Comments on: Can You Hear Me Now?

By: Susan M

Susan M — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:14:37 +0000

What MCQ said.

PS I hate it when youth leaders ask me to write letters to my kids.

By: MCQ

MCQ — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:57:01 +0000

jks, I think David is using the repeated phrase “we’re not a particularly religious family” in a toungue in cheek way. It’s a way of keeping religion from becoming an issue of constant tension while keeping it always present in the background. It’s a nice touch in the post and a very deft touch for dealing with a teenager. Most teenagers are very uncomfortable dealing with serious subjects directly, especially with their parents. You have to play a kind of guerilla warfare, use sneak attacks and be opportunistic. Acting like your family is “not particularly religious” while raising children who attend church, learn the scriptures, know you have a testimony and start to gain one themselves, well, that’s just a really awesome job, I say.

By: Brian G.

Brian G. — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:55:24 +0000

She’s lucky to have you, David. Wonderful post.

By: jks

jks — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:04:15 +0000

I don’t see that you aren’t religious. You seem religious to me. Your daughter seems religious. Just because she doesn’t like kitschy music or cheesy fiction. That’s a matter of personal taste, not religion.
Perhaps we have different definitions of what religious means. To me it means that your beliefs are the #1 priority in your life. Not that you spout scriptures in every conversation. It means that you try to follow the commandments and have high moral standards that you adhere to that align with your beliefs, not that you only decorate your house with pictures of the temple and Jesus Christ. It means that you believe in God and have faith in him, and that can be personal, you don’t have to tell everyone about it all the time.
Teenagers feel uncomfortable often when parents get serious. Sex talks are similar.
I believe we are told to have FHE and family prayer and scripture study so that we CAN have everyday conversations about the gospel. It shouldn’t be reserved for Sundays during church only. So unless you never talk about it and never read scriptures at home and never have FHE and never talk about the gospel at home, I’d think you were religious.
But I could be wrong. Perhaps you are like my MIL. My daughter wondered why she would want to come to her baptism since she wasn’t a member of the church. She is a member. My daughter just never knew because she has never spoken a word about the gospel or the church. Weird for a Mormon huh? Yup, one of those rare breeds–a Sunday at church only Mormon. Then you go home and never talk about it.
Are there more of them around? Am I just naive thinking that our religion encourages and succeeds at us being more religious than the 3 hours on Sunday?

By: MCQ

MCQ — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:37:46 +0000

This is incredibly beautiful, David, and sums yp the way I feel as well. I have a daughter about the same age so I know what you’re dealing with. I think your approach is just right.

By: brandt

brandt — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:34:01 +0000

I really really liked that. The whole thing. It reminds me a lot of my father, and how he used to say things to me without all the cheesy Mormon platitudes.