I yelled at a bishop! Oh, my freaking god, I yelled at a bishop! This is the best day of my life!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I yelled at a bishop today!
Okay, so my talk on Mormonism went really well, and then afterward there were some questions and discussion, and one of the attendees, a Mormon bishop, tried to claim that excommunication was not a punishment, and I lost it. I yelled at him! I don't even remember exactly what I said, but I do remember slapping the table. At first I felt a little foolish, but now I just can't stop laughing!
I yelled at a bishop! Oh, my freaking god, I yelled at a bishop! This is the best day of my life!
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I yelled at a bishop! Oh, my freaking god, I yelled at a bishop! This is the best day of my life!
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I'll bet that bishop will think twice before making that crazy statement ever again ;)
ReplyDeleteLucky you getting to off load on a bishop. I'll bet you've been waiting for this for a long time ;)
Congratulations! I bet that felt really awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more about your talk and what you discussed.
Glad to hear that the talk went well. I too would love to hear more about it.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you expressed outrage at his ridiculous claim. How could he even remotely fathom the idea that excommunication is not intended as punishment? That's its exact purpose - to force faithful followers to toe the line or face public ostracism or, worse yet, a perceived disconnection from their deity.
Thanks, everyone! I did tape the talk part and the first part of the discussion. Unfortunately, I had turned the camera off before the yelling started. I sooo wish I had it on tape. If I'd known there was going to be yelling, I would have kept rolling. If only, if only!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to have the video up on youtube/the blog in the next day or two.
By the way, the explanation for why excommunication is not a punishment is that it's done out of love, and not meanness, and that its whole purpose is to help a person repent (i.e. grovel until his or her bishop decides that they're good enough again). And for the record, I really don't think that the bishop who excommunicated me was trying to be mean. I think he really thought that he was doing a good thing, which makes me sad for him.
Several other audience members stuck up for me, and said the bishop was just trying to redefine words. My favorite response, that I'm definitely gonna use next time this comes up, was from a Facebook friend. He said, "It wasn't punishment when I got cut from my junior high basketball team. It just meant that I wasn't good enough."
Awes, can't wait to watch your speach.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Mormon church has excommunicated me yet.
By the way, the explanation for why excommunication is not a punishment is that it's done out of love, and not meanness
ReplyDeleteSo when I take away TV time from my kid because he did something wrong it's not a punishment because I'm doing it because I love him and want him to be a better person? That doesn't make any sense at all. If you're just doing it to be cruel that's not really a punishment, that's abuse.
*sigh* I'm a softy. I apologized.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that bishop will think twice before making that crazy statement ever again ;)
ReplyDeleteLucky you getting to off load on a bishop. I'll bet you've been waiting for this for a long time ;)