A thought on the "sanctity" of life.

Equality is important.  The haves and the have nots are real and the divide between them is real.  One's morality can change depending on how much they have monetarily.  Real crises happen worldwide without people knowing about it all the time.  One problem that is becoming a bigger and bigger issue is the population.  We allow ourselves to be enraged when we learn of companies that abuse animals to mass produce their product to sell, such as chicken, or grain or beef, where the demand is through the roof.  We are part of the problem.  When I say we, I mean everyone, but I think there is something else there.  We are still being encouraged to have big families biologically.  I asked my wife not too long ago how she felt about adopting a child and she frankly told me she didn't think she would love that child as much as loving her own.  I understood that feeling.   We have a skewed view of the "sanctity" of life I think.  We espouse a holier than thou attitude and secretly feel that we are superior because we happened to be born in 'Murica.  Well I am starting to hate myself for that fact.  Being a white male in the U.S.of A. is starting to be embarrassing.  I don't think volunteering downtown even once a day and serving by giving your time to the church is going to even make God flinch.  Our fellow human beings are starving to death around the world and dying because of a lack of simple, cheap immunizations and we quietly turn our heads so as not to see it and preach the sanctity of life to those at home who want to abort a life before it starts because they don't have their own life figured out, or they just don't want to deal with a baby right now, or whatever.  Why do we have that issue to address? Because sexuality among teenagers and young adults isn't healthy either.  At least, we often don't teach a healthy sexual lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I don't condone prudish behavior, I just think we can do better as a society and encourage more communication.  And yes, I think if we would put it to a vote, we should at least talk about adoption and smaller families.  Again, this is a very personal matter and I cannot and would not tell someone that they should have less babies.  Please don't think that.  I also don't look at current families and think they could do without a few kids.  I am not that person.  But I don't think we teach and encourage adoption like we should.  I think it should be a higher priority.  I think I would enjoy a communist state where all things are equal and agriculture was healthy and all were "rich" in "blessings" that were being poured upon all for treating our neighbors as ourselves and not wanting more and being full of love.  I don't think those windows are open, even for those who give a tithe to their church.  I think corporate churches have long forgotten what tithing is supposed to do.

Just a small thought on sexuality, morality and organized religion

I would dare say that 99/100 bishops and stake presidents would say that they are not the third party in any bedroom (when talking to a couple in his ward/stake).  I don't know when it happened, but only a couple decades ago it seemed that they officially made that quiet transition, like sneaking out backwards after the couple was asleep and quietly shutting the door behind them, leaving their key inside.  They would instead suggest that a couple leaves God inside, treating each other with respect, keeping the lines of communication open, and ensuring you "feel the Spirit".  If your bishop/stake president wasn't on board before, they are now and it didn't seem like a revolutionary step in church policy.  With this guidance, a couple can presumably do whatever they wish to do, as long as both partners keep their relationship to each other a priority and ensure the other one is enjoying whatever you are both participating in.  Now I don't think it is necessary at this point to detail options a couple has.  I just want to point something out.  If the church has willingly left the bedroom to a heterosexual couple, why do they, and some political personalities think they can stay inside a homosexual bedroom?  I'm no sex expert, but judging from the last 11 1/2 years of marriage, I have found that sex isn't one or two dimensional.  I am also quite aware that there are many doors with opportunities behind them that I and my wife have not even cracked.  Many "opportunities" require specific body parts, and many opportunities do not.  Think about that for a minute.  Many sexual opportunities between a couple, behind closed doors, where a bishop has no say, do not require one partner is a man and one partner is a woman.  I just thought that was interesting when, at a couples party, exchanging white elephant gifts, a gift bag had some lingerie and handcuffs in it.  An eruption of joking came about and one of the last comments made was that there was nothing wrong with the handcuffs for an active, bishop-fearing Mormon.

What are we living for?

The more I read about politics and issues with Christianity, faith, science, our universe, greed, capitalism, ignorance and what drives people for either good or evil, one thing I am getting more and more fed up with: the power of money.  Money seems to trump all principles in the world.  I may be too cynical, but good ideas and and generally good people don't get far before either being snuffed out and silenced by someone/something with money, or becoming compromised by success (i.e., money).  I may have become so cynical that I am extremely wary about who I give my money to for charitable purposes.  If an organization is using way too much manpower with way too many offices with office furniture and standard pc's all to do a job that requires people on the ground moving food and supplies, and doctors administering a 20 cent immunization in Africa and volunteers at community locations spending time picking up supplies to deliver to a centralized location, is it any wonder why I am cynical?

Is there any hope anymore? When we even talk of hope, are we even on the same page? The disappearing middle class in America is a problem, but isn't it a reflection of what we accept in this nation as far as allowing the perfect capitalistic nature reach out and touch every single thing in our lives, infecting our worldview, how we live, act and conduct ourselves?