Six thousand years ago, Adam and Eve were driven from paradise into mortal space. Destined to be founders of the human race. God and angels gave them counsel and commandments to embrace. But, there was a glaring omission of something they were NOT told to stop. Here, I’ll call it Bippity Bop.
Adam and Eve were warned, “Don’t eat that fruit.” But, regarding Bippity Bop, the angels were mute.
Sixteen hundred years passed ’til the great flood doused the earth. In Noah’s story there is no mirth. Except for eight souls, all mankind became has beens….all because of plentiful sins. But, not because of BB. You see…from Adam to Noah, the big B-Bop was never forbidden by God.
The land dried out. People began to sprout. From Shem to Peleg. Nimrod to Nehor. Then Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob’s twelve more. And what about Bippity Bop? Nary a word from our Heavenly Pop. He never commanded that it stop.
Three and a half millennia after Adam, Moses is rescued from the Egyptian river. Finally, we’re at the most prolific law giver. Ten signature commands on tablets were written. You can see them all detailed from Exodus on. Hundreds & hundreds of laws were spawned. Ruling every aspect of those who hold deity in awe. All bound together, they’re called the Mosaic Law. But guess what got missed. You got it. Not even a hiss of Bippity Boppity ever being dissed.
Fifteen hundred more years pass. The Babe is born in the lowest class. The most marvelous of teachings the world would ever hear, are now cherished…held mighty and dear. Did He utter the phrase, “No B-Bop?” Nope. The author of all commands, big and small, never mentions the B’s. Nope, not at all.
Finally, the year 1820 is here. The restoration, just getting into full gear. The famine of God’s word, ends with a seer. Revelation upon revelation. Certainly, there will be a call for Bippity Bop’s cessation.
Joseph Smith? Nope. He never called for Bippity Bop to stop.
The Book of Mormon? Certainly filled with lots of good stuff. But, it ignores the Bippity, strangely enough.
Doctrine & Covenants? As far as a commandment, the Bop is completely absent.
Six thousand years! He’s not a tyrant. It’s time we pay attention to where God is silent.
From Whence Comes the Notion That Loads Bippity Bop with Such Emotion?
For 16 decades, the LDS church harbored racist teachings, doctrines and practices. Where did they come from? We have apostles. Thanks to our current crop, we now know they were all just made up. Simply plucked out of thin air…by men…who were prophets. Not from heaven. Not from revelation. Not from God. Rather, it was our former prophets who put racist words into God’s mouth. It was never God who was racist. It was the leaders of His church.
Fortunately, we now condemn and disavow our racist past. At the thought of our former teachings, we are now aghast.
Into God’s mouth we’ve put lots of words, in our historical past. The words men insert, simply won’t last.
If you still think Bippity Bop is a sin, please go read the most correct book again.
Bippity Bopptiy Boo is natural for kids to go through. And adults? It’s even normal for them, too.
Tocubit Is Invisible's Cubit 
Holy Moly, Sam!
Your creative gush of humorous prose
Tickled the grinner right under my nose
I had no idea that Sam, my good buddy
Was such a fine poet
Not just fuddy duddy
No insult intended, and presumably none taken.
As we have all noticed in the lyrics of some Mormon hymns, sometimes you just give up and write something dumbass simply because it rhymes.
Your eggsellent blog post triggered my brain to think stuff like:
– Sounds like Sam finally got his GROOVE on!
– Gotta change your Temple New Name to Hey-Seuss! (spelled J-e-s-u-s )
Anyway, that was LOTSA FUN, Sam! Thank you for the entertainment, and making a good point in the process! Here are two more cents-worth on topic:
FEAR and GUILT are classic Mind Control Tools. The Brethren operate a world class Mind Control Cult and continue to take full advantage of using BippityBop as a very effective way to make their Mormon Member Marks feel terrible about being human beings with God-given bodily functions that to be exercised from time to time – to the point of craving attention. Making people perform unnatural behaviors (no BippityBop, no never, not ever) in order to be declared WORTHY to enter the Super-Special-French-Provincial-Furniture-Showroom piles on the fear and guilt. And when you find yourself UNABLE to behave unnaturally (forever keeping your two little hands folded snuggly and tight), and decide to LIE to the bishop to avoid being shamed even further, you amplify your own GUILT and feel even more like a loathsome, disgusting piece of T.S. (Telestial Excrement).
One comment . . . seems like a new reader might not figure out what BIppity-Bop is without reading your previous blog posts on topic.
You be on a roll, Sam! Let’s see what comes next . . . pun intended.
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Chuckles…Smiles…Giggles. All were involuntary reactions as I read through your comment.
“Super-Special-French-Provincial-Furniture-Showroom.” Still chuckling at that one.
“When you find yourself UNABLE to behave unnaturally.” There you go. Hitting the nail on the head. Six years of continuous teenage shame, or learn to lie to the bishop. In my research, 75% take the second option. This part I don’t smile at. It’s a painful reality that has no business in a church bearing the name of Christ.
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I agree totally, Sam!! And Mormon sex therapist Natasha Helfer Parker wrote a whole column once about it, to the tune of “isn’t it glorious that we have been given the ability to do this rather than sin.”
I think we are seeing the collective guilt of lots of old white puritan guys. I’m betting this will change eventually.
Oh, and your Seussian poetry also reminded me of a song from the 1980s by Cyndi Lauper, called “She-bop”, a sort of paen to “everybody does it.”
“If I don’t stop, I’ll go blind…” 😜😜😜
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Im a new reader and was slightly confused by the Bippity Boppity. good post otherwise.
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Hi Maurice,
Greetings and welcome to a new reader. Bippity Bop is a euphemism for masturbation. I hope that helps the article make more sense.
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Clever Sam. However if you are waiting to find all sin in the scripture, you will be rereading for quite a while. You won’t find the mutilation of female genitalia in the Bible, yet millions think it’s okay and do it to young women all over the world. Also the abusive treatment of women for doing the same thing as men do. I personally feel that BBB is a disgusting habit. I can’t imagine the Lord smiling down on this beautiful world He created and seeing a bunch of men Jacking off so that they might feel better. And I find it disgusting to see that your columns have degraded from your feelings on the teachings of Christ to BBB. Do you actually believe this topic ever came up in the discussions Christ had with the people and his Apostiles?
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Janice,
Thank you for posting your thoughts in response to Sam’s perspective that masturbation is not sinful behavior. I am sure your views are shared by lots of folks including many Church members and other religious conservatives.
You wrote . . .
“I can’t imagine the Lord smiling down on this beautiful world He created and seeing a bunch of men Jacking off so that they might feel better.”
Reading that made me wonder what your thoughts are about the Lord smiling down on this beautiful world He created and seeing a bunch of girls and women pleasuring themselves so that they might feel better?
According to the online information linked below, the most popular sex toy on the planet is the vibrator.
http://www.statisticbrain.com/sex-toy-statistics/
Some studies suggest that females actually enjoy sex more than males. You have more nerve endings in critical places than males, not to mention your ability to experience multiple orgasms.
Just thought I would point out that masturbation is not just a male distraction.
And if it’s a sin, God should ask herself why on Earth did she made masturbation so much fun for everyone?
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Gary, He isn’t happy with either and I should have brought that up as well. Remember that it isn’t only women who use vibrators. I also believe that masturbation leads to pornography and that porn leads to masturbation. It is disgusting however you look at it. IMHO. your last line reminded me of my college roommate who told her Priest when she had her marriage interview…” if premarital sex was wrong , God wouldn’t have made it so much fun.”
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Janice,
Thank you for your clarification regarding what He is not happy with in the self-pleasuring department.
I will respectfully point out that you have employed the logical fallacy sometimes labeled the Straw Man argument. I will line that out for us (and then point it backatcha):
– I posed the question that if masturbation is a sin, then why did God make it so much fun?
– You countered with your roommate’s comment that if premarital sex is a sin, then God would not have made it so much fun. Your intimation is that if premarital sex is fun and also a sin, then if masturbation is fun, it must also, therefore, be a sin as well.
– Janice. I sure hope that if you are or have been married, and if you had sex with your husband, I hope it was no fun at all.
I will also respectfully suggest that you may not be qualified to inform us in detail what God is happy with … and not happy with, particularly regarding a popular human activity (usually solo in private) upon which God’s messengers and mouthpieces have been silent, as Sam has pointed out.
Seems risky to me to rely on The Brethren as messengers of the will of God … after they totally disqualified themselves as credible mouthpieces when they got it bass-ackwards wrong about Black’s being unworthy to hold the Priesthood. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to missing the mark on Facts and Truth.
Never mind all of that, Janice. I respect your personal right to hold whatever beliefs and attitudes regarding human sexual activity that resonate for you. It becomes problematic, however, if/when you expect others to hold your same opinions.
You seem to appreciate the teachings of Jesus. There is one teaching that Christians and Mormons just can’t seem to fathom, let alone practice.
Judge not.
I think Jesus was trying to teach us not to judge others. Looks like He failed miserably.
Sorry about that, Jesus.
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Janice I use to feel as you do. I use to believe that God commanded no bippity bop because we were to control our passions, that isnehat made us Godly
I lived in a marriage for over 20 years where we didn’t have sexual experiences together very often because I believed that allowing myself to have sexual thoughts were ungodly.
I had even convinced myself I didn’t need it. As a result I lost connection with myself as a woman and wife. I believed that sex was not important because that is what The church made me believe. That is soooo wrong and I eventually left that marriage because I had gotten in it for all the wrong reasons.
I remarried and have a very healthy sexual relationship with my new husband and love our life. I am so happy knowing that god gave me sexual feelings for a reason.
Now, I want to address your comments about porn. I 10000% agree that porn is an abomination to the Lord and if using porn to bippity bop that is the sin, not the act itself.
I have prayed and studied this subject out for the past few years and have gotten confirmation that it is not a sin. If it is replacing your intimacy with your spouse too often then yes it’s a problem and I think all these things need to be considered prayerfully.
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As I said from the beginning, this was and is my humble opinion. Yes, I am married…43 years and counting. And yes it was fun until health problems. It was also loving and mature. Neither of which I personally see as a prerequisite or post requisite to masturbation. In fact neither of which has any correlation.
I never mentioned the brethren and see absolutely no correlation between masturbation and blacks and the priesthood. How stupid to even mention the two together. I have every right to judge something I believe to be detrimental or a bad example to set for me and my children. IMHO, masturbation is a bad habit akin to smoking, drugs, drinking, and porn. They serve no useful purpose to society and the time wasted for a few minutes of pleasure, could be used doing something useful….like calling a friend in need of cheering up.
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Not to mention that much of what we feel about this subject stems from the words of our prophet Spencer W. Kimball in the Miracle of Forgiveness. To preface what I am about to say, I named a son after the man so this comes from a place of respect. It is however very hard to treat the teaching that masturbation is a sin when it was also counseled that it would lead to homosexuality. With current understanding of homosexuality, this was obviously wrong, therefore it was not revelation but was an opinion. This is our problem here and is why we have always been counseled to seek confirmation/Testimony of all things regardless of the source. This is not the first opinion that has become doctrine in our history. The person who claimed that it would lead to pornography addiction reminded me of the parallel claim in the Miracle of Forgiveness. When will we stop interjecting our opinions about things and start referring to facts, data and possibly true revelation?
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Hi Jim,
“When will we stop interjecting our opinions about things and start referring to fact, data and possibly true revelation?” Great question. I think it is up to each individual person. We have been taught and conditioned NOT to think. Rather, to let the apostles do all the thinking.
Personally, I’m way past that now. I believe that God wants us to think. Placing all power permanently in the hands of just a very few is dangerous and wrong. For the proper governance of His church, Jesus gave the law of common consent. A gorgeous commandment. It encourages active thinking by all the members. At baptism, we are given the right and the obligation to think and share our opinions. Today, our opinions are have no value to the top leadership. That’s too bad. But, it’s up to the membership to exercise their rights, privileges and obligations relative to common consent. Until we do, the church will continue to be led astray by a very tiny minority.
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Hi, Sam,
Jim gave an example of Mormon “revelation” turning out to be a dumbass opinion. What if ALL so-called “revelations” are dumbass opinions? How do you tell the difference?
Simple.
IGNORE all so-called “revelations” unless you receive some guidance PERSONALLY . . . from whatever created YOU . . . directly TO YOU in your individual capacity.
I personally believe we ALL have extremely wise and competent GUIDES and GUARDIANS in the Spirit Realm who are whispering and nudging us all through our lives, and not only at important decision opportunities, but even with day-to-day, seemingly mundane stuff.
I don’t mean the Holy Ghost. I mean other individuated Spirit Entities who have known us for eons and love us dearly in a very personal way. What if each one of us has a literal cheering section just beyond the veil . . . loved ones who truly care about our growth and success during this incredible adventure on this amazing Pale Blue Dot? What if we stopped paying attention to suits who want money, and instead go within and listen for guidance from beings who want nothing more than our success and progress?
Religions do not get their power and influence from any Diety. They get it FROM THEIR MEMBERS, who are conned and swindled into handing over most of the intrinsic, God-given personal power and right to run their own lives to a small group of cunning opportunists who are serving only their own self-interests at the extreme expense and detriment of their hapless, clueless marks.
This describes The Brethren with sobering accuracy, Sam, and their Church.
Mormon Doctrine teaches that the Church will eventually become unnecessary.
News Flash: Already happened
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Hi, Janice,
Sorry to hear about health issues interfering with your quality of life.
I respect your right to the opinions you hold on topic.
My humble opinion is that the GUILT and SHAME that is heaped upon defenseless Mormons, young and old, causes FAR MORE DAMAGE than just stepping aside and allowing people to freely direct what happens in their pants . . . particularly if there is no risk whatsoever of making a baby or catching a STD, and nobody else even knows about it.
The Brethren are so adept as dishing out GUILT, SHAME and FEAR to the extent that countless Church members have literally KILLED THEMSELVES in response to what the Mormon Church taught them to believe about themselves.
Other than that, The Brethren are doing a super job with their other responsibilities, like running the business operations of a worldwide mega-corporation … largely funded by the tithe payers who do not kill themselves.
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Sam, do I understand you to say that because of the gorgeous commandment of common consent, we should be voting on things like BBB, porn, premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. and if the majority say, if it feels good, do it, then we should do it. This is ridiculous and I know you and no one else in your family does either. This is why we can’t put everything to a vote.
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This is why we can’t put everything to a vote? We put nothing to a vote, except callings. Voting on callings is good. But, it does not satisfy the law of God. He said that All things must be done by common consent. Our doctrine states that ALL policies that affect the members must be approved by common consent. A prophet stated publicly and under oath that no revelation is binding upon the church until it has been presented and approved by a simple majority of the general membership. We are breaking that law routinely. That doesn’t sit well with me.
In my lifetime, only one thing has been put up for a vote…the lifting of our racist priesthood ban. For every other policy that affects the membership, we have broken Christ’s law regarding church government. My right, privilege and obligation as a baptized member of the churh has routinely been stolen from me. That doesn’t sit well with me.
Should we put alcohol up for a vote. Guess what…we did. That was a good thing.
Masturbation? Nobody knows if its a commandment or not. There is massive confusion. Many believing it’s a sin. Many not. So what is it? Why doesn’t the prophet go get a revelation and then present it to the membership for a vote? According to Jesus, and our doctrine, and prophetic congressional testimony, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. But, nope. We bury our heads in the sand. We allow the bishops and stake presidents to ask whatever probing questions into whatever sexual behaviors the so desire. Different practices in different wards and stakes. Leadership roulette rules. It’s Christ’s law that should rule. It doesn’t. That doesn’t sit well with me.
And what about the masturbation interviews. Where the hell was any consent granted for these closed door, untrained, intrusive masturbation witch hunts with our innocent 12 year old daughters. If this is going to be the policy in a ward, put it up for a vote. In a stake, put it up for a vote. Churchwide, put it up for a vote. Nope, we don’t do that. After all, it was only Jesus who told us to do it. But, who the hell cares what Jesus wants? I do. That’s why I have voted. I voted to follow my Savior. That does matter to me.
BTW, thank you for your comments and insight. I highly value it.
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Hi, Sam & Janice,
Here are some thoughts on all of the above . . .
From the beginning of time and until and beyond the Sun burns out, the Universe/Multiverse we live in is inexorably, inescapably and irrevocably governed by Natural Law. And we’re not just talking Gravity and Newton’s Laws of Motion. Natural Law governs human behavior as well. It governs All of Creation.
Jesus Christ was one of many Enlightened Spiritual Geniuses who have graced this planet. He wasn’t a literal Son of God any more than Sam and I are Sons of God and Janice is a Daughter of God. What Jesus WAS that we three are NOT was what I just wrote: a Spiritual Genius.
What is a Spiritual Genius?
Dirt simple.
A Spiritual Genius is someone who is a world class expert practitioner and teacher of Natural Law. A Spiritual Genius is someone who has learned, grown and progressed far beyond where you and I are. A Spiritual Genius has fully mastered the intrinsic and otherwise miraculous capabilities of the human life form (before, during and after physical life on Earth).
Jesus was so advanced and accomplished as a perfected being that, as a human, he was able to focus the energy of his own thoughts to command physical matter to do his bidding. Being able to perform miracles is coded within the DNA of every human being. The difference between you and me and Jesus (and very few others) is that they did not have to join the U.S. Army to “be all that you can be.” Jesus and others did it the only way it can be done, and that is in accordance with Natural Law. And it takes time and effort over many lifetimes of learning and growing. Line upon line, precept upon precept.
Guess what naturally happens over hundreds of lifetimes when you grow and learn a bit more each time you get reborn on Earth for another chapter in your adventure? Eventually, you’ve made all the mistakes, learned from all of them, gotten smart enough to stop repeating mistakes, and graduate to become what?
A Master?
Yes, a Master. And I mean a Master of Natural Law. You have learned it all and have earned the ability to stop making mistakes and do it right every time. And as a Master, you are totally qualified to teach others not as far along the path as you are.
Jesus was (and is) a Master . . . one of many Masters who have blazed their personal trail of spiritual education and finally figured it all out. Jesus taught some very simple, yet ultimately profound and powerful truths. Unfortunately, many of the teachings of Jesus were hijacked and corrupted by clever manipulators who figured out that His teachings could be morphed into a super effective way to control millions of people. To this end, the teachings that truly empowered people were replaced with teachings that transferred power from the people to the Church leaders. The concept that humans have to be “saved” by being members of a Church in order to get to “heaven” is one of these corruptions. The cacophony about whose Church is true and which are abominations goes on forever. It’s the entire concept that we were born defective and have to be redeemed from being who and what God created is an absurdity. Who benefits? The Church, of course, and The Brethren. They benefit, and at the extreme expense of the membership, I might add. (The expense is not just dollars. It’s also lost opportunity after lost opportunity to freely grow yourself into the highest and best authentic version of yourself.)
WHO the teacher is is not important. Any true Master will tell you that. What is truly worthwhile here are the original TEACHINGS of Jesus (and others) which are pretty simple and express core maxims of Natural Law:
– Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
– After all is said and done, you will reap what you sow.
– What you have done unto the least of these, you have done it unto me (and unto yourself).
– This is a Free Will Universe aka you have Free Agency to choose your path through Life.
The Brethren’s version of Free Agency is this: You are free to choose, but it’s OUR WAY or the HIGHWAY. Break our rules too many times and you’re out of the club.
The Brethren continually insult the intelligence and spiritual maturity of the members by dispensing a patently ridiculous list of DOs and DON’Ts, many of which are not only butt stupid, but historically hypocritical. Examples:
– No coffee? Excuse me. NO COFFEE? No tea. Excuse me. NO TEA? Go ahead and poison yourself with Coke and Pepsi (TSM’s fav), but you’re GOING TO HELL if you drink tea or coffee. Never mind it’s not even mentioned Mormon scriptures. Shouldn’t iced coffee be OK, but not hot chocolate? This is all beyond ridiculous.
– No alcohol. Excuse me. NO ALCOHOL? What about Joseph Smith enjoying beer in a bar, and Brigham Young’s whiskey distilleries. And . . . drum roll . . . Jesus drank WINE probably every day. Yes, it is true that if you drink too much alcohol you will get drunk and cause problems for you and others. So howzabout being a responsible adult and drinking alcohol responsibly, probably like Jesus did?
– No smoking? Well, I have never smoked and I think smoking is self-destructive, horribly expensive and generally filthy and disgusting. I have to admit on this one that any reason to not take up smoking is maybe worth what it costs. Maybe unless turning over control of your life to a Mind Control Cult is the only reason you don’t smoke. In that case, smoking is probably the lesser of two evils.
– No masturbation? This has been covered on this thread, so I won’t beat off a dead horse (sorry for the cheap pun)
– No LGBT? Many if not most Mormons already do not agree with The Brethren on their truly embarrassing homophobia disorder. Eventually The Brethren will get one of their rare revelations on this. Maybe by 2078? Can they learn at least one thing every 100 years. Hope so.
– No premarital sex? This is controversial at best. Can people f**k up their lives . . . literally? Sure. Happens all the time. Is it possible for two people in a relationship to be physically intimate before marriage (or instead of marriage) and live reasonably happy lives together? Maybe. Is it possible for two people to save sex for marriage, only to discover they are grossly incompatible and eventually grow to dislike each other deeply? Is it possible for TBMs who marry in the temple to end up with horrible marriages? Wonderful marriages? Sure. All of the above. Navigating sex is tricky business. Following strict rules can prevent early trainwrecks for young people. It can also cause trainwrecks for married people. It’s complicated. Trying to make the complicated simple does not work either.
By commanding Mormons to live in a spiritual box with all kinds of externally determined rules, The Brethren are actually stunting the Spiritual Growth of every member of the Church. Life is an adventure. And living the entire adventure with your training wheels still bolted on will prevent you from every flying free and discovering the amazing reality of not only who you are, but who you can become.
For these and other reasons, my succinct description of the LDS Church is:
Spiritual Dwarfs commanding Spiritual Infants condemned to live and die in a sandbox and never discover who they really are and what this incredible Pale Blue Dot is all about.
Sobering thought: If you stay in school your entire life, you might never surpass your teacher. If your teachers are The Brethren, then there you go.
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Dear Sam & Janice,
After posting what I wrote above and letting it marinate in my psyche for a few hours, I pretty much wish I had not written or posted that reply for two reasons:
1. My comments are too far off topic. This is Sam’s blog, not mine. If I want to forward my own views regarding how I appreciate Jesus Christ from a different perspective than Christianity or Mormonism, then I can/should choose a different forum or author my own blog. I apologize for changing the subject and then running off at the keyboard way too long.
2. Some of my comments are unnecessarily insulting and even name calling. I apologize for not measuring my words with a more respectful tone, especially in regards to beliefs that used to be important to me, and are still important to others. While I do feel quite strongly that The Brethren give only lip service to the teachings of Jesus and use Him to camouflage their own self-serving agenda at the expense of the membership, there is no need to stoop to coarse language to express my opinions.
So, Sam and Janice, to the extent that my comments were offensive, inappropriate or just unnecessary, I offer my apology. If I had the ability to delete that post, I would. Sam, please feel free to delete it yourself if you like. And do feel free to delete any other posts as you see fit. I will not take offense.
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OK buddy, you have offended me now! Delete your post? Come on man. How offensive is a request like? I’m going to throw that insult right back at you…NO…I…AM…NOT…DELETING…IT. How childish do you think I am, anyway? You offend me?…phhttt.
Now for some semblance of seriousness: Bippity Bop? A sin it’s not, no matter what nonsense is uttered by your top.
Now for another shot at seriocity. Thanks for your apology. You have just done something that my church is not willing to do. Your gesture is meaningful. It wasn’t necessary for me. But, you thought it might be. So, you offered it. That speaks volumes about your maturity and character. I don’t know if Janice needed an apology. You don’t either. Yet, you showed up and offered one. She is a good friend of mine from long ago. In another life, I was her family’s home teacher. She is an amazing women. I applaud her for sticking with me during my faith journey. Not many faithful members have.
Gary, you and I have shared some beautiful moments together. Unexpected connections have bonded us. Perhaps you are right about how the universe functions. Maybe we are in the same group who reunites after death, before we come to earth again, born into a new set of circumstances, with new learning opportunities. Until we become a master. And…..maybe Janice is in our group, too. Providing a hard but loving rock to scape away some of our accumulated detritus. Garry, my friend, I’m tearing up as I write this. Thanks for being here with Janice and me.
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Hi Gary,
The comment thread that this response applies to was full. Hopefully, you can relate it to the corresponding post.
“The teachings that truly empowered people were replaced with teachings that transferred power from the people to the Church leaders.” Exactly. I keep saying that the Law of Common Consent is a gorgeous law. It’s for this very reason. Christ empowered every member of his church. We were endowed with the power at baptism. So here’s a question for you and hopefully Janice. Why is it so difficult to communicate this to my member friends? Why do they not value the right and privilege that Christ dispensed into our hands with the principle of Common Consent? What I find to be a wonderful gift is simply dismissed out of hand…why?
“The Brethren are actually stunting the Spiritual Growth of every member of the Church.” I can’t speak for every member, just me. You are correct, my friend. My spiritual growth was stunted. But, my previous self would never have realized it. Although growth and change have been hard as hell, I am so glad to be out of the stunted stage.
That being said, I’ve decided to go back to church. I’ll be writing a blog about why. Hopefully, soon.
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Hey, SamBro!
I just caught up on your replies, which I appreciate almost as much as I love and appreciate YOU! And my childish ego loves it when you quote something I wrote and resonate all over it. (I already have trouble finding a hat extra-large enough on rare occasions when I shop for a hat . . . and you are NOT making hat shopping any easier for me, my friend.)
Real friends have enough resiliency in their relationship to accommodate the occasional rant/tirade when conditions trigger the release of authentic emotion. (Not usually allowed in Mormon culture, btw.)
If you think about it, feeling safe enough to spout off at times is an indication of trust in a friendship. Hence, your taking “offense” at my apology does make sense to me. I I will apologize for apologizing. 😉
Thank you for your comments about Janice. I was more concerned about offending her, so I hope any negative effect was minimal.
You are going back to Church! Way cool! I look forward to hearing more details.
I can say this for certain, Sam. WHEREVER it is that you choose to spend time and associate with your fellow humans on this amazing journey, those whose lives you touch will be better off for having crossed paths with Sam Young.
Yours truly included.
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Hi, Sam,
After posting my reply, I realized I had ignored your question:
“Why is it so difficult to communicate this to my member friends? Why do they not value the right and privilege that Christ dispensed into our hands with the principle of Common Consent? What I find to be a wonderful gift is simply dismissed out of hand…why?”
(I will keep my choice of language under better control this time . . . ) From b.i.c. we were programmed to “Follow the Prophet.” The success of this brainwash is shockingly evident when the words below are robotically repeated from leaders to members and members to each other:
“When the prophet speaks, the thinking has been done.”
Years ago I shared this saying with a NeverMo friend while we were driving some kids to a waterpark near Ashland, Oregon. When she heard those words, she literally burst out laughing.
A normal, reasonably intelligent, non-b.i.c, non-brainwashed, non-Mormon naturally and instantly RECOILS from the concept of allowing someone else to do your thinking for you. I am confident that Jesus never taught anyone to outsource their thinking to suits with microphones.
Sam, does this explanation resonate? I realize the words sound harsh, but it really is a Mind Control Cult.
The member attribute sought and valued by The Brethren above all else is o-b-e-d-i-e-n-c-e.
Let ’em vote on stuff? That would require members to think and formulate personal opinions. The Brethren will never touch that with a ten-foot pole. And the members are so well-trained they are happy to be told what to do and what to think.
Sam says Common Consent. Members hear Common Dissent aka Disobedience.
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We are counseled by the LDS Church to be chaste which includes refraining from masterbation.
During the April 1974 General Conference President Kimball counseled, “The human body is the sacred home of the spirit child of God, and unwarranted tampering with or defilement of this sacred tabernacle can bring only remorse and regret. We urge: stay clean, uncontaminated, undefiled.”
He continued, “We urge, with Peter, ‘… Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.’” (1 Pet. 2:11.)
President Kimball then emphasizes against masterbation when he says, “No fondling of bodies, one’s own or that of others…”
I hope this clears up any misunderstanding.
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Dear Alexander,
“I hope this clears up any misunderstanding.”
Yes. Thank you. You left us with no misunderstanding that you are a practitioner of the Logical Fallacy sometimes labeled “Appeal to Authority”
“Saying that because an authority thinks something, it must therefore be true.”
If you believe that SWK is an exception to this rule, then you are also a practitioner of this Logical Fallacy sometimes labeled “Appeal to Emotion”
“Manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument”
Your Testimony of the Truthfulness of the Restored Gospel is the result of The Brethren’s ubiquitous application of the “Appeal to Emotion” manipulation to trick vulnerable marks (b.i.c or golden contact) into giving yourself a burning in the bosom experience … which you are instructed in advance to interpret as a bullet-proof verification of truth.
The Mormon Church is founded on one Logical Fallacy after another. Here is an excellent poster with descriptions of no less than 22 other Logical Fallacies.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/poster
If you hover your mouse over the onscreen poster, you’ll see a magnifier enabling you to read the fine print. I suggest you print it out or order a poster so you can refer to it easily and frequently.
Don’t feel bad, Alexander. You have been deceived by world-class con artists who have successfully twisted and manipulated the minds of millions of other defenseless marks.
Spencer W. Kimball’s preaching likely resulted in (or contributed to) the suicide deaths of countless defenseless victims who sincerely believed that because President Kimball thinks something, it must therefore be true.
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Alexander,
I forgot to tip you to use your spell checker on “masterbation.”
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Hi Alexander,
Thanks for reading my blog and offering a comment. Your views are certainly valid. We just disagree.
For 6,000, masturbation was not a sin. Never mentioned once by any prophet or in any scripture. It was not part of the restoration of all things. Joseph Smith did not ever condemn it.
I know that there have been prophets over the past 50 years who have declared it sin. If it is a sin, I want to hear it from Christ’s mouth as a revelation to his prophet.. All revelations must be accepted by a vote of common consent. That, according to a law that IS part of the restoration, unlike masturbation. Put it up for a vote. If it passes, I’ll accept it as a standard of the church, just like the prohibition against the evil iced tea.
BTW, when President Kimble gave his talk in 1974, the church was still deeply engaged in racist practices and teachings. The ban on admitting black people to our temples or black men receiving the priesthood had been doctrine for the previous 120 years. Where was the revelation for that? The current apostles admit that they have no idea. These racist teachings and practices were never put up for a vote of common consent. Rather, we had to accept and live by them for 126 years, until they were put to rest by the vote of common consent. Today, the apostles condemn our past racist teachings, doctrine and practice. Before you tell me that masturbation is a sin, show me the revelation that was accepted by the membership.
BTW, many adult members don’t consider bippity-bop a sin. A couple of years ago, I raised the issue in my high priest group. The consensus was that it was not a violation of our temple covenants and didn’t qualify as transgression.
Best wishes my friend, Sam
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Alexander, please go to lds.org, type in “masturbation” in the search bar, and then read every single piece carefully, noting the date the article was issued. Here is what you’ll find:
*Masturbation as sin was widely and regularly taught during chastity lessons during the 1970s and 1980s, and somewhat less so in the 1990s. The last direct teaching I can find from a leader in authority occurred in 1997!
*The last church publication that I can find that includes teaching against masturbation, by name, occurred in 2006 in the Teachings of President Kimball manual, a now 40 year old quote.
*I can only find 3 references to masturbation in current circulation, all from LDS Family Services, which doesn’t serve the membership of the church, typically only those undergoing counseling. Each of the 3 references calls pornography a sin and masturbation a related behavior or activity. None call masturbation a sin, in and of itself.
*The Topical Guide does not have a reference section for masturbation
*The LDS Gospel Topics essay on Chastity makes no mention of masturbation and only makes one broad reference that might be construed as abstaining from masturbation prior to marriage, “never do anything outside of marriage to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage.”
*The only authoritative statement in current literature I can find is directed toward teenagers in the pamphlet “For the Strength of Youth”. It says “do not arouse those emotions in your own body.”
That’s it. Maybe you can find something I missed. But it would still lead to the same simple question. If masturbation is a serious sin, why have none of the brethren reissued the warning over the pulpit or in an authoritative church publication, such as the Ensign, during the past 2 decades? Why do no class manuals address it, other than a quick reference in a pamphlet directed towards teenagers?
I think a lot of the confusion stems from an assumption that pornography and masturbation are one and the same. There is no reason why they need be.
There are many teachings from Prophets that die by the wayside. If the Brethren can’t find the need to reiterate this teaching at least once a decade, how important can it be?
Why would the Brethren change their view on this topic, you might ask? I think the Brethren are open to scientific advancement and open to re-readings of the scriptures, neither of which is supportive of a ban on masturbation, by itself.
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When the members of an effectively established Mind Control Cult have been successfully programmed and brainwashed, they will tend to automatically surveil and police each other. Once particular perspectives and attitudes have been widely ingested with the Kool-Aid, the Cult Masters can let go of the puppet strings and watch the puppets continue on autopilot to do whatever is necessary to keep each other in check.
When crabs in a pot see one of their kind start to climb out of the pot to safety, the other crabs just won’t have it and will reflexively reach up and pull their wayward brother back into the pot.
So even though The Brethren at the top have not explicitly continued to preach that masturbation is evil, they don’t have to. The Mormon Cult-ure holds a collective core value that any and every sexual pleasure outside of a hetero marriage is filthy dirty debauchery. Why else are so many Bishops and Stake Presidents running on autopilot and grilling vulnerable members with probing, pornographic inquiries? Why are little girls taught in their Church lessons about the evils of chewed gum and licked cupcakes?
The Brethren could save countless lives with just ONE SENTENCE articulated from their Rameumptum Pulpit, but they will never go there. Theirs is an egregious sin of omission. Their lack of proactivity that would save many lives signals their tacit approval of Bishops and Stake Presidents continuing to shame and humiliate members engaging in harmless, normal behaviors in response to the natural human sex drive … behaviors that harm no one and actually keep a person happier and better balanced, as opposed to steeped in self-destructive guilt and shame.
The actual health and well-being of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has never been, is not now, and will never be a priority for The Brethren. In actual practice, it’s not even on the list of what these self-serving monsters in expensive suits care about. On the contrary, guilt and shame consume the consciousness of believing members who cannot stop masturbating. They spend their energy feeling worthless and dirty instead of figuring out they are trapped in a predatory Mind Control Cult and eventually escape to blessed freedom.
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Hi, Sam,
Based on your experience polling your High Priest group a while back, it looks like more and more TBMs are becoming Cafeteria Mormons:
“Pay heed to the selections from the Restored Gospel Smorgasbord that make sense to you in alignment with your personal core values … and just ignore the rest.”
You, my dear friend, are shining a bright light on the “Cafeteria” and communicating permission that it’s not only OK, but essential to one’s health and well-being to just ignore The Brethren when they preach dangerous and destructive BS.
New-to-me thought just now:
If you are successful in encouraging others to ignore The Brethren when their teachings are harmful and dangerous, that is almost as good as influencing The Brethren to STOP teaching harmful and dangerous messaging to Church members.
Sam, you might think about that idea and see if you resonate with actively encouraging TBMs to take personal control of Common Consent by simply withdrawing their individual Consent to obey The Brethren when The Brethren are preaching death to Church members and destruction of families.
PS – Sam, my posts lately have been fairly direct and intense. Lemme know if you prefer that I lighten up some. The Brain Damage thread is strong language, I realize. The only trouble is that TBMs actually DO demonstrate symptoms of Brain Damage when they claim that the Church is the repository of God’s Truth on Planet Earth, but then resort to endless Logical Fallacies (aka nonsense) in failed attempts to defend their Faith. To that sad scenario, add Fear of Information. Truth needs no defense. If you have God’s Truth in your pocket, why are you so Afraid of Information? (That was the rhetorical “you” … not you personally, Sam.)
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No problem with anything you write. You make your own call as to directness. But, I do love you striking humor.
I just posted the following on my public FB page and in the closed FB groups I participate in. Would love feedback from my best bud. Here is is:
In order to have a sign on the sidewalk outside of the SLC temple square, pass out cards and talk to people…is any kind of permit required?
My 87 year old mother and I plan to set up shop on the public sidewalk at the temple on Fri & Sat, Dec 1 & 2.
Thanks any information you might have.
In case you missed it, I am angry and sad. Every week that goes by, thousands more children are shamed and brought to self-loathing in bishops offices all across the country.
I’m serious and committed to make whatever difference is possible.
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Hello, Sam,
Well, sometimes I wonder if I’m coming on too strong on someone else’s blog turf, but you are saying you’re OK with me so far. I see no upside to kid-gloving a Church with “Jesus” in its name that literally kills people with its teachings. TBM brain damage prevents that last sentence from even being acknowledged as factual by a TBM psyche.
An undamaged brain coupled with an intact heart would not tolerate supporting any institution that teaches some of its innocent members to commit suicide. What if there were an electronic sign attached to the GenCon pulpit showing how many Mormons committed suicide since the previous GenCon?
Sam, you really do need to watch the Mike Norton interviews by John Dehlin.I just finished watching all three episodes. Mike’s activism saved the life of one 15-year-old who was moments away from overdosing himself rather than endure a third gay grilling inquisition by his bishop. Mike is passionate about preventing Mormon suicides. You may even want to contact Mike, who freely gave out his personal phone number during the interview.
Regarding a permit in SLC, I just googled and found this:
http://www.slcgov.com/frexapp
I have not studied the details, but it does say that 30 days notice is required unless it’s in connection with a news event or some such language. You can check it out. I have no idea if what you are planning falls within the purvue of permit required. Seems like you could wear a sandwich board sign and pass out fliers without a permit. I don’t know what kind of setup you have in mind.
I appreciate that you are trying to make a difference, my friend.
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Go to lds.org, type in “masturbation” in the search bar, and then read every single piece carefully, noting the date the article was issued. Here is what you’ll find:
*Masturbation as sin was widely and regularly taught during chastity lessons during the 1970s and 1980s, and somewhat less so in the 1990s. The last direct teaching I can find from a leader in authority occurred in 1997!
*The last church publication that I can find that includes teaching against masturbation, by name, occurred in 2006 in the Teachings of President Kimball manual, a now 40 year old quote.
*I can only find 3 references to masturbation in current circulation, all from LDS Family Services, which doesn’t serve the membership of the church, typically only those undergoing counseling. Each of the 3 references calls pornography a sin and masturbation a related behavior or activity. None call masturbation a sin, in and of itself.
*The Topical Guide does not have a reference section for masturbation
*The LDS Gospel Topics essay on Chastity makes no mention of masturbation and only makes one broad reference that might be construed as abstaining from masturbation prior to marriage, “never do anything outside of marriage to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage.”
*The only authoritative statement in current literature I can find is directed toward teenagers in the pamphlet “For the Strength of Youth”. It says “do not arouse those emotions in your own body.”
*ZERO of the living 15 Brethren have issued a warning on masturbation so far as I can find!
*I even checked FairMormon to see if they have more recent guidance from the Brethren. Nope.
That’s it. Maybe you can find something I missed. But at this point, it would still lead to the same simple question. If masturbation is a serious sin, why have none of the brethren reissued the warning over the pulpit or in an authoritative church publication, such as the Ensign, during the past 2 decades? Why do no class manuals address it, other than a quick reference in a pamphlet directed towards teenagers?
I think a lot of the confusion stems from an assumption that pornography and masturbation are one and the same. There is no reason why they need be.
There are many teachings from Prophets that die by the wayside. If the Brethren can’t find the need to reiterate this teaching at least once a decade, how important can it be?
Why would the Brethren change their view on this topic, you might ask? I think the Brethren are open to scientific advancement and open to re-readings of the scriptures, neither of which is supportive of a ban on masturbation, by itself.
Posted again for general conversation.
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The only place masturbation is mentioned in the scriptures is when Onan spills his seed because he does not want to impregnate his widowed sister-in-law. The sin is not masturbation, but failing to obey the commandments at the time – taking his dead brother’s wife as his own.
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Actually, the story of Onan has nothing whatsoever to do with masturbation. He would have sex with Tamar but pull out before leaving his seed in her spilling it on the ground. The sin was indeed his willing failure to impregnate her. To use this verse as an example of masturbation being sin is taking it completely out of context.
Genesis 38:9
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
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