03 Jan
Sunday Post Topics for 2009, As Suggested By YOU
I was pleasantly surprised by the response I received to my last Sunday post of 2008, asking for suggestions for Sunday post topics in 2009. Thanks to all of those who chimed in. Here is what I will be covering in 2009:
Amanda asked about emergency food storage, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre (if you saw the PBS special on Mormonism you may be curious about this as well).
Kaitlyn asked about missions. Great timing for such a question since That Husband retrieved a bunch of mission pictures from the home of his parents over Christmas, and I think it would be fun to show you some of them. Maybe if you all ask really nicely and explain what it would mean to you he will write a guest post about his mission experience in NYC.
Paula asked about the Sunday service format (did you know I go to church for 3 hours every Sunday?), LDS history (a series of posts in July would be a really great way to celebrate Pioneer day), and what my favorite things about the Church and SLC are.
Christiana asked about church hierarchy. A great question because it’s something I often have to study up on myself.
Anne, a Catholic anthropologist who studies human reproduction (a fascinating career choice, in my opinion) wants to know all about LDS views on things like birth control, IVF and other infertility treatments, medically necessary abortions, etc. One of the few “disagreements” That Husband and I had while we were still dating was on the topic of adoption and surrogate motherhood so I know a little bit about it. I’m going to really enjoy researching these topics for myself, and since I plan on getting pregnant myself in the future it will be good to know.
Kristin‘s questions were all about marriage, one of my favorite topics (did you know I love being married?). She wants to know how the church handles remarriage and the topic of marriage and death (a very common question since we believe in marriage for eternity), and posed a really difficult question surrounding a passage in Matthew 22. Kristin, I plan to answer that question as best I can, but it’s a tough one and I plan on consulting some of my old BYU professors for their help in interpreting the verse.
Kate emailed me a list of topics so long I think I can write well into 2010 attempting to answer all of her questions. Thank you so much Kate! Here is an abbreviated list of topics she asked about:
-Heaven (I’m going to add Hell to that post because we don’t believe in traditional “Hell” that most Christian faiths subscribe to).
-How does the “sealing” of spouses and families to each other work?
-How does baptism for the dead work?
-How can a person get into heaven?
-Where did the “soul” come from? Did we exist before we were born?
-Adoption
-Ghosts (interesting question!)
-Forgiveness, conversion, and baptism (A topic so beautiful, so moving, I fear my words will not do it justice)
-That Husband and his conversion story (notice a pattern honey, everyone wants to know!)
I’m working really hard to convince That Husband to write a post about his conversion story, but it’s a deeply personal experience for him and he is still not convinced it would be a good idea. I know many of you would like to hear that story, so feel free to let That Husband know why you are so interested in his personal conversion story in the comments.
And as always, do you have any more questions/suggestions for future Sunday post topics?
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
I definitely want to hear That Husband’s conversion story (and mission experience, too). But only if he feels comfortable doing so.
Looking forward to your Sunday Posts, Jenna!
1Agreed! If he feels comfortable sharing them, I’d be very interested in learning about them. I want to hear them because I don’t personally know anyone who has converted to a different faith from which they were raised. I also don’t really have any LDS friends who have done missions. Which is why I’d love to know more about it from an LDS perspective.
2I very much look forward to reading your Sunday posts Jenna. The LDS faith is one I’ve always been curious about.
That Husband guest posting would be wonderful. But I completely understand his desire to keep some things personal. May I ask how his parents/family/friends responded to his conversion?
3So, tying in with the marriage theme, when you answer that post, I would love to learn about how the sealing for eternity works with remarriage. I know that there is an extremely low divorce rate so it is less of an issue, but what if someone becomes widowed at a young age (not to be a downer, it’s just something I am aware of since my husband’s father died unexpectedly when my husband was only 7). If you have been sealed in marriage, and then wind up as a widow (or divorced), and you meet someone else and want to get married… can you be sealed to someone else? If you can’t, and have a marriage outside the temple, is it viewed as “less” of a marriage by the Church?
4These upcoming posts definitely sound interesting! I’m looking forward to hearing the answers!
A few questions:
5- What roles do women play in ministry? (ie. can they be a leader/bishop/prophet/etc.)
- How does the church deal with adultery/abuse/divorce/etc. (I guess I’ve been watching too much Law and Order Special Victims unit. :P)
- When are people baptized? I know in Christian denominations there are debates as to whether people should be baptized as a baby or baptized when they are older and can make the choice for themselves. Is there anything such as confirmation?
Jenna, these topics are great. And I think it’s smart to do a whole lot of research on the topics
I think if your husband feels comfortable with it than it’s great. Just keep in mind that there might be a lot of strangers reading who don’t know him and don’t understand what it all means.
6While I applaud you for your efforts to explain our church’s beliefs and standpoints, your readers need to understand that you, in no way, are an authority on such subjects. They should be referred to reading material, quotes, and in most cases, the missionaries, to learn more. While writing about such sacred subjects poses hazards in itself, the chance for misinterpretation and misconstruing of intended messages is likely. Your readers must understand that some of what you say is your opinion and not necessarily doctrine. That’s the beauty of agency.
7While the above anonymous comment does have a point, I love hearing about LDS life from a lay member of the church such as yourself. I’ve read the books, watched the movies and talked to missionaries, but I believe you can learn best about a religion through those who weave it into their daily lives.
8I am really looking forward to reading these posts. Thanks for taking the time to write about things you think will insterest us. I think we can all learn a lot about ourselves and our faith (even if we are not LDS) from hearing about the faith of others. Thanks so much for sharing.
Side note: You look great in the pics from Ami’s vow renewal!! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
Side side note: I’m glad we’re e-friends.
9Hi, I have a question I would love to have you write a post about:
Can you tell me more about the Lamanites and Nephites and why there is currently no archaeological evidence available to support that they ever existed?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks!
10I’m excited to see that you have not only focused the Sabbath to discuss gospel topics, but that you have opened the subjects up to the things your readers are most interested in. Thanks for being such a good example to me and for being both doctrinely sound and open at the same time. I’m excited to read what you have to say even if I am LDS already. I’m not sure what that anonymous poster was implying, but from what I can tell you have always sourced your information and it is pretty clear that you are speaking as a member and nothing else…
Best of luck in the New Year and I’m excited to read all about it, old friend!
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