posted
Just spotted at Neil Gaiman's journal, as he talks about what he was going to write on the blog entry that his computer ate:
quote:I talked about Jerusalem, which I think may turn into a ghost story, and about the astonishing number of young ladies who want their bosomry signed by authors, which is apparently something that they are particularly keen on out here. ("We asked Orson Scott Card when he was here," one of them sighed, wistfully, "but he said as a good Mormon he could not sign any body parts.")
posted
I suppose it's best to be able to deny that you authorized any breast pictures bearing your signature that might appear on the internet. I doubt it has anything to do with the church's stance on tatoos. (The are discouraged in the same way that purple shirts are discouraged. It's a matter of attitude, though some people try to scare their kids by telling them that their resurrected body will carry any tatoos forever.)
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posted
I figured it was him signing that was the issue, not them having the signature on them, if you know what I mean. Wanting to keep his hands and his pen to himself.
As for the purple shirts -
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The boys who pass the sacrament on Sunday are encouraged to wear white shirts and ties. It's not a requirement, but a boy who wore purple shirts all the time might be encouraged to buy a white one, or a white one might be bought for him by somebody.
The same thing carries over with pretty much any priesthood holder over 12--which is nearly all the men (Remember, the Mormon church has a volunteer, lay clergy). Basically, white shirts and ties are encouraged when at church, but really you can show up in shorts and a tank top for the difference it will make in your eternal salvation.
I think the current counsel against tatoos is a little stronger than the white shirt thing, but agree with pooka's point that tatoos aren't really considered a "sin", or that they would make anybody a "bad" Mormon.
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posted
I'm not mormon, but I think purple was just an example. Though it was an odd choice for her example as the color purple has significant meaning in catholicism. ;-)
As for the signatures, I always thought that girls who wanted their breasts signed were just trying to entice the famous person into a "taste test" so to speak, hoping he would buy. In that light, not signing any body parts is a very good strategy for making sure people know that you are not in the market at all.
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posted
Actually, in the charismatic/pentecostal (That's right, I'm a flaming pentecostal... JK. Well, I kind of am, but kind of not... I'm a guy, and I have a pony-tail, which is discouraged, and I'm not into the whole 'non-denominational movement', although I agree with some of what they have to say... Oh well. I just cannot be defined. LOL) view, all colors have meanings. Green is everlasting life, blue is the holy-spirit, purple is royalty, etc...
But yeah, I think the purple shirt thing was an example, not a specific. But don't quote me on this.
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quote:Originally posted by Nathan2006: Actually, in the charismatic/pentecostal (That's right, I'm a flaming pentecostal... JK. Well, I kind of am, but kind of not... I'm a guy, and I have a pony-tail, which is discouraged, and I'm not into the whole 'non-denominational movement', although I agree with some of what they have to say... Oh well. I just cannot be defined. LOL) view, all colors have meanings. Green is everlasting life, blue is the holy-spirit, purple is royalty, etc... But yeah, I think the purple shirt thing was an example, not a specific. But don't quote me on this.
posted
I admit as a Mormon that the "purple shirt" choice was a bit confusing, although I knew what he meant. The explanation that followed about white shirts should have put it into perspective. I think that purple shirts were picked for its very randomness. It definantly got people to blink at its seeming irrelavance. A red, green, orange, or other color could have just as easily been picked.
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No, just against polka-dots, we can't have any polka-dots running around.
Occasional, I have a question for you as a mormon though. I've recently been on a religious exploration kick - long story that relates to the increasingly urgent need to have my son baptized Catholic if I'm going to do it - and one of the churches I visisted was a Mormon one... after requesting information online. Not only did I never receive a response to the information I requested, but when I visited the Mormon service, no one even so much as asked my name. I just find this odd, because every church I've been to, I've always been asked at least a couple of questions. When I was younger we used to have Mormons who would come knocking door to door, but there I was, in their church, a total stranger, and no one said a word to me. Is there a reason for this?
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I know you asked Occasional, but I can't help answering.
It was simply the congregation you attended. I've attended several Mormon congregations to which I was not normally a part, and had various reactions. Sometimes people are really friendly and welcoming, but not always.
Once, when I was young and it was one of my first "trips" without my family, my buddies and I sat down in the church expecting to be bombarded by people asking us our names, where we were from, etc. Instead, the only people who spoke to us was a family that told us we needed to move because we were in "their seats." The family behind us vouched for the fact that we were, in fact, in the other family's seats.
This in spite of the fact that the concept of "our seats" in a Mormon church is ludicrus.
Other times, I get practically stalked. ("You're from California, huh? So you're a surfer?")
Particularly in the meetings after the big main meeting, lots of time is usually taken to introduce any visitors and find out a little about them. I'm sorry you found a more "cliquish" group when you attended.
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Yes, I'm sorry DDDaysh that you were not welcomed. I am a Mormon and I can tell you that any congregation is happy to get visitors. Sometimes those in the congregation don't realize that you aren't actually a member of the ward (specific congregation) or they think that surely someone else will introduce themselves or that the visitor is already an acquaintance of someone in the ward. These are not excuses. I think sometimes we get comfortable in our routine and don't extend friendly welcomes when we should. docmagik is right. Some congregations are more friendly than others. It all depends on the makeup of individuals in any given ward.
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posted
Oh, and I don't think that OSC's reasons for not signing body parts has anything to do with tattoos.
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I think it was Hank that introduced the doctrinal element that got me thinking about tatoos. As for purple, it was intended as a fairly random specimen. My husband has a purple shirt that we sometimes joke about him wearing to church. If I ever don't say hi to new people, is probably because my kids have me a bit distracted, and I'm sometimes introverted.
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quote:Originally posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick:
quote:Originally posted by Nathan2006: Actually, in the charismatic/pentecostal (That's right, I'm a flaming pentecostal... JK. Well, I kind of am, but kind of not... I'm a guy, and I have a pony-tail, which is discouraged, and I'm not into the whole 'non-denominational movement', although I agree with some of what they have to say... Oh well. I just cannot be defined. LOL) view, all colors have meanings. Green is everlasting life, blue is the holy-spirit, purple is royalty, etc... But yeah, I think the purple shirt thing was an example, not a specific. But don't quote me on this.
Haha, I just did!
I knew somebody would... Because I would have if somebody else had said it. LOL
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posted
There is no need to apologize. I wasn't offended really, just frustrated. I had tried a variety of other methods to get some questions answered, and they had all failed, so I thought maybe going to a service would open a doorway. I did not really put myself forward or anything, because I was not sure what to expect and did not want to do something wrong. I just thought it was odd considering the typical reputation.
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posted
"In the charismatic/pentecostal... view, all colors have meanings. Green is everlasting life, blue is the holy-spirit, purple is royalty, etc..."
This is the case in many Churches (R.C., Eastern Orthodox, Episcopalian and probably also Methodist and Lutheran.)
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posted
Yeah DDDaysh, I would go with what others have said. It really depends on the LDS Wards (Congregations) you happen to visit. Believe me, even members have had a variety of experiences with Wards - both good and bad. Not making excuses really. It is something that the leaders of our Church have sometimes expressed frustration with. I think OSC once said it best. To paraphrase, from the outside it might look like Mormons are cut from the same cloth, but trying to get them to do something is like herding cats.
I don't really have a suggestion other than it depends on the questions you have. Whatever you might want to know you can e-mail some of the LDS who reside here (including myself). They are sure to either answer them or find a way to get them answered.
My own personal opinion is that when it comes to non-members, very few actually show up at an LDS Ward without an invitation from someone they know. Because of that, there isn't really any specific "rules" as to how to respond. This is partly why you might not have gotten the reception you expected. I can't say exactly why this happens the way it does, other than people are people whever you go.
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