I have to admit that I am a bit mystified by the bloggernacle's reaction to the death of the Pope. Times & Seasons refers to him as a prophet, and a member of the Mormon Archipelago affectionately refers to him as "my Pope."
Don't get me wrong; it is nice to see such inter-faith amity. I like it a lot more than some of the anti-Catholic garbage I saw on my mission. But isn't there some middle ground?
It disturbs me how once someone dies, there can be no objective discussion of their life (see also, Ronald Reagan). The Pope certainly seemed like a nice guy, but it's not all butterflies and rainbows. He stood up against one of the evils of the 20th century, but seems to have been less vigilant against some of the subtler ones (see also, AIDS, priest scandals). By all means, let's celebrate his life, but can't we do it objectively, warts and all?
Mormons have the exact same problem; we want to celebrate Joseph Smith's birthday, but we want to remember our sanitized version of him, not the real man. I found American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith in a used bookstore and purchased it because it looked interesting. The book makes no mention at all of polygamy and (as I discovered later) is published by an imprint of Deseret Book.
I just wish we could have frank discussions about sensitive topics, instead of always trying to put the best face on things.
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Hey NF, we've added you to the sidebar at BCC ("Flandiddly-anders"). Congrats on making the cut!
Thanks, Steve; I appreciate it. Now I will definitely buy a BCC shirt when you put them out.
As Ned Flanders says in Hurricane Neddy:
"Why me, Lord? Where have I gone wrong? I've always been nice to people! I don't drink or dance or swear! I've even kept kosher, just to be on the safe side. I've done everything the Bible says; even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff! What more could I do?"
I think it's safe to say he covers all his bases.
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