What Do I Think About Legalizing Marijuana in Utah?

The question with this legislation is not whether some people feel less pain when they use marijuana, but whether this legislation encourages the misuse of the drug marijuana. I don't doubt that marijuana makes it so you do not feel pain. Many drugs affect our perception of pain, but they all have consequences. These consequences can effect the potential of youth, the mental health of others, the innocent they injure, and even the unborn. I have seen many children conceived and not wanted by parents on drugs. I've watched these children face great challenges in their lives and at school, particularly having to deal with being born addicted to a drug. Drugs, even alcohol and tobacco, are not mere toys to amuse us. Problems still remain when the mind altering chemicals are gone. This legislation seems to be a blanket endorsement of general marijuana use. It does not provide adequate regulation to restrict the use of marijuana for medical use. Since it does not take responsibility for the possible physical, social, mental, and legal consequences of legalized marijuana use, I do not support this legislation.

The Official Statement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-statement-on-utah-marijuana-initiative

for a good analysis on the proposed legislation:
https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/marijuana-analysis

Help to Get out of Debt

In January of 1999, we came a sobering realization- without overtime money we could not pay our bills!  We rechecked the figures many times, but there was no denying the seriousness of our situation.  We were thousands of dollars in debt, without any savings, or enough regular income to cover our monthly expenses.

We started asking ourselves questions.  Mainly, how did we get into this predicament?  That was easy- we’d been raising several children and there had been many medical bills which even our good health insurance hadn’t covered.  Yes, there had been considerable expenses, but this really didn’t justify our debt.  We took a closer look at our spending habits.  Soon, it became apparent how we became so far in debt.  It really was easy.  We had been basing our financial decisions on emotion.  Our criteria was simply whether one of us “deserved” something, or with our income we “should” be able to afford it, or it was a “sale too good to pass up”.  “Get it if you really need it, but don’t buy it if you don’t really need it”, was our nebulous creed for managing finances.  We each bought what we thought we needed.  We spent money when we had it and charged when we didn’t.  We were amazed that we weren’t even deeper in debt!

Blessed by Paying Tithing

In 1972  I was a young coed at Brigham Young University; far from home, and very lonely. My grandparents’ home was only four hours away by bus, and I longed to be with someone I knew, someplace like home. There was only one problem- it cost ten dollars for the ticket. I had ten dollars, but it was my tithing* money. Since I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints two years before, I had conscientiously paid my tithing. Maybe, I could wait a couple of weeks to pay my tithing and visit my Grandparents now. After all, I reasoned, it was good to nurture family relationships, and I was even going to get some family history information from my grandmother. Perhaps, this visit could even count as missionary work since my grandparents weren’t members of The Church. My justified dreams faded  away in the bright knowledge that there was no excuse for not paying my tithing. This money was the Lord’s, not mine.

Paid in Full

Many years ago (2000) when I appeared for jury duty in our small town, I never expected to learn a lesson on the Atonement. It was just a small traffic court and our case was a woman who had received a ticket for speeding. Though the woman claimed she had stayed within the limit, she also expressed her opinion that the speed limits in town were too low. The policeman reported that he had clocked her going ten miles an hour over the speed limit, and that he had just had his radar gun calibrated the week before.

After listening to the evidence, the six of us on the jury were escorted to another room where we were to make a decision. We sat around a table, then, looking each other in the eye, five of us declared, “Guilty”, but one older woman didn’t agree. We told the police chief who was standing guard at the door. He touched the gun on his belt and informed us that we would not leave that room until we came to a unanimous decision, no matter how long it took. Sobered, we all returned to the table. We asked the older woman why she didn’t think this woman was guilty. She replied that she thought it would be mean to have the woman pay a fine. I felt a rising sense of panic. How long would I be here?  I had a school program to attend that evening for one of my children, and it was now late afternoon. I looked at the police chief again and knew that he really would keep us in that room until we agreed.

Spiritual Rattlesnakes

I wrote this in 2001 for a local newspaper of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Media is far worse now.

“Pornography, though billed by Satan as entertainment, is a deeply poisonous, deceptive snake that lies coiled up in magazines, the Internet, and the television.” warned Elder David E. Sorensen of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during last April’s General Conference. He further explained that it is more deadly to the spirit than a live rattlesnake since “pornography destroys self-esteem and weakens self-discipline.” Elder Sorensen urges us all to set up “fortifications” in the form of personal ground rules to protect our families.

We interviewed several families and found that they considered their major “fortification” against the evils in the world to be the Gospel. They felt that it was essential to begin teaching good values to your children at a very young age. Some use Family Home Evening as an opportunity to set family media rules, discuss things their child has seen and heard, and role play how to handle difficult situations their child may encounter such an inappropriate video at a friend’s home.

Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Traditional?

I like this video where a Church leader calls us to come to the "higher ground".

Some people see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as just another traditional church where people follow the beliefs only because their parents and grandparents did. Since half of American society is composed of "orderly souls" who work to maintain the good in their society, that is partly a true statement.  Orderly, traditional people are the mainstay of all societies. Though we creative souls complain about their rigidity, they provide order and stability to life. Are they very flexible?  No.  Are they open to new ideas?  Only when it is forced upon them.  Do they ever want anything to change?  Definitely not!  Do they multiply rules on how to implement every Gospel principle? Yes, in endless multiplicity!

You could almost write a code book; for example