Adam & Eve's Transgression

In a message board I frequent, some discussion came up about Adam and Eve and their transgression. After some study, I came upon the following thoughts:

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (Gen 3:6)

What is interesting here is that it doesn't say that she partook of the fruit because she wanted to disobey God. Rather she saw that the fruit would make her wise—or as the footnote suggests—give her insight.

Naturally, gaining further insight or wisdom is not inherently bad; our church encourages us to gain further knowledge.

I wonder then if the transgression Eve committed was less the partaking of the fruit. I wonder if her transgression was more relying on her own faculties to gain further light and knowledge rather than waiting for God to give them to her.

I wonder of the parallel with her son Cain. We all know Cain gave a sacrifice to the Lord. I do not think the Lord rejected the sacrifice because it was a sacrifice. After all, his brother Abel offered a sacrifice often that was always accepted. I wonder if what the Lord rejected was the fact that Cain offered a sacrifice only because Satan commanded him too (Moses 5:18).

Bloggersnacker

With the proliferation of bloggersnackers being announced this month and the possibility for more in the future, I took it upon myself to set up a new website that allows nackers to keep track of upcoming ones.

Introducing HotPepper.ca Bloggersnackers.

Up until now, I've just been combing the hundreds of sites that make up the bloggernacle and have adding the bloggersnackers by hand as I come across them. I'll still do that, but bloggersnacker organisers can rest assured that since user registration has been set up and any registered user can post, they can post their upcoming bloggersnacker as well.

If you know of an upcoming bloggersnacker, feel free to email me, or post it your self on Bloggersnackers. Feel free to comment to any of the upcoming bloggersnackers to say you're coming.

Protests

I guess children can protest now.



Not sure what to think about this.

Pioneers

We had our requisite pioneer talk this past Sunday. Certainly not as boring as the four five-minute reports about the recent girls and boys camps, but predictable and boring nonetheless. Luckily for me, Gospel Doctrine had some uplifting moments and I hadn't decided to be perturbed and pack up right after Sacrament. I am not sure if it all balanced out or not, but I did feel uplifted at some points yesterday and I did get to take the Sacrament, so I am not about to write it off yet.

Anyhow, on to my point. The main speaker said, among other tidbits, at one point that we should be grateful for the pioneers of southern Alberta.

Why?

I am not related to any of them (well, not outside of marriages within my wife's family). They didn't really help establish Church doctrine or practise. The Church in southern Alberta has not made me the person I am today.

In actuality, I am more grateful for the pioneers in Regina than I am for the ones in southern Alberta. It's those pioneers who directly influenced my life.

The first LDS meetinghouse I ever attended was one built by the Regina pioneers. My parents joined the church partly because they were befriended by Regina pioneers (or their children). I was taught in Primary by Regina pioneers (and their descendants). I was there when two Regina branches became two Regina wards nearly thirty years ago. My own parents were pioneers.

The list, of course, goes on.

Can't say a single one of those things about southern Alberta. Nope. I am about as grateful for southern Alberta pioneers as I am for Ontario pioneers (well, maybe less, since John Taylor was from Ontario). I definitely see no reason why I should be grateful for them.

2012 Olympic Logos

For anyone who is interested, I did a write-up on the logos of the finalist candidate cities for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Joseph Smith Website, Again

Just so it's clear, the Joseph Smith website isn't really that new, and Our Thoughts posted about it first. Last month.

Oh, and may I add this? What is the point of using an XHTML Strict doctype when designing the page if your page is going to have nearly 120 validation errors in it?

Succor

This scripture came up today in Gospel Doctrine.

...he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:12)

I find this interesting. Alma the Younger says here that Jesus took upon himself our own infirmities so He may know how to succour us. It always amazes me the steps the Savour took to help us. Not only has he sacrificed Himself that we may be washed clean of our sins and live again with glorified bodies, He has made it possible somehow to completely understand what we experience when we go through infirmities.

Despite having never committed adultery, He knows the pains of guilt the adulterer feels and the feelings of anger that run through the heart of the adulterer's spouse. He knows the grief of those who have lost their beloved. He knows the sadness that accompanies heartbreak. He knows the feelings of abandonment, neglect, pain, despair, jealousy and others all without having to experience the normal actions that produce those feelings.

This sort of selfless loves reminds me of another passage in Mosiah 4, where King Benjamin counsels with those present, in part, the following:

...ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor...(v. 16)

Simon Southerton Promoting Book Again

Simon Southerton, who is struggling hard to be a critic of the Church in a long-since dead area is back again. Maybe his book had low sales last year, so he is trying to drum up some more buyers.

Anyhow, The Age had this, in part, to say:

Last year he published a rebuttal of the Book of Mormon teachings that Native American and Polynesian ancestors came from ancient Israelite tribes who had migrated to the Americas centuries before Christ.

In all the years I've read the Book of Mormon—in all the times I've read it from cover to cover—I must have entirely skipped over the part where it teaches "Native Americans" and "Polynesians" are descended from Israelite tribes.

Maybe if Southerton focused more on what was in the Book of Mormon and less on how members of the Church have traditionally extrapolated the Book of Mormon, it wouldn't be an issue that he "is facing possible ex-communication".

I wonder why didn't wait another week. If he had, he could have done double duty by bringing about press for his new book, and celebrating the first anniversary of the last time he brought this up.

Seattle Bloggersnacker Report

I like to think that since I initiated the Seattle Bloggersnacker, without me it would have amounted to nothing. Admittedly, however, that is not the case. The success of the night actually laid with the Stapleys. The Stapley home is rapidly becoming the west coast hub of the Bloggernacle. what with Nate Oman visiting there last week, Steve Evans visiting next week, and the bloggersnacker there last night.

J picked me up downtown at my hotel. I was down at the waterfront, right by the Bell St Pier. After some driving along the scenic way, we were quickly on our way. Before I knew it, we were there. The Stapley home is nice. Very modest but somewhat upscale. Certainly comfortable and inviting.

Shortly after I arrived, Geoff and Kristen Johnston arrived with their whole crew of four children. Matt Jacobsen was next and Aaron Brown rounded out the party, which of course did not start until he arrived.

There was a lot of visiting and finger-pointing and ridiculing regarding the bloggernacle, so it was a productive evening. We had a lot of snacks, mostly provided by the Stapleys (cheese, salmon, snack mixes, potato chips, bite-sized chocolate bars, Diet Coke, lemonade, Squirt, and so on). I brought some provolone cheese imported from Italy, which I purchased earlier that day from Pike Place Market. I brought some crackers as well. It seemed, however, that all the crackers were used to eat the hummus. The cheese was good by itself, but the homemade sourdough bread provided by the Stapleys was a perfect way to eat it. I would even go so far as to say it made it better.

Around 9:30, the party died down because the Johnstons had to go home (so maybe the party started when they arrived and not when Aaron arrived). It probably didn't help that we were all a bunch of thirty-somethings. Geoff was the old fart of the group, and his old bones probably couldn't handle the excitement any longer. J has a policy of driving into Seattle only once per day, so Aaron drove me home. Which was good. We had a nice trip back. I was able to see the rest of the scenic route that J missed.

Sadly, there are no photos. I'd like to say it's because we are a mysterious lot, but the reality of the situation is that I simply forgot I had my camera with me.

Now, if we could only get one together in Calgary.

Goodbyes

Kim is in Seattle for the next few days. And already we are missing him. The children see three days as being excruciatingly long and there were many tears at the airport when we said goodbye. Mainly from Sinéad who is very much a daddy's girl. She said to me, when we got home that when we were wavin at him through the window, she tried to smile, but it was so hard, she couldn't manage it very well. I know, it seems it shouldn't be a big deal, but she is only 6. :)

The days will be busy though and with the internet, he is more accessible than he would have been several years ago. And on Wednesday we will be waiting at the airport to welcome him home. In the meantime we will keep busy with school stuff (yes, we don't stop school entirely during the summer. Especially with an Octopus Science project coming up!) going to the gym (the children have a gym class on Tuesdays too; they love it), violin practice and planning for our family vacation next month. The time will fly by faster than they (Sinéad and Regan) realise.

Elders Quorum Socials

We had our first social since I was put in as elders quorum president. It was fairly successful. We had two couples beside the presidency and families. It was a chili cookoff and there were four chilis. every tasted the chilis and then rated them. Everyone received a prize because each had won in at least one of the five categories available. The owner of the chili with two category wins also received a plastic firefighter's hat.

I feel the event was successful, but I wonder what others have found to be their favourite elders quorum socials.

Rosie & Same Sex Marriage

Rosie O'Donnell is lambasting George W. Bush for not supporting same sex marriage and his using the constitution to oppose it.

The outspoken former TV talk show host slammed Washington for trying to use the U.S. constitution to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, saying the country is lagging behind the rest of the world.

Since Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium are the only countries out of roughly 200 to officially recognize same-sex marriage, how does George W. Bush's stance make the US lag behind the rest of the world?

Information Superhighway and Morality

My missionary companion and I were watching general conference in April 1994. In one of the talks, the speaker mentioned the "information superhighway" (now called the Internet), and if I recall correctly (I cannot find the article to confirm the exact words) mentioned that this invention would play a large role in the widespread destruction of morality in the world.

My companion and I ended up in a debate about it. We debated whether the Internet really would be the downfall of morality in society. We debated whether society was already on a downhill slope. We debated whether making pornography more accessible would lead to more use of it. And so on.

Now that's been 11 years later and the Internet is a mainstay of western society, can we say with certainty whether society is worse off morally now?

Hearing Loss and Church

I am the mother to a child with a moderate hearing loss. I am also the wife of a man with profound hearing loss. I have been audience to their struggles in a world of sound. I have also been front seat for many victories.

I remember sitting in primary one of the first Sunday's my daughter attended. The primary president began speaking very quietly. I knew even with hearing aids, my daughter would not hear what she was saying. She began talking about how when you feel the spirit you should become quiet in speech and action. My daughter was staring out the window, not hearing, not invited, not understanding. A distinct message was being sent to me and her. If you can't hear...you can't feel the spirit.

I talked to my husband about this later, asking him what his experience had been like in church. He talked about how much he missed. How often he sits through meetings unable to make out the mumblings of the brethren in priesthood, missing countless talks and lessons simply by sitting near a window, in front of two chatty friends, or a teacher that talked into the chalkboard. Even with hearing aids, these situations exist, as hearing aids make everything louder. And pulling out the main sound can often be an exhausting battle, especially when you add an organ into the fray.

To address this need in my daughters life, I brought her FM system to church. Which is a device that brings the wearer's voice to my duaghters ears. I was shocked when someone refused to wear it. REFUSED. It is not invasive, it is worn simply as a necklace and then transmits directly to my daughters hearing aids, no one else. I left church angry and heartbroken and to this day I have not brought the FM system back to church.

I have a new admiration for members who have a hearing loss. For showing up, even when they know they may get very little out of the meetings.

Honouring Parents

In Exodus 20:12, it is stated:

Honour thy father and thy mother

What does honour mean? It seems pretty vague and open to a wide spectrum of interpretation. The dictionary defines it as showing respect, but then again, what does it mean to show respect for someone?

Can someone reasonably go as far as saying it is dishonouring one's parents to not do one's chores? What if one decides not listen to marital advice received from one's father? What if one's mother is phoning for the sixth time today, and one refuses to answer the phone?

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

I've heard a lot of ways different members of the Church try to teach their children to keep the Sabbath holy. Ranging from not watching TV to not reading newspapers to not swimming in the pool and so forth.

I am interested in what 'rules' others have set for their family to help them remember the purpose of the Sabbath.

London Attacked

So, supporters of NYC as a potential 2012 Olympics location had to defend the city against concerns of terrorism. Turns out everyone was focusing in the wrong spot. London was awarded the prestige of hosting the 2012 Olympics (did I mention they have a sweet logo?), and the next day their transit system was attacked by terrorists.

Wrongfully Arrested

So, 'Scooby', a fellow Canadian LDS blogger was recently arrested for failing to appear at a small claims court hearing. She was shackled, handcuffed, strip searched and detained in a cell overnight. Turns out, she was never served papers to appear in court.

That really sucks.

< insert snappy title here >

Thanks for the warm welcome Kim. This seems like a safe passage into the bloggernacle and I'm grateful for the oppurtunity.

As Kim mentioned, I live in the Edmonton area. Just moved out of the best ward I have ever been a part of and now find myself in Sherwood Park and I'm very much, "the new girl" and my family is probably annoying countless fellow Sherwood Parkians by squatting in their pew. Many of my posts will probably wine about our weekly struggles of incorporating ourselves into this new environment. Well, until I get over it...

Seven years ago I married my best friend and we've settled into a comfy marriage, and I've decided I'll scrapbook our wedding photos. Think we might actually make it now (Somewhere there is a 6+ foot tall blond rolling his eyes). We have a lot of fun together and tend to bond over renovations. My daughter is five and will be venturing into grade one in the fall. It's gonna be a great summer with more pictures drawn for the fridge than I know what to do with.

Random things about me: Photography is one of my passions. I hope to set up a studio in my home and pursue this artform as a hobby with benefits. I spend an absurd amount of time at Totem Building Supplies lately as our new home requires "some work." I work as design team member for an online scrapbooking community and it fills my needs creatively (for the most part).

Hope this didn't all sound too smug and simple. If it does, not to worry, something always goes wrong.

I genuinely look forward to being part of Our Thoughts.

Yet Another Blogger

Our ranks are growing again. Our newest blogger, Nikki Workman, currently hails from the Edmonton area, where she lives wither her husband and daughter, but she was raised in Penticton, BC. Some in the Bloggernacle may recognise her from her personal blog at Isn't this kind of personal?

Nikki writes well and takes awesome photos. We are happy to have her aboard and look forward to her posts.

Welcome, Nikki.

P.S. For those wondering what's happened to Mike, he was swept up by gigantic end-of-school aliens and then whisked away to a planet called "Summer Vacation". I hear he is planning an escape for sometime next week.

America and 1 Nephi 13

I cannot count the number of times I have heard someone report that the prophecies contained in chapter 13 of 1 Nephi refer to the colonisation of the United States.

And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. (v. 12)

The above verse, for example, is said to have referred to Christopher Columbus. Yet, it is a well-established fact that several Scandinavians arrived in the American contents several centuries before Columbus ever did. In addition, Columbus was preceded by at least one explorer (João Vaz Corte-Real) and subsequently followed by one other (John Cabot or Giovanni Caboto). In actuality, it would seem that Columbus should fall under verse 13:

And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

The next few verses go on discussing white people colonising the "land of promise" and the "land of their inheritance". It is widely believed that the furthest north the Lehitic people landed on the American continent is present-day Mexico. At the very last then, the land of promise referred to Mexico, not the United States. This makes sense of course, since many white people from Spain and France colonised the area of Mexico.

Verses 17 and 18 are popularly interpreted to refer to the Revolutionary War between Britain and what would become the United States. Yet, Mexico held several wars with mother Gentiles. Cinco de Mayo, for example, celebrates Mexico's victorious defeat of French forces that had occupied the country. In addition, Mexico's Independence War lasted from 1810 until 1821, complete with a constitution drafting. For that matter, Brazil held a war of independence against Portugal from 1821-1825 that included land and naval battles, as did Chile's fight against Spain during 1817-1818.

So to what does 1 Nephi 13 refer? Who knows? The prophecies are too vague. Certainly they came true, but I am apprehensive to say the unequivocally refer to the United states when much that is contained in the chapter could refer to several countries in North and South America.

Celine Dion Live 8

Live 8 was pretty cool this week. Despite the criticisms many gave for the supposed lack of entertainers in Barrie, ON (not Toronto as Bono sang), it was a good show. The finale by Gird Downie, Neil Young, BNL, Bruce Cockburn, and others was patriotic and inspiring.

Celine Dion was too self-absorbed to make it and thought she would be benevolent enough to appear via a satellite feed from Vegas. Justifiably, she was booed by those in attendance. If you're going to perform, be there. If you're not going to be there, don't perform.

Seattle Bloggersnacker

I am off to Seattle the week of July 17th to attend Web Design World. I'll be arriving into SeaTac on the night of the 17th (Sun) and leaving the morning of the 20th (Wed).

Anyone else from the Bloggernacle going to be in the Seattle area? Wanna get together? I'll be staying at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. My wife thinks I am going to partying there, so I might as well live up to her expectations.

J. Stapley from Splendid Sun has offered his house as the Bloggersnacker location.

Post a comment if you're coming.

EDIT: This is a repost.