- Stephen C. on “It’s just Violence” Why I Think Sex Actually is Worse than Violence in Movies: “That’s fascinating. I wonder if some of that is because their social trauma wounds from war are fresher. I’ll hasten to add that nudity is not necessarily sexuality, although it has some of the same risks. I’m waiting until some of my kids are a bit older to watch The Mission with them, for example, even though it’s one of the most spiritually touching films ever. WRT The Mission, I used to hand-wave away “National Geographic nudity” as being less problematic in that sense, but then realized that it’s sort of racist in a way to assume that indigenous breast-baring would be less erotically appealing to my teenagers.” Dec 4, 05:10
- on “It’s just Violence” Why I Think Sex Actually is Worse than Violence in Movies: “My brother lives in Germany and has commented on how over there members of the Church say “it’s just some nudity” when justifying watching a harsher rated movie, and yet they are appalled at the violence, blood, and gore that most American movie-goers tolerate. Europeans generally (including probably Latter-day Saints) are less prudish and Victorian regarding nudity and sex. Americans generally (including probably Latter-day Saints) are far more cavalier in their Wild West, Second Amendment, gun-toting norms around violence than the European Saints.” Dec 3, 23:29
- on Devotion in the Postinformation Age: “Good point, Stephen. At this point we can all pick our own kind of special enlightenment.” Dec 3, 14:15
- on Devotion in the Postinformation Age: ““One of the concepts that gained currency twenty years ago was the distinction between chapel Mormons and Internet Mormons, or the happy but ignorant believers versus the smaller set of informed online members. But I’ve become deeply suspicious of anything that says: You are one of the wise and enlightened church members, so your views bear special weight and you should not feel constrained by obligations to those people stuck in the chapel. I don’t reject the idea because it’s abhorrent to me, but because it’s attractive and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s a lie.” This is indeed a lie, but I think this was maybe more true 20 years age, but (except for a few holdouts) we’re all Internet Mormons now (for example, our BHR Survey showed that virtually all members are now aware of JS polygamy, etc.) even if we vary in the extent to which the edgier aspects come to define our membership. Does President Eyring know about the Kinderhook Plates? Probably, but he doesn’t come off as somebody who knows about the Kinderhook plates, it’s just not a part of his identity as a Latter-day Saint.” Dec 3, 11:42
- on “It’s just Violence” Why I Think Sex Actually is Worse than Violence in Movies: “I agree with this. As someone who grew up not watching Rated R movies, it was strange to interact with active members who did when I left my house. I still don’t watch them.” Dec 3, 08:27
- on “It’s just Violence” Why I Think Sex Actually is Worse than Violence in Movies: ““For the most part I actually do think that sex in movies is worse than violence.” I tend to hold this thought as well. But hear me out. What if we’ve all been ruined in a way similar to but different than if we’d raised an entire nation for generations on porn? It’s 6 the only question you need to ask yourself. Can you imagine sitting down and saying to the Saviors, “this is a great one, let’s watch it for fun, and then how about we sing ‘more holiness give me’ afterwards?” It’s a seemingly impossible standard to apply that to our conduct all the time because quite frankly we love Babylon too much. But admit it at least. Let’s not make our sins better than others to justify them.” Dec 2, 23:14
- on Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 11/30: “For the past 2 yrs our ward bishopric has used 5th Sunday Sacrament Meetings as Special Music Appreciation sessions. After the sacrament rite is completed, the congregants are invited to come to the microphone, say what hymn they especially like, why it speaks to them, and which verse they would like to sing. The congregation then sings that verse, et cetera until the end. It is easily the most enjoyable and anticipated Sacrament meeting of the year. My only nit concerning the entire process is that we have to end at 5 minutes to the hour, in order to have a CLOSING SONG ! I can’t imagine why they haven’t thought to skip that part of the usual format.” Dec 2, 20:32
- on “It’s just Violence” Why I Think Sex Actually is Worse than Violence in Movies: ““That said, when I hear about these incidents where people are shot for going to the wrong door, I wonder how many violent movies, “true crime” documentaries, and violent crime-focused news shows the shooters have watched recently.” Me too. And, on a slight tangent, whenever I see somebody weaving in and out of traffic I wonder how many people the Fast and the Furious franchise has killed.” Dec 2, 18:26
- on Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 11/30: “We’ve had for 3or 4 weeks running an apparent moratorium on CFM as the assigned subject matter… and the Spirit of our Sacrament meetings has made a huge improvement…wow… first time in a long time I hear in this ward the spontaneous “wasn’t that uplifting, wasn’t her talk touching, that kid really moved me” even from the more cynical. I’ve been in this ward 24 years and its nice to see.” Dec 2, 17:11
