Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I trust that you and yours will all be as healthy and as happy as you can be throughout 2011!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

You might have noticed a new feature on this blog

You might have noticed that I am now inviting people to make a donation to me to buy me a drink.

This is so I can raise a glass to you and salute you, with a drink you helped me to pay for!

I like the sound of the idea, and hope you do, too!

Was the founding of Mormonism a 'political' decision?

The Church of England (aka Episcopalian Church) was founded in England. As were the Baptists and the Methodist Churches. Lutherans came from Germany and the Roman Catholic Church was, basically, an Italian church.

There wasn't much going for a home-grown church. So, could it be that the decision to found what became the Mormon faith was based on a desire to start a local church which would be aimed towards the American way of life?

Of course, for it to be truly local it would need some authority. So what better than a sacred text found and translated in America by a local boy?

Unfortunately they chose to use Joseph Smith who allowed his imagination to run away with him and the rest is, as they say, history.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas time, again!

Well, here we are, Christmas time again.

My wife has made a Christmas cake, we have several bottles of Champagne laid in and some bottles of red wine, some white, some beers and lagers, some fruit juices and cordials and plenty of Cola and lemonade. We are expecting guests for our Christmas celebrations.

We also have a Christmas pudding, some Paski Sir Ewe's milk cheese (to die for!) fromCroatia and all the makings of a Christmas feast.

We will be making contributions to charities that look after the homeless in our town. Not everyone is as fortunate as us and we all need to do just a little bit to help alleviate the suffering of others. And in that way we can ensure that there is some Christ in Christmas.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, folks!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Choice

The great thing about not being a Mormon (or, one must suppose, of any religious cult) is that one has the freedom to choose what one does.

Let's take two example.

Mr Jones decides that he will have a carnal relationship with his girlfriend.

That is the business of Mr Jones and his girlfriend. Nobody else. Nobody else is involved.

However, if Brother Jones decided that he will have a carnal relationship with his girlfriend, oh dear! Who are involved here?

There's Brother Jones and his girlfriend. The Elders Qurom President, the Bishop, plus his two councillors, the two Home Teachers of Brother Jones, and if she is from a different Ward, her Bishop and his two councillors, the girlfriend's Home Teachers, her Visiting Teachers, perhaps, then there is the Stake President and his two councillors. All will, in one way or another, become involved in investigating the fact that two adults decided to become involved in a carnal relationship, with perhaps disfellowship and/or excommunication as the end result. Then there's the PEC and the Ward Council Meeting, with all of the people who attend those meetings.

Crazy way to treat two adults, isn't it?