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Friday, March 19, 2010

You aren't going to actually teach that shit are you?

Poor BJ, teaches the 12-year-old boys at church. He was trying to figure out how to teach the lesson on Sunday... Its title? Spirituality, but what it says... pisses me off. BJ just wanted to know how he could teach this without completely decimating Parker (a young man with an eating disorder).
"The intent of this lesson is to help each young man understand that part of spirituality is maintaining a proper relationship between the spirit and the body."
(A proper relationship?? Try a fucked up relationship... but whatever...)

This quiz should lead the young men from obvious to more reflective thought about their self-control.

Can you make your body walk?
Can you make your body laugh or cry anytime you want to?
Can you make your body get out of bed early in the morning?
Can you make your body go without food and drink for at least two meals?
AT LEAST TWO MEALS?!? Are you kidding me? BJ, if you say that to Parker, or any of those boys, I might hunt you down...
Can you make your body kneel to pray and read the scriptures daily?
Can you keep your body from reacting to evil thoughts?
Whose definition of evil? I am pretty DAMN sure I have spent my life trying to not be evil, and really?!? At this point, I think I would prefer to be evil than to be what I have been...
Can you make your body respond properly to anger, greed, hate, jealousy, envy, and pride?
So, what is proper? I was taught not to show those emotions EVER. By the people at church, and by my parents who went to church... Seriously. GAH!
President David O. McKay defined spirituality as “the consciousness of victory over self, and of communion with the Infinite” (Gospel Ideals [Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953], p. 390).

Spirituality is our spirit directing our flesh, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
I'll accept this definition...

“If the spirit yields to the body, the Devil then has power to overcome the body and spirit of that man, and he loses both.
Recollect … every one of you, that when evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts, it is through the [body]. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way … ; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your [bodies], take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body, and are overcome and destroyed” (Discourses of Brigham Young, comp. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], p. 70).

I'd like to point out that any time we feel the spirit, it is also in the body... I know, whoda thunk it?? The body IS useful for something.
  • What can you do to help your spirit gain more control over your body?
  • Why is it important to seek the Lord’s help in gaining this control?
  • How has the Lord helped you gain better control over the flesh?
I don't like these questions. And this whole quote? Sounds like shit to me... Sounds like a stupid man that doesn't understand the body or the spirit or anything... But thinks he does... and we listen to this crap??

Maybe when I have calmed down, I will write something less angry, but poignant... so someone will stop teaching this crap!!!!

1 comment:

  1. I'm not sure how to respond to this one. But, I haven't had to use the check box so far so I'm not gonna start now.

    I'd be interested in understanding why you thought these teachings were so stupid, because to be honest I don't quite see it that way.

    I had an experience with my mission president where I told him I was having trouble getting up in the mornings. I was still getting my study time in, but I wasn't strictly obeying the rule to be up at 6:30 every morning. He told me to "let the spirit command the flesh." That counsel changed my life. There were still days that I made a conscious decision to stay in bed if I was sick, or to take a nap in the afternoon if I was really tired. But learning to let my spirit be in charge and not my body was a valuable lesson for me.

    I think there's also a lot of value in learning to listen to your body and give it what it needs. Maybe that's why you thought this was so stupid because it left that out. If that's the case, I do agree that there might be value in mentioning that. However, I can also see that for the average 12 year old boy his problem is that he is listening to his body too much and needs to learn to overcome that.

    Anyway, those are my thoughts. In sharing them I was a little afraid of offending, but I promised I would be honest and I have been. I'm open to hear more on why you felt the way you did.

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