Why I am not a Feminist

So there's been a lot of buzzing going on about the two people that are going on trial for excommunication for openly teaching false doctrine. It amazes me how people can get their priorities all wrong. First of all, what proof have these two individuals that women should and are meant to have the priesthood? Every doctrine of the church is backed up in the scriptures, whether from the Old Testament or the Doctrine and Covenants. Second of all, since when did equality mean "sameness?" Last time I checked, equality does not mean sameness, meaning everyone is treated EXACTLY the same, gets exactly the same privileges, punishments, and blessings. In fact, when we speak of equality through sameness, we're actually referring to socialism and communism. In both political parties, everyone is given the same pay, the same quality of life, and the same punishments/privileges. Now, I am not saying that the advocates for Ordain Women are socialists or communists but hear me out when I say they are not fighting for what Jesus taught which is equality through fairness. 

President Spencer W. Kimball taught that "Our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences - with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood - but the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord...Even though the eternal roles of men and women differ,...this leaves much to be done by way of parallel personal development - for both men and women." 

Notice how he said that these differences and roles are eternal, meaning they are never going to change. The Lord is never going to give women the priesthood. It is that simple! I have seen people back up those false teachers and say that they are fighting for what is right and excommunicating them isn't Christ-like. Well, let's break down excommunication.

All throughout our time in the church, we are told that we can leave at any time if we do not agree with the doctrine being taught or we cannot commit to the things asked of us. Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk titled "A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings." In this talk, he addresses the issue of excommunication and formal church disciplinary action. "Members sometimes ask why Church disciplinary councils are held. The purpose is threefold: to save the souls of the transgressor, to protect the innocent, and to safeguard the Church's purity, integrity, and good name. The First Presidency has instructed that disciplinary councils must be held in cases of murder, incest, or apostasy. A disciplinary council may also be held if...the transgressor is guilty of serious deceptive practices and false representations." There you have it. When people begin to teach false doctrine, they are apostatizing against the gospel of the Lord. They clearly do not sustain their leaders and agree with doctrine that is against what the Lord has taught us. A lot of churches do not excommunicate members, ours is unique in that case but we are known for being a peculiar people so this should not come as a shock. The Ordain Women group has protested conference two years in a row. The church let them protest and still will, however, they must take action to protect the innocent and it's good name. 

Elder Ballard continues to talk about how disciplinary councils are held. He says that the member simply states what they have transgressed, how they feel about it, answers and clarification questions, and is then excused. All members involved with the council then pray about how to proceed further. The objective of the council is not retribution, but to help the member in question take the necessary steps and changes to stand clear before God. Any members excommunicated are welcomed back after they prove that they are capable of change and true repentance. Now, the two people in question have already been in disciplinary councils and are currently under probationary status, meaning this is their chance to repent of their sins and come back to the gold of God. They have not been promised they will be excommunicated, they can even be disfellowshiped which is like probation, they can go to church, pay tithing, and wear their temple garments but they cannot hold a calling, the priesthood, or a temple recommend, pray, read scriptures, sustain church leaders, or give talks/bear their testimony in church. Excommunication takes away the person's privileges as a member and must be baptized again if they want to join the church again.

Now, some people would say this isn't Christ-like, people should be free to express themselves and have doubts. They are right, everyone has the right to individual thought, questions, and doubts and they can express themselves as they like but the church also has that right. They have the right to dismiss anyone who does not represent the teachings of the gospel in truth and righteousness. Going through disciplinary councils, to me, is extremely Christ-like. They are given so many opportunities to repent and come unto Christ again. Christ always gives us a second chance. 

Now, everyone is different. Each situation is unique and requires special attention and disciplinary action. Some have argued that it is sexist for the man in this situation to be treated differently than the woman. Well guess what! They are two different people from different areas with different stake presidents. You have no idea what the spirit told them or what these people are really like. Again, bringing up equality through sameness. This does not exist in nature, equality is fair. 

In my opinion, the way these two individuals are publicizing everything is wrong. It shows just how far from the path they have wandered. If they really had a testimony of the teachings of Christ, they would know that they do not need to be so public about everything going on between them and their disciplinary leaders.

I am not a feminist because I believe in equality through fairness and because  I have a testimony of my role as a woman and that it is inherently different than that of a man. This is how Heavenly Father wanted it to be, Adam was made to preside over Eve and his children and she was to nurture and care for each child. This is the natural order of God and Heaven and always will be. I truly believe that anyone who thinks that women should get the priesthood will eventually receive some form of disciplinary action. Same with anyone to openly believes in things contrary to the teachings of the gospel. We are allowed to have doubts and questions but to say you believe one thing but you really believe something different is hypocritical and Christ will not stand for His church to be represented by liars. This whole feminist movement is only going to get worse as the second coming comes closer, we must chose a stand and fight for the right. There is no grey, only the Lord's way or Satan's way.

"Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness—in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord" - Elder Bruce R. McConkie

https://www.lds.org/manual/eternal-marriage-student-manual/equality-of-men-and-women?lang=eng&query=equality

This World is Crazy

First of all, I apologize for the HUGE delay in blog posting. I started a blog for exercise, and then got really busy and wasn't exercising anymore so I stopped blogging (since what I blogged about was no longer something I was doing).

I get the wonderful opportunity to meet lots of unique people on campus and where I work. All of those people have a very unique way of looking at life. Even those who have similar life styles, religious beliefs, even from the same area, look at life very differently. By meeting all these people who have such a wide varied set of eyes to see the world, I have grown to have many questions and new insights on life and people in general. Now, please, do not take anything posted in this blog to be offensive. I'm not planning on saying anything offensive, but you know how people can get. 

Speaking of offensive, let's start with my first topic I wish to discuss:

We Need to Stop Being Offended by EVERYTHING

I have meet some awesome people who truly set up every conversation, approach every new relationship, looking for them to say something offensive. It's like it's a trend to be an easily offended person. See, the thing is, a vast majority of what people say is NOT meant to be offensive. (I'm a prime example of this since I often tend to say the wrong thing.) 

I learned through the example of my mother and living with an Autistic brother that life is way too short and precious to be offended by everything. Seriously. My brother has had a lot of crap thrown his way for being different in his Autism. I think it's beautiful. However, a lot of people do not understand and have therefore physically hurt him, judged him, said horrible things about him and my mom, etc. She told me that after a while, she realized the judging wasn't going to stop because people are ignorant. It is her choice to be offended about short bus jokes, the use of the word "retard," and the whispers and stares in public. 

The same concept applies to eeeeeeeeeeeeverything. We have the wonderful choice to not be offended if what someone says is truly not all that offensive or they honestly didn't mean it to be. Like when children ask questions such as "Mommy, why is he so black?" (something I apparently asked my mom at a very young age seeing a black man for my first time), "Mommy, why is she so fat?", "Mommy, why does she look funny?". We have all heard questions like this from children. We tend to laugh, blush, apologize, and then yell at the child for asking such questions. This way of approaching the silly question, in my opinion, is destructive. It ruins the child's want to question everything and find answers for their own (a very important process in human life) and teaches them about being offended. But that's a whole different topic.

Whenever people decide something about themselves that is drastic, they almost set it up like "I am now [gay, Mormon, feminist, single, engaged, whatever you want] and I DARE you to offend me!!" Seriously, I have seen this. It is so...petty. We do not need to be this way. I am religious, so I will reference religious things. Jesus came to Earth with the knowledge of the truth and His mission to teach it to as many as He could while here. Never did he say "I am Christ and I am here to proclaim God's word, agree with me or you're a horrible human being and I am eternally offended!!!" He said "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We need to have this attitude in everything we do, it is so necessary. "Respectfully disagree" is the term I have thought is best to describe how we need to encounter other human beings, along with "respectfully share your views and accept when others do not agree." 

Let's see...what else has been on my mind? Oh yes! My religious beliefs. 

To Anyone and Everyone Who Has Been Judged and Mistreated in the Name of Mormonism, Especially From Me: 

I am sorry.

Recently I have discovered how easy and delightful it is to apologize and mean it. Saying "I'm sorry" is such an easy thing to do once we have come to terms with ourselves and gotten over our pride, which we all have. 

I have met many people who have had great experiences with Mormons and horrible experiences. It breaks my heart whenever people tell me about a bad experience they have had with a member of the church. I have heard of bishops stealing tithing money, people being judged and mistreated, told how they need to live, told they are going to hell for not being Mormon. All of this is horrible and shouldn't happen, but it does, because even those "perfect Molly-Mormons" are totally imperfect and ignorant (I was most of my life, ask ANYONE who knows me, and probably still am about a lot of things). 

I just want to say I am truly, honestly sorry. 

I am.

I apologize in the name of Mormonism and religion in general. I am sorry for those gays who felt they weren't welcome in our church and in our communities. I am sorry to those who struggle with addictions and did not feel invited and welcome. I am sorry to anyone who left the church because of people who offended them by something they said or did. 

There are a lot of things to be sorry for, but most of all, I am sorry to anyone who felt judged or afraid or intimidated by my beliefs due to my ignorance mixed with religious zeal and passion. 

Another thing I want to just state: Recently I publicly stated that I am for gay marriage because I wish to allow others to chose how to live their life. I need to take back this claim. I have been doing a lot of religious research and I am for traditional marriage. I apologize to those that are upset about this. Let me reference why I say this: 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng

https://video.byui.edu/media/Dallin+H.+Oaks+%22Witnesses+of+God%22/0_n6vr7aeb

Watch/read these talks/devotionals. Even if you do not agree, I hope you will understand why I believe the way I do and am sticking to my grounds.

Next!

Vegetarians and Vegans: I Do Not Understand Why You Do The Things You Do

Okay, huge disclaimer, I do agree that there are way too many growth hormones placed in fruits, vegetables, and meat (generally all food) and it is not the best thing to ingest in our bodies. I fully understand and agree that there are some people who just shouldn't eat meat, like my best friend. 

Now, onto my confusion.

There are many reasons why people do not want to eat meat or animal bi-product. They range from "I don't eat meat because I think it is wrong how animals are treated," "I don't eat animal bi-product unless I know the animals have been treated with love and respect on the farms," and "I don't eat meat because I think it's wrong to raise animals for slaughter and they should die of natural causes and desiccate naturally." 

I wish to discuss why these saying bother me in two rebuttals.

1) How is this: 

or this:

 

or even this:

Is worse than how animals are treated in situations such as this:

or this:

or this:

These animals are using their instincts and abilities to hunt their prey and if you notice, they are pretty vicious about how they go about killing the animals. It is not "humane." It is brutal, bones breaking, flesh being torn, bodies mutilated, all those things that vegetarians claim to be awful and inhumane if we, humans, partake in them with our skills and instincts. No, we do not use claws or teeth to catch and kill our prey mainly because we do not have that option so we improvise with our skills and create weapons pretty equal to the speed and strength and detonating force of many beautiful animals we know like cheetahs and alligators and lions. We are animals, in the same animal kingdom as all of these ferocious and gorgeous animals. Why is it then wrong to hunt and kill prey like animals do? It is natural to hunt for meat! We are, naturally, omnivores. How is it wrong for one species of animals to hunt and kill animals "savagely" but not for every other freaken species in existence? 

2) Animal bi-products. So, some people say they do not want to eat meat because it hurts the animals to kill them and get their meat. But, when you shave a sheep or take eggs from a chicken or milk a cow, you are not hurting the animal. A lot of these things are beneficiary to the animal, like milking the cow. The average cow produces WAY more milk than needed for their calves. I've seen pictures of these lady cows, their utters look heavy. I know if I was a cow producing tons and tons of milk weighing me down, I would want to get rid of the amounts I didn't need. 

Therefore, I do not understand being a vegan. (Unless for health reasons) Yes, I know many wonderful people who are vegan and I am not saying anything bad about them, I am simply saying I don't get it. 

Just a bonus:

All cows that die from natural causes are recycled (at least in California) and guess what, their meat is still eaten. Their skin is still turned into leather. Their fat is still used to put into makeup. 

Also, for all of those vegetarians and vegans trying to make a difference in the way we produce meat, I have watched Dirty Jobs, the meat production will never stop. Animals will always be raised for slaughter. It is how we humans react to our instinct to survive. 

Okay, I feel a lot better getting some of those thoughts out. Again, I did not mean to offend anyone. Just to get thoughts on "paper" and state things I know to be true. If you have thoughts, feel free to comment :) I truly try to be an open minded person and love to learn knew things. I hope you found reading this blog insightful or entertaining or interesting or something positive because I enjoyed writing it. 

Not-So-Lazy Man

Today was our first day of doing the Lazy Man Iron Man Triathlon! The running was pretty easy, my mile is around 14 minutes which is slow but it is a start. Matt is such a killer runner, he makes it look so easy. The biking was definitely the hardest. I biked 4.5 miles and Matt got 5. That is a lot of biking to do in one setting! Wow, my thighs were so stiff after. Swimming was nice, it helped stretch everything out while continuing to work all the muscles. I swam 300 meters (6 laps) and Matt swam 200 (4 laps). I think from the biking alone we will not only be ready for the 5K but loose quite a few pounds! I have biked that much before, but never at the intensity I did today, usually it's at a leisurely pace.

While at Porter's yesterday we decided to get our own t shirt making supplies. We got plain white T's, a tie-dye kit, and white iron on letters. I am super excited to make mine. No, the T shirt is not the most important part of doing the triathlon but I do think having a physical reminder of what you did is a great way to stay motivated and continue working out. 

It's funny how now that I can run a mile straight, it seems so much easier than I had anticipated. I can't remember why I was so afraid to do it. I think I was letting the distance get to me. For me, running is 90% mental and 10% physical. Running is a natural thing for your body to do but it can be a great feet for some. 

I am so blessed to have the BYU-I school gym to work out in where it is a healthy, spiritual atmosphere. Everyone is modest and that makes a huge difference. I remember going to the public gym and having to keep my gaze averted to avoid seeing things I didn't care for. Not only is the modesty a blessing, but also the price. All you have to do is buy the BYU-I approved shirt and shorts and you can go for free as long as you are a student. Money is probably the biggest reason why people tend to not workout at gyms. Man, my life is pretty dang blessed!

Iron Man

Now that I have successfully ran a mile I have great expectations for myself. Matt and I have decided to do the Lazy Man Iron Man in preparation for the Color in Motion 5K. For those who do not know, the Lazy Man Iron Man is a triathlon where you sign up to run 26 miles, bike 112 miles, and swim 2.4 miles in a month. You do it at your own pace and you record your efforts. If you are one of the first 100 people to complete it, you get a free t-shirt but I know enough people who got it last year and the shirts kind of sucked so we decided regardless, we are going to make our own.

I am really motivated to get in shape. This week Matt and I have been prepping for the Lazy Man Iron Man by running a mile, biking 2 miles, then swimming about 200-300 meters. We calculated that in order to complete the Lazy Man Iron Man without working out on Sundays we will need to run a mile a day, bike about 4-6 miles and swim about 3-4 laps (approximately 100 meters). We figure if we are better at one of the three exercising activities that we can get them done quicker so we have more time to work on the ones we struggle with. I am a strong swimmer, always have been, so I will probably get my swimming done faster however I have always had a hard time with running so that will take a lot of motivation to get it done faster than the month. Biking is a breeze but it is a lot of biking so having the time to bike more will be nice.

Matt and I really wanted to run in the mornings but with work and school it has gotten really hard to have motivation and time to do so, especially now that we are going to be doing the triathlon, going in the mornings would mean waking up even earlier to go to Rexburg. But, we have found something that not only works with our schedule, but really pushes us and gives us a solid workout while also helping us get in shape for the 5K. Things are looking up! We are really happy with the way things are going.

Conquering My Fear

Last week Matt and I did some good exercising, going to the gym and running instead of driving to his parents house. (I apologize for not blogging about it! I didn't think about it and got sick)

Matt and I want to run the Color Run 5K in July, but we were unsure about whether we could run that far so we looked up how long it is (3.1 miles). Feeling a little intimidated, we decided to think about it seeing as it's in less than 2 months. Today we went to the gym to work out. As I was running on the treadmill, I wanted to run more than normal, kick it up a notch. As I passed the 1/4 mile I thought "Hey, maybe I can run at least a half a mile before having to walk." Soon enough, I hit the 1/2 mile and still had energy to keep going, so I decided no matter how hard it was, I was going to run that full mile. The first half was easy. The second quarter was a bit tougher, but I kept saying to myself "I am better than my weaknesses!" so when I got to 3/4 of a mile, I cranked the speed up, then again at .8, .9 and .95. The last .10 of the mile was the hardest. Matt was cheering me on and I ran my heart out and I DID IT! To most, a mile is no biggie (including Matt). That mile was a HUGE stepping stone for me. As I have previously stated, I was not a big fan of running. To now be able to run a straight mile, I am dang proud of myself. It took me 14.5 minutes to do it, but gosh darn it, I ran a flippen mile!

I now feel like running the 5K is something I could and want to do. I want to run as much of it as I can, so I am going to be running a lot more miles. If I can run a mile straight, then a half mile, then like 3/4 of a mile, that would make me so happy. I think one of the things that helped me reach my goal was I constantly drank water while running which helped my breathing. I breathed from my belly when it got hard to keep up and kept my breathing steady.

Running in the 5K will be an even bigger step for me. I never imagined myself running in anything and now I have a very reasonable and exciting goal in my sights. Conquering a weakness has never felt so good and rewarding. This semester has been jampacked with things that push me beyond limits I never thought possible. I can't wait for more obstacles to get over and for more growth in the future.

Animal Attack

On Tuesday, Matt and I went to go for a run and a stray cat came up and started being super friendly, so I pet it, naturally. However this cat not only followed us, but walked purposefully in front of us so we had to pet her and when we did, it laid on our feet. Ha! Silly cat. As far as the run went, it was a very solid run. We had a couple of things to get from Broulim's so we ran there, picked them up and ran back home, probably about a mile run. 

This morning we actually were able to get up before work and classes and went for a nice run on the green way. When we first started running, about 10-20 feet away was a big ol' beaver! It had light tanish/yellow fur and a big tail coming off the end of it. I couldn't believe that after living 16 years in Oregon, the beaver state, I never saw one, not until I was in Idaho. We were so surprised and excited! How often is it that you see a beaver? For both of us, it was a first. We also saw two HUGE pelicans with a baby one sitting in the middle of the river on a grassy patch. They must have been at least 3-4 feet tall, I mean these things were big. 

Aside from the fun animal sightings, our run this morning was good. I have a bit of a head cold coming on so I didn't go run with Matt yesterday (I'm so proud of him for running even without me) and we did a shorter run this morning. My whole body felt heavy and with every step I could feel my whole body shake which pounded my head, but gosh darn it, I did it! You know, something I realized is that if someone is running at least a mile a day they cannot physically be fat. It is just impossible. I gotta remind myself that fact when I have those moments of self doubt. I am awesome, skinny, and cute dang it! Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

I am Stronger Than my Weaknesses

On Saturday, Matt and I went for a run in the morning and what a difference it made! We both got a lot more out of it and were really sore when we got back home. We tried to go running this morning but accidentally fell back asleep after waking up. Yesterday we only went for a short jog because Matt hurt his knee on Saturday. 

I cannot explain the way I feel when running. I really do feel skinnier, like I was when Matt and I first met. I feel like I can go for ever, running with him along the river. It's funny how something I used to HATE I now love and get excited for and it's helping me a ton with being focused and doing well in my studies. It doesn't burn like it used to. Of course it burns, but it isn't from me being an inexperienced runner, it's from my fat slimming down and getting my muscles more tone.Maybe some day I will be able to run like my sister (the cheetah). 

My goal for every time I run on the green way is to always make it to the 1/4 mile marker before walking again (if not farther!) and to run for a 1/4 of a mile each time. I believe in myself! Saturday was such a productive, amazing day and I know it accounted back to running in the morning. Starting my day off like that with a good, strong run was the kick I needed to getting all of my homework and Sunday school lesson done.

It's amazing how when you truly desire to learn something and make a weakness a talent, the Lord will bless you and help you along your way. I now no longer fear the things I am bad at. If I can make running a hobby, something that never ever ever in my wildest dreams ever did I see myself enjoying, then I can do even smaller things. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it!