#Joseph Fielding Smith

[wasmormon]

Was the first vision a “vision”? Was it the “first” one? Which one is “The” first vision? There are so many different accounts. The gospel topic essay mentions some of the main versions, but they also gloss over the differences and dismiss them all. The First Vision is a total misnomer and can be completely debunked with some simple reading and thinking. Something the church does not want members to do, they do everything they can to keep members from looking at the accounts. They first tried to hide them, and then they dismiss them by saying "we’ve always been honest and transparent about these accounts, and they all tell the same consistent story anyways, so don’t worry, trust us" ...

[mindfulldsliving]

Alma 40: Understanding the Plan of Salvation and Resurrection

In Alma 40, the resurrection isn't just a distant event; it's a pivotal part of our spiritual path, assuring us that our spirits continue after death and will reunite with our bodies.

Expository Study of Alma 40Understanding the Plan of Salvation, Pre-existence, and Resurrection Ever wondered how the teachings in Alma 40 can deepen your understanding of the Plan of Salvation? This chapter sheds light on the doctrine of Pre-existence, the Plan of Salvation, and the resurrection, which are central to Latter-day Saint theology. Through Alma’s words, we learn about the state of…

[kvitka97]

I love this movie so much.

Bill Paxton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are my favourite actors but really they’re all great!

Twister (1996)

[cinemaquiles]

Você sabia? O legado de "Twister" (1996)

[one-odd-ood]

BEHOLD! The Twister Molecule, Part II. The rest of the crew (and Meg) all connected together in three movies or less.

That’s a big ol’ kick in the face between Nic Cage and Leelee Sobieski there. #HOW’D IT GET BURNED

Oh! That’s Deep Impact between her and Elijah Wood. Whoops.

[nerdygaymormon]

President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation to approve the sealing of an MTF trans woman to her husband in the Washington DC Temple in 1980. The sealing was performed by a Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the Seventy.

Dr. Gregory Prince wrote about it on the blog By Common Consent (BCC) in Nov 2015.

In January 2016, a blogger wrote about the BCC post. In the comments section, a person identifying as Ann wrote to say that she is the person who was sealed. She provides some detail, including the date of the sealing and the name of the Seventy who performed the marriage.

Unfortunately, I don't know an official Church source for this, so I don't know how much it will matter to your family.

It’s important to understand that Dr. Prince is credible because it’s his eye-witness account that we have about a trans woman being sealed to a man in the temple.

Dr. Gregory Prince has a PhD and his career was in the prevention and treatment of pediatric infectious diseases. 

He took the research skills in the medical field, combined it with his interest in history, and wrote several books on religious history and theology:

Having Authority: The Origins and Development of Priesthood During the Ministry of Joseph Smith (1993) 

Power from On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood (1995)

David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism (2005) 

Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History (2016)

Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences (2019) 

He was also interviewed as part of the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons

————————————————

This woman was sealed to her husband. So either she's gonna be a woman in the eternities, or if not then this is a same-sex sealing. It's an interesting example of how we could expand our use of the sealing power if we chose to

[timemachineyeah]

I really, really need you to elaborate on this note you left on a post. I'm fascinated.

If you don't I'm sure I'll survive but this is an absolutely intriguing concept.

Whoooo, yeah, let's talk about Mormon theology and cosmology!!!

In response to me saying that this is basically Mormon theology, because it absolutely is

(I swear, being raised Mormon, and especially the studious and serious kind, and then leaving the church is like that bit in the first episode of The Office where they think they might be getting shut down and Jim says something like, "I know so much about paper. What I am supposed to do with all this knowledge if I don't work here any more." Like I never got very far in The Office, but I think about that feeling all the time.)

From the book of Mormon, 2nd Nephi Chapter 2:

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. 24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Also worth noting that Mormons are so opposed to original sin that it's actually the second of the 13 Articles of Faith, which I had to memorize in grade school. The only article that comes before it is the one saying we believe in God, Jesus, and The Holy Ghost.

"2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression."

And stealing from the church's official current website on the topic

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said: “I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. … This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin … for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!”

Adam's fall is considered an unequivocal good to Mormons. So this whole take on theology taps into two very import Mormon principles.

The first is "agency", "free agency", or "free will". This basically boils down to: you can't grow, your actions can't matter, if you don't have a choice. The ability to choose is power, and we are here specifically to experience that freedom and to learn how to use it.

This was actually the basis of a premortal war (don't ask how folks without bodies who can't die do a war, I've no idea) between Lucifer and Jesus, because Lucifer wanted to guarantee everyone's salvation by eliminating the ability to choose wrong. The losing side was cast out of heaven and that's where Satan and demons come from!

Here have a musical number about from a VHS I used to watch constantly (in case the link malfunctions, relevant song starts at 10:55)

The second is, "opposition". Basically, things can only exist in contrast. You can only truly recognize something in comparison to something else. Ergo, a world without suffering or sin is also a world without joy or virtue. It is a nothing world. Here, a worse song from the same musical! (starts at 8:57)

By this principle, the Garden of Eden, while wonderful from the outside in retrospect, was not wonderful from within, because Adam and Eve had no frame of reference for it. To them it was just Existence, and as an existence was fairly bland.

Another thing to understand here is that Mormons believe in a premortal existence. We are all, spiritually, as ancient as God is. We've all always existed. Another Mormon principle is one of "Eternal Progress" - the idea that we are always on a journey to improve, and are capable of improving to even the state of Heavenly Father.

I remember asking once if Heavenly Father was done progressing, and told we can't possibly know, but it's possible that even He has more progress to make. But if so, we can't possibly comprehend what he is progressing towards and it's not relevant to us now.

It's important to realize that "As man is, God once was. As God is, man might become" is, like, central to Mormon theology. We aren't lesser things than God, just not as far progressed. He's among the first caterpillars to figure out how to make a chrysalis and become a butterfly and he's trying to show us how to do the same.

Regardless, a necessary step to this progress, to growth, is to live a mortal physical life in a body. A body is so important that Mormons believe at the second coming everyone who ever lived will be resurrected into "perfect" eternal immortal bodies. (This ALL creates MANY logistical and theological problems but we don't have time for all that!)

Other necessary steps include compulsive heterosexuality, marriage, and having children. Because of course.

But if God's power is not innate, but rather something he has gained by being Perfectly Good And Noble - which is like the Force or something - then he isn't truly omnipotent. He is so powerful and omniscient that to us mere mortals the distinction is meaningless, but God cannot endorse harm or cruelty without potentially losing his Godhood. Godhood is conditional upon good behavior. Morality is a natural force in the universe that can be utilized, but! See above about opposition! And free will! To utilize it, you have to be capable of knowingly being bad and choose good anyway!

This puts God in kind of a bind when it comes to guiding humanity.

He needs people to have knowledge of good and evil, but if he gives it to them directly, he'd kinda be doing a bad thing? Like, he'd be causing suffering to just force knowledge of good and evil upon us. The suffering can't be something inflicted upon humanity, it has to be a product of human choice. And choice is essential, but to learn to make choices, first you must be presented with simple ones.

Like Adam and Eve are immortal, physical, useless baby adults who cannot progress. They need to progress, and they also need to get to boning or else all the other spirit children waiting in heaven to be born will not have bodies.

So God sets up a little trap. A little trick. Just a fun little -just a fun little game.

He puts a tree in the garden and he's like, "Just leaving this over here. Don't touch it. But it's right here. See it? Right here. Just making sure you saw it. Yeah, don't touch it. In fact, two commandments for you.

Go have kids

Don't eat that fruit"

And Adam and Eve are like, "cool, great, awesome."

And God is like, really loudly in front of Lucifer/The Snake like, "Oh noooooooo. I sure hope they don't eat from this treeeeee. That would be terrrrrrible! They'd learn about SIN and BECOME MORTAL." and Satan is like "tehehehe I have a great idea!"

Meanwhile Eve, who is currently a metaphysical biological immortal, does not know what sex is and has no sex drive. She's like, "Sooooo? The kids part? How that?"

And the snake is like "You can find out, but you gotta eat this fruit" (true! this is Eden, it is still free from sin. The snake cannot lie here, yet. Because folk Mormon theology - Satan can't lie! That's a fun fact about him. He twists and manipulates truths, but lying is a Mortal gift we got from the whole Fruit thing that Eve is about to do)

And Eve is like, "Yeah, sure, I want babies. God told me to have them so...." and eats the fruit exactly as God intended her to, tempted by the snake exactly as God planned. And she was like, "Oh! I WANNA BONE ADAM. ADAM EAT THIS SO YOU KNOW WHAT BONING IS SO I CAN BONE YOU."

But then they were materially and metaphysically changed, so they couldn't stay in the Garden anymore. Less about casting out, more about God having to follow the Moral Metaphysical Laws that give him his power.

I was even taught it's not even that childbirth/periods/menstrual pain were punishments from God. They are just natural results of sexual reproduction and the part where God says that's gonna happen now isn't him giving Eve a curse, just kinda God giving Eve some sex ed. Since she'll need it.

Basically, God couldn't tell Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, and in fact was morally obligated to tell them not to, because doing so would cause suffering and death. But the suffering and death aren't a punishment from God, they're just facts about the world that become real when you know about them, but you have to know about them and experience them in order to know and experience good things also, and become closer to being a god yourself, and God wanted us to have good things, so he wanted us to eat that fruit. Which is why he put it there.

So very much like leaving water out for a cat who thinks they're being naughty but actually you just want your cat to be hydrated.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed: “This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’ (emphasis added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.”

And before any baby Mormons come in here like, "nuh uh!" about any part of this, your "eternal truths" have been so watered down in the past several decades by leadership trying to seem mainstream and cling to hemorrhaging membership. Y'all don't even know your theology anymore half the time, and what's worse is it's just as toxic as ever but like 200% less interesting. I like Mormonism better when they're proudly declaring Bigfoot is Cain and talking about how John the Beloved already has an immortal body and has been wandering the world for 2000 years and confidently claiming he was the stranger who helped them fix a tire that one time.

[user2772636]

Mr. Beauty and Brains

A chicken shop date

《~/♧\~》

《~/♧\~》

An interview with a famous philosophy professor who gained fame from being one of the youngest in his field and being an attractive one, too. Is an interview for a first date too much?

~~~

Professor!Joseph Descamps x Interviewer!Reader

Warnings: None, just fluff

Yes, this is in direct reference to Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date.

~~~

~~~

Joseph Descamps was just a normal philosophy professor. He taught at an English university, a bit far from home, but it pays well.

Emphasis on was.

When one of his students posts a video of him with the caption, "When your philosophy teacher is your age," he goes from living a normal life to worldwide news.

Everyone commented on his young age, yes, but they mostly comment on how good-looking he was. Back in France, he wasn't really considered good-looking. More so "mid-looking." He guesses it's him growing out his hair.

So, maybe, just maybe, when you were scrolling through your news feed and found the man in an article called "Young and beautiful: Philosophy professor gains fame," you thought to interview him.

It would benefit you and your fans. Your fans because they seem to be interested in the man, too, and you because your channel can grow. Plus, a date with beauty and brains? Who would turn that down?

So when you got in contact with him, asking for a date-interview, expecting him to say no, he surprisingly agreed.

There you were now in that chicken shop, ready for a date with the hot philosophy professor. What could go wrong?

《~/♧\~》

"I actually watch your videos." Joseph says casually, dipping his fries into some ketchup and nibbling it down. Though he teaches in London, his french accent is very audible.

"Really?" I ask in disbelief. I didn't know professors, especially pretty ones like him, watched videos like mine.

"Yeah. That's why I agreed." He chuckles, taking a sip of his drink. "I saw your text and didn't believe it. I was in the middle of my class, my students were taking an exam, and then suddenly, your name popped up. I literally stood up from my chair in shock. Ask one of thosw kids, they'll tell you."

I laugh at the situation, then act unsurprised. "Oh, yeah, well, I tend to give people that reaction. You know, Jude Bellingham quite literally passed out."

He laughs out loud, whipping his head back. When he regains composure, he asks a question that gets me weak in the knees, and I'm already sitting down.

"Yeah?"

Fuck, he sounded good. It's weird to think he's a teacher.

"Yeah."

"Well, anyone would if it's a date with you." I smile slightly, blush coating my cheeks.

"I know."

《~/♧\~》

"I heard you used to model." He chuckles, bringing a hand to the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I did. Just needed to pay for my own education." He tilts his head, smiling up at me. Why is he so cute?

"That's cool. I mean, you are pretty tall." I shrug, keeping my act up. He smiles at this even more.

"Why do you act like that?" He asks, voice low.

"Like what?" I act dumb, nibbling on my food.

"Like you hate me." I squint, looking to the side.

"Well, what if I do?" I raise my eyebrows in question.

"You don't." He's right. I don't.

"How are you so sure?" I clear my throat, the tension in the air thick.

"I just do." He leans back in his chair. "But that's alright. Turns me on."

"Yeah, I totally hate you." He laughs a breath, and I roll my eyes with a smile.

《~/♧\~》

"What's your type?" I ask, sipping on my drink.

"Um, probably smart girls. I like them smart." He nods, and I nod along.

"Well, not to brag or anything, but I competed in maths all throughout high school." I purse my lips, shrugging. He leans in with endearment.

"Did you really?" He seems so eager. I'm suddenly thankful for all of the late nights I stayed up during my school years.

"Yup. Nothing special." I take a bite of my chicken, and Joseph only stares with wide eyes and a half open mouth.

"That's... That's fucking hot." He leans back, wiping a hand on his face.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." He chuckles briefly, leaning back in with his arms on the table.

"Oh God, marry me." It was my turn to laugh. When he doesn't laugh with me, my smile drops.

"Are you serious? Why?" I furrow my brows, genuinely confused. This beautiful and smart man in front of me wants to marry me?

"Cause I'm in love with you? I mean, I got a job early in my age, maybe I should get married early, too." He shrugs as if it were simple.

"In your dreams, Mr. Descamps." He licks his lips with a smile, and I almost melt.

"I was hoping for an "I do", but that works, too. I'll dream about you." Why does he have to talk like this. Damn the french.

《~/♧\~》

When I get reminded of the fact there's a camera crew neside us recording every single interaction, I secretly wish they hadn't captured the way his knees touched mine under the table, or how his fingers fiddled with the tips of mind when both our hands were on the table.

We were about to say goodbye, when-

"Can I get your number?" Joseph asks, towering over me with his hands in his pockets. I was gonna say yes a million times, then pull him in to make out with me, but that's a bit too much. Some teasing might work.

"What, you want another interview?" I ask, smiling a bit up at him.

"No. But I won't mind it. I just want you." I blush at this, my legs feeling jelly again, worse now that I'm stood up.

"Sure, whatever, I don't care." He hands me his phone, and I jot the number down, not failing to notice the name,"Mrs. Descamps" placed on the contact already. I don't stop it.

"I'll text, I promise." He purses his lips, looking at me with genuinity. I smile softly, kissing his cheek.

"I know you will." I get up on my tip toes to kiss his cheek.

《~/♧\~》

So, you may or may not be on the top most tweets on the internet, name next to Joseph's on the tag, "#MrDescampsCSD."

After the video was posted, people started shipping you. They gave you the ship name "J-Y/N." You wouldn't say it bothered you, because it doesn't.

And yes, the media caught you kissing his cheek. And yes, they think you're dating. But who's dumb enough to believe that?

"Chérie?" A voice calls out from your flat's corridor, followed by the door closing and keys dropping on the table.

"In here!" I shout from my place on the couch. I feel lips press on my temple.

"Half day today, I told you. I'm making lunch." Joseph Descamps says as he peeks at what you're reading.

"What's J-Y/N?" He squints his eyes at the screen, trying to read a bit more. I pull the phone from his sight, sitting up.

"Nothing you need to worry about, joli. Come here." I stand up, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. Always, after work, no matter what time he gets off, he'll receive a hug and more from me.

He sighs deeply, loosely wrapping his arms around my waist and inhaling my scent.

"I needed this."

"You always do." I kiss his hair, swaying absentmindedly.

Okay, you have to admit, it's pretty cool thinking that you were just interviewing him and now you live in the same place. He was only a professor before he met you. Now he's in love.

《~/♧\~》

This is so cutesy. Also made this bcs of lando. Like ik im late asf but atleast its smth 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[alliluyevas]

book recommendations on mormon history?

oooh worm. very excited. I'm going to focus for now on what I would consider the best introduction books to Mormon history (of the ones I have read).

the number one book I would recommend for people who know little to nothing about Mormon history is American Zion: A New History of Mormonism by Benjamin Park. I think it is an excellent new entry to help fit a much-needed niche of "overview broad-brushstrokes history of Mormonism that is not written from an explicitly faithful perspective." (The author is LDS, but it's definitely written to appeal to secular audiences in a way that the other existing overview books which are mostly church-produced are not.) It goes from Joseph Smith all the way up until Mitt Romney, essentially.

If you want something that goes a little bit deeper and doesn't cover quite as much time, I actually would also recommend Dr. Park's other book, Kingdom of Nauvoo, which covers the period of Mormon settlement in Illinois from 1838-1846, including the advent of polygamy and Joseph Smith's assassination. The Nauvoo era is really interesting and arguably the most crucial period in very early (pre-Utah) Mormonism.

For a narrower focus within the Nauvoo era, American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church is also pretty good and is a very accessible read. Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, The Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom covers a lot of the same ground. I would still recommend these books for Mormon history "beginners" because Joseph Smith's life and death is so pivotal.

In terms of reading more about Joseph Smith, I would recommend Fawn Brodie's biography No Man Knows My History, with some caveats. I think this is a beautifully written book and a lot of the scholarship does hold up, but a) it was written in the 1940s b) it was written by someone who was in the process of leaving Mormonism and definitely takes the position pretty stridently that He Made It All Up and it's controversial within Mormon history as a field because of that. There have been other biographies of JS written since Brodie: Dan Vogel's is good but extremely dense, and Richard Bushman's I have not read so I don't feel like I can recommend it. (Side note: I think it is very difficult to write biography about Joseph Smith because the question of whether or not the author believes he was a prophet and the subsequent question of whether or not the author believes he believed he was a prophet is really omnipresent. I don't think you can really evaluate his life and work without also evaluating the truth claims of Mormonism as a religion in a way that is not quite as true for subsequent church leaders.)

Speaking of subsequent church leaders, I would really strongly recommend Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet by my former professor John Turner, who is really getting gassed up on this blog today, lol. Great bio of the man who shaped Mormonism more than anyone except Joseph Smith (and, arguably, just as much as Joseph Smith.) I actually think this would work fantastically as an overview too because Brigham Young joined the church very early so you basically get a front row seat from origins well into the Utah period.

I wish I had more intro recs about the Utah period or about Mormon women's history/polygamy, but a lot of what I've read on that is either really niche in focus or really dense, so I'm not sure it is a great place to start. That being said, if you want a female perspective on early Mormonism, you should read Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith which is a biography of Joseph Smith's legal wife. It's a great book and was a really ground-breaking classic in Mormon history that imo totally changed the mainstream LDS narrative about Emma.

[heathersdesk]

LDS Church History for Beginners

Somebody mentioned they wanted to get around to digging more into Church history. I could give a topical list, but I think the better way to do this is to give a list of people whose lives and words will illuminate how/why/when the Church became what it is today.

Emma Smith: her experience with polygamy, the suspension of the Relief Society, and her conflict with Brigham Young after the death of Joseph Smith.

Brigham Young: the experiences of his wives, his racial biases and support for slavery and segregation, and the conflicts with indigenous people that occurred under his leadership.

Emmeline B. Wells: her writings defending polygamy, women's empowerment, and her advocacy of women's suffrage.

The excommunications of apostle Richard Lyman (for adultery) and patriarch to the Church Joseph Fielding Smith (for homosexuality.) Also note that there were multiple Joseph Fielding Smiths. The prophet was a different one.

J. Reuben Clark: his authorship of segregationist, homosexualist, and anti-feminist thought in the modern Church, post-WWII.

Spencer W. Kimball: his impact on the Church's role in defeating the ERA. Also the Indian Placement Program, and the mechanics of how the racial restriction was enforced.

Ezra Taft Benson: his relationship with and advocacy for the John Birch Society, the Red Scare, and his open animosity towards Hugh B. Brown.

The September Six: their advocacy, excommunications, and the works of D. Michael Quinn.

Chieko Okazaki: her life and faith and her criticism of the Family Proclamation.

Also, a piece of advice: when trying to see/understand any aspect of Church history, with all of the tragedy that can entail, I find it helpful to connect with the voices and perspectives of LDS women.

"How do I keep my faith alive when *this* is what our people are like?" is a question LDS women have been answering since 1830. They don't just fall in line behind every ridiculous thing a person in authority says, does, or wants to do. They never have, which is part of why those in leadership weren't interested in telling the stories of LDS women for so long. No study of Church history is accurate or complete if it doesn't include the perspectives of women.

[apollos-olives]

There are more than 45,000 denominations of Christianity globally. No denomination believes the same thing. It’s really weird, but yeah, some Christians believe in an eternal hell, some believe that everyone is going to heaven, some don’t believe in the Bible literally, some take the bible VERY LITERALLY, etc. Some people Mormons even believe that black people are cursed!

in 1957 Joseph Fielding Smith taught that the "dark skin was placed upon the Lamanites so that they could be distinguished from the Nephites and to keep the two peoples from mixing. The dark skin was the sign of the curse.

And in 1974 the Church published a pamphlet entitled "Lamanites and the Book of Mormon" which stated that the "Lamanites were marked by the Lord with a darker skin."

Whether this is taught anymore, idk, I’m not Mormon. But it’s always interesting to know new things.

MORMONS BELIEVE WHAT

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

La liste des stars de la musique, du cinéma et de la télévision qui ont soutenu Kamala : Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi, Tyler Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Beyoncee, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, David Letterman, Jennifer Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Bryan Tyree Henry, Scarlet Johanson, Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bettany, Chris Evans, Dania Guria, Ben Stiller, Andy Cohen, Harrison Ford, Jack Black, Billie Eilish, Anne Hathaway, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Porter, Jennifer Lawrence, Eminem, Jason Bateman, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Patton Oswalt, Emmy Rossum, Glenn Close, Kumail Nanjiani, Jason Alexander, Kevin Smith, Steven Colbert, Larry David, Morgan Freeman, Cher, Nick Offerman, Michael Keaton, Jeff Bridges, Josh Bag, Sean Aston, Bradley Whitford, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Kelly, Paul Schreer, Misha Collins, Mark Hamill, Lance Bass, Josh Groban, Matt Damon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Ferrel, Billy Eichner, Alicia Keys, Usher, Dave Bautista, Jimmy Kimmel, membrii formației Mumford & Sons, John Legend, Pink, Maren Morris, Keenan Thompson, Lil John, Eva Longoria, Mindy Kaling, Tony Goldwyn, D.L. Hughley, Lizzo, Martin Sheen, Sigourney Weaver, George Lopez, Howard Stern, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Marc Anthony, Sam Elliot, Keegan Michael Key, John Stamos, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jon Hamm, Cecily Strong, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Rosie O' Donnel, Kathy Griffin, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Anthony Anderson, Sally Field, Rob Reiner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, George Takei, Mia Farrow, Alyssa Milano, Sandra Bernhard, John Cleese, Michael Ian Black, Piper Perabo, Stephen King, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Marisa Hargitay, Sheryl Lee Ralph, GloRilla, Padma Lashmi, Matthew Modine, Aubrey Plaza, Fat Joe, Christina Aquilera, Dick Van Dyke, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, LeBron James, Jennifer Aniston, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Ricky Martin, Chappel Roan, Martha Stewart, Steph Curry, Sara Bareilles, Olivia Rodrigo, Tina Knowles, Shonda Rhimes.

📍Les journaux nationaux et les chaînes de télévision qui ont soutenu Kamala : CBS, NBC, MSNBC, abc, CNN, New York Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, Houston Chronicle, The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, Las Vegas Sun, The Philadephia Inquirer, Rolling Stone, Daily Herald, Times Union, Newsday, Lincoln Journal Star, Vogue, The Republican, The Sun Chronicle, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Observer et d’autres plus petites.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Seventeen-year-old Elinor Smith, aka "The Flying Flapper," established an endurance flying record for women when she landed at Mitchel Field after staying aloft 13 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds, January 31, 1929. The record was previously held by Miss Bobby Trout of California. Smith is helped from the plane by her father, Tom Smith (right) and Joseph Brunner, after the flight.

Photo: Associated Press via the Chattanooga Times Free Press

[dannyreviews]

Golden Age of Hollywood Actors Born Before (And Including) 1936 Still Alive

This only includes actors that had at least one credited role in a Hollywood feature film or short up to 1959.

Elisabeth Waldo (b. 1918)

Caren Marsh Doll (b. 1919)

Patricia Wright (b. 1921)

Jacqueline White (b. 1922)

Annette Warren (b. 1922)

Ray Anthony (b. 1922)

Tommy Dix (b. 1923)

Eva Marie Saint (b. 1924)

Anne Vernon (b. 1924)

Maria Riva (b. 1924)

June Lockhart (b. 1925)

Lee Grant (b. 1925)

Peggy Webber (b. 1925)

Lise Bourdin (b. 1925)

Brigitte Auber (b. 1925)

Kerima (b. 1925)

Terry Kilburn (b. 1926) 

Marilyn Erskine (b. 1926)

Bambi Linn (b. 1926)

David Frankham (b. 1926)

Tommy Morton (b. 1926)

Jill Jarmyn (b. 1926)

Marilyn Knowlden (b. 1926)

Genevieve Page (b. 1927)

Donna Martell (b. 1927)

William Smithers (b. 1927)

Peter Walker (b. 1927)

H.M. Wynant (b. 1927)

Betty Harford (b. 1927)

Cora Sue Collins (b. 1927)

Marilyn Granas (b. 1927)

Ann Blyth (b. 1928)

Nancy Olson (b. 1928)

Peggy Dow (b. 1928)

Kathleen Hughes (b. 1928)

Colleen Townsend (b. 1928)

Marion Ross (b. 1928)

Gaby Rodgers (b. 1928)

Jan Shepard (b. 1928)

Walter Maslow (b. 1928)

Tom Troupe (b. 1928)

Sidney Kibrick (b. 1928)

Garry Watson (b. 1928)

Fay Chaldecott (b. 1928)

Mark Rydell (b. 1929)

Terry Moore (b. 1929)

Vera Miles (b. 1929)

Ann Robinson (b. 1929)

Liseotte Pulver (b. 1929)

James Hong (b. 1929)

Rachel Ames (b. 1929)

Olga James (b. 1929)

Michael Forest (b. 1929)

Vikki Dougan (b. 1929)

Steve Terrell (b. 1929)

Margaret Kerry (b. 1929)

James Congdon (b. 1929)

Betsy Gay (b. 1929)

Jack Betts (b. 1929)

Clint Eastwood (b. 1930)

Joanne Woodward (b. 1930)

Mara Corday (b. 1930)

Nita Talbot (b. 1930)

Taina Elg (b. 1930)

Robert Wagner (b. 1930)

John Astin (b. 1930)

Tommy Cook (b. 1930)

Mary Costa (b. 1930)

Lois Smith (b. 1930)

Will Hutchins (b. 1930)

Peggy King (b. 1930)

Lynn Hamilton (b. 1930)

Don Burnett (b. 1930)

Clark Burroughs (b. 1930)

Robert Hinkle (b. 1930)

Sheila Connolly (b. 1930)

Barbara Bestar (b. 1930)

Rita Moreno (b. 1931)

Leslie Caron (b. 1931)

Carroll Baker (b. 1931)

William Shatner (b. 1931)

Mamie Van Doren (b. 1931)

Robert Colbert (b. 1931)

Barbara Eden (b. 1931)

Angie Dickinson (b. 1931)

Claire Bloom (b. 1931)

Marianne Koch (b. 1931)

Sylvia Lewis (b. 1931)

Carmen De Lavallade (b. 1931)

Zohra Lampert (b. 1931)

Michael Dante (b. 1931)

Ann McCrea (b. 1931)

Jack Grinnage (b. 1931)

Maralou Gray (b. 1931)

Billy Mindy (b. 1931)

Sugar Dawn (b. 1931)

Joanne Arnold (b. 1931)

Joel Grey (b. 1932)

George Chakiris (b. 1932)

Felicia Farr (b. 1932)

Abbe Lane (b. 1932)

Steve Rowland (b. 1932)

Jacqueline Beer (b. 1932)

Colleen Miller (b. 1932)

Joanne Gilbert (b. 1932)

Olive Moorefield (b. 1932)

Neile Adams (b. 1932)

Jacqueline Duval (b. 1932)

Edna May Wonnacott (b. 1932)

Richard Tyler (b. 1932)

Mickey Roth (b. 1932)

Leon Tyler (b. 1932)

Peggy McIntyre (b. 1932)

Christiane Martel (b. 1932)

Elsa Cardenas (b. 1932)

Claude Bessy (b. 1932)

Kim Novak (b. 1933)

Julie Newmar (b. 1933)

Debra Paget (b. 1933)

Constance Towers (b. 1933)

Joan Collins (b. 1933)

Kathleen Nolan (b. 1933)

Brett Halsey (b. 1933)

Robert Fuller (b. 1933)

Pat Crowley (b. 1933)

Barrie Chase (b. 1933)

Jackie Joseph (b. 1933)

Geoffrey Horne (b. 1933)

Tsai Chin (b. 1933)

Lita Milan (b. 1933)

Vera Day (b. 1933)

Diana Darrin (b. 1933)

Ziva Rodann (b. 1933)

Jeanette Sterke (b. 1933)

Marti Stevens (b. 1933)

Annette Dionne (b. 1933)

Cecile Dionne (b. 1933)

Johnny Russell (b. 1933)

Patti Hale (b. 1933)

Gary Clarke (b. 1933)

Shirley MacLaine (b. 1934) 

Sophia Loren (b. 1934)

Shirley Jones (b. 1934)

Russ Tamblyn (b. 1934)

Pat Boone (b. 1934)

Audrey Dalton (b. 1934)

Claude Jarman Jr. (b. 1934)

Tina Louise (b. 1934)

Karen Sharpe (b. 1934)

Joyce Van Patten (b. 1934)

May Britt (b. 1934)

Joby Baker (b. 1934)

Jamie Farr (b. 1934)

Myrna Hansen (b. 1934)

Priscilla Morgan (b. 1934)

Aki Aeong (b. 1934)

Robert Fields (b. 1934)

Dani Crayne (b. 1934)

Donnie Dunagan (b. 1934)

Richard Hall (b. 1934)

Charles Bates (b. 1934)

Marilyn Horne (b. 1934)

Marilee Earle (b. 1934)

Rod Dana (b. 1935) 

Pippa Scott (b. 1935)

Ruta Lee (b. 1935)

Barbara Bostock (b. 1935)

Johnny Mathis (b. 1935)

Leslie Parrish (b. 1935)

Salome Jens (b. 1935)

Yvonne Lime (b. 1935)

Jean Moorehead (b. 1935)

Marco Lopez (b. 1935)

Joyce Meadows (b. 1935)

Christopher Severn (b. 1935)

Richard Nichols (b. 1935)

Carol Coombs (b. 1935)

Nino Tempo (b. 1935)

Patricia Prest (b. 1935)

Dawn Bender (b. 1935)

John Considine (b. 1935)

Jerry Farber (b. 1935)

Clyde Willson (b. 1935)

Bob Burns (b. 1935)

Susan Kohner (b. 1936)

Millie Perkins (b. 1936)

Burt Brickenhoff (b. 1936)

Mason Alan Dinehart (b. 1936)

Anna Maria Alberghetti (b. 1936)

Lisa Davis (b. 1936)

Joan O'Brien (b. 1936)

Richard Harrison (b. 1936)

Tommy Ivo (b. 1936)

John Wilder (b. 1936)

Gary Conway (b. 1936)

Michael Chapin (b. 1936)

Carol Morris (b. 1936)

Fernando Alvarado (b. 1936)

[goetiae]

Black Butler deals with the topic of blood transfusion in the arc(s) centered around O!Ciel's twin brother and Undertaker's experiments in reviving the dead.

While the story is fictional, Yana Toboso does manage to introduce a few concepts about blood transfusion that are historically true to how it was handled in the Late Victorian period that the series is set in. However, like any fictional piece it also features multiple unrealistic episodes which simply would not have taken place in the Victorian era in the way that it did in the series.

Blood transfusions were still a novelty in the medical field: the procedure dates back as recently as the 17th century. William Harvey conducted experiments on blood and concluded that it circulates indefinitely (Du Motu Cordis, 1628). The matter of circulation in the manga was brought up by Othello, and it is in fact interesting that for Victorians it was still a fairly recent discovery.

The first blood transfusions were not used to assist people suffering blood loss - instead, they had to deal with attempting to cure damage received by the body after giving birth. Most early transfusions happened to try and resolve the issue of postpartum hemorrhage in women. Despite women being largely in the focus, men were mostly seen as proper donors: Anne Marie Moulin writes that in nineteenth-century transfusion, women were rarely donors, as their blood was held to be less plentiful and vital.

What we do not witness in Black Butler is the widespread usage of interspecies blood transfusion: delivery of blood to humans from lambs, cows, calves, dogs, and such. Jean-Baptiste Denis was a pioneer of the procedure and conducted his first lamb-to-human transfusion in 1667. However, we are familiarized with the thought expressed by two characters, Sieglinde and Othello: the history of blood transfusion is a complicated one, and for a good reason.

After being banned for nearly two centuries since its birth in France, blood transfusion revitalized in the 19th century in England with the work of James Blundell who concluded that animal transfusion did not prove to be effective and first worked with a human subject. Some of his experiments were successful, some not, though he persisted.

Interestingly, Blundell was an avid believer in the nourishing, nearly life-giving qualities of blood transfusion. He spoke of it as if introduction of new blood into the body literally had the ability to bring back the dead: a sentiment perhaps reflected in Undertaker's experiments to revive R!Ciel.

His experiments went far enough to lead to the invention of an "impellor", a tool that is a mix of a pump and a funnel used for direct blood transfusion. He also invented a "gravitator", a chair with an additional tool to collect blood before it's delivered to the patient. Similar tools can be seen being used on the victims kidnapped to supply R!Ciel, and on himself.

R!Ciel seems to remain in elevation for his transfusions, which is something that was believed to be helpful as gravitational flow dragged blood into the vein. The tool that Undertaker is using clearly has a pump, which is also true to how transfusions were done. It should be additionally noted that nasal cannula R!Ciel is wearing in later chapters would not be invented until 1949.

Further inventions and discoveries in the field were made: Thomas Smith used defibrilated blood for transfusions and M.B. Higginson invented a special syringe that was, however, later used for other purposes. A new leap in transfusion methods was attempted by T. G. Thomas who, knowing of blood's tendency to coagulate, argued that it's best to use milk - a practice that had its roots in Canada and the US. The dangers of blood transfusion due to contamination began to be spoken about only around the second half of the century when Joseph Lister invented (1867) antiseptics.

Interestingly, the phenomenon of blood coagulation is slightly touched upon in the manga: Siegliende marks that mixing two types of blood together leads to the mixture thickening.

In the very end of the century, medicine saw invention of a saline mixture, which is employed as 0,9% Normal Saline in blood transfusions even nowadays. William Brooke O'Shaughnessy and Thomas A. Latta experimented on both dogs and humans with a saline mixture, remarking that it revitalized their patients well.

The Medical Journal Records of 1883 speak of use of saline in treating cholera patients during the epidemics; multiple cases of use are also marked in the British Medical Journal. These interesting details did not make it to the manga as of now, though it does additionally emphasize how unlikely blood transfusions were by the end of the century and how greatly the practice went into decay. This does, however, explain the secrecy with which Undertaker acts.

Lastly, Siegliende and Othello both note that not knowing of blood types was indeed a great obstacle in the medical field at the time. The history of transfusions is full of unfortunate cases and failed experiments with many victims: ensuring blood transfusion's success was impossible until 1901 when blood types were first discovered by Karl Lendsteiner.

[nerdygaymormon]

A Brief History of the LDS Church's Transgender Teachings and Policies

Gender identity and gender roles are important in LDS theology and practices. For most of the 1800s, church presidents Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had men, women, and children sit separately for all Sunday meetings. Nowadays, some of the Sundays church meetings are still divided by biological sex. Temple worship is also similarly divided.

For decades, the LDS Church believed that in the premortal life, when intelligences were organized into spirits that they may have chosen whether to live as male or female during mortality, and that poor choices during their time on earth could demote them back to a genderless condition. Joseph Fielding Smith, who was made an apostle in 1910 and became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1970, was well known for teaching that those who do not reach the Celestial Kingdom will be neither man nor woman, merely immortal beings.

As a teenager in the 1980's, I remember being in Sunday School class and the teacher saying that when we're resurrected we can look down, and if we don't see a penis or vagina then we know we're not making it to the Celestial Kingdom.

Along with this, for many years the LDS Church seems to have viewed all queerness as a form of gender confusion, whether it was a man thinking he's a woman or a man who is attracted to other men.

As the fight over gay marriage ramped up, the teaching about genderless spiritual beings was replaced with the idea that gender is forever and this was incorporated into the 1995 Family Proclamation which states that "gender is an essential characteristic of individual pre-mortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

The idea is that each of us are a son or daughter of heterosexual & cisgender heavenly parents, and we are meant to become like them. There is a strict binary of spiritual gender identities and gender roles. Ideally, our bodies should be formed in a way that reflects our spiritual body, including our spiritual gender, but the reality of the physical world is that things often don't work as we'd expect them to, but that doesn't change our spiritual gender.

Let me take this moment to point out that the notion of gender being eternal does not exist in scripture, this is a fairly recent evolution.

And while the idea is that gender is an innate and unchangeable part of our souls, the Church has also felt that gender needs to be nurtured, protected, and defended. There have been many rules about what women may wear to BYU and to Sunday services. For many years the advice to leaders on how to counsel with young men experiencing same sex attraction was to have them spend time around manly men and participate in masculine activities, and to not wear androgynous or feminine styles.

For a long time, LDS Church leaders were more aware of homosexuality and focused on this, and their mentions of trans people remained pretty infrequent.

In 1980, Spencer W. Kimball was president of the LDS Church and was outspoken opponent of homosexuality, however he authorized the sealing of a trans woman to her husband in the Washington, D.C. temple. Perhaps in response to this, later that year LDS authorities updated the official General Handbook of Instructions to officially prohibit “transsexual operations.” The handbook stated that “members who have undergone transsexual operations must be excommunicated” and that “after excommunication such a person is not eligible for baptism.”

I first got access to Handbook 1 in 2016, and excommunication was still the standard, although it said "elective transsexual operations" (not sure when the word "elective" was added). Surgery was the boundary line which if crossed would result in excommunication. However, the phrase "elective transsexual operations" recognized there are some circumstances where such operations are required or aren't the choice of the individual. For example, a man whose genitals were injured and couldn't be kept, or an intersex person who had surgery performed on them as an infant or child.

Any individual who was considering "elective transsexual surgery" was not allowed to be baptized, but for an individual who had undergone "transsexual surgery" and now wanted to be baptized, it had to be approved by the First Presidency. If they were allowed to be baptized, they would not be allowed to receive the priesthood or participate in gender-separated temple rites (which limited them to doing baptisms).

There was some wiggle room on whether top surgery is considered "transsexual surgery" and depended on the local leader's interpretation. There was no policy on transitioning in ways that didn't involve surgery, such as hormone therapies, “cross dressing,” or other means of living out one’s gender.

In January 2015, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "I think we need to acknowledge that while we have been acquainted with lesbians and homosexuals for some time, being acquainted with the unique problems of a transgender situation is something we have not had so much experience with, and we have some unfinished business in teaching on that." This reflects the growing awareness of trans individuals and showed some humility on his part. Elder Oaks had often spoken out on homosexuality and gay marriage, but this statement was thoughtful and many took it as cautiously optimistic.

Some transgender Mormons in explaining that their bodies do not reflect their gender identity would point to the Family Proclamation which says "gender" is eternal but not necessarily their sex. In response, in 2019 Elder Oaks said that “the intended meaning of gender in the family proclamation and as used in Church statements and publications since that time is biological sex at birth.”

In 2020, a major revision of the Church's general Handbooks were made. Handbook 1 (which was only available to bishoprics, stake presidencies, and General Authorities) was combined with Handbook 2 and put on the Church's website for all to see. This revision included major changes for transgender members.

The term "elective transsexual surgery" was gone, and now any social, medical or surgical transitioning would bring restrictions. Many saw this as more restrictive, it took away the space to transition in ways other than surgery while remaining in good standing as a member. Some saw it as a step at being more accommodating as excommunication was not the de facto punishment for transitioning. A church member could decide if transitioning was important enough to them that they'd be willing to be without a temple recommend.

The 2024 Handbook update seems like they felt some local church leaders had taken things further than had been anticipated, and so they had to plug in the gaps from the 2020 Handbook that leaders had used to be inclusive and accommodating of their trans members. Now members who transitioned in any were not allowed to be baptized, restricted from holding almost all callings, specified which meetings & activities they may attend, forbids trans youth and young single adults from overnight activities, and even has specific rules about under how a trans person may use the restroom.