tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post5838298710923602079..comments2024-03-10T00:44:49.280-05:00Comments on This & That: September BooksSusannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-20938252262946728152012-11-20T18:33:16.512-05:002012-11-20T18:33:16.512-05:00This comment is extremely long, sorry:
OK Susanne,...This comment is extremely long, sorry:<br />OK Susanne, I have read Leaving the Saints. The author has a PHD from Harvard, thus I expected a well-written thoroughly documented book. And got . . .the opposite: a sarcastic, demeaning, insulting, inventive book full of half-truths and untruths, and I got the feeling the author reveled in her cleverness while looking down the nose at her less-educated readers, especially Mormons and people of faith in general.<br /><br />I resented her neglect of standard non-fiction practices such as naming all people, citing sources, and enlightening the reader with detailed footnotes. I’m a BYU trained historian and know a serious writer must make meticulous use of all of the above. Interesting that she bashes her father for “making up footnotes;” she goes one step further by not using them at all.<br /><br />Just a couple of the multitude of untruths.<br />One, Beck mentions several times that by leaving the Church she will be in outer darkness. That’s an archaic phrase rarely used, but it refers not to people who leave the Church but those who deny the witness of the Holy Ghost under certain circumstances. There’s more to it than that; just be assured that she casually inserts this phrase using it incorrectly.<br />Two, she states more than once than Mormon women are not supposed to work outside the home. There is no such doctrine.<br />Three, Beck states that every references to Sonia Johnson has been purged from the BYU library. BYU doesn’t censor materials.<br /><br />A few of the crazy statements and impossibilities.<br />Beck mentions the salon that wanted to get her husband’s permission for her haircut. What the heck??<br />Beck says “A a good Mormon woman has elaborately curled, longish hair until middle age, and a permed, upswept coiffure in later life.” I hadn’t heard.<br />She gives the Danites way too much credit and seems to enjoy feeling important enough that she has to fear for her life. Oh please.<br /><br />She constantly hammers Church authorities and BYU for warning or firing teachers who vocally and actively speak against the Church. Well, it’s a private Church institution and as such BYU has every right to do so. And students and teachers have every right to not attend or work there if they are bugged by that. Do vocal anti-Catholics retain their positions at Catholic universities?<br /><br />I resent her method of putting down the Church and its members. One example: “From the top-dog rank of bishop, to the mid-prestige senior Sunday school teachers, to the lowly child-care specialist in the junior Sunday school . . .” There is no prestige in any calling in the Church. We have an unpaid ministry. My husband willingly served as Bishop for 5 years. During that time he also worked his regular full-time job at Intel, providing for our family. He humbly assisted people who had crises whether emotional, spiritual, employment related, and so on. We have both served in the past as nursery teachers (ages 18 months-3 years) and there is nothing lowly about it. We were teaching God’s principles to His children.<br /><br />The most bizarre part of her book is that of imprisoning her very aged father in a hotel room and tormenting him to get him to admit to sexual abuse. I found this extremely disturbing; someone should have called the cops on her.<br /><br />Here’s a link to an article I found by Hugh Nibley’s son-in-law, Boyd Petersen:<br />http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=17&num=2&id=587Suzanne Bubnashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09305001077699530364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-64022193554084470252012-11-05T20:55:37.217-05:002012-11-05T20:55:37.217-05:00Yes, I would like to know your opinion. Bridget al...Yes, I would like to know your opinion. Bridget already shared hers and she agrees that it did not ring true.Susannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-51005445930821576402012-11-05T17:55:32.741-05:002012-11-05T17:55:32.741-05:00Thanks for the book ideas. I haven't read Mar...Thanks for the book ideas. I haven't read Martha Beck's but have heard plenty about it. She has been dismissed as wacko by plenty of people. Will form my own opinion after reading the book.Suzanne Bubnashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09305001077699530364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-46173673443389543142012-10-04T13:13:24.856-05:002012-10-04T13:13:24.856-05:00Thanks for that info, Sarah! I enjoyed it.
Sani...Thanks for that info, Sarah! I enjoyed it.<br /><br /><br />Sanil, aha! :D<br /><br /><br /><br />Becky, I've seen a number of copies in second-hand stores lately. It must have been popular around here at one time, and I missed it. :)Susannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-26452959850281015172012-10-04T12:42:11.809-05:002012-10-04T12:42:11.809-05:00I read Wild Swans years and years ago and really e...I read Wild Swans years and years ago and really enjoyed it (but I was very young, I think this was like 12 years ago), can barely remember it. Rebekka @ Becky's Kaleidoscopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08561986047548051036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-56772209997819409222012-10-01T18:46:32.430-05:002012-10-01T18:46:32.430-05:00It may be largely media. My comment was largely ba...It may be largely media. My comment was largely based in recent personal experience, but I hope it's not so common these days. :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07382787889525110718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-32351602385544824032012-10-01T07:37:51.379-05:002012-10-01T07:37:51.379-05:00I haven't read Leaving the Saints, but I read ...I haven't read <i>Leaving the Saints</i>, but I read her previous book, <i>Expecting Adam</i>, and loved it.<br /><br />Just so you know, not all Mormons believe that God is a polygamist. (I, for one, do not.) In their enthusiasm for polygamy, some 19th century Mormon leaders even taught that Jesus was a polygamist, married to both Mary and Martha. They had a huge incentive to legitimize polygamy.<br /><br />Some of the weird doctrinal stuff floating around back in the 19th century (such as the belief that Adam and Eve were literally Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, or the idea that people of African descent were less righteous before they were born) has been officially repudiated by the Church. Other stuff just continues to float, popping up every once in a while to spice up Sunday School discussions.Sarah Familiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10066135894689500253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-50682960937701606852012-10-01T07:28:36.152-05:002012-10-01T07:28:36.152-05:00Well, we weren't friends back then so you prob...Well, we weren't friends back then so you probably didn't realize they were there. I posted them over 3 years ago now. But I'm glad you reminded me of Bab Touma so I could go back and read some of my old posts from Damascus. Those were wonderful days!Susannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-84332274280045206712012-10-01T07:05:55.816-05:002012-10-01T07:05:55.816-05:00Thanks for the link. Amazing pictures. It seems I ...Thanks for the link. Amazing pictures. It seems I will come back again to read your Damascus posts. I think I have missed these. I like Damascus old city neighborhoods. jaraadhttp://jaraad.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-14247223441698854352012-09-30T09:01:56.247-05:002012-09-30T09:01:56.247-05:00Jaraad, aw, thanks for reminding me of Bab Touma. ...Jaraad, aw, thanks for reminding me of Bab Touma. Check this out ... :)<br /><br /><br />http://susanne430.blogspot.com/2009/03/damascus-getting-to-hostel.htmlSusannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-60637482973475417682012-09-30T08:57:55.917-05:002012-09-30T08:57:55.917-05:00Sanil, I agree that that quote was amusing and als...Sanil, I agree that that quote was amusing and also what you said about women here being expected to making the family run smoothly. I wonder if this is just how our media portrays things though. Men (dads, husbands) in sitcoms often seem to be really silly and shallow and juvenile. I guess that makes for funny TV, but now I'm wondering how much of it happens in real life. I know my dad is very adult and nothing like sitcom fathers yet I know others who could probably fit that stereotype pretty well. Hmmm. There should be a study about this... :)Susannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-88481757020646634622012-09-29T23:18:50.229-05:002012-09-29T23:18:50.229-05:00It looks like you read a lot of very interesting b...It looks like you read a lot of very interesting books this month! :)<br /><br />I remember you posting the quote about a wife bringing up her husband, probably on Facebook. I'm still amused by it...I think that's expected in our culture too sometimes! Even with marriage being limited to adults over here, people expect men to be children and women to do the work of making sure the house and family run smoothly. It's very strange.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07382787889525110718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740924465958245224.post-17127860095766255382012-09-29T22:21:21.303-05:002012-09-29T22:21:21.303-05:00Great post!
Thanks for the books reviews.
Regardin...Great post!<br />Thanks for the books reviews.<br />Regarding your first book I remember that there were many Jews in Bab Tuma, a very beautiful souq in Damascus.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bab_Tuma<br />The shop owners there are mainly Christians but there were also Muslims and Jews shop owners all in one street. People would buy from the cheapest regardless of the shop owner's religion.jaraadhttp://jaraad.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com