I was saddened and frankly surprised to read Bishop Sisk's letter yesterday on Facebook. The letter disappeared and reappeared shortly thereafter, along with the accompanying comments. It would appear that Bishop Sisk is bowing to public opinion and caving in and is no longer allowing OWS supporters to utilize their facilities at Trinity Church for toileting, sleeping, hanging out, strategizing and other activities.
One of the reasons I left my former faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is that I felt called and even compelled to do more work along the lines of social and economic justice such as I had done whilst engaged with MESJ or Mormons for Equality and Social Justice. I thought I had found that fit in the Episcopal Church of my birth. Now I am beginning to wonder.
Yes, this might be an isolated incident of one Bishop's lack of foresightedness, but it could also be a scary pattern of caving to the masses.
While Bishop Sisk is certainly a good and honorable man, the Episcopal Church has a calling from God to take particular care of the downtrodden and disenfranchised, in much the same way that the Savior did during his sojourn on the earth. When the moneychangers turned the Temple into a den of thieves and were doing business in the Savior's house, he used righteous indignation to overturn the tables with the merchandise and reprimanded the money changers for debasing his Father's house. We could all learn a valuable lesson from that exchange.
As a Church, I believe we have failed OWS protestors by cutting them off and not allowing them to have a place to crash as it were. They do not have money for expensive hotel rooms and some of the protestors come from as far away as Delaware, many of them are students and low-income workers. They need a soft place to land and continue this important work - while they may be the one percent, they have created a movement unlike any other we have seen in recent years.
Shame on the Episcopal Church of New York - Bishop Sisk, please revisit your decision.
Showing posts with label the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Show all posts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Mormons posthumously baptize Obama's late mother
My regular readers know that I lived (read - barely survived) - in Utah for 7 years. Much of my discomfort there came about due to the lack of tolerance for those not of the predominant faith. While Utah is home to over 600 religions, the Mormon/LDS faith takes precedence due to its sheer masses and the fact that Salt Lake City is home to the church's headquarters.
I was quite disturbed to read this story in one of Utah's local dailies a few moments ago. In an ongoing effort to ensure that everyone who has ever lived on this earth will have the opportunity to hear the message preached by the Mormon religion, the powers that be have posthumously baptized the departed mother of our 44th president. What does that mean? Everything and nothing. For their part, the LDS church states unequivocally that when baptizing individuals after death, they make every effort to reach out to family members to gain permission prior to doing so.
As the story went to print, there was no official word from the White House.
You can read the story in its entirety at this link: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12299851
I was quite disturbed to read this story in one of Utah's local dailies a few moments ago. In an ongoing effort to ensure that everyone who has ever lived on this earth will have the opportunity to hear the message preached by the Mormon religion, the powers that be have posthumously baptized the departed mother of our 44th president. What does that mean? Everything and nothing. For their part, the LDS church states unequivocally that when baptizing individuals after death, they make every effort to reach out to family members to gain permission prior to doing so.
As the story went to print, there was no official word from the White House.
You can read the story in its entirety at this link: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12299851
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A tale of two hurricanes - Katrina and Ike
Hurricane Katrina is the absolute worst hurricane seen ever in this country. President Bush's FEMA director "Brownie" was not doing "a heck of a job" - he was, in fact, doing an awful job. While President Bush's mother, Barbara, felt that residents of New Orleans and its environs living in the Astrodome was "working out quite well for them", considering......I wonder how they feel now that the shoe is on the proverbial other foot.
FEMA is on hand with millions of supplies this time around. Amazing what a difference a few years and the home state of the President at stake make........
I know that many other private relief organizations came to the aid of Louisiana residents, and will do the very same thing with Texas residents in upcoming weeks. Of note is the amazing Bishop's storehouse organized under the careful leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These cavernous warehouses store everything from 72 hour emergency kits, to diapers, to food and other necessities. They care not the religion or personal beliefs of those they help - they just do what needs to be done because it is the humanitarian/Christlike thing to do. I have seen the LDS Church in action many times - their compassion and organization are what endeared me to the organization for over two decades of my life. While I have since moved on, I admire and respect the church for its efforts.
Let us all pray for the residents of Texas and hope that since it is, after all, the great state of Texas, home of our President - there will be no foulups this time around......
FEMA is on hand with millions of supplies this time around. Amazing what a difference a few years and the home state of the President at stake make........
I know that many other private relief organizations came to the aid of Louisiana residents, and will do the very same thing with Texas residents in upcoming weeks. Of note is the amazing Bishop's storehouse organized under the careful leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These cavernous warehouses store everything from 72 hour emergency kits, to diapers, to food and other necessities. They care not the religion or personal beliefs of those they help - they just do what needs to be done because it is the humanitarian/Christlike thing to do. I have seen the LDS Church in action many times - their compassion and organization are what endeared me to the organization for over two decades of my life. While I have since moved on, I admire and respect the church for its efforts.
Let us all pray for the residents of Texas and hope that since it is, after all, the great state of Texas, home of our President - there will be no foulups this time around......
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Spiritual, not religious - proud to be labeled "progressive"
My elder Brother, Jesus was progressive - one of the leading progressives of his time. His voice spoke on being kind, adultery, hypocrity, being charitable, not judging, paying taxes, and a myriad of other issues that I don't necessarily need to name here.
For over 23 years, I was a member of the LDS Church - that's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known by its nickname - the Mormons. The same religion that Mitt Romney affiliates himself with.
Some 2 years ago, I had to painfully extricate myself from this church that I had known and loved. I had been baptized in this organization, been married for 15 years in a sacred temple ceremony to my former husband and raised 3 of my 4 sons faithfully in this religion. Seven years ago when I moved to Utah, I was disturbed to see that there was an inordinate of racism experienced first by me and then by my 3 teenage sons. As things became progressively worse, I tried to make sense of it.
According to the most recent census data, Utah is less than 1% black. According to Mormon doctrine/theology/tradition or even heritage, blacks were deemed less than, or even inferior - their dark skin was allegedly the mythical mark of Cain. While I am no scriptorian, my readings and research into this matter have never revealed to me whether this mark was a wart on the end of Cain's nose as punishment for his sins, but I do know that Jesus died on the cross for any "sin" or transgression committed by any who have lived or died, including Cain.
It is then, not surprising that there are vestiges left over in Utah of racism, based partly on those archaic and, in my belief, incorrect teachings, and on the teachings of one of the early leaders of the LDS Church - some have called him "American Moses" - that would be Brigham Young, who believed and stated that blacks were lower than dogs.
In 1978, the ACLU was going to sue the LDS Church and force them to make public their financial records - this was their way of getting the LDS Church to bring blacks into full fellowship. Up until that point, their fellowship was limited to merely visiting church - no participation in communion, baptism services, no admittance to the temple. The dream of any worthy person of the LDS faith.
When I joined the LDS faith in January of 1982, this was explained to me in a peripheral way, essentially making it sounds like an unfortunate blip on the screen of LDS theology. Friends had often asked me how I could align myself with the religion. One of the men I admire greatly is a former ACLU attorney and civil liberties champion. He is Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. One day, years ago, I was in his office. He was praising my intelligence and intellect and was the first person who had intimated that Brigham Young - a Mormon leader and prophet was racist. He asked me why I was in the Mormon faith. I told him that the Church worked for me and should the day come when it no longer did, I would leave.
I know exactly how Senator Obama felt when he had to extricate himself from his church over the Reverend Wright debacle. I have been there. I cried more tears over that than even over my divorce from my husband of 15 years. The pain was visceral.
As I look today at the potential (and in some cases, certainly in some African Episcopal churches) for the same rift to come to the Episcopal Church over women being ordained to the priesthood. In the Mormon Church, my understanding is that many people left after blacks were allowed to become fully functioning in the church.
I continue to be spiritual and not religious, because it is more important to me to be like my elder brother, the Savior, Jesus Christ, than to associate with any church that discounts any of my brothers and sisters.
For over 23 years, I was a member of the LDS Church - that's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known by its nickname - the Mormons. The same religion that Mitt Romney affiliates himself with.
Some 2 years ago, I had to painfully extricate myself from this church that I had known and loved. I had been baptized in this organization, been married for 15 years in a sacred temple ceremony to my former husband and raised 3 of my 4 sons faithfully in this religion. Seven years ago when I moved to Utah, I was disturbed to see that there was an inordinate of racism experienced first by me and then by my 3 teenage sons. As things became progressively worse, I tried to make sense of it.
According to the most recent census data, Utah is less than 1% black. According to Mormon doctrine/theology/tradition or even heritage, blacks were deemed less than, or even inferior - their dark skin was allegedly the mythical mark of Cain. While I am no scriptorian, my readings and research into this matter have never revealed to me whether this mark was a wart on the end of Cain's nose as punishment for his sins, but I do know that Jesus died on the cross for any "sin" or transgression committed by any who have lived or died, including Cain.
It is then, not surprising that there are vestiges left over in Utah of racism, based partly on those archaic and, in my belief, incorrect teachings, and on the teachings of one of the early leaders of the LDS Church - some have called him "American Moses" - that would be Brigham Young, who believed and stated that blacks were lower than dogs.
In 1978, the ACLU was going to sue the LDS Church and force them to make public their financial records - this was their way of getting the LDS Church to bring blacks into full fellowship. Up until that point, their fellowship was limited to merely visiting church - no participation in communion, baptism services, no admittance to the temple. The dream of any worthy person of the LDS faith.
When I joined the LDS faith in January of 1982, this was explained to me in a peripheral way, essentially making it sounds like an unfortunate blip on the screen of LDS theology. Friends had often asked me how I could align myself with the religion. One of the men I admire greatly is a former ACLU attorney and civil liberties champion. He is Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. One day, years ago, I was in his office. He was praising my intelligence and intellect and was the first person who had intimated that Brigham Young - a Mormon leader and prophet was racist. He asked me why I was in the Mormon faith. I told him that the Church worked for me and should the day come when it no longer did, I would leave.
I know exactly how Senator Obama felt when he had to extricate himself from his church over the Reverend Wright debacle. I have been there. I cried more tears over that than even over my divorce from my husband of 15 years. The pain was visceral.
As I look today at the potential (and in some cases, certainly in some African Episcopal churches) for the same rift to come to the Episcopal Church over women being ordained to the priesthood. In the Mormon Church, my understanding is that many people left after blacks were allowed to become fully functioning in the church.
I continue to be spiritual and not religious, because it is more important to me to be like my elder brother, the Savior, Jesus Christ, than to associate with any church that discounts any of my brothers and sisters.
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