Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Rodcast 125: Murder


There is a hiss on this one. It's the sound of the microphone right next to the computer to accomodate our special guest.

Also, this was recorded like a week ago, so that's why we didn't get to all the comments from the last post.

0:00 -- Minutes
3:17 -- Rhett's card (2/6 (even though we said 1/6))
8:39 -- Polls (broken)
9:32 -- Sunday school (Lesson 16 ("Thou Shalt... Offer Up Thy Sacraments upon My Holy Day"), Lesson 17 (The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast)
57:30 -- Rhett's second topics (references to movies in General Conference talks, technology in church)
1.11:15 -- Listener comments
1.27:23 -- Murder

Download here!

Next Rodcast: favorite General Conference talks!

3 comments:

  1. It was great to hear from Rhett again. I forgot how much I missed his "Aloha!" He didn't sound that bad either. The worst recording was that time you pointed the microphone the wrong way and it picked up two conversations. So you couldn't follow either conversation very well, I was distracted trying to follow the conversation in the other room.

    Pete probably has all the knowledge he needs about fasting (he's a pretty bright guy) but for some reason lacks faith. Perhaps all he needs is a trial of faith regarding fasting? Also, the point about donations to the church is that the law is easy for the least member to be able to follow. Lifelong members can make how they calculate tithing as complicated as they want. Tithing can still be paid 'in kind' so I don't see any problem donating in stock. If this gets around the tax code, then congress should simplify how it calculates everyone's "fair share." (I would prefer a Fair Tax system, where only consumption is taxed.) I like that church leaders remember the story of the widow's mite and treat tithing and others funds as a sacred trust.

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  2. I think the resounding statement from the voteless polls is "It's personal!"

    Friends of a friend are serving a mission in Singapore, and she told me that they have church seven days a week there, because it is not a Christian-dominated country and people work crazy hours and weekends and such, so they have church every day so that people can go when they're available. It is happening, just not here in the US.

    What about paying tithing on income tax refunds?

    I don't feel especially strongly about fasting either, Pd. I see value in doing it once a month...in making it 'special' in that way...but I respect those who fast often for reasons other than it being Fast Sunday. I've always paid fast offerings too, but I've never had an especially powerful testimony-building experience with fasting. I realize that isn't in and of itself wrong or disappointing, but because it is a gospel principle and practice, you would expect to eventually have some kind of meaningful, memorable time having done it (unlike prayer, scripture study, etc.). You aren't alone in that feeling. I do it out of habit/obedience and not because it has any special meaning to me.

    I haven't really had a major life decision for a long time, so I've just kind of gone along to get along with doing it each month. I don't doubt it would be helpful if I needed to decide something important, but I can't really say because I haven't been there.

    I agree with Rhett about the 'amount you pay for 2 meals' thing as being dumb. Do it as generously as you can bear. I quit the 'two meals' standard when I saw a missionary filling out her tithing slip and saw she was paying more for her fast offering than I was. That shamed me enough. Now I definitely pay more than the 'two meal' standard. Also, I don't think it would be a bad thing to get rid of that advice and going the 'as generous as you are able to give' be the standard. There seems to be more precise guidance about tithing than about fast offerings, and I don't know that that should be the case.

    I'm glad Vaughn J. Featherstone doesn't like me and my liberal friends. Ugh. Thank heavens that talk was well before my time.

    Deep Throat came out in 1972, by the way. I don't doubt a 1973 Conference talk had it in mind...

    The thing that I thought when you were discussing murder was the concept that it be better that one man perish than an entire nation dwindle in unbelief. Maybe it is better in a situation like that. Maybe that is justifiable. Good discussion.

    My favorite GC talk is here. Enjoy.

    Second topic suggestion: Sins of omission. Are we held responsible for the people we hurt because of our decisions...the collateral damage...the ones who were victims of our decisions, though those decisions were not made directly against them? (Does that make sense?)

    [End]

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  3. A second topic idea: Patriotism. I didn't see this in the sidebar. We do live in the Promised Land after all. It also brings up the point that the tenth article of faith was edited to say that the New Jerusalem will be built upon [this] the American continent.

    I come up with a lot of ideas for second topics, but I'm not as good about writing then down. Remember, the strongest memory is weaker than the palest ink. Write stuff down.

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