#and spirit is just like. she’s a child?? and LD is like well my son was old enough to take care of himself at 6.

[apotelesmaa]

I genuinely think lord death was smoking the grim reaper reefer when he made 95% of the decisions on how to run the dwma because there is no way in hell anyone with a functioning brain would decide an army of preteens should be the world’s last defense line against the apocalypse. They aren’t even learning math.

[nerdygaymormon]

So, I know the Church places,a lot of emphasis on getting married in the temple, and I think somewhere I heard it was necessary to achieve the highest level of glory, but recently I've been considering the label a romantic for myself and I was wondering what my place in the church would be. Is marriage really necessary for exaltation?

I wrote a very long response, and then at the end figured out the answer I should give you.

Listen to your heart. What is the Spirit trying to whisper to you? 

Since you’re aro, check out the apostle Paul’s message in I Corinthians chapter 7. He says if you’re ace/aro, great! God has work for you. In fact, Paul seems to value being ace/aro over being married.

———————————————————————

I’ll still share the really long answer about whether marriage is necessary for exaltation, 

I’ll begin with the Church’s answer. Then I’ll provide some historical context. And finally, I’ll share my thoughts. 

———————————————————————

I suppose we should begin by defining what the LDS Church means by someone being exalted.

They will live in the presence of Jesus and God (which means living in the highest level of heaven)

They will become gods (children of God grow up to be like God)

They'll be united with their spouse for eternity, and linked to their righteous children and others through sealings

They will have eternal offspring (Wendy Watson Nelson is quoted in a 2020 manual for Sunday School teachers as saying marital sex "will continue eternally")

They'll receive everything Jesus and God have--power, glory, dominion and knowledge 

Two of the items on the list involve being married/sealed together, which is why the LDS Church puts such an emphasis on this.

For those who are unmarried, or whose marriages aren't sealed in the temple, they can still make it to the highest kingdom of heaven but they will not be exalted, they'll be ministering angels

——————————————————————— 

In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a person has to strictly observe all the Jewish laws involving sacrifice, prayer, and observance of holy days. 

These laws cover everything from what clothes a person can wear, what they eat for lunch, and even if it’s okay to have sex with your wife when she is menstruating. God is very involved in the details.

These laws could be considered the "covenant path" of the Jewish faith.

————————— 

Jesus & his apostles reject the idea that people have to keep all the Jewish laws in order to be saved in heaven.  

Rather than a bunch of boxes to check, Jesus taught there's simply 2 great commandments.

The first is to love God above all else. 

The second is to work diligently for the welfare of others, especially the poor, outcasts, strangers, foreigners, marginalized and even those who are our hated enemies. In other words, help God accomplish His great work, which is us.

————————— 

This idea that Jesus rejected following strict laws and covenants, along with the command to love God, it lead to the Christian teaching of people being "saved" through their faith in Jesus. 

First, a person has to believe that Jesus is the Son of God

Next, they must believe that they can't go to heaven unless Jesus saves them

Then they ask Jesus to come into their life by prayer. They admit that they've sinned and ask for forgiveness and pledge to follow Jesus for the rest of their life. This is often referred to as being "born again" 

Finally, they are baptized as a sign of their commitment to Christ (baptism is not a requirement to get into heaven, but is a way to follow Christ’s example and show they've had a significant spiritual experience)

————————— 

Joseph Smith taught that most people go to heaven, and that heaven has layers. 

To get to the highest level we must complete certain ordinances and live a certain way. President Nelson refers to this as the "covenant path." 

Faith in Jesus (not an ordinance, but a requirement to begin this path)

Repentance (not an ordinance, but having a desire that to do better)

Baptism by immersion (symbolic of our repentance that washes us clean and saves us from eternal death to eternal life)

Laying on of Hands to receive the Holy Ghost

Melchizedek Priesthood ordination (for men only) 

Washing & Annointing ordinance

Endowment ceremony 

Celestial Marriage (sealed to spouse in the temple)

Sealing to parents (done in the temple, or if your parents were sealed to each other at the time of your birth, you were born sealed to them) 

These collectively are known as the saving ordinances. 

For people who died without completing this list of ordinances, these can be performed vicariously for them at the temple (except for the ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood). 

————————— 

Since Joseph Smith put this new path of ordinances in place, there’s been a big change.    For decades, "Celestial Marriage” meant polygamy, without it exaltation was not possible. 

Since the Church was forced to stopped practicing polygamy, we've changed how we interpret the scriptures that talk about celestial marriage. 

————————— 

In order to go to the temple to receive the saving ordinances necessary for exaltation, the Church requires we pass a worthiness interview. I suppose that in a sense, these are changes as to who qualifies to be exalted. This additional list of requirements includes: 

follow the Word of Wisdom

sustain the current prophet and apostles

obey the law of chastity

pay a full tithe

attend church meetings and partake of the Sacrament

if divorced, pay your child or spousal support

wear the temple garments

——————————————————————— 

A Safeguard

There's many people who find themselves outside of this Covenant Path. 

Many lived and died without knowing anything of Christ, and we do not have records for them and thus can’t do temple work for them

Some people are specifically forbidden by the Church from completing the requirements for exaltation

Queer people

In the past, people of African heritage were also forbidden by the LDS Church 

Given there's an obvious lack of fairness and opportunity, there has to be a way to fix things, otherwise God would be very unjust. 

I believe this idea has influenced the LDS concept of the Millennium, which is a period of 1,000 years of peace after Christ comes again. 

The Church believes that during the Millennium, people will be taught the gospel, repent, marry, raise children. The temples will be busy with resurrected people getting temple ordinances done. 

People who died single will have an opportunity to find someone to marry. 

Some people believe that queer people will not be queer anymore and this will make it so they can find someone to marry and be sealed together.

——————————————————————— 

My thoughts.

We know next to nothing of heaven and post-mortal life, yet we speak about it in very definitive terms--what it’s like, who’ll be there, what they’re doing.

—————————

I know we often speak of the highest level of heaven as very exclusive, but I’ve had the opportunity to speak with several Seventy and an apostle and they speak of the Millennium as the great hope. 

Parents with wayward children should have hope, the lesbian should have hope, all will be made right, we all will have an opportunity to develop and grow. It sounds like everyone will be exalted if they want to be. 

While I don’t quite agree with all the ways they think things will be fixed in the Millennium, I can get on board with the idea that God will make things right. 

For example, the idea of a queer genocide that wipes out all LGBTQIA+ people and replace them with a cishet version of the person just doesn’t sit well with me. 

What I do believe is that any blessing a person should’ve had during their lifetime will be made available to them. 

—————————

Something about the idea that in heaven married couples are having sex and creating babies for eternity is a little weird to me. Do women like the idea of an eternity of pregnancy? Imagine an eternity of morning sickness and child birth as your destiny.

Mormon scriptures teach that we all began as intelligences, without beginning or end. God came and organized intelligences into spirits. In that way we’re God’s spirit children. Does that sound like sex? It doesn’t to me. I don’t know when celestial sex became the Church’s explanation of what it means to organize intelligences.  

————————— 

The ideas of what exaltation is causes leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to struggle with the idea of people who are ace, trans, gay, aro and so on. They see themselves in the idea of heaven and not the rest of us. 

Their idea of what exaltation means makes them see no space for queerness in God’s Plan. 

That’s pretty bold to deny the existence of God’s diverse creations. Here we are, we exist, we are known, yet rather than expand the Plan, to find how we can fit into the Plan, they choose not to see us.

—————————

It makes me very sad to think our Heavenly Parents might have set up a plan that would cause most of their children to not be exalted, and that means they’d never get to see those children or speak with them again, yet that’s what many Church members seem to believe. 

If our Heavenly Parents are supposed to be a model for us on how to be parents, most humans would reject the idea of setting up a plan to make their kids fail so they would never see or speak to them again. That's the opposite of what we'd consider good parenting. 

—————————

While I find meaning in the ordinances performed by the LDS Church, I'm more inclined to believe what Jesus taught on the matter--Love God, love & lift those in need. Jesus called this "true religion" and those who follow it will find they do well in heaven, no matter what earthly church or religion they belong to. 

I think of the story of 3 eighteen-year-olds who carried members of the Martin Handcart Company across the icy waters of the Sweetwater River. Those young men died from the extreme exposure, and upon hearing of what they did, Brigham Young wept and said they’d be exalted for their sacrifice. Their exaltation wasn’t dependent on being married or having the Melchizedek priesthood. Service & sacrifice for people in need was enough. 

I imagine Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and others who've spent their life developing Christlike traits (regardless of whether they were Christian) will be much further ahead when the Millennium arrives. It only takes a few hours to complete the ordinances, and so much longer to become the kind of person who can be exalted.

I suspect a lot of Mormons will be surprised to find that their ordinances weren't enough to qualify them for exaltation

————————— 

Since I'm forbidden by the Church from being sealed to a husband, I instead focus on being a good person, on helping others, on being a great uncle and a good neighbor and friend. 

Is marriage really necessary for exaltation? I don’t know.

I don’t know what heaven is like, there’s some Mormon beliefs about heaven that I really like, such most everyone goes to heaven, and we can be together with the people we most love. 

While I don’t know much about heaven, I think we can know things about God’s character, and that’s what causes me to question some of what is taught about heaven & marriage and a Plan that excludes queer people.

[early20thcenturynerd]

7/9 of Queen Victoria’s children at their confirmation

1: Victoria, Princess Royal (’Vicky’), 20th March 1856

“Our thoughts much occupied with today's ceremony! Vicky wished me good morning & stayed with me whilst I was dressing & then breakfasted in her own room. — [...] At a little before 12 we & all the Family, as well as the 6 Children, assembled in Uncle Leopold's room. Dear Vicky looked very pretty in a high, morning dress, in white glacé silk. We Ladies, all, wore smart morning dresses, & the Gentlemen frock coats. Punctually at 12, we proceeded to the Chapel, Albert, leading Vicky, going in 1st, & I following with dear Uncle Leopold. Vicky stood just in front of the altar, with a chair placed behind her, we & the 5 other Children in, a line, to her left, Uncle & Mama (the 2 Sponsors) & all the other Royalties, in a line, on her right. 

The service began & ended with 2 fine old German Chorales, beautifully sung by the St. George's Choir. The Bishop of Oxford read the Preface & the Archbishop of Canterbury administered the Holy Rite. Dear Vicky behaved beautifully & was very calm & collected. It was a very touching ceremony, particularly so in her case, for those who knew she was already an affianced Bride. She made her answer to the Archbishop, 'I do', in an audible & firm voice. Everything was very touching, solemn & impressive, excepting the poor Archbishop's Address, which was more like a sermon, without a single allusion to the act of Confirmation, its meaning & importance, or giving Vicky one word of advice, which is generally done. However in spite of the poor Archbishop, everyone was deeply impressed & we prayed, & ever shall, for God's blessing on this precious Child! He will surely bless & guard her & let His Holy Angels watch over her now, as they did around her cradle! — The poor Dean was so agitated, that he could hardly give out the Psalms. The Choir were in the Pew, above, where the Children generally sit, & the Upper Servants in our Pew. 

At the conclusion of the service, we went into the Green Drawingr oom, where we embraced dear Vicky, who was a little 'émne'. Everyone was very kind & full of affection & good wishes for our dear Child. It made it such a nice homely gathering, having so many of our relations present, including the sons of my Brother & Sister. [...] We shall ever look back with pleasure to this very eventful & important day in the life of our beloved Child, & indeed in our lives! May God's blessing rest upon her for ever!”

- Extracts Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Vicky’s confirmation day

2: Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (’Bertie’), 1st April 1858

“Bertie came to wish me good morning, before breakfasting alone in his room. Our visitors came to breakfast. All the other Children looked for Easter eggs. — At a little before 12 we assembled with the Royal Family (Mama included) & our 5 Children. Albert went & fetched Bertie, who was in his Windsor uniform, Affie & Arthur being in kilts. The 3 girls wore blue dresses, I also. We proceeded to the Chapel, preceded & followed by the Court, Bertie walking between me & his father. He then stood just before the altar, we, to his left, & Mama & the Cambridges opposite. All those invited, had already taken their places in the Chapel. The same Hymns were sung, as at Vicky's Confirmation, — fine, & impressive. Bertie behaved extremely well, answered distinctly & was very 'receuilli' in his manner. The Archbishop gave a good Charge, with sound words of advice to Bertie, both as a Christian, & a Prince. 

Felt much the importance of this solemn step, for dear Bertie & prayed most earnestly for God's all merciful guidance & protection & that our dear Child might ever look back on this day with thankfulness, & without any shame at having departed from his solemn vow & promises! Gave him a kiss, as we came out of the Chapel. [...] Saw the Dean & talked over the examination & Confirmation. He is much pleased with Bertie's behaviour & good feeling. — We dined alone with Bertie, & afterwards had a good talk with him, then Albert & I played duets, & so ended this eventful day. May God's blessing rest on it & on our dear Child!”

- Extracts Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Bertie’s confirmation day

3: Princess Alice, 21st April 1859

“An eventful day. Sad that politics should disturb the serenity of it all! We feel very anxious. [...] When we came in, we gave dear Alice a pretty Prayer Book. At 12 all was ready, dear Mama looking so well & smart, in lilac silk, while I wore green, & the 2 little girls, white & lilac striped frocks. Albert went to fetch dear Alice, who looked very nice & pretty in a white muslin dress, trimmed with lace, over white silk. He led her into the Chapel, Ernest Coburg me, — & George, Mama. We 2 & the 3 children stood on one side, Ernest, Mama, & —c. opposite. The music very fine, the whole ceremony very impression & moving, reminding me so much of dear Vicky's Confirmation. The poor Archbishop delivered his charge very indistinctly, so that only those who were close by, could hear it. 

Dear Alice seemed much moved when she came out of the Chapel & we kissed her. We talked with the company, including Ld Clarendon, who hoped things would come right, — a vain hope! At that very moment, Albert was called out by Ld Derby whose face, told nothing but bad news, & he soon returned saying, that without answering us, Austria had sent a letter summoning Sardinia to disarm, giving them 3 days time to give their answer, at the end of which time, the Austrians would march on Turin!! [...] Dear Alice so pleased with all her presents, so thankful, & in such a charming frame of mind. [...] Pleased & thankful that this dear day had gone off so well, but grieved it should have been so sadly disturbed.”

- Extracts of Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Alice’s confirmation day

4: Prince Alfred (’Affie’), 5th April 1860

“Saw dear Affie for a moment. He did not come to breakfast. — Afterwards we walked with the visitors, Alice, Bertie & the little girls down to St. George's Chapel & showed them the beautiful monument of dear Aunt Gloucester, which is now finished, & with which they were greatly delighted. Fine, but a very high wind. — Dressing, I, in a striped blue satin dress, Alice, in lilac & the little girls in green. We all assembled at 12 in the Audience Room, dear Mama & Marie L. joining us. Albert then fetched up Affie, who was in his uniform, & proceeded to the Chapel, we & Affie going in first. 

Everything just as at the 3 previous Confirmations, with the exception of Mr Onslow being within the altar rails. The Bishop of Chester, as Clerk of the Closet, stood behind me. The service was very impressive, & dear Affie was much impressed & overcame when I kissed him & pressed his dear beautiful face between my hands. A very fine Chorale 'Oh, happy bond that seals my vows' was sung by the St. George's Choir, & the Arch Bishop's Charge was very good & to the purpose.”

- Extracts of Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Affie’s confirmation day

5: Princess Helena (’Lenchen’), 17th April 1862 [her picture has been heavily retouched, especially her dress)

“So sad in waking to think what was to come & was much upset when dear Lenchen came in to me. [...] At 10. m. to 12 we left for Whippingham, Lenchen dressed all in white, with a white bonnet & cloak. She drove with me in the Post Chaise, the 4 other children following. All the Household & some of the upper Servants had preceded us to the Church. Good Sir James Clark had come down on purpose. Within the altar rails stood the Bishop of Winchester, the Dean & Mr Prothero. The beautiful little Church, with its subdued light had a solemn effect. I stood not far from Lenchen, close in front of the altar, & the other children below the upper step. All the rest of the people were in the pews. 

I seemed to be in a dream but I was determined to keep up for dear Lenchen's sake. I trembled greatly when our dear Child received the Blessing & was much moved, as also by the concluding allusion in the Bishop's Charge. Prayed fervently that God would bless our beloved Child, whom her adored Father loved so dearly. I can scarcely believe she is nearly grown up. Her heart was very full & she had tears in her eyes, but she was very calm.”

- Extracts of Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Lenchen’s confirmation day

6: Princess Louise, 21st January 1865 (pictures taken 7th March)

“Felt very low when I walk, thinking, & praying for our beloved fatherless Child, who was today to take upon herself her Baptismal vows. — At a little before 12 started with Louise for Whippingham. She was dressed in a perfectly plain white silk dress trained with swansdown. All the rest of the family & the Ladies & gentleman had gone on before. I was very nervous & 'ennue'. The service commenced with the Hymn 'Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire, after which followed the Arch Bishop's 'Charge' which was very beautiful & included a touching allusion to dearest Albert, which quite upset me, & I think, there were many wet eyes. 

Oh! to have a 2nd child brought to the Altar, without her beloved Father, who always led there himself & felt so deeply on these solemn occasions. But his spirit was surely with us. The Arch Bishop performed the whole service admirably. It concluded with the Hymn 'O happy day that fixed my choice'. [...] Poor Louise seemed greatly relieved that the ceremony had passed off so well. She went to rest & did not come to luncheon. Saw the good, amiable & benevolent Arch Bishop, who was quite touched when I spoke to him & took leave. [...] Read over the account of former Confirmations at Windsor, in happy days, & felt very sad.”

- Extracts of Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Louise’s confirmation day

7: Princess Beatrice, 8th January 1874

“Breakfasted alone with darling Beatrice, & at 20 m. past 11 started with her in the old Post Chaise (in which I had driven with the 4 others in turn Ap: 1863 with Lenchen, Jan: 1865 with Louise, Ap: 1866 with Arthur, & Jan: 1869 with Leopold) for Whippingham. She looked sweet in a plain white silk dress, without any ornaments & her golden hair plainly parted in front, turned back at the sides & braided at the back. All the others had preceded us to the church, & every thing was arranged as on the former occasions. The Church was beautifully decorated with white flowers & was very full. 

Beatrice stood in front of the altar as calm as possible, & looked so young & childlike. I was nearly upset during the singing of the 1st Hymn 'Lord shall Thy servant come to Thee?' & the Arch Bishop's very admirable & appropriate Charge, in which he alluded very touchingly to the sorrow which had overclouded her infancy & the duties she was performing in becoming my comfort & my companion. The service was most impressive & concluded with the Hymn 'Thine for ever God of love' sung to dear Albert's tune 'Gotha.' We left as we came. [...] Felt satisfied & edified by the proceedings of the day & pray God to take my darling Beatrice under His most special care!”

- Extracts of Queen Victoria’s diary entry for Beatrice’s confirmation day

[demigodofhoolemere]

Liken the Scriptures

Something I'm completely in love with and I always ask other Mormons if they've ever seen them: Liken the Scriptures. Now having been more involved with the LDS community on this site and realizing that I haven't talked about it nearly enough, I thought it high time to make a post about it and shamelessly promote my favorite thing in the world.

Liken is a movie series of scripture stories (from both the Book of Mormon and the Bible) imagined as musicals. The premise is that in the modern day, there is a child who is facing a difficult challenge in their life, and they are told stories from the scriptures that relate in some way and the child can use the lesson they've learned from the story and apply it in their lives. When told these stories, the child will imagine it in their minds, everything set up like a play with songs and all, so that they can really get a feel for the story and put themselves into the shoes of the people who lived it.

I have found many times over that these little movies have helped me to remember the stories better than I ever could on my own, and give me a serious appreciation for the real thing. They’re not only educational, but incredibly fun and truly wholesome entertainment, with lots of comedy gags that are a grab-bag of scripture references and hilarious anachronisms (my personal favorite is the sundial watch that appears in all of them). It’s serious when it needs to be and funny when it can be. One minute you have an upbeat and fun number and the next minute the jokes are turned off like a switch and suddenly you're feeling the Spirit strongly, or vice versa, and the transition is so natural and organic. The songs are so well done, the acting is so powerful, there are completely brilliant musical motifs and overtures, the sets and costumes are somewhat cheesy and are clearly church budget but in the best and most fun possible way. The messages are moving and they stay with you.

This is already long, so I'm going to talk about great things from each of them under the cut.

~~~~~

Nephi & Laban (2003)

- a primary classroom that I feel like I've been in before

- the “imaginer child” somehow manages to continually break his imagination’s fourth wall and talk to Nephi

- Nephi (about Laman and Lemuel): “🎶 The older ones play games that I don't always like to play🎶” Lemuel in the background: “Let’s beat Nephi with a rod!”

- Laman is played by Ice from Hocus Pocus

- the song where the brothers are drawing lots is a literal boyband number and I honestly have no words for that experience

- Laban sings a lot about how much he loves his possessions, Zoram is just going with it and the guards are exhausted with their boss

- there’s an incredibly moving number involving Sariah praying to God for comfort, and honestly the raw emotion emanating from her as she cries to Heavenly Father is so powerful and so relatable and it makes me cry with her

- the best method ever of avoiding showing somebody get killed

- a gorgeous closing number that includes the repented Laman and Lemuel but also foreshadows their future by having them not sing the line “I’ll follow thee through all my days” with their brothers

Ammon & King Lamoni (2004)

- Abish is a significant central character and is treated as a scripture hero in her own right, and gets her own incredibly inspiring song about sharing the gospel that has always really resonated with me

- Lamoni is awesome, his servants are great, the queen is amazing (sadly there is no ‘to me he doth not stink’, but her very presence in general makes up for it)

- subtle acknowledgement of Ammon’s past with the sons of Mosiah

- Ammon has a lovely song about the blessings of missionary work and spreading God’s word. During this song he has a picnic with a bear, teaches it the gospel, and gives it a bottle of honey as a thank you for its time. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

- after Lamoni orders his servants to watch the sheep, the servants have a hilariously pessimistic song where they're bemoaning their upcoming deaths, and instead of showing Ammon chop off arms we’re treated to the servants coming back with an upbeat and lively song celebrating the fact that they're alive, and they retell to Lamoni the story of everything that happened. The sequence is incredibly clever and the choreography is the BEST.

- a deep and thoughtful number about Lamoni reconsidering his entire life

- something I really like about this one is that unlike the others, this time it's not the imaginer child who personally needed to hear the story but actually the person telling it

David & Goliath (2005)

(There are 2 versions of this because they re-shot the modern day portion to use a different imaginer child. The one that gets sold with the set is the second version but the first one is still out there if you look for it and personally that's the one that I get more emotional about.)

- Goliath is played by Thurl Bailey and David’s brother Abinadab is played by Alex Boyé which is really all you need to know. Thurl uses a club as a microphone while he sings about murdering the Israelites. This whole thing is gold.

- honestly all of David’s brothers are such characters, they're great. There’s a song where they’re all arguing like children over which one of them is going to be king, and there's another where they’re meeting Samuel and their father keeps trying to promote each of them and after each of them is rejected he continues to claim that the next one in line is his favorite, and when David is chosen he acts like he knew it all along even though they didn't bring him in the first place

- David has a couple of different numbers about the Lord seeing what's inside of you and using you for good things even if you feel so small

- Saul has a complete mental breakdown which results in the best song I've ever heard in my life

- there’s a very reverent sense of companionship between David and Saul, and they have an absolutely gorgeous duet where Saul reminisces about how he used to have the kind of faith and goodness that David does, and David assures him that it's never too late to let God touch your heart

- the Philistines are completely wild and ridiculously over-the-top and their crazy outfits range from Rastafarian to Rod Stewart and their weapons are all completely made up and it makes no sense and I love it

- David: “🎶 and he will soon be 6 feet deep, I’m giving you my oath 🎶” Saul: “But suppose he were 6 feet deep, why, he'd still be 3 and a half feet tall!”

- a servant uses finger guns

- “I Am David” makes me feel like I can do anything

- Saul’s future is foreshadowed by him looking super confused and uncomfortable about David getting the kingdom’s praise

Alma & King Noah’s Court (2005)

- Noah’s courtroom comes complete with animatronic jaguars

- Noah is insanely high-maintenance and his kingdom is some sort of wild media circus and one of the priests reminds me of my uncle as a rockstar

- within the child’s imagination Alma himself also imagines a few things and has to snap out of it so there’s some imagination-ception going on here

- throughout the whole movie Alma is so earnest and genuine and it's so sweet

- Abinadi makes me cry like a baby every single time

- I kid you not, Noah and the priests have a disco number. There is a straight-up disco number in the middle of the courtroom. I can't even begin to explain.

- Seriously though. Abinadi. He ruins me. I always cry. I'm crying right now.

- Alma ruins me, too.

- Honestly the theme of conversion and baptism in this one just gets to me (I suppose it does with Ammon as well but for whatever reason Alma is different). I've been raised in the church myself, but my mother and my paternal grandmother are converts, some good friends in my stake were converted, and I've been blessed to be able to see our closest family friends come to believe the gospel and get baptized, and sharing the light of Christ with others is such an important thing to me that I can never come out of this one with dry eyes.

The First Christmas (2006)

- all of the shepherds are super cheery and optimistic except for just one who's very bored and very tired

- Zacharias and Elisabeth tug at my heartstrings in the worst way

- the angel Gabriel is the absolute best in every way

- any scene with Mary in it is so beautifully powerful, her songs even more so

- there's a scene with the Biblical era equivalent of nosy relief society sisters and it’s great

- honestly there are so many powerful scenes in this one, you've got Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay and you've got a choir of angels giving glory to God and you've got the shepherds celebrating the birth of Christ and you've got the manger scene and... chills the whole way through

- gloomy shepherd: “Nothing ever happens out here, I mean nothing!” *brightly glowing Gabriel appears half a second later*

- if you've ever heard BYU Vocal Point sing ‘He’s Born’, this is where that song comes from

Esther & the King (2006)

- My favorite. My absolute favorite. There are no words that can convey my love for this movie. Stick my DVD copy with me in my coffin when I go.

- All of the songs are so catchy and amazing and I love each and every one of them with all my heart.

- The maidens waiting to meet the king all do the most ridiculous and flashy things to try and impress him and Esther’s just like ‘um...ok...’ and Hegai has the best reaction faces ever to grace this planet

- Teresh and Bigthan are so weird and a little crazy and I love it. They're like if Timon and Pumbaa were villains.

- what I love even more is Haman, oh my word, he's so vain and childishly absurd but also somehow manages to be truly menacing and awful and it's incredible

- Esther’s relationships with Mordecai and Ahasuerus are perfect and so sweet and all of them individually are such good people

- her songs are so breathtaking and strong and she's my hero and I love her

- Haman has the best villain songs in the history of villain songs. I will never ever tire of them.

- wonderful use is made of the chamberlain with the unfortunate name of Carcas

- there's a song for the part where Haman keeps giving hilariously specific suggestions for gifts that he thinks are for himself and then he goes to cry to his wife when he has to do all of it for Mordecai

- early on Esther has a song asking the king if he can love her for who she is and in the end it gets so beautifully flipped on its head and he's the one very humbly asking her if she can love him and it's the sweetest thing

- the word ‘news’ in the closing number “There Is News Today” is subtly but clearly pronounced like ‘noose’ because Haman’s about to be hanged and it's amusing in a weirdly morbid way

Samuel the Lamanite (2006)

- the imaginer child has been doing this for so long that her imagination process is evolving and now she sees herself physically partaking in the story and interacting with the citizens of Zarahemla and at one point the storyteller goes ‘can you imagine how it must have felt to be a believer in a time such as this?’ and her eyes are wide as she nods her head in fear like ‘yes I'm living it right now and I want out’

- the wicked people in the city sing about how great they are and while doing this they are continually casually awful to the people around them

- there’s this narcissistic archery corps who have the run of the place for some reason

- Nephi II and Nephi III are super sweet

- there are wonderful songs about never being alone because God is within and He shares His love

- Samuel looks very accurate to that figurine

- someone throws a rock at Samuel but it bounces off the wall and comes right back to hit the guy in the face

- the bad guys have a song about how it's been 5 years and nothing Samuel prophesied has happened, and for whatever amazing reason it's a mariachi number and the screen transitions into sepia and they have a piñata that looks like Samuel but they can't hit it no matter what they do

- interestingly, even though this one is filled with a lot of funnies, it's also the most dramatic because the villains become completely ruthless and the believers are literally almost murdered

Daniel & the Lions (2006)

- Darius is overstressed by his job and Daniel has basically become his therapist. Darius has a jazz number about his stress and how he needs help.

- Daniel is so calm and sweet and always has the best advice to offer. His relationship with Darius is very brotherly and loving, and he deals with the men who want him dead with such grace and patience.

- the king’s messenger (to a noisy crowd): “Put a sock in it!” villager #1: *whispers* “What’s a sock?” villager #2: *shrugs*

- Daniel only buys fruit and vegetables from the marketplace in reference to earlier in the book of Daniel where he refuses meat

- There are 3 main bad guys who go after Daniel, and the leader of the band is properly creepy. They also have a fully choreographed number about spying on Daniel while he's literally like 5 feet in front of them and he keeps looking back at them awkwardly, and later they literally have a Beach Boys number in the middle of the throne room and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me

- Darius’s heart is absolutely broken when he realizes that by law Daniel has to be sent into the den and it’s so gorgeous

- when Daniel is taken away the bad guys become very dramatic and act like they've made so many sacrifices for this victory and they're waving around red flags and it's somehow amusing but darkly disturbing at the same time

- Daniel and Darius have an incredibly powerful duet about the Spirit offering peace in times of need and it makes me cry

- the lions are played by people in costume and Daniel can talk to them

- Instead of just making them peaceful or causing them to lose their appetites, the angel turns the lions into vegetarians. They suddenly have a lively number about how excited they are to be vegetarians now. Vegetarian lions. I couldn't make this stuff up. It’s golden.

Jonah & the Great Fish (2011)

- Jonah is played by David Osmond

- I still love this one but personally I don't feel it's quite as good as the others, which has everything to do with the underwater sequences. The ‘great fish’ is given a name and a life story and he has a fish friend who follows him everywhere and for some reason they're given a large amount of screentime. I still kind of like them, but I’m sure I would like them better under different circumstances. It feels very weird and out of place here. The imaginer child and her storyteller even talk about them like they’re real characters. There are also villainous sharks for some reason. The only thing that makes sense about anything that happens underwater is the sequence when Jonah is inside the fish. I don't want to seem like I'm bashing the movie because I don't mean to, I definitely still adore it and I would still recommend it. There’s just stuff that doesn't make sense.

- The way they portray the contentions in Nineveh is to have the city be divided into the Left Siders and the Right Siders, and they all wear a glove on the respective hand and wear different color schemes. The architecture is different on both sides and even all of the names begin with L or R. Everyone is very unnecessarily dramatic about staying on their sides of the dividing line and there's an awesome musical number about how much they all hate each other and how important it is to pick a side. This clearly happens a lot because the king and queen are very tired of having to break up fights and after everyone has cleared out they have a beautiful duet about their hopes that God can help their people.

- Jonah has a great song where he's pledging himself to God and promising to go wherever he is asked, and then he's told to go to Nineveh and he goes, “EXCEPT THERE!” and suddenly the entire song backtracks and takes on a feeling of panic as he packs up all of his things and sings about running as far away as possible

- the mariners that Jonah hitches a ride with take advantage of how desperate he is to run away and they scam him out of almost all of his money, also the captain has a mullet

- when thrown overboard: “So this is how the story of Jonah ends, huh? Prematurely, in the first chapter. I think about verse 15...”

- Jonah has a beautiful repentance song when he's inside the fish, and the entire ending where Jonah is in Nineveh is really well done and the closing number is very uplifting and moving.

~~~~~

Really though, I highly recommend Liken to anybody. I can't do these movies enough justice, they’re amazing. I put them on whenever I'm feeling bad, they just have a way of healing your heart and uplifting your spirit. They’re a wonderful reminder of how present our Heavenly Father is in our lives.

[apostateangela]

The Family You Choose- Part One

The FAMILY You CHOOSE!

Recently I went to see DC’s movie Shazam!

And it made me think and feel many things...

You might be asking yourself,

“Is this how it’s always going to be?”

I’m asking myself something similar,

“How many posts are going to connect to the movies you see Angela?”

The answer is, “Who cares how many, if it helps me to write?”

I’ve missed a week or three-ish because I haven’t been able to pick what to write about next. There are many things happening around and inside me right now.

And so many things that have already happened.

And that night, while watching Shazam!

...there it was before me,

This post is about family.

Before I add my Shazam! Spoilers, as always, it is important to establish the baseline of how family has been defined for me.

Mormons have large families. The average number of children in a Mormon family is 5-6 with many families consisting of 8-12. Yes, you read that right, 8-12 small people you are responsible to support and raise. This is not history, but current reality. I myself have only two brothers.

But that is because my mother has type 1 diabetes and was told by her doctors not to have ANY children.

She had three and each pregnancy and birth threatened her life.

We were miracles.

She wanted twelve.

I have four children, small by Mormon standards.

And just to give you a sense of timeline, by the time I was 28 I’d had 5 pregnancies, one of which was an ectopic and four of which resulted in live children--all relatively healthy adults now.

It can be said that ‘family’ is one of the most important things/themes for LDS members.

It is a well defined and deep paradigm.

There is even an official church document titled “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” which outlines the very traditional and patriarchal structure of Mormon families.

For example:

1.Two heterosexual married parents; in fact it is not only a commandment to get married but to have children.

We, The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children…. The First Commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

2. Mother and Father, man and woman have gender identified roles; in fact gender and their subsequent roles are divinely defined and created by God.

All Human Beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose….

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. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children…. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

Let me translate:

Heterosexual marriage, only.

Two defined genders, unchangeable.

Set gender roles with the man presiding (sets all the rules) and providing (as the sole breadwinner).

The woman has babies and stays home to nurture and take care of them.

Only in the case of disability, death, or some other drastic circumstances is the woman allowed to work, and really only after extended family support has been solicited.

This equates to quite literally keeping the woman barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen

(unless she needs to clean the rest of the rooms in the house).

This document was released in 1995 and has not been modified since. It is something the Church subscribes to today. Most Mormon homes have an embellished copy of this document framed and hanging on the walls of their homes. I did, for 25 years.

Let me make something clear, I am not saying that a household with two committed parents working together for the welfare of their children is a bad thing. Quite the contrary, I wish it for all children. But the delineation of a singular acceptable structure for that endeavor causes problems for those of us who do not fit into the cookie cutter.

As I child, I benefited from a mother who DID fit into the cookie cutter. A woman who made my brothers and I her entire world. Who used her incredible homemaking skills to take the money my father made (working two jobs and farming on the side, absent in almost every way) to create a home centered around her children and Jesus Christ.

As a woman, she taught me how to be like her; I can cook, bake (7 kinds of homemade bread from scratch) clean, garden, preserve food, raise farm animals, butcher meat, sew, embroidery, crochet, iron, play the piano, arrange flowers, and craft a thousand different ways--to say nothing of my mothering skills.

So when I married at nineteen, I tried to fit. I made my home and family in that cookie cutter, its edges skinning pieces from me for fifteen years. As my children grew and were old enough to be in school all day, I started to take steps outside the mold, fighting my husband and my culture to hold a job, attend classes at a junior college, and find my own way. It took another ten long years to get a bachelor degree that should have taken me three. Had I not done so, my life would be incredibly more difficult that it is now.

I have said this before. I will say it now, again. I love my children. I am glad I am a mother--even though all motherhood is bittersweet.

Forgive this digression, this post is less about how I was oppressed as a woman in this structure and more about the meaning of family for me and how it has changed. But the reference to Mormon doctrine and reminder of my past is important to establish the understanding that while I wanted to further my personal development (feeling guilty for every step I took in that quest), I ultimately did as the church taught with my whole heart. I poured myself into my family and believed I was creating something that was lasting and eternal. The biggest catch phrase of the Mormons is “Families are Forever”. That is also something I had hanging in variations of crafty attraction in my home: painted, crocheted, embroidered, photographed, and always framed.

The sealing of a man and woman together that is performed in the temple as part of a temple marriage also binds those children born into the covenant of that marriage to those parents for all of eternity.

(To be continued)