Just A Note From My Brain About Yesterday
After I had written yesterday's post, Late Afternoon Mormonism I asked Chup to read over it before I published. Where I lack in seeing the big picture, Chup is very good at scoping the landscape. I asked him to make sure I had in NO WAY moralized the story. I wanted it to read like a simple narrative, not any social commentary or proselytism.
It passed Chup's test, which is next to impossible. The man has a critical eye and can see subtle messages in hidden passages, he has no trouble calling the dirt. So when I came back clean, I was pretty proud of myself. Even made the complicated attempt to pat myself on my own back.
Of course I knew that the aftermath of comments weren't going to be pretty. Blogging about religion is never a safe bet. I was accused of all sorts of sin: self-righteousness, small mindedness, bigotry to name a few. Fine. Fine. Those comments didn't bother me much. Mostly because my motive was pure. That is all I can ask of myself.
Next to changing my blog's name to DON'T TAKE THIS ONE TOO SERIOUSLY I can't help those who do. Or those who call me fat in my third trimester. I mean, seriously?
ANYWAY, the reason I am writing this is for those people who asked in sincerity for Mormon bloggers to perhaps be more upfront about the doctrine of their religion. I want to respond to those good people: First of all, I would love to, thanks for asking.
Second of all, after you read the train wreck of progressive angry anon comments yesterday I hope you'll have a little insight on why it isn't so easy. We love our religion just like anyone else, and to see it slaughtered is something the human soul doesn't take easy. It is uncomfortable and like my brother in law MD said "make us grouchy" (which is a whole ethical nightmare because at the core of our religion we are commanded to seek happiness).
If there was a way to guarentee that being more upfront would garner more compassionate responses, we might be in business. Big, fat, (third-trimester) TALL order, right?
Now I won't let it deter me, but I can easily why it would make my fellow Brothers and Sisters weary. So please give them the benefit of the doubt in this blogosphere. It is all I ask.
There are probably seven trillion things I will have wished I said in this epilogue. I will discover them all slowly as soon as I publish print. And I am also sure to be opening myself up to more useless controversy from this post as well. But I can't forget the wisdom of my Chup who says next to manipulative posts, arguing over the internet is the most disdainful downfall of today's blogger. (As opposed to yesterdays blogger.)
And because I can never miss the opportunity to call myself a martyr, I let The Chief scribble the entire toddler alphabet over my legs and feet with his always favorite green highlighter just to write this post. This comes post-shower and you know how hard it is to take one of those in the typical mothering morning.
I care people. I CARE.
dear c jane today:
FEBRUARY MOTHER LODE GIVEAWAY!
On c jane's Guide to Provo:
Will the Great
Zego the Scar!
My Community:
I am following this thread for wannabe moms.