Pointless Brainwashing vs. A Good Work:

I was recently watching a show that got me thinking about my own religious beliefs. Some people think of my religion as a cult. Many have attacked on that basis for almost two centuries. I have two things I would like to explain and pose a question to anyone who may read this. Please explain to me how and why the service that takes place in the temple is a bad thing for the members of the LDS faith. The second is about money.

Temple "Work":

So a faithful member of the LDS church is requested to perform certain tasks in the temple. One of which is baptisms for the dead. Let me explain the process as far as I know it. Members take time out of their, ever increasingly, little time and search out the members of their families that have past on and compile pages of family trees. Countless names are then submitted to the church to have these certain tasks in the temple. Again a member has to, through paying for their own way to the temple and this can be quite a trip for most, to take time to do the tasks. Now I am taking baptisms for the dead as my example as one of the the things done there. A person then with a list of family members, gets full immersed for each name. (You may argue the fully under the water baptism another time.) The person, with gratitude in his heart, returns home.

My questions for the public are as follows: What does the church expect to gain by this? The money for the trip is not going to the church. The church doesn't have a voting system where the more names you have, the more power you have. I suppose to the masses it appears that this is just brain washing. The problem with that thinking is that most, if not all, brain washings are done for a reason. If it's mindless drones, or to gain more power over the other, this doesn't seem to be working in that way. I have never heard of a brain washing that told the recipient to start stamp collecting and make trips to annual conventions. Why would there be? In other words, the church has nothing to gain by this.

MONEY:

Now each temple costs money. If you have seen any of them you will have noticed how fancy they are. This is no JW Kingdom Hall or convention center for holding mass born again rallies. These building are made with top notch materials and craftsmanship. How is it funded. By the member's money of course. The church is one of the richest organizations out there, when comparing religions. Why are they so wealthy? Let's look at some of the things the money is used for... Missions, buildings, education, travel, housing, and service (such as help to Katrina victims). Now I am not going to claim the church never had financial problems, that would be foolish. I know the history as anyone. But ever since the "Law of Tithing" was instituted again, the church has not had problems with money. You have never seen a Mormon Telethon have you? Don't get me wrong, the Law of Tithing has been talked about at least once a year by church leaders, but we have never had a drive to reach a certain amount. The church has yet to go into debt when building anything. Now that's some feet in the economy we live in today. By that standard, the church probably has really bad credit if any.

My personal thought on the matter is that the church's financial standards are overseen by God. Why is it that other churches, especially the catholic church, has had problems with money for years? I am not knocking any other church, just stating what seems to be apparent in classic literature and even movies such as, "The Bells of Saint Mary". This and the LDS Church has fewer members than the Catholic church.

I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please do comment. I want to see what people think. Thank you.

PART VIII

That's right, if you haven't read the other parts, you are missing out. As I have been reporting, windows, doors, gateways, and even mountain passes have been opening up for me, if I but report it. ( I think that's how it's working) I got an email from the College of Business and Communication Chair, Craig Bell. Here it is in its full:

Dear Students,

Beginning this fall 2008 the required CIT 350 course for business majors will no longer be offered. If you have not taken CIT 350 the following courses will substitute.

1. Any 3 credit CIT 200 - 400 level course

2. B 250 Web Business I -- a new 3 credit course beginning this fall. (This course will be an hands on experience in which students will learn how to build and optimize a web-based business.) This class may also work as part of your cluster. The course will require a laptop.

3. B 399 Special Topics (Fall Semester Only) -- the topic will be Entrepreneurial Management. The course is currently being taught at the Harvard Business School. The course has been rated as the top course for first year MBA students. Brother Clark Gilbert a former Harvard professor --who helped develop the course will be involved in teaching the course along with other BYU-Idaho faculty. The course will consist of several case studies related to managing an entrepreneurial venture. Several of the cases deal with technological issues.

If you have lived in a foreign country for at least one year B 399 will also sub for Econ 358 ( fall semester 2008 only) This course could also be part of a cluster.

Students will need to fill out a substitution form which are available in Smith 227 (the advising office has moved to the other end of the hall)

Hope all is going well.

Regards,

Brother Bell

All right, so the important part is #2. I was going to be taking CIT 350 for my major, and now it's not available. Here is what CIT 350 was:

CIT 350 Managing Information Technology (3:3:0)
Prerequisite: CIT 240 ***I wasn't planning on taking ***
This class is not for information systems majors.
Introduction to the management of information technology with
a focus on current and emerging technologies and their
relation¬ship to business organizations.

Sounds okay I guess, but I am going to love B 250 instead. This is exactly what I was hoping to accomplish in my studies. I was even looking to find companies that would help me do this on and internship. This is supposed to happen.

Try this out sometime:

If a person comes up to you and asks, "Can I ask you a stupid question?" (as if that wasn't a stupid question in itself.) Reply with, "Well I have a stupid answer." To which they will ask their question which usually isn't stupid at all. to which you reply, "[insert stupid answer]." After a good laugh, you can answer it truthfully, but it sure makes life more fun. ex.

Lady:
"Can I ask you a stupid question?"
Me:
"Well I have a stupid answer."
Lady:
"Why is Forbidden Kingdom rated PG-13?"
Me:
"Green Beans!"

Introducing the MexiSushi™:

MexiSushi™ is a vegetarian burrito formed into a sushi roll. Follow my pattern or mix it up that way you want. It's easy to do and great tasting. Here are the things I used:

Spinach Wraps:Cut into RectanglesRefried Beans:
Brown Rice with "spanish" flavoring:Green Onion:Cut the white parts:And the green:Jalapeno and green pepper (I would have gone with red or orange for color's sake):
Let's cut 'em up:Here comes the putting together part. I forgot to get a shot of the cilantro, but it's in there. Also I'm piping Schwan's guacamole onto it.
Just follow these steps:
Thin layer of rice on wrapNice and ThinFold Wax Paper OverCarefully NowFlip it OverSushi PalletPlace vegies down in a rowPipe guacamoleAdd beans, Cilantro, Black Olives, etc.Roll the wrapNice First SideRoll other sideHold and form into RollThat's the RollCut it into even piecesOur finished plate of six pieces and Salsa and GuacamoleAnd there you have it folks. the first ever MexiSushi. It was really good to eat. Especially dipped in the salsa and the guacamole on the side.

Matthew D. Baugh © 2008.