Full Panic Mode Activited

It's official: I will be teaching a course, American History Since 1877, online in the upcoming Autumn Semester, and I'm super excited about it!

Except that I also received an email today telling instructors that that we need to put in our textbook orders by March 20. I am officially in FULL PANIC MODE.

Textbooks? What are they? Why do I need them? Wait, I do need them. What do I do with them? How do I order them? Which ones are the best/ worst? And more importantly, what books should I torture my students with??? Oh my word, oh my word, oh my word, oh my word, WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING???!!!

It doesn't help that I am up to my neck forehead in books, and am doing nothing but reading and writing school "stuff" every single day (except Sundays), but my reading list doesn't seem to be depleting. Plus, I tried making a batch of pineapple tarts in celebration of Chinese New Year, and burned the pineapple filling so badly, the entire base of the pot was covered in burnt gunk. Urgh! And what about the cold from the snow?

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

*Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale*

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this! Everyday, one step at a time.

Photo from Wikipedia

And now that I've blogged, it's back to (what else) drowning in my examination prep.

What is a "Mormon"?

I found out yesterday that (in)famous podcaster, John Dehlin, was excommunicated last Sunday. I'm actually surprised that it hasn't generated as huge a storm on my Facebook feed as Kate Kelly, founder of Ordain Women, did.

Anyway, Dehlin had speculated that he had been called to the disciplinary council because he supported gay marriage and female priesthood ordination, but the Church responded that this was inaccurate, and published a letter written by Dehlin's local church leader who led the disciplinary council, outlining the reasons for their decision (the letter can be read HERE, courtesy of Deseret News, and THIS is a good explanation of the disciplinary council and its proceedings).

According to the letter, Dehlin was excommunicated because he used his podcast to fervently (and I roughly quote)

• Dispute the nature of Heavenly Father and the divinity of Jesus Christ
• Advocate statements that the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham are fraudulent and works of fiction
• Reject the teachings that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church with power and authority from God.

Furthermore, he refused to stop his podcast when asked by his religious leaders to do so, and claimed that as an "unorthodox, unorthoprax Mormon," he believes in "many of the central, non-distinctive moral teachings within Mormonism... but either have serious doubts about, or no longer believe many of the fundamental LDS church truth claims." After his excommunication, he said that even though he is no longer a member, in his view, he is still very much a Mormon. "Mormonism is my heritage," he told the interviewer, "It's my culture, it's my tribe, it's my identity. I don't believe my Mormonism can be taken from me by a process like this... I still claim the title 'Mormon.'"

Which comes to the point of my post: I'm really confused. What the heck is an "unorthodox, unorthoprax Mormon" that Dehlin calls himself? What does he mean by Mormonism is his "culture," "tribe," and "identity?" Is it an ethnic/ ancestry identity marker, like "Jew?" To phrase it another way, can you be a "Mormon" if you don't believe the fundamental truths of Church teachings-- those about God, scriptures and prophets? 

I'm sorry but NO, YOU CAN'T SEPARATE RELIGION FROM YOUR IDENTITY IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A MORMON, i.e. if you don't believe in the fundamental teachings of the Church, you are not a Mormon. Here are my reasons why:

1. Dehlin claimed that he still believes in the moral teachings of the church (I'm thinking law of chastity? Word of Wisdom?), but these teachings are also found in other Christian denominations and religions. Mormons don't drink, but Muslims don't drink too. And Mormons aren't the only people that preach against premarital sex. So what exactly sets Mormons apart from other denominations/ religions? It is the core doctrines about God, scriptures and prophets. Thus to identify as a Mormon is to say that one believes these core doctrines. If a person doesn't believe in those things, why identify yourself as "Mormon"? (or Latter-day Saint/ LDS to be more accurate) 
2. To be "Mormon" is not the equivalent of being a Jew. Identifying as Jewish means claiming to be a descendant of a certain ethnic-religious heritage. This ethnic-religious identity has evolved over thousands of years, and Jews today practice a varying mix of ethnic traditions and religious rituals. One can claim to be ethnically Jewish but not be religious. Mormonism has no equivalent ethnic identification (white? Pioneer-cross-the-plains?), which brings me to my 3rd point-- 
3. If Mormonism is a culture/ tribe/ identity (as Dehlin claims) that can be separated from religion, what about the millions of Mormons from outside the United States? I proudly claim to be Mormon, and will identify as such (on census records, etc.). However, it doesn't extend any further. I don't claim to be ethnically/ "tribal-ly" Mormon, and frankly have no desire to. Yes, my religion inevitably affects other aspects of my life: my social life, cultural traditions, and so forth. But I'm very proud of my Singapore-Chinese heritage, and have no desire to become an "ethnic" Mormon... if there is even such a thing. 

I know, I should practice charity, don't judge, etc., but his remarks set something off in me. It's not about his podcast and whether he should continue/ stop. It's his mindset and his views of his place in the world that confuses (and worries) me. Oh well, now that I have gotten that off my chest, it's time to move on. 

Win Some, Lose Some

Pleasant surprise last Wednesday-- as I was walking to church for an institute class, I was stopped by a worker in front of a new store, Blaze Pizza. Blaze Pizza is a growing franchise chain in the United States that sells personalized small pizzas. Kinda like Chipotle/ Cafe Rio, only pizza. Side note: this concept of customized higher-class, better-tasting fast food seems to be all the rage now.

Anyway, this worker told me that they opened tomorrow, and as a promotion, were offering interested passerbys a FREE FULL-SET LUNCH.

Yes, really. Let me repeat. A FREE LUNCH OF PIZZA, SALAD AND DRINK. I was like, "What?!" and I walked in wondering what the catch was. Turned out to be completely true! Better than that, everyone was courteous and helpful, the pizza was delicious, and their salad had a very tasty house. There is only one choice of crust (thin), but that was fine with me because I either like thin or stuffed crust.

This is not a sponsored post, but I feel obligated to help promote their pizza since I got a free lunch out of it. Clever advertisement strategy. Still, it worked, so now I'm doing my part and telling you to go to support Blaze Pizza! It's reasonably priced ($7 to 10 for a personalized pizza), delicious and provides good service.

That same day though, I lost one glove, and went into the Ohio State bookstore to see if I could buy a replacement pair. Have you ever tried buying anything from a university's bookstore? I'm telling you, it's DAYLIGHT ROBBERY. Guess how much a pair of normal cloth gloves with the school's logo embroidered on it cost?

$15.

And that's for the red gloves. The black pair cost $20.

HOW IN THE FREAKING WORLD DOES A PAIR OF GLOVES WITH THE SCHOOL LOGO ON IT COST SO MUCH??? Yes, school logos are copyrighted, blah blah blah, so you're really paying for that, but $15?!?!?! And let me tell you, it isn't the people in the sweatshops producing the gloves who receive the profit.

Disgusting.

I walked away.