Childhood allergies like hay fever are linked to an absence of contact with fecal matter in their early years. [1] In other words, their houses were too clean for them to develop immunity. [2] When antibodies have no real threats to fight off, they’ll pick the next best thing – dust, pet dander, and pollen. [3] I’m pretty sure it would make my mother proud that my hay fever is a byproduct of her obsessive cleanliness. Perhaps this phenomenon also explains why Mormons are prone to creating extra rules on top of our already high standards. Let me explain. [Read more…]
Purity, Rules and Allergies
November 9, 2013 by
Toeing the Line
March 9, 2013 by
It is a matter of undisputed fact that breaking a toe is the most painful thing a mortal can experience in this life. [1] [Read more…]
Monday Morning Theological Poll: “Reproductive Wrongs?” Edition
November 7, 2011 by
Two polls this time. Answer both please.
Please justify your comments below. I promise I won’t turn you in to the bishop for anything you say. [Read more…]
Mom Activism: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the World
October 11, 2011 by
Whenever a child in Utah is born with PKU, an inherited (genetic) metabolic disorder where the body cannot process the amino acid phenylalanine, the health department (with the permission of the parents), notifies my friend Amy Oliver so she can step in to help. Phenylalanine or “phe” is found in every type of food, and the higher the protein content, the higher the phe content. If phe is allowed to build up in the body of a person with PKU, it causes irreversible brain damage and results in severe mental retardation. People with untreated PKU are unable to function on their own and end up living in institutions. PKU occurs in about 1 in every 15,000 births. [Read more…]
Reader Question Box #1: “is arby’s jamocha shake against word of wisdom”
August 25, 2011 by
Welcome to a new series! The WordPress.com software that runs BCC tabulates detailed statistics on traffic to this site. One thing it shows is what search queries led readers to BCC each day. Aside from the usual top traffic terms (“bycommonconsent” “by common consent” etc), there are always miscellaneous surprises. Sometimes, these search queries can spark ideas for a post, because they afford a window onto the topics our readers are wondering about and what questions they have. For example, here is an issue that one of our readers needs guidance on:
is arby’s jamocha shake against word of wisdom
“It’s up to you”
April 11, 2011 by
My son Scott was baptized on Saturday. A year ago I did not expect this to happen. Scott has autism, and although he has many good skills–mowing the lawn, making French toast, playing Joe Danger–his ability to understand abstract concepts and motivations is limited. At eight years old he still does not ask “Why?” questions, and he can’t answer them, either. He communicates mostly in rote phrases, which don’t necessarily indicate anything substantive about what he is trying to express. They are just the phrases he knows. You can usually tell by his tone of voice whether or not he means them literally or whether he is frustrated (about what is not always clear) or just feels like making conversation, and these are the words that are easiest for him to access. When he was seven, I thought that unless he made a huge developmental leap, there was no way we were going to have him baptized the next year. What would be the point? Even if he understood what he was doing, how would we know that? He wouldn’t be able to tell us. [Read more…]
For R* in Miserable Days
April 4, 2011 by
As a close friend has suffered a particularly difficult miscarriage recently, I want to pause from the usual vocations of life to express solidarity to and love for the many women who have similarly suffered. [Read more…]
BCC Zeitcast 46: A Very Special Zeitcast
March 1, 2010 by
After a two week hiatus, BCC’s Zeitcast returns with a Very Special Episode, in which Scott B. hosts a multitude of guests, including Amri Brown, Sir Ronan, and the reigning Bloggernacle Commenter of the Year, Bridget Jack Meyers MikeInWeHo. [Read more…]
The Biggest Loser Makes Me Cry
May 15, 2009 by
Every time. It’s embarrassing. I only ever see it at the gym, so I’ll be galumphing along on the treadmill with tears streaming down my face. I suspect this is mostly leftover ugly-kid-jr.-high-school trauma, but there might be a Mormon element, too, in the stark conflict between the “natural man” and the will. The communal aspect of the struggle resonates somehow, too–a small (er, in numbers) band of the righteous fighting together against the powers of evil and donuts, casting out the wicked from their midst as necessary (but afterwards showing forth an increase of love!).
I’ve probably overthought this. But it’s Friday–seems like a good day to talk about TV if you want to.
[Read more…]
Don’t believe the (happiness) hype
March 12, 2009 by
Will Wilkinson, commenting on Catherine Rampell’s “The Happiest States of America” article on the NYTimes’ Economix blog, suspects “a skoche of culture-driven upward inflation” is at play in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which puts Utah at the top of states reporting a general sense of happiness (HT: Greg). More specifically, he states:
I’ll vouch for the fact that Utahns are exceptionally chipper. Though perhaps it should be noted that some Mormons are almost ideological about the idea that they ought to be happy.
Just some Mormons, Will? Happiness is inherent in our ideology. [Read more…]
50 Conversations About One Thing, Part III (Updated)
March 3, 2009 by
This is Part III of three. Part I of this conversation, including a brief introduction, is here. Part II is here.
32. I just wanted to mention what I think is the most striking aspect of this conversation: [Read more…]
50 Conversations About One Thing, Part II
March 3, 2009 by
Part I of this conversation, including a brief introduction, is here.
17. There seems to be a generational shift at play. [Read more…]
50 Conversations About One Thing, Part I
March 3, 2009 by
A few of us had the pleasure of overhearing an internet conversation the other day. Here are 50 of the more interesting things we heard, which we have boiled down and made anonymous for presentation purposes. Note that this discussion is for mature audiences, and will appear in three parts. Certain words may appear a little funny as we attempt to keep the original wording intact but permit those with internet filters to enjoy the conversation — the post requires images and may not read well in RSS feeds. Comments are closed on these posts; we encourage you to talk about this conversation with your families and on your own websites and blogs. Please email us with any questions. [Read more…]
Nothing to fear (but a glass of water)
February 18, 2009 by
As someone who routinely pours 200-400ml of sterile salt water into people’s lungs without any significant side effects, I am often struck by how strange it is to be assured, with the insuperable certainty of folk wisdom, that I could drown on (or is it in?) a cup of water. [Read more…]
Who I’m voting for (and why)
October 25, 2008 by
If you’ve been waiting for someone at BCC to post an opinion of the current election, here it is. [Read more…]
Opening Day
March 27, 2007 by
Like Annie Savoy (played by Susan Sarandon in her best role) in the movie Bull Durham, I believe in the church of baseball.
Why there wasn’t much kissing in polygamy
March 9, 2007 by
The Victorians (and their neo-heirs) on both sides of the Mormon divide have long fussed about the sensuality of Mormon polygamy. There is some evidence to support both views, and I suspect most people who have read a lot on the subject feel that there was some sensuality associated with a practice whose basis was far from simply sensual. I believe, though, that I have cracked the case, discovering irrefutable evidence that there wasn’t much kissing in polygamy. [Read more…]
Mormon Culture Tournament – Elite Eight
March 1, 2007 by
Our final winners from the Sweet Sixteen were:
1. Angel Moroni, 3. CTR Rings, 5. Large Families, and 11. Scripture Marking. Dan, NOW YOU KNOW MY PAIN!
Stiff upper lip, people! We must persevere:
[Read more…]
Honoring Parents in a Post-Therapeutic Age
April 17, 2006 by
Two old posts from the Feminacle, unrelated except in my mind, and a recent visit from my parents have got me thinking.
Over at FMH, Emily S. posted one of my favorite poems, about the austere and lonely “offices of love” which even the least skilled or emotionally savvy parents often perform for their children. Meanwhile, in the trenches of the mommy wars, a a guest poster and several commenters seem very certain of their superiority to their parents in terms of commitment to marriage and the ability to make it work. Naturally, I hope they are right. Divorce stinks, especially for kids, and we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t aspire to atone for the sins of the last generation and make a better world for our children. Still, perhaps because of my advancing age (:)), and my pained awareness of the thousand ways I fail my children despite my best efforts, I feel a great deal of sympathy for the parents whose children describe their failures so starkly.
It seems to me that we have lost something in our sophisticated understanding of our parents and our “dysfunctional families of origin.” [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: Demonic Possession
January 10, 2006 by
Many people believe that the demonic possessions described in the Bible were, in fact, mental illnesses. Eric Russell wonders whether, on occasion, what we call mental illnesses are, in fact, demonic possessions.
When people ask me what my greatest fear is, I tell them it’s Satan. People often chuckle, thinking it’s a cute answer. I usually let them think it is, but it’s not. My greatest fear in this world is encountering — perhaps not Satan himself — but a spirit enslaved to him, possessing the body of human being. Though the very idea is an archaic one in today’s enlightened world, I believe it happens. And I think it’s one possible cause of behavior we usually attribute to a mental illness. [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: The Pain of Depression
January 6, 2006 by
Hannah submitted this guest post on her struggle with depression. It illustrates the pain and desperation that seems to accompany mental illness, and reminds us of the dark cloud of misery many people live under. A poem by Sarebear follows. Again, please: anyone suffering out there need not suffer alone.
I am a woman in my early twenties and have been diagnosed with both major depression and general anxiety disorder. I have been on and off of medication and in and out of counseling. [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: The Gender of Addiction
December 16, 2005 by
There are ghettos in Mormon discourse. There is the ghetto of pornography and addiction where men alone reside and there is the ghetto reserved for the women. Illustratively, talks about addiction are given in the Priesthood Session of General Conference. The women’s quarter is a discourse on self-esteem and depression. Perhaps, these districts are not as disparate as would be suggested by our rhetoric and we might better understand LDS women’s challenges through their relation to addictive behaviours. [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: Suicide
December 13, 2005 by
This guest post on suicide was submitted by Arlene. If anyone wants to talk to Arlene she is happy for me to give out her telephone number. Please email me at ronan at jhu dot edu. No-one need suffer alone.
This is a sensitive subject: the Encyclopedia of Mormonism entry on suicide represents the latest (compassionate) Mormon view on the subject. In short, suicide is a sin (in that mortality is part of God’s plan for us), but one for which some people may not be fully culpable. Only God can judge these matters, not us.
I’ve always been a suicidal person. I was the product of several generations of alcoholism, poverty, abuse, and depression and I passed it on. 1991 was a particularly hard year. [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: Spousal Support
December 7, 2005 by
This guest post, “Spousal Support for the Mentally Ill: What Not to Do,” was submitted by Tom.
I want to share some of the things that I’ve learned from my experience as the husband of somebody who suffers from mental illness. I’m not a model husband or a model anything, but I’ve made some mistakes that might be instructive. [Read more…]
Mormons and Mental Illness: Introduction
November 29, 2005 by
We here at BCC have decided to offer a series on Mormons and mental health. We will post our own perspectives and wish to solicit the experiences and insight of our readers. Please consider submitting a guest post on this topic to ronan at jhu dot edu (anonymity will, of course, be respected). At the end of the series, an LDS mental health professional will be invited to respond. [Read more…]
Hot Yoga, Mormons, and Exercise
March 23, 2005 by
One topic that doesn’t seem to come up in the Bloggernacle is the virtue of physical exercise. Is it that we are all desk-bound lardies who wouldn’t dream of consuming a coffee-cream chocolate, but imagine that our expanding girths are of no consequence to God? Or is it that we simply do not equate exercise and physical fitness with religion and thus not worthy of discussion?
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