My wife and I watched with great interest the television documentary, “The Mormons,” on PBS on April 30 and May 1. After taking nearly a week to ponder the program, I felt the need to share a few thoughts on the subject.
The program appeared to me to be about as fair as one could expect. I’m sure that many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as ‘Mormons’) would have liked for the program to have shown the church in a bit more positive light; however, it was not designed to be an advertisement.
It appears from this documentary that many non-Mormon Christians have a very difficult time accepting one of the core beliefs of the Latter-day Saint church, namely, the Joseph Smith story. Most people are simply unable to accept the belief that a young man of fourteen-years-of-age actually spoke with God and Jesus Christ, was visited by an angel, and was given golden plates, which he translated, the translation later published as The Book of Mormon.
This story, the Joseph Smith story, is fantastic, to say the least. Indeed, the rational mind does not accept such a fantastic idea. That being said, it begs the question: When looking at Christianity as a whole, is the Joseph Smith story really so fantastic?
Truly, the rational mind does not accept the belief that a man could heal others by a touch or a word, that a man could alter the chemical composition of water to change it to wine, that a man could bring the dead back to life, that a man could walk on water, or that a man could die and return to life. The rational mind is unable to accept these ideas. And yet, the Christian world, in general, accepts these ideas without question. These beliefs, although completely irrational, are central to Christianity. Belief in Christianity requires the believer to suspend reason and accept that which is unreasonable.
Critics of Mormonism typically ask for proof where no proof is available. Joseph was alone when he claims to have been visited by the Father and the Son. The plates of gold, according to Smith, were returned to the angel, Moroni, when the translation was completed. There is no archeological proof that the events described in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ ever took place. The truthfulness of the Joseph Smith story hinges on his testimony and the testimony of a small number of men who claimed to have actually seen the golden plates.
On the other hand, where is the proof of Christianity? What proof do we have of a virgin birth? What proof do we have of the healings? What proof do we have of the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand? What proof do we have of the resurrection? The truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ hinges on the testimonies of a small number of men who claim to have associated with Him over a period of approximately three years.
But does the lack of absolute proof mean that the testimonies are false? Of course not. Can we know if the testimonies are true without having physical evidence? Of course we can. In fact, we can be misled by physical evidence. Physical evidence is open to interpretation. We can only know by receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost. A passage from The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ gives the promise:
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
(Moroni 10:3-5)
I have put this promise to the test. I have read The Bible. I have studied the life of the Savior. I have also read The Book of Mormon and have studied the life of Joseph Smith. I have received a witness from the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. I have also received a witness from the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith truly was called by God to be a Prophet in these latter days, to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ and establish His church once again to the earth. I testify to you that if you will put this promise to the test that you, too, can receive this witness. And I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
IDES
Copyright 2007 by Big Dave
Mary Jane Smith hated having to check in at the Illinois Department of Employment Security office every thirty days—this was the fourth time she had had to come—but she risked losing her unemployment compensation if she didn’t show up, so there she was, waiting. Finally, at 4:00, her name was called by the caseworker. He escorted her to his office and motioned for her to be seated.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Smith,” he began, “my name is George Rogers. I’m going to help you find a new job.”
“If you can do that, then I guess it will have been worth the wait,” replied Mary Jane. “I can’t afford to be out of work much longer.”
“This place has been a madhouse today…” Mr. Rogers began.
“Yeah, I know,” interrupted Mary Jane, “my appointment was supposed to be at two.”
“I’m sorry about that. But because of that, I haven’t had a chance to look over your file, so maybe you can fill me in on some of the information I need. Where was your last place of employment?”
“I worked at Acme Flange.”
“And what did you do there?”
“I was the administrative assistant to the vice president in charge of sales. I typed letters and estimates, took minutes at staff meetings, arranged his schedule, reminded him of his wedding anniversary and his wife’s birthday,” Mary Jane recited, unconsciously numbering the duties on her fingers as she spoke.
“A real Girl Friday,” Mr. Rogers said.
“Yes, I guess you could say that.”
“And why did you leave Acme Flange, Ms. Smith?”
“Acme was a small company, Mr. Rogers. It was getting more and more difficult to compete with the larger flange makers, so, about five months ago, they went out of business,” said Mary Jane, making a that’s life gesture with her hands.
“Yes, I remember that now. We’ve had quite a few people from Acme register here. It’s too bad that a company like Acme should have to close up shop. I always thought they made the best flange money could buy. Oh well, that’s the way it goes sometimes. But I have a position that you may be able to fill.” He stood and turned to the file cabinet beside the desk and began leafing through the folders in the top drawer. “Here it is,” he said, a bit of triumph in his voice.
“Now let’s see, how old are you, Ms. Smith?” he asked as he sat back down at his desk.
“Twenty-seven.”
“Tell me, are you a natural blonde?”
“Yes, but…”
“And your eyes are blue, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but what do my hair and eyes have to do with a job?”
“Let me read you the qualification: Intelligent female, mid-to-late twenties, prefer blonde with blue eyes, attractive in appearance,” read Mr. Rogers, his eyes remaining fixed on the folder.
“What do they want,” asked Mary Jane, “a secretary or a call girl?”
“Actually, Ms. Smith, neither. It’s a position for a surrogate mother.”
“A what?”
“A surrogate mother,” replied Mr. Rogers. “A gay couple would like to have a child, but they’re afraid that asking someone they know to be the mother might cause problems later on, so they’re willing to hire a woman to have one for them.”
“Well why don’t they just adopt one?”
“Apparently, Ms. Smith, you’ve never tried to adopt a baby. Almost anybody can adopt a child over two, but babies are next to impossible. I’m old enough to remember the time when if a woman or a girl got pregnant out-of-wedlock, she gave the baby up for adoption. But now, single women either keep the baby or have an abortion. Quite frankly, if you’re twenty-seven and have never been pregnant, you’re probably in a very small minority. Besides, this way one of the men will be the baby’s real father.”
He looked down at the folder again, “They’ll pay five-thousand dollars per month until you become pregnant, ten-thousand dollars per month during the tem of the pregnancy, and another twenty-five thousand dollars when they take custody of the baby. They will also pay all of your reasonable living expenses for one year and all the medical expenses associated with the pregnancy and childbirth, unless, of course, you are already covered by an insurance plan.”
“Surely you can’t expect me to have sex with someone I don’t even know! Especially if he’s gay!” She crossed her legs and began tapping her foot softly on the carpeted floor.
“There’s no sex involved, Ms. Smith,” Mr. Roger stated calmly. “It’s all done by artificial insemination. We’ve found it best in these situations if the employer and employee never actually meet. That keeps the employee from causing any problems after the employer has taken custody of the child.”
“Situation? Employer? Employee?” Mary Jane said, a bit confused. “You make this sound like a regular job.”
“This is the first time you’ve been unemployed, so I guess you didn’t know,” said Mr. Rogers.
“Know what?”
“Surrogate Mothering has been a job title listing with our office since 2011.”
“And what if I’m not willing to accept this position?” Her foot tapping had become more rapid.
“Just a minute. Let me check something,” said Mr. Rogers, sorting through the papers on his desk. “Let me see. Let me see. Yes, here it is. Umm. Okay. Right. Well, I’m afraid, Ms. Smith, that since this job pays more and has better benefits than your last employment, if you refuse to accept this position, you will no longer be eligible for unemployment compensation.”
“That doesn’t seem fair!” Mary Jane argued.
“Try to see it from the state’s point of view, Ms. Smith,” said Mr. Rogers, still calm, “we simply cannot afford to continue providing benefits to someone just because she doesn’t think she’ll like the work assignment.”
Mary Jane got up from her chair and stepped to the doorway of the office. “Well, I guess there’s always welfare!” she retorted, her face flushed with anger.
“I’m not an authority on the welfare system, Ms. Smith, that’s a completely different government agency, but I think you’re going to find that if you don’t take this job, you won’t be eligible for welfare either.”
“Look,” she said bitterly, “I had a job waiting for me while I was still in business school and I started working the day after I graduated. I’ve been working all my adult life. I’ve paid taxes. Taxes that have supported the welfare system. Are you telling me that I can’t get any of that money just because I’m not willing to have a baby for some people that I don’t even know?”
“Like I said, I’m no expert on welfare, but I’m afraid you’re going to find that that’s the case. Besides, I really don’t see the big problem here. They just want you to have a baby for them. They don’t want you to raise it…”
“Well, what if I decide I want to keep the baby? I suppose that since I’m the mother, I’ll have the right to do that, won’t I?”
“Yes, of course you can keep the baby if you decide that’s what you want to do. But since you will not have fulfilled your employment contract, you’ll have to give back all of the wages they paid you. And the father will also have the right to sue for custody. I really don’t know who the court would be more apt to award custody of an infant—two gay men with careers or an unemployed single mom.”
“You surely must have some other positions that I’m qualified to fill, don’t you? I’d even be willing to accept a job that pays less than I was making at Acme,” she said, still standing.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Smith, but I really don’t have anything else at all right now. In fact, this is the first job opening that’s crossed my desk in six weeks. Now that the laws have been changed to allow almost unlimited immigration and so many companies are moving their factories overseas, we’ve reached the point where we just don’t have enough jobs for everyone who wants to work. You can look at yourself as an example. You’ve been out of work for about five months now and you haven’t been able to find anything else on your own, have you?”
“No.”
“So what do you say? Do you want this job?” he asked, tapping his pencil on the open folder. Then encouragingly, “Once this job ends, you’ll be eligible for unemployment benefits again.”
Mary Jane Smith wearily slumped down into the chair and sighed.
Mary Jane Smith hated having to check in at the Illinois Department of Employment Security office every thirty days—this was the fourth time she had had to come—but she risked losing her unemployment compensation if she didn’t show up, so there she was, waiting. Finally, at 4:00, her name was called by the caseworker. He escorted her to his office and motioned for her to be seated.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Smith,” he began, “my name is George Rogers. I’m going to help you find a new job.”
“If you can do that, then I guess it will have been worth the wait,” replied Mary Jane. “I can’t afford to be out of work much longer.”
“This place has been a madhouse today…” Mr. Rogers began.
“Yeah, I know,” interrupted Mary Jane, “my appointment was supposed to be at two.”
“I’m sorry about that. But because of that, I haven’t had a chance to look over your file, so maybe you can fill me in on some of the information I need. Where was your last place of employment?”
“I worked at Acme Flange.”
“And what did you do there?”
“I was the administrative assistant to the vice president in charge of sales. I typed letters and estimates, took minutes at staff meetings, arranged his schedule, reminded him of his wedding anniversary and his wife’s birthday,” Mary Jane recited, unconsciously numbering the duties on her fingers as she spoke.
“A real Girl Friday,” Mr. Rogers said.
“Yes, I guess you could say that.”
“And why did you leave Acme Flange, Ms. Smith?”
“Acme was a small company, Mr. Rogers. It was getting more and more difficult to compete with the larger flange makers, so, about five months ago, they went out of business,” said Mary Jane, making a that’s life gesture with her hands.
“Yes, I remember that now. We’ve had quite a few people from Acme register here. It’s too bad that a company like Acme should have to close up shop. I always thought they made the best flange money could buy. Oh well, that’s the way it goes sometimes. But I have a position that you may be able to fill.” He stood and turned to the file cabinet beside the desk and began leafing through the folders in the top drawer. “Here it is,” he said, a bit of triumph in his voice.
“Now let’s see, how old are you, Ms. Smith?” he asked as he sat back down at his desk.
“Twenty-seven.”
“Tell me, are you a natural blonde?”
“Yes, but…”
“And your eyes are blue, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but what do my hair and eyes have to do with a job?”
“Let me read you the qualification: Intelligent female, mid-to-late twenties, prefer blonde with blue eyes, attractive in appearance,” read Mr. Rogers, his eyes remaining fixed on the folder.
“What do they want,” asked Mary Jane, “a secretary or a call girl?”
“Actually, Ms. Smith, neither. It’s a position for a surrogate mother.”
“A what?”
“A surrogate mother,” replied Mr. Rogers. “A gay couple would like to have a child, but they’re afraid that asking someone they know to be the mother might cause problems later on, so they’re willing to hire a woman to have one for them.”
“Well why don’t they just adopt one?”
“Apparently, Ms. Smith, you’ve never tried to adopt a baby. Almost anybody can adopt a child over two, but babies are next to impossible. I’m old enough to remember the time when if a woman or a girl got pregnant out-of-wedlock, she gave the baby up for adoption. But now, single women either keep the baby or have an abortion. Quite frankly, if you’re twenty-seven and have never been pregnant, you’re probably in a very small minority. Besides, this way one of the men will be the baby’s real father.”
He looked down at the folder again, “They’ll pay five-thousand dollars per month until you become pregnant, ten-thousand dollars per month during the tem of the pregnancy, and another twenty-five thousand dollars when they take custody of the baby. They will also pay all of your reasonable living expenses for one year and all the medical expenses associated with the pregnancy and childbirth, unless, of course, you are already covered by an insurance plan.”
“Surely you can’t expect me to have sex with someone I don’t even know! Especially if he’s gay!” She crossed her legs and began tapping her foot softly on the carpeted floor.
“There’s no sex involved, Ms. Smith,” Mr. Roger stated calmly. “It’s all done by artificial insemination. We’ve found it best in these situations if the employer and employee never actually meet. That keeps the employee from causing any problems after the employer has taken custody of the child.”
“Situation? Employer? Employee?” Mary Jane said, a bit confused. “You make this sound like a regular job.”
“This is the first time you’ve been unemployed, so I guess you didn’t know,” said Mr. Rogers.
“Know what?”
“Surrogate Mothering has been a job title listing with our office since 2011.”
“And what if I’m not willing to accept this position?” Her foot tapping had become more rapid.
“Just a minute. Let me check something,” said Mr. Rogers, sorting through the papers on his desk. “Let me see. Let me see. Yes, here it is. Umm. Okay. Right. Well, I’m afraid, Ms. Smith, that since this job pays more and has better benefits than your last employment, if you refuse to accept this position, you will no longer be eligible for unemployment compensation.”
“That doesn’t seem fair!” Mary Jane argued.
“Try to see it from the state’s point of view, Ms. Smith,” said Mr. Rogers, still calm, “we simply cannot afford to continue providing benefits to someone just because she doesn’t think she’ll like the work assignment.”
Mary Jane got up from her chair and stepped to the doorway of the office. “Well, I guess there’s always welfare!” she retorted, her face flushed with anger.
“I’m not an authority on the welfare system, Ms. Smith, that’s a completely different government agency, but I think you’re going to find that if you don’t take this job, you won’t be eligible for welfare either.”
“Look,” she said bitterly, “I had a job waiting for me while I was still in business school and I started working the day after I graduated. I’ve been working all my adult life. I’ve paid taxes. Taxes that have supported the welfare system. Are you telling me that I can’t get any of that money just because I’m not willing to have a baby for some people that I don’t even know?”
“Like I said, I’m no expert on welfare, but I’m afraid you’re going to find that that’s the case. Besides, I really don’t see the big problem here. They just want you to have a baby for them. They don’t want you to raise it…”
“Well, what if I decide I want to keep the baby? I suppose that since I’m the mother, I’ll have the right to do that, won’t I?”
“Yes, of course you can keep the baby if you decide that’s what you want to do. But since you will not have fulfilled your employment contract, you’ll have to give back all of the wages they paid you. And the father will also have the right to sue for custody. I really don’t know who the court would be more apt to award custody of an infant—two gay men with careers or an unemployed single mom.”
“You surely must have some other positions that I’m qualified to fill, don’t you? I’d even be willing to accept a job that pays less than I was making at Acme,” she said, still standing.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Smith, but I really don’t have anything else at all right now. In fact, this is the first job opening that’s crossed my desk in six weeks. Now that the laws have been changed to allow almost unlimited immigration and so many companies are moving their factories overseas, we’ve reached the point where we just don’t have enough jobs for everyone who wants to work. You can look at yourself as an example. You’ve been out of work for about five months now and you haven’t been able to find anything else on your own, have you?”
“No.”
“So what do you say? Do you want this job?” he asked, tapping his pencil on the open folder. Then encouragingly, “Once this job ends, you’ll be eligible for unemployment benefits again.”
Mary Jane Smith wearily slumped down into the chair and sighed.
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