is such an abundance of misinformation and a propensity to lick it up, and we need to find ways to stop that.

LDS Church Temples gets revamped design -- sadly including Flash.

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:29:59 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to general
[link] [3 comments]

cookiecaper on Kansas City temple looks like this

2010-02-16T04:37:25.195749+00:00-0700

They took this painting off of the page, now. Isn't that interesting?

cookiecaper on Kansas City temple looks like this

2010-02-02T04:54:33.054310+00:00-0700

From http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/kansascity/

Kansas City temple looks like this

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:53:42 +0000

submitted by cookiecaper to temples
[link] [2 comments]

cookiecaper on Just for the record, Meridian Magazine is not canonized scripture and just because an author has the name "McConkie" doesn't make her writings doctrine. Why do Mormon feminists insist on elevating Eve and women to a superior position over Adam and males?

2010-01-10T23:37:38.634624+00:00-0700

I think it's just a further demonstration that many of the Saints want to mix true doctrine with philosophies of men so that they can fit in better. They do it everywhere, they want to be like everyone else. People should realize that Mormonism is not the religion for you if you just want to fit in. We're a peculiar people and we'll only seem stranger and stranger as the world delves deeper and deeper into apostasy. It's something you might as well get comfortable with.

cookiecaper on Relocating: Why we should build chapels with access to public transit

2010-01-09T11:59:59.007192+00:00-0700

I actually think it's a little absurd that people are so interested in that article that there are 91 comments on it. That doesn't really make sense to me. As for its claims, that might work fine in places where public transit is functional, but that's a pretty small percentage of the overall territory covered by the Church. In the US, for instance, only a few cities have practically usable transportation systems for people without cars. Almost everywhere else, even if there is some transit like a light rail or something, you have to have a car to get where you're going (like the light rail station).

cookiecaper on Really long and asinine discussion on the future of polygamy and what you should be doing about it

2010-01-09T03:49:42.871298+00:00-0700

I agree with this too. I think that part of the reason the law of consecration is specifically mentioned in the temple is because the Lord is attempting to get people to at least accept that law of sharing of money and temporal materials so that they will be ready to accept the law of plural marriage that requires a much more personal and intimate form of emotional sharing. I just wish people would start taking these things seriously. I feel like so many in the Church just go about their lives as normal Gentiles, and that they don't want to own up to their peculiarities and special callings because it's more comfortable to be like everyone else. They do what they need to do to get a temple recommend and then they're satisfied and feel little additional responsibility. I want to see that change.

cookiecaper on Really long and asinine discussion on the future of polygamy and what you should be doing about it

2010-01-09T03:32:25.851298+00:00-0700

Word. There's some summaries below. I'd like to hear your take and position on the general matter.

cookiecaper on Really long and asinine discussion on the future of polygamy and what you should be doing about it

2010-01-09T03:18:24.891298+00:00-0700

Well, I don't really think people should move to Missouri now unless they feel inspired to do so. I just used the scriptural references to the necessity of acquiring land as an illustration that there are many things in the scriptures which people are missing, and that we must learn _and_ practice our scriptures very well if we're ever going to become what we've been commanded to be. See D&C 84:53-59: >53 And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now. > 54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received— >55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. >56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. >57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written— >58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. >59 For shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, Nay. This Church has been under commandment to build Zion since its first generation. Not many generations of Saints have taken that commandment seriously. I want to get people to take it seriously so that our generations can be those blessed to build the Holy City. To me, part of taking that commandment to build Zion seriously means searching the scriptures diligently for things we can do to help. I think that the several times the D&C implores the Saints to purchase lands in and around the Center Place is still applicable, and I don't really understand why people think that that's not necessary anymore. It's black and white in the D&C that the Lord wants His people to obtain lands as He gives unto them power to do so. I haven't moved to Missouri, but I actually grew up over the state line in Kansas, about twenty miles from Independence. I feel like we're needed where we are right now, too, and I'm not suggesting that there should be a mass migration to MO. In fact, I don't know that there ever will be; many are waiting around for the prophet to announce it, but that doesn't seem practical to me. The New Jerusalem will be built by the righteous who were gathered up to the area by the Lord, and I am somewhat skeptical that these righteous will be gathered by general commandment of the prophet. I think they will come on orders delivered specifically to them by the Lord. The Lord has commanded His people to gather up lands there for the usage of Zion, and I expect the Saints to fulfill that as they are given the ability to do so. That's what I'm talking about. I do think there's a lot of value in remaining dispersed generally. We are still in the gathering phase. Part of the reason I created zionlist is so we could get to know good, Zion-level people, so we can emulate them, associate with them, and learn and socialize with them. There's a lot of good people and good Saints out there and I think that they must network and find each other and gather in from their scattered status emotionally before they do so physically. I think that there will be a lot of cool and awesome things happening soon. I hope that we can all qualify for them.