Transcript
Speaker: It is not our job to turn people away.
Speaker: It's not our job to condemn people.
Speaker: It's not our job to hate people.
Speaker: And I think everyone deserves to be cared about.
Speaker: Everyone deserves to be, their voices deserve to be heard.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Now, I am going to touch on something a little bit controversial that you mentioned at the start.
Speaker: I see her from Utah.
Speaker: Well, not from there, but... Oh, sorry.
Speaker: Moved there.
Speaker: Also, I'm not sure if you can hear the ambulance.
Speaker: Hopefully not.
Speaker: I swear I thought I left New York, but apparently the ambulances are still following me.
Speaker: Oh, and the traffic here.
Speaker: Unreal.
Speaker: I've never been to Boston.
Speaker: It's like, how did they get through the traffic?
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: If it were me, I'd be so concerned.
Speaker: New York is 20 times worse.
Speaker: My person's going to pass away before I can get there because of the traffic.
Speaker: New York is 20 times worse and that's the thing when the sirens go off I'm like god damn it shut up but then I'm like oh my god that's somebody probably dying oh god Jen like let's take it on foot just throw the backpack on and just like make it on foot I mean I have literally gotten out of cabs because I'm like I could walk faster like that's it so yeah I probably if I was in the back of the episode like right mom let's go we're going I'm hiking you to the hospital and but yeah I do want to touch on and this is I'm I'm mortified that I'm saying this but
Speaker: There's obviously a big show happening on Hulu at the moment.
Speaker: What is called?
Speaker: The.
Speaker: Oh, God.
Speaker: The.
Speaker: Mormon women or.
Speaker: Mormon women or.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: I know it's mom talk.
Speaker: That's.
Speaker: I mean, mom talk.
Speaker: You're Mormon.
Speaker: I am.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: Tell me.
Speaker: I've only watched two episodes.
Speaker: Honestly, I was.
Speaker: Couldn't stand it.
Speaker: And I just.
Speaker: I mean, I'm not a reality TV person anyway.
Speaker: I'm feeling grateful for that, actually, that you said that.
Speaker: I'm like, oh, Jen, thank you.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: No, I'm not into reality TV at all anyway.
Speaker: There is two shows I watch, honestly.
Speaker: I will.
Speaker: Selling Sunset.
Speaker: And I know it's ridiculous, but I just love seeing the big houses.
Speaker: Wouldn't that be so great if you had that kind of money?
Speaker: That's the thing.
Speaker: I'm just like, oh, let me just live my life for this for a minute.
Speaker: And then I also watch Made in Chelsea, which is a UK, the wealthy people in the UK.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So whatever.
Speaker: It's a little bit of, yeah, clearly it's money.
Speaker: But I did watch this Mormon show and this, what is her name?
Speaker: Paul something, Taylor Paul, something like that anyway.
Speaker: Is any of it real?
Speaker: So I haven't watched it.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: I haven't watched it.
Speaker: I've seen some people post about it.
Speaker: Right off the bat, I can tell you.
Speaker: So, you know, you've got these pictures of these women.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Gorgeous women.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: I mean, they're beautiful.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, they're beautiful.
Speaker: And, you know, I've seen an ad where they're all holding hands and they're all wearing the same outfit and they're walking in front of one of the temples.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And which would give the appearance that we're a cult.
Speaker: It does a bit.
Speaker: And then I've seen another one where they're all wearing these beautiful white dresses, not super modest as far as what we would call modesty in the church.
Speaker: And just so you know, because I just have to point this out, we don't call ourselves LDS or Mormon.
Speaker: We were LDS.
Speaker: You know, we did use the shorter version LDS, but the church has kind of asked us to move to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just so you know.
Speaker: which is a LDS and Mormon.
Speaker: I mean, I totally get it.
Speaker: I can always tell someone says Mormon.
Speaker: I'm like, yeah, let me, let me like make this opportunity.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: To educate.
Speaker: No, I listen.
Speaker: I'm always like, you need to come to things with curiosity and an open mind.
Speaker: I don't know everything about everything.
Speaker: So like we were just chatting, my husband and I were just chatting as we walked around Boston about all of the different churches that are here.
Speaker: And we were kind of talking and I said, I said, Oh my gosh.
Speaker: I'm like one of the churches that we saw here in Boston.
Speaker: It's their hundred years.
Speaker: since that church has been there it's a beautiful church wow and i said oh they're having mass i was like wouldn't that be neat to just come to the mass to just see yeah you know it's a big celebration and i i said have you lived into a mass and because i've not been to one and and he has and so we were just kind of talking about it but but it should be like that like that's the thing religion shouldn't be like well yeah like you don't have to be a certain religion
Speaker: to a tent.
Speaker: There should be some gray areas.
Speaker: You need to be able to, I feel like, you need to be able to be curious about other things in order to choose something.
Speaker: Like I might, this is gonna sound really basic, but like, you know, there's dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate.
Speaker: I've tasted all three.
Speaker: My preference is dark chocolate because I know I'll eat a million tons of milk chocolate.
Speaker: White chocolate, I just don't like.
Speaker: But I'm curious about all three.
Speaker: I know.
Speaker: I'm not a fan.
Speaker: You know, and the same thing.
Speaker: When my mom and I went to Mackinac Island, which if you've never been there, totally go.
Speaker: It's amazing.
Speaker: Up in northern Michigan.
Speaker: Yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker: Another book.
Speaker: We went to the Rock Church, which I think is one of the older churches on the island.
Speaker: not our regular, you know, not what we would normally attend.
Speaker: But there was no LDS church on the island.
Speaker: And we just thought, well, let's just go.
Speaker: You know, as soon as I, I mean, it had beautiful windows and the service was beautiful.
Speaker: I mean, I loved what he, what he was talking about.
Speaker: You know, I think it was on Paul, but it was just a neat, it's just neat to go.
Speaker: And then, and then a woman saying, and it was just really, it was just a really nice service.
Speaker: And then of course they had refreshments after and they were like, always both.
Speaker: And I was like, actually we're getting lunch at the grand, but thank you so much.
Speaker: I always stay with the refreshments.
Speaker: So that other picture that I've seen, which, you know, they're all dressed in these beautiful white dresses.
Speaker: And I saw that someone had commented on Facebook, you know, people realize that we don't dress like that.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: You know, and that just has to do with our belief.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, it could, I could say a lot of things, you know, we, and again,
Speaker: It's so interesting because the doctrine, we really just want the best for everyone, you know?
Speaker: And so it's like, well, when you're dressing, you know, with really short skirts or really low tops, you're going to attract the attention of men.
Speaker: And maybe you don't want that attention.
Speaker: You know, I mean, you can be beautiful without hearing something that's really good dealing.
Speaker: You know, I mean, I think a lot of times women feel maybe like they've got to dress a certain way to be considered beautiful and to have men look at them.
Speaker: It's like, if that's the kind of men that's,
Speaker: Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker: We're kind of getting into like a different topic.
Speaker: So maybe this will be a whole other.
Speaker: Yeah, a whole other podcast.
Speaker: Our next convention.
Speaker: But yeah, you know, so like that modesty thing.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: A lot of people know that we have a special garment that we wear the garment of the priesthood, which I think you can, you know, look up some.
Speaker: And that has to do with our our promises that we make in the temple.
Speaker: And you're supposed to wear it every day.
Speaker: Oh, wow.
Speaker: You know, you're supposed to have it.
Speaker: You're supposed to wear it all the time.
Speaker: It has special meaning to us.
Speaker: There's symbols in the garment that relate to all of the things.
Speaker: And so those kinds of dresses would not cover those.
Speaker: So people
Speaker: are like, you know, we don't wear those.
Speaker: So it's really unfortunate to me and I feel like sad that we have that kind of a show out there because it's not a true depiction of what the church believes.
Speaker: And a lot of times when people turn away from the church, it usually has to do with the people and not the doctors.
Speaker: Right, okay.
Speaker: You know, some people really struggle with Joseph Smith and that he was 14 when he had the first vision and think, oh, he was a child, you know, how could he have seen that?
Speaker: And it's interesting because I've never questioned Joseph Smith.
Speaker: I feel like if you were to really research it and see what his family went through because of what he was thinking,
Speaker: he was saying to people because of what he was telling people.
Speaker: You know, he was tarred and feathered.
Speaker: He was in prison.
Speaker: He was eventually, you know, he was killed for his beliefs.
Speaker: And Emma, his wife, she went through a lot.
Speaker: Now, Emma did kind of stray from the church.
Speaker: But I mean, they lost children.
Speaker: They really, there was a struggle there for them.
Speaker: And I can't believe that someone would go through that without really believing.
Speaker: But I think it's true.
Speaker: So I've never questioned, but there are some people that have.
Speaker: But as we were talking a little bit earlier, before we started recording, the whole premise of the church is to be Christ-like, to have the attributes that Christ had.
Speaker: to be charitable, to be kind.
Speaker: It is, you know, it is not our job.
Speaker: And it's really unfortunate because I feel like sometimes the LDS church is one of the most judgmental churches.
Speaker: Even myself sometimes, like we, you know, it's like no one cared.
Speaker: No one should care.
Speaker: And you shouldn't feel that way.
Speaker: But sometimes, I mean, people just are just judgmental or they watch people and they, it's just the way it is.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But it is not our job to turn people away.
Speaker: It's not our job to condemn people.
Speaker: It's not our job to hate people.
Speaker: And I think everyone deserves to be cared about.
Speaker: Everyone deserves to be their voices deserve to be heard.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And.
Speaker: When the Savior was here, if you look at his life, he spent time with the sinners.
Speaker: He didn't spend time with the righteous.
Speaker: He spent time with the sinners.
Speaker: He loved everyone.
Speaker: He didn't, you know, and when people kind of pushed back at him, he just turned the other cheek.
Speaker: There was no, you know, he, he was all about that, that love, that Christlike love.
Speaker: That is what the church is about.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Christlike love.
Speaker: And somehow it kind of gets turned into something else.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, they're very much, they're trying to create a reality TV show out of, you know, and it's the drama and stuff.
Speaker: The premise of it, it was what, like women are supposed to be used?
Speaker: Yes, it was mom talk and it was sort of that she started it because she was bored at home or something, I think.
Speaker: And then I think there was threesomes involved and then there was all sorts of...
Speaker: Yeah, there was all sorts.
Speaker: And I literally only know a touch of it.
Speaker: I really don't know a whole lot about it.
Speaker: But there was, yeah, it was kind of, they were doing these sexy dances.
Speaker: But then there was a lot of lies.
Speaker: Like I think one of the main girls said that the two daughters were her two twins and that she was actually 50 when she's only in her 20s.
Speaker: So there was a lot of misceptions and stuff.
Speaker: But what I think is interesting, I mean, the fact that there's a reality TV show out of it does not shock me because I feel like TV is garbage nowadays.
Speaker: So we'll make anything out of anything.
Speaker: make money absolutely but i think what's kind of sad or what i found watching the two episodes was a it was just silly nonsense honestly but i also found like i was raised catholic and you know i don't go to church anymore but i have my beliefs i go to saint patrick's cathedral you know sometimes and i i do my thing but similar like no judgment which everyone
Speaker: Everyone should be able to worship how they feel.
Speaker: Or if they don't want to worship, that's okay.
Speaker: Or if they don't believe that there's a God, that's okay too.
Speaker: I feel like, it's like we were saying, we have lots of friends that don't believe the same things as us.
Speaker: And that's okay.
Speaker: Some of those people are some of my favorite people.
Speaker: And it's what makes, honestly, conversation interesting.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: You know, if you can't have a little spur about like religion or politics and stuff like that.
Speaker: It's the reason why they say when you're drinking to stay away from religion and politics is because people get really like angry and very like, this is what I believe.
Speaker: Whereas I'm like, I mean, even in class yesterday when that guy spoke up and I said, OK, I don't agree with you.
Speaker: But that's okay.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: That's okay.
Speaker: That's okay.
Speaker: I don't agree with you, but that's okay.
Speaker: And then we continue the conversation later.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Again, hearing people's perspectives.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Everyone deserves to have a voice.
Speaker: But yeah, so continue.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But yeah, but so I just feel like this show has turned, you know, it took us and it turned it into a reality TV show to make money or whatever, but it has turned into with pitting women against each other, both physically, mentally, and also to be honest, you know, and the Mormon church, you know, again, apologies.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: But the long name, I am not going to remember.
Speaker: And I feel like I'm going to get the acronym wrong and say something else, which is also bad.
Speaker: But, you know, there's rules.
Speaker: And, you know, a bit like in the Catholic Church where you weren't allowed to be cremated.
Speaker: Then all of a sudden you were.
Speaker: That was kind of the thing with the LDS.
Speaker: churches as well because we believe you know we want to keep the body as whole and then yeah and then cremated remains had to remain whole and right so you know all all of these things you know it is evolving and society's changing and you know people do think that religion is responsible for a lot of problems and wars like that and i can i can understand that and i can see that as well but i just feel like
Speaker: What they did in this particular scenario is highlighting, you know, pitching women against each other, but it's also just kind of making a mockery because it's like, you know, there's one scene where they snuck alcohol into the, one of them snuck alcohol into like a hot tub and that's against women.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: We just don't drink.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But it's not because we think there's anything wrong with it.
Speaker: We just don't like the frame of mind that it puts us in.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But the interesting thing I just found was that it's sort of like, and I guess maybe I'm probably a bit more sensitive as well, because coming from Ireland, we were very much ruled by the church.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker: And, you know, women were thrown into the Magdalene laundries, you know, a woman who had sex.
Speaker: The man never had anything, but we were thrown into these places, locked up, and our babies ripped from us.
Speaker: Us, I'm saying.
Speaker: So I'm probably hypersensitive to it, but yeah, I just really didn't like the premise of the show.
Speaker: I just felt like it's making a mockery of the religion.
Speaker: It's making a mockery of these women.
Speaker: I'm sure they're making a fortune from it.
Speaker: Yeah, I just...
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: And I'm no expert.
Speaker: I'll say that.
Speaker: I'm no expert.
Speaker: I mean, I've been a member my whole life.
Speaker: And I do.
Speaker: I have a firm belief in the church.
Speaker: And that is part of who I am.
Speaker: So again, I'm not a church historian.
Speaker: And as people said on some of these Facebook posts, if you have questions, you can go to the website of the church.
Speaker: If you type in lps.org, it'll take you to the church.
Speaker: And you can ask questions there.
Speaker: That's it.
Speaker: Be curious.
Speaker: You can do the reading.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I'm sure it's the same with the Catholic Church and anything else if you wanted to.
Speaker: But from what I've gathered, what they're highlighting is that women are supposed to be in the home.
Speaker: They're supposed to just be making babies and they're supposed to be homemakers.
Speaker: And a lot of LDS moms are stay-at-home moms.
Speaker: Not all of them, of course, but there are some of them.
Speaker: You know, I was a stay-at-home mom before, and then I do homeschool my children.
Speaker: But, you know, that's just my own personal choice.
Speaker: And now, back when the church began, when the restoration of the church began, so Joseph Smith's time in the end of the 1800s, there was polygamy because they needed to expand the number of members.
Speaker: okay well polygamy is not you know we don't we frown on polygamy now but at that time I even had to answer a question on my green card application yes but at the time they needed it and then of course women were homemakers at the time and I
Speaker: as they were in a lot of other religions or countries where they did, you know, and then of course you have in the United States, at least, you know, as time went on, even in the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, women were still stay at home moms.
Speaker: They did the cooking, the cleaning, the ironing, you know, all of those, those things.
Speaker: And the world has just shifted.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So I'm not, I'm again, I'm, I've not seen the show and, but I can say this about the church.
Speaker: Some women are highly savored.
Speaker: You know, if you listen to the prophet, if you listen to the apostles, the way they talk about their wives, you know, how much better they make them, you know, how much they cherish their wives.
Speaker: I know my husband does.
Speaker: I'm madam.
Speaker: He's, you know, you know, he sees me as his equal.
Speaker: He does not see me as less than him.
Speaker: And I don't see him as more than me or less than me.
Speaker: We see each other as equals.
Speaker: And
Speaker: And I don't want to toot my own horn, but my husband and I have a really great relationship.
Speaker: Yeah, you can tell.
Speaker: You know, we took work.
Speaker: We had to work at it.
Speaker: Like every relationship.
Speaker: I do love my husband dearly.
Speaker: Two children.
Speaker: And I'm grateful for our marriage.
Speaker: We were married in the Timpanogos temple.
Speaker: And I'm grateful for that every day.
Speaker: You know, but again, that goes back to the doctrines that we believe.
Speaker: I'm grateful that my children will always be with me.
Speaker: I love my children and I go, we're going to get emotional out of something else.
Speaker: You know, but I just, I want that for everyone, that joy.
Speaker: So however they find it, whatever that is, I want that for them because I think everyone should have a relationship with some kind of higher power.
Speaker: Cause again, I don't believe in coincidences.
Speaker: I believe that there is something greater than us, you know, and I may get there to heaven and be like, well, I'm so sorry.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: You know, my bad.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: But
Speaker: I can't believe that there's nothing after this.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: What's the purpose then?
Speaker: I can't.
Speaker: And tell me, I mean, you know, tell me, have you never had an experience where you've felt some, you felt something?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: There's been some other, and I wouldn't necessarily say it's God per se, but we believe in angels.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And that they do work here.
Speaker: So those of us who have passed on, you know, so again, we're talking about, you know, again, the relation, because a lot of people believe that, that their pet is that sign, you know, but I know my husband and I, we've experienced...
Speaker: These just feelings, these impressions that someone else is there.
Speaker: Someone else is taking care of us, protecting us, guiding us through this life.
Speaker: And so it's unfortunate that the church is being reflected in that way.
Speaker: And I'm not saying the church is perfect.
Speaker: You know, we try to do everything that we can.
Speaker: Again, I would tell someone to go to the doctrine to really see what the church is about, because that's how it should be done.
Speaker: But again, we're all human.
Speaker: And, you know, if we're looking at wards or, you know, if we're trying to break down the church, you know, into the smaller wards or branches, they are overseen by a human.
Speaker: And we do make mistakes.
Speaker: Sometimes, like we've been talking as the classes yesterday, sometimes we don't do well with conflict or we don't do well with our coping mechanism.
Speaker: And that's a struggle for people.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So I would just tell people, everyone has their choices, but if you have questions about what the LDS church really stands for, to research it yourself, to really see what it's about.
Speaker: And I'm sorry, I really, I've never got the name of it.
Speaker: No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker: I just wanted to specify in the video.
Speaker: No, no, no, no.
Speaker: I want to represent the church.
Speaker: No, 100%.
Speaker: That was really good.
Speaker: And hopefully people get it.
Speaker: This is you calling it LD.
Speaker: So LDS would be like an acronym.
Speaker: LSD is the drug.
Speaker: And I know I'd fuck up and say LSD.
Speaker: And people would be like, what?
Speaker: No, yeah, no, I totally get it.
Speaker: You're capturing all that, aren't you?
Speaker: Oh, yeah, no, it's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Speaker: So that's where the LDS came from, Latter-day Saints.
Speaker: They really needed to have just shortened.
Speaker: Well, you know, but like I've heard of the Church of Christ.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Or the Church of Jesus Christ.
Speaker: Okay, they're all the same?
Speaker: No, I don't know.
Speaker: I just heard of some Christian denominations that will, it'll be, yeah, like the Church of Jesus Christ, but we add on of latter things.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Yes, because, so the term Mormon, a lot of people use it comes from.
Speaker: And where did that come from?
Speaker: So it comes from the Book of Mormon.
Speaker: So we have the Bible, the King James Version.
Speaker: And then after the restoration of the church, Joseph Smith was given plates of brass that were recorded on a long time ago by prophets.
Speaker: So he translated that book.
Speaker: And that was something else that people said, well, how could he?
Speaker: He just made it all up.
Speaker: I mean, he just made up this book, which one of the counter arguments is,
Speaker: He was uneducated.
Speaker: Joseph Smith was very uneducated.
Speaker: He could.
Speaker: It said that in conversations that he had with people, he was very quiet or slower to speak because he really wanted to think about what he was saying because he was more people do these days.
Speaker: I know.
Speaker: And so to say that he wrote that would be completely inaccurate because he did not have that ability.
Speaker: For him to be able to match dates and locations, there's no way.
Speaker: It would have taken a very educated group of people to be able to write something like that.
Speaker: So anyways, he translated that book, which we now have as the Book of Mormon.
Speaker: Mormon was one of the prophets that is...
Speaker: that is written of in that book.
Speaker: And so that's where the Mormon comes from because we have this other book and it's the book of Mormon and it is said another Testament of Jesus Christ.
Speaker: So that's where that Mormon term comes from.
Speaker: But you know, I mean, we totally know.
Speaker: I mean, we, when someone says, Oh yeah, I mean, it's like, Oh yeah, we are.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So it's no big deal.
Speaker: But yeah, that's it.
Speaker: Now tell us, because we've talked about pet laws.
Speaker: So how, what does the church feel about laws of animals and humans?
Speaker: And how do we cope?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: That's the great thing.
Speaker: So in our religion, we believe in the plan of salvation.
Speaker: And I'll tell you about my grandmother in a minute, but in the plan of salvation, we believe that there was a spirit world where we were all together, that we were sent here at a particular time and place.
Speaker: You know, I will constantly say I could have never been a pioneer.
Speaker: You know, because there was a time when the LDS church was persecuted back east, and then they made the long handcart journey to Utah.
Speaker: And that's also a neat history if you'd like to look into that.
Speaker: The Martin Handcart Company is an amazing of saints that we often refer to because they...
Speaker: Frail or their group, their, what am I saying, their hand cart group, they left later in the year.
Speaker: I can't remember why they were delayed.
Speaker: And so they had to cross in the winter.
Speaker: And it talks about the footprints that they left and how little food they had.
Speaker: And then, of course, they had to cross the river.
Speaker: So it's a really neat story if you want to look it up.
Speaker: But they sent men from Zion, which was, would have been Salt Lake City area,
Speaker: to help carry those people across the river because they, they, by that time they were so tired and so weak and they sent these three men to help carry them across the river.
Speaker: So it's just a super neat story.
Speaker: So we believe we were sent here.
Speaker: And to receive a body.
Speaker: That's the reason we come.
Speaker: And then, of course, to use our agency to make choices.
Speaker: I mean, because the church, it's important that people know the church still believes that we have our agency.
Speaker: So they say in the premortal world that there were two people who came, two sons that presented a plan.
Speaker: And Satan or Lucifer, as a lot of people refer to it.
Speaker: presented the plan.
Speaker: We're not going to give people their agency.
Speaker: They're just going to make good choices.
Speaker: But he wanted the glory.
Speaker: And then Jesus Christ, he presented and said, we're going to give people agency.
Speaker: We're going to give them a choice to choose.
Speaker: And the glory goes to God.
Speaker: And so Lucifer was cast out and he was mad that they had gone with his plan.
Speaker: So Lucifer or Satan was cast out.
Speaker: And we went to Savior's plan.
Speaker: And so we believe that the Savior knew.
Speaker: I mean, the Lord knows he has everything planned, you know, and this time that we have here on earth is just a little blip.
Speaker: And so in the plan of salvation, we believe that after this life, we will go back to that spirit world and we'll be able to be with our families for eternity.
Speaker: There's a lot of depth to that.
Speaker: One of my favorite quotes, President Uchtdorf, who's one of our leaders, he said, the church is so simple that a child can understand it, which they do, but so vast and deep that it could take us a lifetime to understand.
Speaker: And so it's just kind of a neat concept to think about.
Speaker: You can be a church historian or a scriptorian and study it your whole life, and there's still so much more than you need to learn.
Speaker: So as far as loss goes,
Speaker: We do believe that there's something after this life that we will be reunited with our family.
Speaker: And I do believe that.
Speaker: Now, as far as pets go, there's some controversy there.
Speaker: Some people believe that pets will absolutely be there.
Speaker: And I've heard my aunt say no pets.
Speaker: And then again, we have no idea.
Speaker: We're just kind of going off of...
Speaker: Whatever doctrine there might be out there, which again, this might be something worth researching, you know, and what does the church believe?
Speaker: Because as we talked about with cremation, for a long time, the church didn't, we didn't really agree with cremation.
Speaker: And then the church, the church sort of changed its...
Speaker: It's policy.
Speaker: I don't want to say policy, but kind of how because the world has changed.
Speaker: Funerals are expensive.
Speaker: People are more transient.
Speaker: And people want to cremate.
Speaker: They just, you know, maybe they want to have their family member with them.
Speaker: Or we have a family plot, but it's full.
Speaker: You know, so where we're just going to bury mom somewhere just like out in the cemetery.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: you know it just sort of shifted and so people crummy and again like you were talking in the catholic church do you guys still believe that the ashes have to be all together they they say that yeah but but yes again i this type of services i do as a celebrant i work with a lot of people who are reformed catholics reformed jews what that kind of thing okay like i would probably consider that's me because i don't go to church i don't go to confession you still have your belief i
Speaker: I still have my faith, but like I have cremation jewelry lines.
Speaker: So like, you know, that's taking some of the ashes and splitting it and that sort of thing.
Speaker: So, yeah, as far as I know, the church still believes in kind of keeping it, keeping it all together.
Speaker: But but then each each archbishop of each diocese can make their own.
Speaker: You know, there was there was one who banned eulogies in his funerals in my area, which I disagree with.
Speaker: So again, it's being open and making your own decisions.
Speaker: Okay, I don't agree with that.
Speaker: I'd like to believe there's a God and I like to think the universe puts things in a certain way for me.
Speaker: And when my grandmother passed away, I like to think that she's sitting on my shoulder and looking out for me and stuff like that.
Speaker: So yeah, mine's muddled.
Speaker: Yeah, and that's, I think that's okay.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I think it's okay to, you know what I mean?
Speaker: I think that's why we're here.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You can make your own religion and bring to different things.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: As long as you're a good and kind person.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: I wish more, there was more of them.
Speaker: Right, you know what I mean?
Speaker: That's the religion.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, it's to take, and again, we were talking about what the church is based on.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: How he treated others.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: How he had respect for everyone around him.
Speaker: And he didn't shy away from, you know what I mean, a certain person because of this, or a certain person because of that, or a certain group of people.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, he was with all of them.
Speaker: And so my grandmother, who has had many paths,
Speaker: many dogs, she said, well, if my dogs aren't there, I'm not going.
Speaker: I mean, that's just how she is.
Speaker: And my belief, I believe that they are creatures that were created by the Lord.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And I think, why wouldn't they be there?
Speaker: They were his creation.
Speaker: I think there's a special place for that in heaven.
Speaker: But I've heard lots of people say, well, just as we were talking about your sweet dogs, I've heard people say, this is the same dog.
Speaker: Just looks different.
Speaker: It's the same dog.
Speaker: And I think...
Speaker: That's awesome.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, if that's what you feel, then go for it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: I think everyone has different beliefs and I think that's okay.
Speaker: But as far as the LDS church, as far as mourning and loss, one of my favorite quotes, one of our prophets, when he lost his wife, he said something along the lines of not exactly true, but he said to take the grief out of life is to take the love out of it.
Speaker: Mm.
Speaker: And we do believe that life is short.
Speaker: That's actually very powerful.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I mean, to say that you didn't grieve someone would mean you didn't love them.
Speaker: Love them, yeah.
Speaker: And we live this life with our hearts on our sleeves most of the time.
Speaker: And we love.
Speaker: Even when we try not to, we still love, whether it's our pets, whether it's people, whatever it is.
Speaker: And loss is hard.
Speaker: Loss is hard.
Speaker: And one of my favorite videos is a gal who's talking about her family and the loss that she has suffered.
Speaker: And she had lost several of her children and her husband to a disease.
Speaker: But she talked about in this video how it has given her the ability to help others.
Speaker: And that's how the church is.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Or at least, you know, that's what the doctrine is.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It is to reach out to others.
Speaker: And we could easily turn that around to pet loss.
Speaker: You know, I've lost my own pets and it makes me very empathetic.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: People who come into my office and...
Speaker: having the gospel as a background, that kindness, that compassion, that empathy for other people, which is really what the church is about, having those Christ-like attributes.
Speaker: It gives me that little boost to be able to feel that.
Speaker: First, when people came to my office and they cried and they were upset, it was like, I'm so awkward.
Speaker: I don't know what to do.
Speaker: And then as I got used to it, it was like, you know what?
Speaker: If crying is what you need to do, then do it.
Speaker: It's okay to come in here and cry.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's okay to be upset.
Speaker: I've had people come into my office and be angry.
Speaker: Not at me.
Speaker: I know it's not.
Speaker: I know it's not.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I just happen to be the one that they can talk to about it.
Speaker: Or vent to.
Speaker: Sometimes that's all people want.
Speaker: They just want to be able to talk to someone who understands.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Someone who experiences it all the time.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, and no, I don't deal with grief with humans, but honestly, I feel like sometimes grief with pets is more so because people can say things to hurt you.
Speaker: Now, like I know you have a really great relationship with your parents.
Speaker: Some people don't.
Speaker: I know you have a great relationship with your brother.
Speaker: And so for you to lose one of them, it would be devastating.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, just like for me to lose my mom.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: For many years, I wasn't close with my dad.
Speaker: Had I lost my dad during that time, it would have had a different impact on me.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Because you can burn bridges.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: People say things that are hopeful.
Speaker: Things that you can't take back.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And we as humans, we tend to have this, these butting of heads and we, we tend to, to sometimes pull out the worst in each other.
Speaker: And so we, we push apart.
Speaker: So when we have a funeral for someone that we maybe didn't have a great relationship with, it doesn't hit us as hard.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, because like I was saying, the brain.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: If you don't call your sister all the time, if you don't talk to him all the time, you don't you haven't seen him in your daily or monthly ritual.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Then you still feel the loss, but it's not the same.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's not the same as losing a child or a spouse or do you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Well, and I think that's a really I think that's a really good note to sort of end up on.
Speaker: I will say this.
Speaker: One, I think, honestly, the show, well, there's this one thing that honestly will just tell you what it's all about in a sense, right?
Speaker: All the girls, as they're interviewed, their name gets put on the thing and it's like, so mine will be Jennifer, yours will be Sydney.
Speaker: The only person who gets a surname is this girl, Jennifer Affleck or Jen Affleck, because she's related to Ben Affleck.
Speaker: that tells you all you need to know about who the show is targeting like they're clearly just planging on to anything right but anyway but I think what is good about these shows and all these things is at least it's it's giving people interest yes so I would agree yeah so I think what we'll wind up on and because I think it's been a really beautiful conversation and thank you for like educating me genuinely um you know because I had questions and you know we talked about it off camera and we've talked about it and hopefully we've covered a lot of things
Speaker: but I just think exactly you and I are on the same boat it's like be curious be open be whoever you want to be and what you said about joy is just just find it whatever it is whatever it is if it if it's pet cream yeah if it's dog rescue yeah if it's helping yeah I mean whatever it might be just yeah whatever it is just do you yeah just be happy in that moment because I think
Speaker: Life is precious.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: And it's short.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And if you've experienced a lot of loss, you know that.
Speaker: And I'm telling you that if you're in a place where you're not in a good place and you don't seem to have that joy, find it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's out there.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It is.
Speaker: And whatever it might be.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And just be you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Just be happy.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: We're going to leave all your links below so that everybody can contact you.
Speaker: If they have more questions, you never know.
Speaker: I wouldn't laugh if you get more questions about the church than you do about peccamation.
Speaker: That's it.
Speaker: Live from Boston.
Speaker: Thank you so much for joining the Club Reap in the wild.
Speaker: Thank you.
