Jun

29

I finished my Ph.D. in Marriage, Family and Human Development more than a year ago, and a couple of months ago a German publisher asked me if I wanted to publish my dissertation in the form of a book. Why not? It will not sell like Harry Potter, but I could not see any downside to let them publish it (no costs for me, at least). So, I agreed to move forward, and a few days ago I found two copies of the book in my mail. Cool! Perhaps there will be more in the future, who knows?

This is the link to the book at Amazon: Gender and the Work-Family Interface

Gender and the Work-Family Interface

Gender and the Work-Family Interface

This is the description:

How do men and women differ in their perception of the work-family interface? How do these differences change as men and women transition to parenthood, raise and launch children, and then approach retirement? No previous studies adequately address these questions. This landmark study begins to. Data come from an IBM Global Work and Life Issues Survey representing 79 countries (N=41,813). Six family life stage groups were defined: no children and age 35 or less, transition to parenthood, preschool children, elementary children, teenagers, and empty nest (age 50+ years and no child dependents). Using a well-validated model of the work-family interface differences by gender by each life stage were identified. Using structural equation modeling the strengths of the paths were also compared. The findings indicate that gender differences are negligible until men and women have children. Parenting responsibilities are associated with greater gender differences. These differences diminish during the empty nest stage. Read this book for many other interesting, and sometimes unexpected gender differences in the work-family interface.

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May

11

These are excerpts from Cnn.com about the recent “scandal” involving Rev. Alberto Cutie.

The Rev. Alberto Cutie was removed from his duties after pictures showed him bare-chested with a woman… The Rev. Alberto Cutie — sometimes called “Father Oprah” because of the advice he gave on Spanish-language media — said Monday on CBS’ “Early Show” that he is in love with the woman and is considering his options: Whether to break up with her or leave the priesthood and marry her. The woman, who has not been publicly identified, wants to get married, Cutie said.

In a message posted on the Miami, Florida, archdiocese Web page last week, Archbishop John C. Favalora apologized to parishioners and radio listeners for what he called a “scandal.” “Father Cutie made a promise of celibacy and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God,” Favalora said. “Father Cutie’s actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest.”

This happening really caught my attention, because before becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) I was involved in the catholic church, and in spite of never considering seriously the possibility of becoming a priest, I never liked the idea that priests were not supposed to get married. I had the feeling that it is was wrong.

It is not my intention to discuss policies of the Catholic Church, but I simply want to quote a scripture from the Bible, from the book of Genesis, and comment it briefly.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..(Genesis 1:27-28)

From this scripture it is clear that God intended marriage to be part of life and to be good, not something to be avoided. He did not say that some men are more blessed because they do not marry. He did not say… “be fruitful, and multiply… but not all of you, just the normal people, the most special among you will live the higher law of celibacy..”  He did not say that.

There is a lot of confusion about what happened with Adam and Eve in the Christian literature, and many believe that in order to live a more spiritual life (like priests are supposed to live) marriage can be an hindrance and should be avoided. However, this is a mistake; marriage is ordained by God and it is a higher standard than celibacy. Moreover, celibacy is unnatural and may become a serious problem, has it has become for Rev. Alberto Cutie.

In the Church of Jesus Christ (Mormon Church), nobody is expected to avoid marriage to pursue a religious life. On the contrary, marriage and families are of extreme importance in God’s plan and Mormons believe that a religious life is better pursue by living a full life, as was intended by our Creator.

I am glad to have such knowledge now, and I am glad that I can live with my family and still pursue a religious live at his best, without having to give up any of the blessings that our God intended for us. I am confident that those who wants to know what really God wants for them, will be able to find the answer, if they have the faith and the courage to look for it.


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May

9

Can a person really see God? This and other questions are constantly raised by people who attack the Mormon church and the Mormon doctrine trying to prove that we are hoping for too much and that we are misguided. This is really sad, how many Christian people do not have the courage to understand the promises of the Lord.

Whenever and wherever men had faith, they saw the face of God, entertained angels, and performed miracles; they healed the sick, raised the dead, and wrought righteousness. Enoch and his whole city so perfected their lives that they were taken up into heaven. A whole generation of Nephites walked so perfectly in the light that every living soul among them was saved. In the meridian of time, Jesus marked the course and charted the way. The apostles after him built up the kingdom as they were guided by the Spirit.
And thus for more than four thousand years there were men who had received revelation, believed the gospel, and walked uprightly before the Lord. He in turn had poured out his Spirit upon them so that they “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (Heb. 11:33-34.) They had power “to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.” (JST Gen. 14:30-31.)    (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.37-38)


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May

1

I have discovered Twitter not long ago (as many others) and I have been tracking a few hashtags such as Mormon. Today I noticed that someone posted the following:

Mormon leader of NOM appears to advocate overthrow of US government “by whatever means necessary”.

Then several others repeated the same over and over again. I tried to post something explaining the position of the Mormon Church, but it is a useless endeavor. There are several people out there who simply repeat over and over again anything they can find to attack the Mormon Church. I wonder why they do not talk about something positive and uplifting instead.

In any case, it is obvious that Twitter is not a good place to have a serious discussion about Mormonism  because it is based on short messages that can easily become slogan thrown out there to attack Mormons.

Other attacks-slogans sound like this:

These Mormon girls are so east to manipulate!

or

Does a “Well Behaved Mormon Woman” keep trying to impose Mormon dogma on the rest of the country, and use our laws to do so?

and so on…

I wonder if Twitter is here to stay, and probably it is. I can see the positive side of it, but at the same time it is obvious that it can easily become an instrument to spread rumors and attacks against people and organizations.  However, the problem, as usual, is not the new medium, but some of the people who use it.

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Apr

21

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not only involved in preaching the Gospel according to its doctrine but it also provides relief and development projects for humanitarian purposes in countries all over the world. Projects operate without regard to the nationality or religion of the recipients.

Humanitarian service may include emergency response to natural disasters, such as an earthquake or a tsunami, or man-made disasters, such as the effects of war and famine. It may also be part of a longer-term effort to meet serious and more entrenched human needs, such as the need to alleviate disease.

This is a video about what Mormons do to the world

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Apr

9

Elder Neil Linden Andersen, 57, was named the newest apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Saturday during the morning session of the Church’s 179th Annual General Conference. I was impressed by his humility when addressing the members of the Church at general conference last Sunday. Today I watched the press conference when he was introduced to the general public and again I was impressed by his background and humble style.

This is a video of his talk in the previous general conference of the Mormon church

Neil Linden Andersen was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during last General Conference. Elder Andersen has been serving as a General Authority of the Church since 1993 when he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Elder Andersen was born in Logan, Utah, on 9 August 1951, and was raised in Pocatello, Idaho. As a young man, he served a mission in France. After his mission, he graduated from Brigham Young University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Later he moved to Tampa, Florida where he was the vice president of the Morton Plant Health System.

Between 1989 and 1992, Anderson was president of the France Bordeaux Mission and in 1993, he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He has been the executive director of the Church’s Audio-visual Department and assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department.  In 2005, Andersen became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Andersen married Kathy Sue Williams in 1975 and they are the parents of four children.

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Mar

25

This is another great video from David on youtube. I was baptized in the LDS (Mormon) Church in 1985 and a few months after my baptism President Spencer W. Kimball passed away and Ezra Taft Benson became the new president. So, he was the prophet of my first years in the Church and I some of his talks had a great influence in my life, such as Flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon and Beware of Pride.

I had never heard the talk contained in this video, but it is worthwhile to listen to this prophet warning us of the dangers facing America (and many other nations).

This videos was inspired to help wake up members of the LDS Church to the dangers they face in America, as seen over 40 years ago by President Ezra Taft Benson.  i have the impression that now things are lot worse and we should all get our homes in order in preparation of the approaching PORTENT storm that Pres.Hinckley warned us about in 1998.

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Mar

10

I have received emails from several friends suggesting that I should join Facebook groups and other groups on the Internet specifically created to react to the new attempt made by the producers of the HBO series Big Love to portray Mormons in a negative way. According to the the Church Newsroom

Before the first season of the HBO series Big Love aired more than two years ago, the show’s creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn’t be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show’s writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.

So, what should we do as members of the Mormon church (who have really nothing to do with those characters depicted in the series)?

I believe that we can share our feelings with friends or even with those who produce the show, but what is most important is to stay focused on filling the world with light, including the Internet, and remember that the Church has grown in spite of opposition and attacks. Sometimes, negative information may even create an interest in the church.

Specifically talking about temple ceremonies, I believe that those who make fun of them, or treat them with disrespect, will probably receive their reward from Him who is the author of such ceremonies. Therefore, we really do not need to worry too much.

On the other hand, perhaps others, the honest truth seekers, will be able to see through the inaccuracies of that show, and feel the desire to know more, in the right way, about Mormons, Mormon temples and the happyness that can come to their lives by following the teaching of Jesus Christ.

I know that temples ceremonies are sacred, and I know that it is a serious issue to treat them with disrespect or unworthily, but at the same time I cannot avoid thinking that God knew beforehand that some abuse would happen. I am sure He will take care of it and He knowshow to protect His work.

Many people think that Mormon temples are full of misteries and they want to know them, but they forget, or better, they do not understand, that most of the knowledge, revelations and inspirations that we receive in the Mormon temples come through the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, even if they were allowed to see and hear everything that is done in a temple, they would not benefit from it, because the Lord knows how to protect His real secrets.

His true secrets can only be revealed by His Spirit to the spirits of worthy and honest men and women.  The temple is simply a place that facilitates this comunication. In the past the Lord used the top of mountains, or wildernesses to communicate with His prophets and other worthy people. So, there is not need to try to sneak in in a Mormon temple. All that is needed is preparation and obedience and all of His mistery will be revealed to those who deserve it, in His proper time and according to His will.

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Mar

6

I have been looking for a few good videos about the Mormon Church and these are a few interesting ones.

The first is a Mormon Ad – SciFi, and as usual it is about families

I have also found an unusual one from a Mormon girl who wants to answer questions for sincere truth seekers. She is a little bit sarcastic and suggests haters to go visit a therapist…

Finally, a nice explanation of Mormon beliefs (Mormons are Christians) by Elder Coleman in the Mormon General Conference. Elder Gary J. Coleman talks about his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He speaks of his understanding of the true nature of the Godhead, access to additional scripture and revelation, and partaking of the blessings of priesthood authority.

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Jan

27

We have been recently challenged as members of the Mormon Church by Elder Ballard to raise our voices and tell honestly what we really believe.

With all the falsehoods and misconceptions about the Church found online, Elder Ballard urged the graduates to use their knowledge and testimony of the gospel to influence seekers of truth. “Today I want to encourage you to reach out to others in the world to help change the perception and even the hearts of millions of our Heavenly Father’s children by correcting misunderstandings by sharing with them the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.” (LDS Newsroom)

The following video is a few years old, and shows former Apostle, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, talking about the same problem while denouncing the unfair attacks of those who oppose the Mormon Church. We know that their opposition will not prevail, but we need to do our part, explaining our true beliefs, in humility but not in shyness. We cannot let other people define what we do believe.

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