#Coming forth of the Book of Mormon

[mindfulldsliving]

Dispensationalism and the Restoration: How the Book of Mormon Prepares Us for Christ’s Second Coming

Doctrine and Covenants Section 1 introduces the Restoration as a divine response to a world in spiritual disarray. It’s a bold declaration of God’s work to reestablish Christ’s eternal truths. The Book of Mormon stands at the center of this effort, fulfilling ancient prophecies and preparing hearts for Christ’s return. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord restored gospel principles that had…

[owenbroadcast]

Hey Tumblr. I'm just a guy, not a company. I released a book (of comics) last weekend. I would like to tell you about it.

It's called 'Babyology'. It's mostly about my dog and baby:

I'm there also, with my wife.

It's part anthology: the first two years of this series about us having a kid and starting a family, and all the weird stuff I'm into.

It's also longer comics I've kept behind the scenes until now.

The other main theme in the book is 'weird American religion'. Sometimes we go into atypical Christian history stuff, or just interesting ideas I come across - for example, what Mormon philosophy has to say about why evil exists:

Or... why the Virgin Mary apparently mostly appears to kids:

The world of ‘weird spiritual and religious ideas’ is just something I'm really into, and that stuff dovetails in an interesting way with having a kid. Actually, my wife and I don't really fit into any "group". Some of the comics are about that:

It's not pushing any particular religious conclusion. It goes back and forth between, "here's this weird idea", and then:

People seem to like it so far:

That's it really. If you have any friends who just had a kid, this would be a killer Christmas gift for them, but I'm running this ad because I think it makes a great gift for almost anyone. It's a real certified weird item from the internet that I put a ton of myself into. It's 360 pages, printed black and white newspaper style (so it's only $28) - comics all the way through. Weird enough for your freak friends, but normal enough for your mom. Thanks for reading this, here's the link if you're into it: http://amazon.com/dp/B0CPC9T741

[nerdygaymormon]

I talked with my mother in law about disagreeing with the august policy and she kept faily neutral and said God made that policy and His children make the choice to stray from Him. While i believe the policy was inspired i dont believe it came from His mouth. I don't understand how transitioning is straying, it feels like a morally neutral act. How can God ask someone to sacrifice their emotional and mental well being to keep their good standing with Him? It feels backwards and manipulative if I'm being honest. Obedience is good but not if it comes at the cost of being miserable. I'm angry at the church as an institution and I believe it's failing it's queer and trans siblings. I suppose I do disagree with God.

You ask some really good questions. I want to add a few more for you to consider.

Are scriptures the "word of God" and does God actually speak these things to a human who hears it and writes it down precisely as God said it, or are these human interpretations of what they believe is God's will?

Is this policy leading people to be more loving and to do good to their neighbor?

Why would God make people gay or trans and then forbid them from being gay or trans?

The Book of Mormon teaches we're meant to have joy in life, then why does the LDS Church have policies to deny joy to queer people? Why are they singled out to be miserable for God?

If gender affirming care for trans people is "straying" from God, why is gender affirming care for cis people not? The medical procedures that trans people use were all originally developed for cis people. People get breast augmentations, hysterectomies, nose jobs, tummy tucks, face lifts, pec implants, lip filler, bbl's, hormone injections, puberty blockers, growth hormones, and on and on.

At the last General Conference, Elder Oaks put forth a unique idea about temporary and permanent commandments. I think it's his way of getting around the idea that church leaders in the past were wrong, but it brings up interesting questions, if this is temporary then am I required to obey even if I don't agree? If this is temporary, will I be punished in heaven after it is no longer in effect?

We're taught in Matthew 7 that “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” If a policy is bringing forth bad results for a whole group of people, is it a 'good' policy?

Is it a coincidence that this step backwards with the August policy seems related to the bathroom bills and other anti-trans legislation that's recently been passed? If this is actually God's will then how come we didn't know it in 2020 when the last big revision to church policies regarding trans people was implemented?

What if a trans person feels they are inspired to pursue transitioning, should the church be punishing them for following where God is guiding them?

Does this policy sound like it's from a loving God?

That’s enough questions. I want to end with 3 points.

The August policy is just that, a policy, not a commandment or revelation or scripture. Policies are temporary and can be changed. A great example is the 2015 policy of exclusion regarding gay people, which was reversed less than 5 years later in 2019. How much better if it the 2015 policy had never been introduced and all that hurt had been avoided.

You're not disagreeing with God, you're disagreeing with whomever wrote and approved the latest policies.

People have a conscience, what the church calls the light of Christ, which influences people for good. If things being said by a church leader bother your conscience, pay attention to that.

[not-so-superheroine]

Happy Restoration Day! Here is my Book of Mormon Testimony

Blessings everyone, I am @not-so-superheroine, and this is my testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I am a convert to the restoration. So the Book of Mormon was new to me. I had heard about it. I had held one before that I saw in the drawer of a Marriot hotel room, I didn’t open it until I took an interest in the Restoration. 

At that time, I was sort of agnostic. I grew up in a mainline protestant denomination but had grown disillusioned. I was introduced to Mormonism through people who were deconstructing from the belief. Naturally, the first things I saw about it were debunking it’s location and historicity. But my mind was being opened to possibilities I hadn’t considered before. When I was younger, it didn’t make sense to me that there would be no more scripture from God. That the author of Revelations could say “that’s it.” for scripture, as I heard some argue. I wondered why God interacted so directly with those in ancient times and why such things wouldn’t occur with us now.  

Eventually, I was curious enough to acquire a Book of Mormon. I was admittedly cautious. I knew what the book said about a “skin of Blackness” and how that had lead to mistreatment of Black and Indigenous persons in different parts of the Latter Day Saint Movement. I was also fairly certain it was a 19th century text. I knew neither of these things discounted the Book as scripture. 

So I went into the scripture without the burden of historicity or author authenticity.  Not to see if the book was “true”, but to seek after the truths within. I approached the text and I looked for the presence of God. I prayed and asked God to guide me in my reading of the scriptures. Millions before me found these precious truths and Divine Inspiration in this book and I thought perhaps, if i went in openly, I could find it myself. 

And did I. And I am glad that I did. 

The Book of Mormon provides further light on issues the Christian community was facing at the time. It seeks to heal and to unify. A theme throughout the scripture and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon speaks of Continuing Revelation. The heavens were open then and are open now. From what I learned, there is no reason why God wouldn’t provide us further light or would limit who God delivers Divine knowledge too. In fact, I learned that God does just that. It’s just up to us to ask, listen, and discern. 

The Book has also strengthened my relationship with my Creator. When I was a child, I thought deeply about, and questioned, the theology and doctrine I was taught in Sunday School. Sometimes this questioning was not always welcomed. I learned that for some, Ignorance is preferable to doubt. That doesn’t work for me. The Book of Mormon encourages me to be a diligent seeker. My time spent studying the Book of Mormon has been filled with questions. Questions without shame that I encourage to seek after God’s truth. 

Much like Nephi, I Was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God to all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself to the children of men; for he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

(more from 1 Nephi 3) 29 For he that diligently seeks shall find; 30and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded to him by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in this time as in times of old; 31and as well in times of old as in times to come.

This scripture inspires me and shows me that God wants me to seek after God’s mysteries and the mysteries in the universe God created for us. That thought is absolutely liberating. We should not fear knowledge, God wants us to grow and understand. And my faith is stronger now with this understanding. Questioning and Seeking is needed for spiritual growth.

I find the Book of Mormon to be empowering in reminding me of my moral agency, encouraging me to grow my faith, and work with God to hone my Spiritual gifts to be used in service to the Divine and to my community. The Book of Mormon affirms the Living Christ, Christ’s love for all humankind, no matter where and who they are, and that people of all nations receive light from the Divine and are a part of God’s sacred story. And there is so much more. The Book of Mormon speaks to me about the effects of poverty and addressing wealth inequity. This matches with Christ’s mission to tend to the poor. The Book of Mormon goes into how we should live amongst each other and on building sacred community, on how to be Zion as a people. There are so many lessons packed in there that I believe God wants us to ponder on and to take action with. The Book of Mormon is responsible for changing the way I read and apply sacred scripture to my life. This has changed my life for the better and changed my life outlook. I see myself as an active part of God’s plan carrying out Christ’s mission. 

I thank God for the Restoration

I thank God for continuing revelation and the Book of Mormon

And I thank God for my community, the people of Zion

[kinnersonne]

Hey,

You were literally the first LDS person that popped up on here, and I’ve never spoken to an LDS person who wasn’t a missionary. I really don’t want to be judged or for you to think I’m ridiculous or selfish or anything, but I need some advice or literally just an LDS person to tell this to and for you to be brutally real with me.

A couple of months ago, I met a missionary in my city. I’ll just call him Elder X for the sake of the story. I was immediately drawn to him, not even romantically at first, I just felt this weird, almost magnetic pull to talk to him. For context, I’ve been an atheist or agnostic most of my life, but I’ve always had questions and a weird little pocket of openness about religion.

One day he stopped me on the street and we talked. I expressed some interest in the LDS faith, though I did have critiques of the Church as an institution. He gave me a Book of Mormon, and I ended up meeting with him and his companion a few times. We texted back and forth regularly, sometimes about scriptures or religion, and sometimes just about life and small things.

Over time, I started to develop feelings for Elder X. I know the whole flirt to convert thing exists, but I swear this was different. Part of me really thinks it might have been a little reciprocal too. I would never have made a move or crossed a line. I fully respect the rules of missions and their boundaries. But I got very emotionally attached to him. He was so kind and thoughtful, and I felt safe opening up to him. Like we would hang out with his companion and we would all like hysterically laugh together and actually have fun. Not in like a fake “we’re laughing so you’ll come to church” way, like real. There was times where he only came into the city to meet me, and one time, he met me at 4pm, and had to leave at 7.. he stayed the ENTIRE time (idk if that’s standard practice but..)

After about two months, he got transferred to another city. He told me he would miss me and encouraged me to keep reading the Book of Mormon. Since then, a new missionary, Elder Y, took his place. Obviously Elder X had told him about me. Elder Y texted me once from the same number, I responded, and then nothing. The conversation ended and he never messaged me again.

That hurt. Elder X used to text me every single day without fail. And now I kind of feel dropped. I keep seeing signs of him everywhere, his name which is rare where I live on billboards or books or in songs. It’s like I can’t not think about him.

I also briefly met another missionary, Elder Z, who gave me his email. I emailed him once or twice, but when I asked questions about the Church’s stance on things like gay marriage, he blanked me. Elder X always engaged in dialogue, even when we disagreed. I miss that. I miss him.

Elder X’s mission ends in less than eight weeks. And here’s my point

Should I reach out to him? I never got his email directly, but I think I can figure it out based on the standard missionary email format. Is that creepy or stalkerish? Or do I just let this go, let him finish his mission, and accept that this was just a little moment that’s over now.

I know this sounds all over the place, but I’m really just asking for someone to hear me out. I obviously have people in my life who would give me advice, but not anyone who knows anything about the LDS world. I don’t want to be dramatic. He means a lot to me and I don’t want to look back and feel like I said nothing.

Hope you understand. God Bless.

Beloved internet stranger, I will pull on everything I know about love and God and His Church to answer you as best I can, and then (if you desire) ping every Church member on this hellsite to give you a healthy range of advice. So! Under the cut we go!

I think reaching out to him is a great start! It’s not uncommon for missionaries to get asked for some way to keep in touch after they get off; usually it comes from other missionaries, but they can get it from non-missionary friends just the same. Clearly you had a connection—now whether it’s romantic or platonic, he won’t get to figure out until he gets off of his mission, and he won’t get that chance if you let the connection drop. He may be feeling the same confusion and anxiety about your situationship as you are: ‘What if I get off my mission and never see them again?’ ‘Do they think I was just being a missionary?’ ‘What if the bond we had was just on my side?’ Being on a mission is an awkward place to make new friends because of how much you move around. You must have meant a lot to him for him to treat you that way, beyond the normal friendliness that missionaries are encouraged to cultivate. Missions aren’t only about getting people baptized (at least to more emotionally mature missionaries who don’t treat their missions as a number-go-up game—it sounds like the missionaries you met after Elder X weren’t as prepared). They’re also about making a positive impact in peoples’ lives in some other part of the world, irrelevant of whether it makes them like our church more or not. When you transfer around so much, it can sometimes be hard to feel like you actually did that. So all that to say, I think he’d love to hear from you again! If only to confirm that you had a real friendship that went beyond the professional courtesy of a missionary.

Now a word about how post-mission can look. Often people need a bit of time to adjust back to ‘civilian life,’ per se. Not because their missions were traumatic or anything (although sadly that can and does happen, I have a friend who wrote a graphic novel about hers), but because they’re just so Different from normal life. The people I know who tried to go straight into college after their missions without taking a semester off first really struggled. So he’s gonna need time to transition, whether he knows or admits it or not. I could see your friendship (or relationship!) being a help to him through that, you being a contact on his mission who wants to keep being a part of his life afterwards. But he may also just need some space to figure himself out. The best thing you can do is understand that it’s not anything you did, it’s got nothing to do with you, he just needs transition time. Missions are life-changing experiences, and you’re still changing well after you take off the badge. So be prepared for him to talk and act a little different than he used to—his personality is warping back to the ‘civilian’ mindset.

You know Elder X better than me, and so probably will have a better idea of what his transition will look like. He may be chomping at the bit to go out with you as soon as he takes off his badge, or he may want another month or so to settle himself first. He may want to jump into dating you and you alone, or he may want to casually date and even date a couple people at the same time before going exclusive with anyone. He’ll probably be a little extra cautious about physicality, if and when that comes up, especially fresh off the mission. And sadly—more on this later—he may want to cut it off or even not engage in the first place if you aren’t a baptized member. The highest religious ordinance in our church is a temple marriage, which due to sacred symbology that is only given to people who have made covenants with Christ, is only accessible to Actual Members. This is why many Church of Jesus Christ members exclusively date within the Church, but! Not all of them do! For some members they’re perfectly fine dating outside of their religion so long as there’s a mutual respect for the standards attached. I’ve seen marriages between a member and a nonmember that worked just fine. In fact, if Elder X was comfortable discussing topics like queerness in the church with you, I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t freak out about dating a nonmember, even if misguided friends or family might.

I say all this because romance can put pressure where it shouldn’t be on people considering joining the church. Again: more on this later. It’ll be Important.

Now as in every religion, people are gonna Be Weird About It. One weirdness you sometimes see in fresh RMs (returned missionaries) is, they may get hyperfocused on dating and marriage. Like. A little creepily so. The reason for this is because in our religion, the most sacred ordinance you can perform is marriage. You prepare for both marriage and a mission by performing a different and also highly sacred ordinance called the Endowment (I’m Endowed!), though you don’t have to wait for those; as of 2020ish, you can take out your Endowment anytime so long as you’re eighteen. So basically, having just served their mission, some RMs erroneously treat it as the latest checked box on their spiritual to-do list and enter relentless pursuit of the next box: marriage. This is where you get those engaged-after-a-month horror stories, especially around BYU and BYU Idaho…which can, surprisingly, work, but is still not anywhere near best practices. It comes from a place of wanting to keep progressing spiritually, especially coming off of a two-year spiritual high into a comparative drought. Many RMs panic because they think they’re apostasizing (falling away from the Church) just because they no longer have that intense religious fervor Every Day. I’m not saying Elder X will or won’t fall into that trap, but it is something to be aware of. Plenty of missionaries are totally normal about it when they get off, pursue dating and relationships at their own God-given pace, and get married in a far more standard time frame. Again, it comes back to the concept of transitioning (hehe! trans! shoutout to my trans pals ♥️)

However. My caveat. My one, great, central caveat. Please read and ingrain this into your brain:

DO NOT CONVERT FOR HIM.

Do not. Don’t do it. That is a temporary solution for a literally eternal problem. He would love for you to get baptized, heck, I would love that too! And that knowledge is completely irrelevant to your decision to join this church. Full stop. Elder X brought you to an awareness of the gospel, this wonderful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that, while imperfectly run by imperfect people, is doing a lot of good and has transformed my life and the way I treat others. And that is the most that he should have to do with it. You probably learned about how important agency is to our religion, and how the reason we have a Messiah was to preserve our agency without cutting us off forever from where God dwells. No one for any reason should enter into baptism through any form of pressure or coercion. A testimony of Jesus and of His Church is strongest when it is your own, not piggybacking off of someone else’s. You should get baptized for yourself and no one else, not even Elder X. That decision is between you and the Lord. I say this so strongly because, if stuff gets serious between you two, you may feel pressure to get baptized and then endowed so that he can have a temple marriage with you (the highest religious ordinance we have, remember?). If that happens to be what you want to do anyway, great! Please do it! It’s wonderful! I am a stronger and kinder and more Christlike person having done it myself! But these ordinances, while very real and capable of great help in your life, are not something to be entered into for convenience’s sake. If you’re gonna make that decision, don’t do it for somebody else.

That said: I believe you. I believe that you felt what you said you felt. And I while I don’t have any way to confirm it because I’m not you and it’s none of my business, it’s very well possible thay you’re getting nudges from the Holy Ghost. Our religion does not believe in a distant, Deist God who framed the heavens and earth and then got bored of us and left. Nor do we believe in marriage as a mere obligation. The God we know is a living Savior who is intimately aware of us and is as involved in our lives as we want Him to be. We believe that He gives us personal revelation through the Spirit, to individually guide us to where we need to be, both for our sake and for others’. And I know He wants each and every one of us to have an eternal companion, one who strengthens and edifies us over time, a person through whom we can feel an approximation of Christ’s own love for us—gay, straight, or in between! God knows you and loves you, every bit as much as He does me. People meet their spouses on or adjacent to their missions all the time; once again, more often fellow missionaries than investigators, but still pretty common. I think it’s not only because you’re so receptive to the Spirit but because, when done right, your mission brings out the best in you. Jesus brings out the best in you! People with joy and purpose are attractive and receptive to attraction. And, too, God can do some heavy lifting with you, so to speak; lots of folks I know were WAY more ready for a relationship after they got back, lol.

The Spirit speaks to all of us in different ways, and learning how He speaks to you can take practice. I’ve heard stories of people seeing their future spouses in dreams, people feeling prompted to go out with somebody when they were dating someone else at the time, people whose spouses were name-dropped for them in their patriarchal blessing. Me, I hear actual words and complete sentences from the Spirit, I think because I’m a writer and God knows He needs to come down to my level, heh. These manifestations can be deeply personal, and will get clearer and more consistent with time spent in scripture study and meditation (read: quiet time to have an open conversation with God). The closer you get to Jesus, the better you’ll be able to determine how deep your connection with Elder X is meant to be. That’s my experience, anyways!

Once again, people will be weird about it. When infatuation is high, and especially if there’s not enough humility in the mix, it becomes really easy to hear what you want to hear and not what the Spirit is actually trying to tell you. People can get turned around this way and think they’re getting personal revelation when at best, it’s tainted, and at worst, it’s just their own opinion. The mote and the beam, y’know? For every story I’ve heard of a brilliantly happy couple whose relationship was orchestrated by promptings from the Spirit, I’ve also heard of people who swore up and down that this person was their soul mate chosen by God and would neither leave them alone nor move on to somebody better for them. I was almost one of those! I was sure that I was receiving prophecy for my own life to marry some guy I refer to as Jeremy the Unicorn. And well, I wasn’t, and I didn’t. I found the real love of my life after I got Jeremy out of my head, and I would never have made it to marriage with him if not for some specific and VERY strong direction from the Lord. And I tell you that man is just what I needed. He’s one of the best gifts God ever gave me.

So yeah! That was a lot and it took me like a week. Eheh. I’m very sorry to write you a Tolstoy, Kinners likes to talk a lot about things she’s learned a lot about and that are really important to her. I hope that somewhere in all of that you found something good and helpful. I don’t know how private you want this to be, so for now I’ll leave this untagged. Please know though that tumblr has a fabulous community of Church of Jesus Christ folks who would love to help you out if you desired—just say the word!

And hey, thank you for reaching out. It’s really nice to talk this openly about my religion; IRL I’m pretty recalcitrant about it, not that you would know from my thesis. Sending you all the love and prayers, and some for Elder X too!

Best,

Kinnersonne

[gatorinator]

Ok the parody book covers had me rolling, and I was delighted to get snippets from two of them on the website. Sadly (although also probably luckily) I’m not sure they did one for the Book of Mormon parody

Again, probably for the best. But as someone who is LDS, and who has read the Book of Mormon extensively, I figured I’d take a crack at a snippet of what could be in this version of the Book of Bill.

3 Bill

Chapter 5

Followers of Cypher call themselves the Anti-Bill-Cyphies—They are commanded to build a portal— A man like the cedars of Lebanon breaks the portal—Cypher causes a famine on purpose not by accident—Those who intercourse around will find out. About 2084 B.W. (Before Weirdmageddon).

1 And it came to pass that in those days, the followers of Cypher did go forth unto the land, to build a portal.

2 And they called themselves the Anti-Bill-Cyphies, for they were the followers of Cypher.

3 And it came to pass that I, Cypher, spake unto them, saying, Hey idiots! Wanna have the time of your lives? Why don’t you take a crack at portal building? I’ll make you rich and famous, all the babes will love you! Their feet are gonna be tinkling with sooo many bells, you guys are into that right?

4 And they built a portal after the manner in which I showed them, which was sick as hell.

5 And they did pray unto me, saying O Cypher, we know that thou art a god, and we know that thou art the sickest god, and whatsoever that means we know not, but we do believe it.

6 And it came to pass that there was a twerp, who was like unto the cedar trees of Lebanon, who did come. And in the night, he snuck into the portal, and verily he did take a big old stick and bash it to pieces.

7 And on the next day, when I saw what he hath done, I did not throw a big tantrum, don’t believe what hath been written. I remained very calm and collected, and then caused every animal in the vicinity to lose their teeth. And thus the animals couldn’t eat, and a famine came about the land, which was totally what I meant to have happen.

8 Yea, and even the man like unto the cedars of Lebanon starved to death, THAT WILL SHOW HIM. And thus we see that those who fornicate about, will thusly figure out. Amen.

[tw1stedthicket]

Just found out apparently the Winter Olympic Games in 10 years or so are gonna be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. I sincerely hope and pray that in the next 10 years, this fact will mean something different to me.

As it stands right now, I am pissed off. Of all the beautiful places on this green earth, Utah certainly has captivating natural beauty, but I don't trust that there may not be the influence of what is so flagrantly defining about Utah in that it is the central hub of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Something as beautiful and hopeful as a long-held tradition kept amongst all nations of the world to send some of their best in stunning athletic feats that sometimes seem to transcend humanity's physical potential to one place, so they may compete in the name of their home and a title of honor recognizing the boundaries they pushed in the name of their sport, is almost downright spiritual. I can't help but feel the parallels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believing themselves to be sending out the best and the brightest fledgling flames of the younger generation to spread a similar light of God, the truth of the "latter days" in today's evolving world, and unity of all of us in God's plan and in one human legacy and divine birthright for all families to participate in that binds us and seals us together. I know not all Latter-day Saints are as inclined to putting forth a presentation of righteous, precious duty for this spiritual sentiment of "being a light" or would as such be engaged in the kinds of acceptance, social change, radical hope, equality, and more that it would require, but that sentiment of all the above mentioned is baked into the religion no less, as to what its members are called to do and be.

Unfortunately, the gruesome underbelly that gets overlooked in their politeness and sweetness and eagerness to just help everyone come unto Christ, is one that suffers from absolutely crippling enforcements of conformity. Conformity that white-washes the cultures that are "invited" to join -- asks them to sacrifice aspects of their identity and assimilate into Whiteness and to alter long-held beliefs and ways of life for the sake of a "restoration of the truth"...eliminating personal beliefs, personal practices, personal behaviors, and by extension personality, and where isolated from broader cultures and one's own ability to make choices freely, to own what one finds true, to walk as one will and where one will, to find meaning, express values, call upon one's ancestors or their own sources, grow in wisdom, and so much more, as though these might not be a path up the mountain, eliminates so much identity even in one's very personhood.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints venerates freedom, honored in a free American country with a "restoration" and the bestowing of God's keys of power to guide the world at a time that could have only been made possible then, a freedom that is held up in its triumphant insistence that the greatest gift to humans was "agency", and captivated in its role as the supreme poser of such deeply rooted human questions at the heart of our souls as to how and why we are here and the gifter of the answers - should we be free to honestly ask the question ourselves, honestly ask it of the missionaries in the world, honestly ask it of the promise laid out in the Book of Mormon to God, who will testify of the truth that sets you free. And yet. The stunning implications that it was never a choice are chained to their idea of freedom.

It was never a choice for the families that Joseph Smith encountered and who persuaded their perspectives and faith to change, families he then asked to take their young daughter's hand in marriage for himself under threat of damnation, or to women whose husbands were off serving missions in other parts of the world. It was never a choice to the people of the world today who do anything less than fully accept, with choking implications that they are denying the very thing that will save them, save them from unhappiness and unfairness. And offering this promise to the members of the world that have been oppressed, in colonized parts of the world, in enslaved parts of 1800's America, in Indigenous Native parts of the colonized Americas and colonized Utah itself, a name directly referencing the tribes that lived there. Offering this to people whose civil rights the Church's extensive arms and threaded branches in local governments lobby to repress. To the queer community that it tragically imposes the question of "agency" and "chastity" that you might just simply choose to be different. For all these people, the implication that life could be different for you. For countries of the world today in need of aid that are promised temples, for families in need of aid that are asked if they tithe. For people in the world asking for more freedom, and the levying of power that all along it will be, if you conform; from the enslaved American promised to find emanicipation in Zion in Utah under Joseph Smith's presidential platform, to the Pacific Islanders today that have family lineages populated with Latter-day Saints that move from their ancestral homes to Utah as Utahns crowd them out, to women everywhere that are promised a Relief Society for women and perhaps an advancement of the cause for women, but find themselves taught by priesthood holders about what great mothers and wives God made them to be. For people in need of guidance and counsel for self-worth and a justification to still be here in a hopeless world, that get asked about sin and "valiance" and given the choice to remain an active member for the sake of fulfilling gender roles, family roles, having posterity. The implication that families can be together forever, but only if you accept and obey to the highest order of covenants, promises you make to the entire dedication and consecration of your life to it. A culture of shaming for less than true perfection and that you must choose less if you get less, and you must have chose hell if you got it, and a power to send you there.

The Church has very carefully, very saintly, made of all its members, "pure", "converted" people striving for perfection even as Christ is perfect. Perfection that comes across to many as diligence, dedication, and integrity. Perfection that to be sure of, might reflect in the Olympic ceremonies as a reverence for that which is sacred, and an adoring display of its temples, its hallowed history of saints and pioneers, and its citizenship of those who Build Up Zion. The world community at large may be deeply saddened as many of us are to find that hallmarks of the human spirit in all the corners of the world from belief systems far and wide, ancient and new, will be swallowed up inevitably in a sweeping display of a sinister thought: that we, Latter-day Saints, are the vested light in a darkened world, and we bear the "torch", so to speak, of shining out evils that we decided long ago were not what defined the power structure of the 1800's world Joseph Smith grew up in and that have shaped the globe ever since.

Their dazzle conceals the weath it took to build it, and who it takes it from. Its celebration of oneness washes out the exclusion of those it defines as needing to "change", "convert", or "overcome" in the name of conformity. Any humility involved will belie a supremacy that earnestly, and audaciously, believes that people should be sent out into the world for the sake of one truth, and one path, and one plan, and that after death, each member should plumb the archives and annals of human ancestry to convert all to its religion in the afterlife. A family religion, a family culture, an Olympic celebration of the human family, yet damned and condemned to separation in the afterlife in tiers of glory the same as its tiered chandeliers in every temple building dotting the desert and mountain Utah landscape.

It's revolting, to me, and I find my only solace in the hope that in ten years, more progress will have been made that shifts our world just a few more degrees toward the acceptable belief that the things the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes are unacceptable.

[fishcowwrites]

Bathtub - Chapter Two

chapter one

Elder Brian Neeley from The Book of Mormon

Songfic based on Bathtub by The Front Bottoms

Slight Neeley/Davis

WARNINGS: violence, mentions of blood, suicide, death, overdose, self-harm, and some descriptions of such

1.5k Words crossposted on ao3 under cut

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Screaming. So much screaming. Blood. Blood staining their shirts and their hands and their memories.

Zachary Davis found Brian Neeley dead in the shower. He almost looked like an angel, with a crown of bubbles and blood red ruby bracelets around his wrists. In a twisted way, he was the prettiest thing that Zachary had ever see. There were papers resting on the sink; shaky handwriting spelling out Brian’s final words. Zachary knelt down, gently taking one of Brian’s cold hands into his own.

All the elders had swarmed to the bathroom when they heard Zachary scream. Connor had pushed his way to the front, coming to a stop when he saw Brian. Hurriedly, he tried to block the elders from seeing him, but it was too late.

John caught glimpse and immediately knew what had happened. It was all too familiar, the sight of Brian’s lifeless body. But this time he was too late.

Carefully, Connor picked up the letters. There were a few, three pages total. But before he could read it, John had snatched it from his hands. Connor didn’t fight it. He knew how close the two of them were. John scanned the pages, tears filling his eyes. Screwing his eyes tight, he passed one of the papers to Connor. John tucked the second into his own pocket before offering the last one to Zachary. Wordlessly, he accepted it, still holding Brian’s hand.

Dear Zach,

I’m sorry it ended like this. There were so many things I wanted to tell you. So many things I wanted to do with you. I don’t know how much you know or how much you’ve figured out, but I figured that I need to say it before I go. I love you, Zachary Davis. I’ve loved you ever since those nights we spent together in silence. I wish I could have told you this sooner. I wish I could have told you this face to face. I don’t know if you love me. I wish I could know if you love me. I wish we could have figured things out. I have many regrets, and you are my biggest one. But I can’t keep living like this. I have to leave, and I’m sorry that I’ve left you behind. I know this isn’t fair, and I’m sorry for that as well. If you hate me now, I understand.

Regretfully with love, Brian

Zachary wanted to scream. He wanted to scream so loud that any god left in the cold universe could hear him. But he didn’t. Instead, he sat there as the world spun around him. People were crying and yelling, but he couldn’t hear anything. Gotswana pushed past him; someone must have brought him in. He was trying to move Brian, but Zachary wouldn’t let him. He was clinging to Brian’s hand like it was the only thing keeping it sane. And maybe it was.

It took 3 people to pry him off of the body. The sounds of screaming suddenly filled his ears, and it was only the scratching in his throat that told him that it was coming from him. The sound that had been sucked from the world had come back at full force, assaulting Zachary with noise from all angles.

Chris Thomas was sobbing in a corner. Almost immediately after his sister had died, he had been sent to Uganda. All the elders had worked to help him with his problems, but Brian’s death seemed to have brought back all of his trauma.

James Church sat in the corner with his arms wrapped around Chris, staring at nothing. All the commotion and yelling seemed to have triggered something deep inside him too. He seemed shell-shocked, with his eyes wide as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

Samuel Michaels was rocking back and forth in the middle of the common space, almost giggling to himself. He turned desperately towards anyone who passed by, begging for them to tell him that none of it was real. Tears streamed down his face as he banged his hands on the ground, pleading to just wake up from this nightmare.

Shane Zelder was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, demanding answers from the air. He was shouting at Connor, asking how this could have happened. He was shouting at Gotswana, asking why he couldn’t save Brian. He shouted at the other elders, demanding to know how none of them could have realized what was going on. All the questions for himself went unspoken, instead being channelled through his fist and into the wall.

Kevin Price was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t unreasonable to guess that he had retreated to his room, seeing as how he always went there when things became too much. But everyone could hear his screams, no matter how much he tried to smother them into his pillow.

Arnold Cunningham was wailing on the couch in the common room. Nabulungi tried her best to comfort him, but nothing seemed to be working.  Being stuck as a disappointment to his parents, he felt like everything was his fault. And Brian’s death was just another one of his screw-ups.

Connor Mckinley didn’t know what to do. He was supposed to be their leader, the one with all the solutions. But now, he had nothing. Desperately, he tried to find order amidst the chaos. All the elders were gently escorted to their rooms, and Brian’s body was taken to Gotswana’s hut, where it would stay until they could figure out what to do. Connor simply nodded when James quietly asked if he could take Chris to their room. He stood in the common space, trying to hold it together for the sake of the two people left in the room. John and Zachary had both fallen completely silent, with John sitting on and staring at the floor, and Zachary sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

“What do we tell his family?” The question, though whispered, rung through the silent room. Suddenly, a short, harsh, laugh came from John.

“What do you mean, family? He had nobody. Or did you just assume that everyone came from a nice, loving home like you?” Connor shook his head, trying to keep his own tears from spilling.

“I-I don’t-“ John stood up suddenly, pressing into Connor’s space.

“His only ‘family’ was that dick that you all-“ John gestured wildly towards the bedrooms “cussed out a month ago. Yeah,” Connor had opened his mouth, but John cut him off. “That’s right. The mission president. The very same one who excommunicated us.” “I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know any of this. How did I not know any of this?” Tears were now flowing freely down Connor’s face as John rolled his eyes and let out another short bark of laughter.

“Of course you wouldn’t. Why would the famed mission president take ownership of the drunk driver who crashed his car and screwed random girls at parties? No, he was ashamed of Brian. Funny, too, because he was the one who took him in in the first place. Did Brian not tell you that either? He was abandoned by his real. Left in a basket by the church. Taken in by the ever gracious president. And he never let Brian forget it.”

John had pushed Connor up against the wall with tears streaming down both their faces. Zachary sat still on the sofa, seeming to have not heard anything.

“Just forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore.” John mumbled, before quietly retreating to his now-empty room. Connor stood there a while more, crying a little longer before faintly bidding Zachary goodnight as he went back to his room as well, leaving Zachary on his own. He stayed there on that couch through the whole horrible night.

The funeral was a week later. Brian Neeley was buried at the base of a beautiful tree, with a small bed of flowers planted around it. The ceremony was small, with only a few people from the village in addition to the elders. John managed to say a few words before Connor had to take over.

Zachary couldn’t bring himself to attend the funeral, though. It was all too much. Everything felt suffocatingly small but all too big at once. Later that day, he told Connor he was going back home. Or more accurately, going back to the US. Connor tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen. He had to leave.

With two members down, District 9 began to crumble. Elder after elder left Uganda, either to return to their families or to try and start a new life on their own.

John was the last to leave. He didn’t want to leave Brian behind. But what could he do? Nothing. But there was nothing he could ever do. That’s why Brian was gone.

As he knelt at his grave one last time, John wondered if Brian would ever find it in his heart to forgive him.

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finally fucking finished it hooray. hope you enjoyed

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

I kinda struggle with the "Family Proclamation," but not in the way most people do

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." It's a small thing, and when I see quotes from the Proclamation, it skips this part over. But I can't

I'm left wondering "what's wrong with me." I want to be a good Father, and a good Priesthood Holder (neither of which I had growing up), but I want to be the parent staying home. Me & my wife discuss, and we go back & forth on this issue, but we won't even have kids for a few years. It shouldn't be an issue then, but it is

I love cleaning the house, making dinner, and all those those activities that would've been called "women's work" in the savage ages. I have trouble holding down a job, no matter how much I like it (in fact, I try harder when I dislike it, for some reason). And this leads me to ask "how can God love me as much as other people, when he made them according to his divine design, but makes me against it." It's like when I realized I was attracted to my best friend (who was also AMaB), and wondered why God made me that way

It's kind of a stupid thing to get hung up on. I was able to keep my testimony from the worst slander the Baptists could throw at me (and I mean dig deep for stuff like "Adam-God" or "Blood Atonement"), from my own discovery of bisexuality, from my Liberal politics, from literally being told I couldn't go to the Celestial Kingdom because I didn't want to be sealed to my abusive mother (fun fact, I first met my wife when I was crying about that particular gem), but I struggle with this!? And I still believe the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith was a Prophet (as well as Brigham & having the Apostolic Authority, reinforced by the Savior visiting Lorenzo Snow). So, is this a case of God wanting me to suffer, or the Church getting it wrong?

And there's ways around it. My wife says we fall under "Disability, death, or other circumstances," which "may necessitate individual adaptation" (I have ADHD, Autism (which is just self diagnosed for now), and Depression). My father says I'm "providing for the necessities by making sure my wife is able to not worry about home." Both, while possibly true, just don't strike with me. But why can't I accept them!?

Whatever the answer, I hold on to the Testimony I have, that men are that they might have joy. Not joy in some far off future, but here and now. That we are called to build Zion, and I will do my part (even if the part of Zion I'm called to is only found in my home. Or even if it's across the world). That the Savior is my perfect example, whether I stay at home, or go abroad

But, I'm hoping for an answer sooner rather than later. Obviously, I'm looking for Work (Amazon is firing me because their Health Leave policy is crap, and they should obviously make a guy who is regularly passing out work but heavy machinery that has killed people before), because damn it, I don't want my kids to survive, but thrive. I'll work as much as I can to save up for them, and for mine & my wife's retirement. But if we ultimately decide, when we have them, that I'll be the parent staying home with the kids, I don't want to be constantly consumed with thoughts that I'm defying God's will

(And I do understand how heartless this may sound to the Queer Mormon Community. I'm in a Straight passing marriage (to someone I'm actually attracted to), and will hopefully have kids one day. In the Church where we're constantly told that's the ideal. I am not trying to be whiny, or take attention from the issue of Queerphobia in the Church, because it is an issue, and people are obviously struggling more than me. I hope it doesn't come across like I'm entitled or trying to say I'm suffering on the same level as some other people. I'm sorry if it does, and I'll do better next time)

[nottskyler]

3 Nephi 16 tells of a time when the Gospel will be taken from the Gentiles in the latter day and our choice will be to either repent or be scattered and driven forth like what happened to the Native Americans.

I wonder what the Gospel going back to the House of Israel (in this case meaning descendants of the people in the Book of Mormon) looks like because I wonder if it has already started happening. Will it be an organized church or simply a movement? Will it happen predominantly in North America or will it be spread throughout the world and encompass more people that Christ appeared to and we don’t have the record?

What I don’t wonder about is how repentance is the key to not being nearly destroyed. It’s the natural consequence when you kill off everyone who has worked hard for change peacefully. It seems like an easy enough task not to kill people, but then you look at police brutality, immigration detention centers, the anti-mask movement, and ignoring Covid now and you realize that sometimes deaths of good people come from people not directly involved in the violence.

For the year 2021, the average daily deaths from Covid was more than the people killed in the attack on the twin towers on 9/11. The US decided 3,000 was enough to start the longest war in US history. Yet somehow we don’t think it was worth it to go after the people who refused to wear masks and then refused to get vaccinated when they caused significantly more deaths. Even something as simple as a fine for not wearing masks and not getting a vaccine without doctor approval and propaganda encouraging others to do the same.

“Loose lips sink ships” reminded people that what you say can hurt people and the country but just holding these people accountable by telling them their speech and behavior is harming people is called a violation of their free speech. Absolute freedom has always been a myth. You must give up certain rights in order to live in a civilized society or else society falls apart.

But this has turned into a rant. Sorry. Back to 3 Nephi 16, it strongly indicates that there will be another apostasy of the Church and that truth will be centered elsewhere. I hope I can be aware enough to know and follow it.

[mindfulldsliving]

Inductive Book of Mormon Study: Unlocking the Introductory Pages for Deeper Understanding

Beginning your study of the Book of Mormon with an inductive approach can unlock profound understanding and personal insights, especially through its introductory pages.

Studying the Book of Mormon has profoundly strengthened my faith in Jesus Christ. The insights and spiritual truths I’ve gained from this sacred record have been pivotal in my spiritual growth. The title page of the Book of Mormon is particularly enlightening as it outlines several key purposes of this sacred text. It invites us to consider crucial questions such as why we have the Book of Mormon…

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Shock - Whumptober2023

I see the danger, it's written there in your eyes

She stopped banging her head. He wasn’t here, she hadn’t woken up. All she had was a headache and a broken heart. Her face was itchy and slick with tears. She felt like a child who’d just watched her parents leave for work, with no idea when they were coming back. Lost in a mall with no exit. Empty yet full of fear at the same time.

----

Carole finds out Goose dies.

For day 4 of @whumptober . Also on AO3

Words: 1162

Carole could live in California, she thought as she lazed on the sunlounger, her book strewn across her chest and Bradley playing with his toys on the grass. If Goose got to be an instructor, she’d be happy to live here. Close to the ocean, more open-minded and colourful. Of course Californian housing was expensive if you were living on the coast, but at least for now, they’d be living in Navy housing. And not this halfway house type deal they’d been placed in, a proper house they could be a family in. 

The sky was blue as she opened her eyes, it always seemed to be. It was warm but a light breeze stroked her skin as she smiled to herself. She hadn’t felt this happy in a while. Her husband was home, Bradley was learning more and more and she was just happy to enjoy the homelife she’d been dreaming of since Bradley was born. 

A knock came at the door. She sat up, her book falling on the floor. Bradley didn’t care as he sat on the grass, rolling his cars back and forth. She hadn’t ordered any food, and hadn’t really made any friends here that would call around. Either it was Mormons going door to door or Nick had forgotten his keys. 

Making her way to the door, she opened it to see Commander Metcalfe and Lieutenant Commander Heatherly at the door, in their full uniforms, she didn’t know the difference between the multitude they had. They even had their hats on, because they removed them to speak to her.

“Mrs Bradshaw?” Metcalfe said. 

She nodded, keeping her hand on the door.

“During a training exercise this morning, your husband and Lieutenant Mitchell were flying with Lieutenant Kazansky and Lieutenant Kerner when their engine stopped working.”

Her breath caught in her mouth. She’d had nightmares about this moment. Some nights, if Nick was on land, she would call him just to know he was still alive. It was why she’d find herself using him as a mattress when he came home, head on his chest so she could listen to the slow beating of his heart. 

“They were caught in a flat spin, Lieutenant Mitchell couldn’t reach the ejection handles, so your husband had to. But in the spin, the glass canopy didn’t clear before he ejected their seats.”

He gulped and closed his eyes. She didn’t like where this was going. 

“He broke his neck and was dead on impact. I’m so sorry.”

Her knees gave way. Her brain didn’t process it straight away. It sent her spiralling, her ears not hearing anything but the blood pumping through her ears. No. No. No. No. They were meant to live here. They were meant to try for another baby and have a bigger family. He wasn’t meant to die. This was all wrong, it had to be a mistake, a cruel joke that she could argue with him about when he got home. 

“You’re wrong.” She whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks without her knowing. “He’s gonna be fine, he’s not dead, tell me he’s not dead!”

Heatherly stepped forward, “I’m sorry Mrs Bradshaw, he’ll be missed by everyone. His body’s in the hospital if you want to see him.”

She didn’t respond. Her face became wet with tears, her chest hurting as she took her hand off the door and held it over her mouth. Her brain disconnected, it was like she was seeing this from far above, hearing her own sobs from far away like one of the neighbours was crying. 

“We’ll leave you to grieve, Mrs Bradshaw.” Metcalfe said. “Just contact us and we’ll help with the funeral arrangements.”

She closed the door and slipped onto the ground, her head rolling back against the wood as felt herself come back to her body again. She banged it against the door again, her head sending dull shockwaves as she tried to wake herself up from the nightmare. 

Goose would be alive. He’d place his hand on her back as she jolted awake, would take her into his arms and shush her. She wanted nothing but to feel his breath tickling her shoulder as he stroked her back and kissed her head. 

She stopped banging her head. He wasn’t here, she hadn’t woken up. All she had was a headache and a broken heart. Her face was itchy and slick with tears. She felt like a child who’d just watched her parents leave for work, with no idea when they were coming back. Lost in a mall with no exit. Empty yet full of fear at the same time. 

Bradley hadn’t noticed she was gone, or had and was leaving her alone. What was she going to tell him? How could you explain death to a four year old? Would he keep asking where his dad was? Would he know it was different to him being away for work? 

Why did he have to go? Why couldn’t he have a safe job, like a truck driver or something? Why a naval flight officer? How could he leave her when she just wanted him back?

The pain in her head was still throbbing as she heard the phone ring. God no, not more bad news. Mav wasn’t dead too, was he? He wasn’t in a coma never to wake up. Because if she had to deal with that too she might just turn to dust right here on the floor. 

Bradley sat up in the garden. He dropped his car and came running, stopping to go up the stairs one by one, before running to the phone. 

“Momma, phone!” He stopped next to it on the wall and cocked his head. “What’s wrong, momma?”

“I’ll tell you later, baby, okay? Can you get the phone for me please?” 

He nodded and got onto his tippy-toes to reach for the phone. “Hello?”

He waited a second and his face lit up. As much as she wanted that to fix everything, her little sunshine couldn’t break through the clouds forming in her head. 

“Uncle Mav!” He said. “I’m good, I’ve been playing with my cars.”

Another pause. The cord dangled as he swayed back and forth. 

Then, his big brown eyes turned to her, his grin making some kind of spark try to light itself. “Momma, it’s for you!”

Her heart dropped again. As much as she wanted to know Mav was okay, she also wanted to hide. Maybe then it wouldn’t be true. Just speaking to Bradley was sapping all her energy.

Bradley shook the phone at her so she had to get up and answer. Mav needed her, and Bradley needed the facade for a little while longer, no matter how much energy it took out of her. She picked up the phone and gently tried to shoo Bradley back to the garden as she heard Mav’s voice and burst into tears again. 

“Carole, I’m so sorry.”

Yet again, poor Carole :(. Bradley's cute though, I love making him the most adorable kid ever, he was probably the chubbiest baby too. Thanks for reading! @whumptober-archive

[roses-red-and-pink]

Advent day 17: Lehi

Reading: 1 Nephi 10:2-10, the Book of Mormon

2 For behold, it came to pass after my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream, and also of exhorting them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews—

3 That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance.

4 Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.

6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

7 And he spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord—

8 Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing.

9 And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water.

10 And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world.

[unliikelylovers]

top 5 or 10 plays?

angels in america - tony kushner

really what is there to say about this one. my favorite play of all time, has shaped so much of not just how i write but how i think. i know it back to front and even minor pieces of it are so canonical to me that i reference them (and people don't know what i'm talking about) (mormons and hot dogs).

the love song of j. robert oppenheimer - carson kreitzer

this play is SO WEIRD and SO GOOD and SO WEIRD. j. robert oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb, is visited by Midrashic Demon Lilith ... i truly can't even describe this play in any way that would matter so if this interests you even in the slightest go read it right now (i'm sure there's pdfs to be found)

stereophonic - david adjmi

well i mean. come on. just an absolutely fantastic play about a band (totally not fleetwood mac) recording an album (totally not rumours) in the late 70s with all of the cocaine and bell-bottoms that entails. god i fucking love this play. i love it i love it i love it.

really - jackie sibblies drury

this one takes place over the course of a photo shoot, where a young black woman is photographing her late (white, also a photographer) boyfriend's mother not very long after his suicide. really (ha!) love what this play does with time and place and what it has to say about doing art and living with loss. this is one of this playwright's more minor works i think, but it's the one for me ...

the baltimore waltz - paula vogel

i absolutely had to include a paula vogel play on this list, and i was going back and forth between indecent and this, but i'm going with baltimore waltz because i have terminal deep-cut brain and also because this one just sticks in my brain. i love the way this play uses silliness (atd - "acquired toilet disease", the bunny) in service of its story.

honorable mentions:

intimate apparel & ruined, both by lynn nottage

the flick & circle mirror transformation, both by annie baker

john proctor is the villain, kimberly belflower

the ferryman, jez butterworth (probably one of the most electric theatrical experiences i've ever had. 7 years ago and i still remember it vividly)

english, sanaz toossi (for what she does with language and how she does it)

you didn't ask for musicals but i want to point these ones out anyway, specifically for their books:

fun home, jeanine tesori and lisa kron

company, stephen sondheim and george furth

1776, peter stone and sherman edwards (yes. really)

[thebookofjeremiah]

"The Snaffle." From the Book of Jeremiah, 6: 12-15.

God tells Jeremiah He is stretching forth His Hand in order to get people to pull their heads out of their asses. We are trying to reinvent the wheel- we are pretending we don't understand economics or how to live in peace next door to our neighbors, as if black people and Mexicans just popped out of nowhere yesterday and no one knows what to do now.

God says "turn the house over." By this he means all oppression, poverty, and tyranny, any form of misgovernment has to end. What you people did on January 21, 2025 is not forgiveable. You knew what was coming and you did it anyway. Unless you do what is right and proper today, more of life will slip out of our hands and we will not get it back.

Society works from the least to the greatest, not the other way around. We know investing in the poor and remediation of conditions that cause migration are the right things to do, they are also the reason we study religion to remind us keeping our hearts in the right place at all times is essential for our survival.

Jeremiah says to pour it out. Pouring out is 849, ףםט‎‎, femt, "the pulse, the beat, the throb." This specifically means one must be able to blush. Now I have been around the block a few times, but even still I am able to blanch at a few things. If one does not recoil from perversions and atrocities, one is not human. Below God explains how to rehumanize around persons that are apparently able to ignore the urge to blush or blanch:

11 “Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years. 12 Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land,” declares the Lord. 13 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. 15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

v. 11: Pour it out. The Number is 10261, קבסא‎, kabsa, "the laundry washing."

In order to blush, one must first become colorless. The Zohar says fear of the consequences of one's actions is how one "washes the clothes."

v. 12: I will stretch out my hand. The Number is 12083, אךףג, ‎achapgg‎, "Against snaffle, in oppostion to premature babies."

All this crrap about Jesus dying for our sins? Fragrant offerings? That is bullshit. The ability to repent and change one's ways is integral to how we live. We simply cannot allow people to think a strange story gives them permission to do horrible things and waltz away.

The moment Russian soldiers entered Ukraine the world needed to act to protect the victims. Instead we waffled and made fun of their president who was begging for his and their lives.

The very moment it was learned the Mormons and Donald Trump were responsible for what happened on October 7, Joe Biden needed to stand in the spotlight and proclaim his country was taking responsibility for what happened and he planned to killed them all for it. Instead we made fun of the people of Israel and waffled about their defense and now in both cases, the enemy of mankind the Antichrist, Donald Trump is trying to transform both war crimes into investment opportunities.

The human race needs to reckon with how unholy this is and make both circumstances immaculate and correct in every way.

v. 13: All are greedy. The Number is 3372, ל‎ג‎עב, legav, "a touch to the back, to the water hole."

This is just a blog. It is letters on top of a light bulb. It has no power except that which its readers choose on their own. God says the power to decide cannot be based on arbitrary decisions made after a blog or a church service or the news but based on the direct experience of happiness in society and life, which never happens by chance:

"Legav" is not a Hebrew word, but rather a transliteration of the Greek word "lagchano," which means "to establish by lot" or "to get by chance."

Key points about "lagchano":

Origin: The Greek word "lagchano" is likely related to a Proto-Indo-European root signifying weakness, looseness, or flappiness. 

Interpretation: In the context of the Bible, it can be understood as something being decided by chance or drawing lots. 

Usage: This word appears a few times in the New Testament. 

When the news featured Pope Francis laughing as he said he raped a boy named Jud, after everything the world has endured at the hands and arms of Catholic pedophile priests, I nearly shit a litter of wild kittens. I told the entire planet Donald Trump and his friends were fucking little boys who didn't know better and never would, they too confessed on the air and the world is not responding appropriately.

Heads of state cannot engage in human trafficking or sex with minors this is illegal in every country. Sirs and Madams, I insist you arrest every member of Donald Trump's current and past cabinets and anyone and everyone on this planet who is trafficking minors for the purposes of sexual exploitation. We must not allow this to happen we must be bold, outspoken, cruel and ruthless about it or the human race will not evolve.

v. 14: Unless we dress the wounds, there will be no peace. The Number is 7618, ע‎ו‎יח, avyah, "gross, clumsy."

"Your perversions will be the end of you."

v. 15: They have no shame at all. The Number is 14331, יד‎שלא‎, yed shale, "The Hand of Hell."

The entire planet is enduring unnecessary alterations to its experiences of this habitat because you accept your roles as victims of a bunch of public officials and their perverse religions. The land is burning, bodies are burning, but the conscience is not burning.

The human race has endured too much suffering it does not deserve because it does not believe in hell and believes even less in heaven. Now you see why we must believe.

God abhors the suffering inflicted by losers upon the innocent. Punish those who bring undeserved, unncessary suffering as soon as their intentions are made known, this is our agreement with God.

The Law is explicit as to how we are to rescue ourselves when an unelected dictator such as those that are creating the experience of hell on this planet. Donald Trump was not eligible to be President a second time. There are active arrest warrants for Valdimir Putin and other tyrants, terrorists, and war criminals who are at large and still causing the world harm. Now Trump is one of them, this in addition to the rest of the crimes he has committed during his life.

It is time to put the reins back on.

As for you, Frank, neither you nor your Basilica are going to rape anyone ever again.

[almaqead]

"Grace and Ransom." From Surah 39, Az Zumar, "The Summer."

The reason Mo called this Surah after the Summer along with its other definitions was even in his time, he wondered if mankind was going to outgrow war and religious apartheids. But this has never, ever happened. The mixture of location, language, skin, religious, and cultural diversity has almost always resulted in oppression since time began.

About this the Quran says: "by grace and by ransom" war on this planet will end.

47:4:

"So when you meet the disbelievers ˹in battle˺, strike ˹their˺ necks until you have thoroughly subdued them, then bind them firmly. Later ˹free them either as˺ an act of grace or by ransom until the war comes to an end. So will it be. Had Allah willed, He ˹Himself˺ could have inflicted punishment on them. But He does ˹this only to˺ test some of you by means of others. And those who are martyred in the cause of Allah,1 He will never render their deeds void."

Many of you are aware the war in Gaza and in Ukraine is the result of my letters to the Kremlin and other world powers asking them to meet with me to sign a non-agression pact and establish preferred pricing for interstate commerce, the opposite of tariffing imports. Putin Invaded Ukraine, the Mormons stepped up their invasion of Israel, and Donald Trump grew even more frightened I was going to dog him and ensure he got the death penalty, the wars started and now we are negotiating our way out of options by trying to deal with the devil.

To continue to outflank the enemy who wants us to hate the God of Muhammad, I asked the Kremlin again two days ago to unconditionally withdraw its soldiers and equipment from Ukraine and return the property and persons it had taken into custody during the Russo-Ukraine conflict. I suggested once again the people of Russia should arrest their presidency, end coscription and rebuild the lives as quickly as possible until all were well.

The world is not responding. You let Trump and Putin and that filth Marco Rubio live, Elon Musk and his friends are trying to shut down the Pentagon, and the future is bleak. For times such as these, Allah told Muhammad not to run away or the Summer of Allah shall not come to pass:

39: 19-31:

"What about those against whom the decree of torment has been justified? Is it you ˹O Prophet˺ who will then save those bound for the Fire?

But those mindful of their Lord will have ˹elevated˺ mansions, built one above the other, under which rivers flow. ˹That is˺ the promise of Allah. ˹And˺ Allah never fails in ˹His˺ promise.

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky—channelling it through streams in the earth—then produces with it crops of various colours, then they dry up and you see them wither, and then He reduces them to chaff? Surely in this is a reminder for people of reason.

Can ˹the misguided be like˺ those whose hearts Allah has opened to Islam, so they are enlightened by their Lord? So woe to those whose hearts are hardened at the remembrance of Allah! It is they who are clearly astray.

˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ has sent down the best message—a Book of perfect consistency and repeated lessons—which causes the skin ˹and hearts˺ of those who fear their Lord to tremble, then their skin and hearts soften at the mention of ˹the mercy of˺ Allah. That is the guidance of Allah, through which He guides whoever He wills. But whoever Allah leaves to stray will be left with no guide.

Are those who will only have their ˹bare˺ faces to shield themselves from the awful torment on Judgment Day ˹better than those in Paradise˺? It will ˹then˺ be said to the wrongdoers: “Reap what you sowed!”

Those before them ˹also˺ rejected ˹the truth˺, then the torment came upon them from where they least expected.

So Allah made them taste humiliation in this worldly life, but far worse is the punishment of the Hereafter, if only they knew.

We have certainly set forth every ˹kind of˺ lesson for people in this Quran, so perhaps they will be mindful.

˹It is˺ a Quran ˹revealed˺ in Arabic without any crookedness, so perhaps they will be conscious ˹of Allah˺.

Allah sets forth the parable of a slave owned by several quarrelsome masters, and a slave owned by only one master. Are they equal in condition?1 Praise be to Allah! In fact, most of them do not know.

You ˹O Prophet˺ will certainly die, and they will die too.

Then on the Day of Judgment you will ˹all settle your˺ dispute before your Lord."

Commentary:

We are living the parable Allah set forth above. The world cannot continually quarrel over what is good and evil, moral and immoral, while it reads the Quran. This is unholy.

Ukraine must be returned to its people and the Russian people, all those boys who are going to die once British and French weapons enter the fight, one they did not start and one they shall not finish must return home, recover, go to school, get jobs and make their nation noteworthy in the annals of the human race for its remarkable and abrupt transformation from an evil protectorate into a splendid commonwealth.

This is the only way God will allow us to settle this dispute. Now pleased arrest Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and their cabinets, and send them to the International Criminal Court. All soldiers and military equipment on both sides of this war must be stowed and their citizens should go their separate ways in peace.

Finally, the Russian government and its territories must attain to and apply for NATO citizenship and disarm except for the purposes of mutual defense.

All Arabia is expected to support this Settlement.