Ruminations from the Temple

written by Charles Foltz Since both Liz and I have been addressed in the exchanges here, I think I should make my own comments regarding the meme in question. I've reread it several times and come away with the opinion that it is a valid question, especially now at this time of remembering the sacrifices of service people. The meme deals with the nation as a whole, not the limited acts of organizations or individuals who are genuine and concerned with others suffering. There are numbers of wonderful feeling people in our nation, but they are often overshadowed by the policies and actions of government that lead us all into representing a much darker picture than we are willing to own up to. Over time, we have created a romantic image of our nation that is not very accurate as to our conduct. This romantic image has been created and reinforced by numerous institutions (schools, churches, veterans groups, etc.) so we can view ourselves as acceptable no matter how distastefu

This is a guest post from my companion, whom I couldn't be more honored to share life with. A former member of the LDS Church, he has sent this letter to the current president and prophet, Thomas Monson. The journey continues.. . President Monson, I have chosen Mother’s Day to write to you, because it highlights my concern over the existence of patriarchy within the structure of the church. While my life was very enhanced from joining the church in my fourteenth year, serving an honorable mission and marrying within the temple, with an increase of study from “all the good books” and scholarly study in the birthplace of all Christian religion, the recent published position of the church hierarchy has caused me, and apparently many others, to wonder about the true ‘inspiration’ that created the LDS church. My testimony was definitely from my own mystical experience and I bore it many times to convince others to consider our version of the ‘truth’ about an eternal plan a