Shadowland - News/Culture/Spirit

A community for news, culture, and all things spiritual. Partial to The Smashing Pumpkins.

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It was never turning for you. It was just turning.

[Shadowland - News/Culture/Spirit @ShadowlandBlog]

@ONealWhite53 @ldsabuse Context is everything. People loved Joseph and trusted him. They were also of a different mindset and believed in literally creating Zion on the earth in the time they lived in.

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@Pawcasso_Studio @SSBestforVoting @v_j_freeman Did she say "no" and, most importantly, can she prove it.

[Shadowland - News/Culture/Spirit @ShadowlandBlog]

@ManOfFocus_ True words, especially as a man.

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@MikeBinderjokes it's so hot she says the F word.

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@Amer1can_Barbie Take back the libraries.

Take back the schools.

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@SSBestforVoting @v_j_freeman So she was just sitting there, bent over, letting him penetrate her ass after she just did anything and everything to him, but because she didn't verbally say "yes," that means there wasn't consent, and then she gets to call it rape 20 years later?

Yeah, no.

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@DungeonNoir Looks like she's ready for some seamen.

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Are you referring to the ancient temple, the President's personal room at the SLC temple, or the Celestial Room in every temple?

Sanctity, purity, cleanliness, being set apart.....I don't want to call it mere semantics because I feel that would dismiss the point you're trying to make, but at the same time, language can be pretty confusing, especially when dealing with abstract concepts.

But I think things that are "pure," whether or not they are deliberately, officially sanctified by an ordinance or ceremony, are naturally "set apart" from "the world," that is, the sinful/impure nature of things. Would you agree?

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@rebecca09478433 @ThoughtfulSaint I know it does.

But there are a lot who are not victims, as well, and the industry has changed a lot since the 90's and before.

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@travelingflying Welcome, sister!

[Shadowland - News/Culture/Spirit @ShadowlandBlog]

I think that's a great observation and that our bodies are indeed temples.

And all who are worthy are allowed to come in the temple...so....😂

But seriously.

I think you do have to be careful to not create false notions of purity (the very thing that "purity culture" does).

In religion, it's easy to do that. We "sanctify" everything as a way of sanitizing things, but I think we often end up actually removing the inherent spirit which it was designed to have - effectively neutering something very special.

I am a big believer in there being a difference between that which is vulgar and that which is sacred - but I don't think something being "common" inherently makes it "vulgar," or that being "set apart" inherently makes something "sacred."

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I'm sorry, man.

I don't know your exact situation or why they ex'd you, and even though I think you probably know the way you may have gone about things pinned you as "enemy of the church" in their eyes instead of someone calling for accountability, the impression I'm getting is that they were dodging questions that were very relevant, and that wasn't fair to you.

Excommunication really shouldn't be thrown about willy nilly. People will have legitimate concerns and may react, well, in ways reasonable people will react when their leadership does alarming things. That should be understood and there should be compassion for that.

I don't know a lot about the principle of "common consent" and how that's supposed to apply in the Church, but I've been hearing a lot about it lately in regards to people objecting to things, holding leaders accountable, and people getting ex'd over how they go about trying to do that.

I know there's a "right way" and "wrong way" but if the "right way" doesn't yield results, it really puts people in a pickle about what to do next and I can see how they would be justified to then go about things "the wrong way."

And as we've seen even within the last 10 years, that's actually been the real catalyst for change that some have wanted to see (the Ordain Women movement, for example...I doubt certain things never would have changed if they hadn't made noise, whether one agrees with them or not).

My concern for you, at this point, is whether what you're doing will a.) be successful and b.) bring you peace. I don't know if you even want back in the Church at this point. But I do wish you peace and the understanding of others.

If you ever wanna talk about it all, DM me any time.

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@teachrobotslove I wish I could be that way but I think I might be more unalive than alive because even though my body is on this planet, I'm not sure I usually am.

But yes, they have a fire and it draws attention like moth to flame.

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How would you define lust?

I've been down this road before with people, people really want to categorize it as only "bad" sexual desire, but I just feel it's a lot simpler to recognize that sexual desire is sexual desire, and the "badness" of it is what you do with it, your relationship to it.

In literature and aspects of culture, "lust" is used to talk about any great desire, and not always bad. The classic Kirk Douglas movie "Lust for Life," about Vincent Van Gogh is an example, and it's used in a positive light.

It's only in religion that "lust" is used in a bad way.

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@BIGKLDS I have a specific testimony of the Testimony of the Three Witnesses.

An angel did indeed come from heaven and show them the plates. It's true. It really happened.

The Book of Mormon is from God.

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They are indeed prophets but so am I, within my own right. The mantle is real. But we also know the track record throughout the history of the Church with things GA's say and have to retract or distance themselves from later, because opinion and interpretation isn't always doctrine.

That is a great quote from John and I think it's very important - but I think the heart of what he's saying isn't that desire is bad. It's that being ruled by it is. Notice how he connects it all to pride. I think that is significant.

But God has given us desires. He has given us bodies - because he himself has one - to be enjoyed. I have a very strong testimony that God is the God of all good things and all pleasures - and that they are indeed good, indeed meant to be enjoyed, and indeed a truly great and divine gift - yes, even lust. Life is dull, gray, bland and depressing without it.

I could say "sexual desire" but that's just the boring, sanitized way of saying "lust." They're the same thing and I don't believe in making a differentiation between them on the vocabulary level.

[Shadowland - News/Culture/Spirit @ShadowlandBlog]

People will quote the thing about how lusting after a woman is adultery, but they forget the context of the quote - which is specifically about lusting after a married woman, not just any woman.

They also take it to extremes, because of the cultural shame around sex, and will say that any sexual desire or fancy for a married woman is sin, which I do not believe.

Sexual desires are normal. Lust is sexual desire. It is God given. I know centuries of cultural conditioning (largely from the Catholics) frame "Lust" as evil and as a cardinal sin. That is very conflated. Lust that is out of control, or an "unbridled passion" is sinful. But lust that is controlled is no sin - because again, all it is is sexual desire.

Furthermore, feeling a desire for a woman, even a married woman, is not the same as COVETING her - which is more than just a desire or attraction, it is desiring her to the point that you would be willing to take her away from her husband - and thereby, be a homewrecker.

That, I believe, is the "adultery of the heart" Jesus was warning against, not just thinking a married woman (or any woman) is hot and knowing you'd love to hit it if you could.