Fox News Vs. The Satanic Temple: A View From Outside The Echosphere

I'm fairly liberal, but believe it or not, I watch Fox News on occasion (part of being an informed, reasonable person is to take into consideration points of view that are different than our own. If we only listen to people we agree with, our perception quickly becomes skewed, which leads to flawed reasoning), and they absolutely lost their cool over this: Oklahoma accepted a ten commandments monument that was donated to them, and placed it on the capitol grounds. The Satanic Temple decided that was a great idea, and crowd-funded the statue seen in the picture (they have already exceeded their goal by 25%), to also be donated to the Oklahoma capitol grounds. Fox News talking heads went full-on Chicken Little (if the sky was actually falling every time Fox News said it was, there would be no sky left above us anywhere in the world), deciding this was the worst thing ever, not to mention a terrible insult to a Christian nation, and that it should not be tolerated. Here's why they're 100% wrong, though. True, America's citizens are predominantly Christian, but that is a lot different than being a theocracy. The separation of church and state does not prohibit the display of religious monuments on government grounds; it simply prohibits the government from playing favorites. If a state government is going to display something from one religion, they have to give EVERY religion that same chance. Florida recently got this right, when, after letting a Christian group put up a nativity in the halls of the capitol for Christmas, also accepted such things as a festivus pole and a display from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (my son Colten, incidentally, likes the Pastafarian view very much). While I, myself, in no way relate to the views held by Satanic Temple members, I still respect their right to be part of the conversation, because the U.S. has this awesome concept called "freedom of religion" (I know that Christians sometimes think this means everyone is free to be a Christian, but that's not actually how it works). The state of Oklahoma brought this problem upon themselves, and are now faced with three choices: they can display the Satanic Temple's monument on the capitol grounds; they can remove the ten commandments monument; or, the state can decline the monument and deal with a lawsuit they are likely to lose, which would place them squarely back at choices one or two. Personally, I hope Oklahoma chooses to accept the statue. It looks totally metal and would be a tourist attraction for a state that desperately needs something worth seeing (and what kid wouldn't like to go sit in Satan's lap? What's that? Kids like to sit in Santa's lap, not Satan's? My bad. I get confused because the letters are all the same, and hard-core Christians hate them both. I vote we find one of those red and white hats with the pom-pom at the end to put on the statue, then pretend like no one ever noticed the difference). The more likely outcome, however, is that Oklahoma will remove the ten commandments, and while not as fun, is still a win for Americans' religious freedom, even if most religious people are too uptight to be able to recognize that fact.  

"Wickedness Never Was Happiness." Yeah, about that....

I try not to use the word "hate" in general, so apologies, but I'm going to here, because there is no other way I can think of to express the magnitude of my feelings: I have gotten to the point where I HATE this scripture (it is, as far as I know, exclusive to the Mormon faith, if you're not familiar with it)....not because it is incorrect, as such, because, well, all people have done something dishonest, or mean, or selfish at some point. We hurt and we harm; we're intolerant, self destructive, and so freaking impatient with each other, because humans are flawed, and we're self-centered, and we screw up all the time. And when we do, it makes us miserable if we have any conscience at all. It's no secret I struggle with my temper, and every time I lose my cool, whether at my wife, or my kids, or a total stranger, I feel like garbage afterwards, because I have failed to live up to the basic standard of behavior I set for myself. Sorry for the glimpse into my personal problems, but the point is, I think I correctly understand the meaning this scripture is trying to convey, because I live through it every day.

No, I hate it because some otherwise well-meaning LDS people use it as a blanket end-all argument against people or things they don't like. My friend uses it against gay people whenever we have a "discussion" on my facebook wall, which is the one that is currently annoying me, but I've heard it used to put down everything from other religions to being a feminist or a (gasp) liberal. And it bugs me because it is so judgmental, and so unhelpful, but there's another, more important reason I don't like it. The big lie I was taught over and over growing up was the "world" was evil, and the "world" would corrupt me, but I have honestly never met a wicked person (the "world" of course, being made up of every person who isn't a righteous Mormon). I'm not saying they can't exist, but all I've ever met both in and out of the Mormon bubble are people struggling to make it through life, just like me. Some of them have beliefs or lifestyles that I honestly do not relate to very well because they are so far removed from my reality. And that's okay. I don't judge things I don't understand. I would never say my way is best, because my way is rocky and steep, and I am sometimes surprised I have made it 42 years without putting a bullet through my head. I am a miserable failure of a human being at least 17.2 percent of the time, and I would die of shame if everyone could see all the messed up things that go through my head every single day....but I'm still happy, and fairly frequently, actually. Every time my kids are excited to see me, or show me something awesome, or tell me an amazing story, I am happy. Every time my wife is in a good mood and I manage not to screw it up, I'm happy. Every time I learn something cool, and get to share it with someone, and they think it's cool, too, I'm happy. Sometimes I am happy for no damned good reason at all, and I savor every scrap I get, because moments of true happiness are both fleeting and rare. The point is, I think I understand happiness, and when I saw the many videos posted as 1400 people rushed to get marriage licences in Utah after the court reversed the ban on same-sex marriage, saw their tears of joy overflow as they were surprised by the unexpected arrival of a day many thought would never come, I saw genuine happiness, and I was happy for them. They weren't wicked people corrupting society. They were human beings, and if you happen to be religious, fellow children of God, reveling in the best kind of happiness, the kind that is unexpected. They were human beings, bubbling with excitement for one of the most important life events most of us will ever have, not any different than you or me.

The birth of my first son, out of wedlock, and certainly the result of sin if you have a religious world-view, probably saved my life. I was miserable, I was lost, I was confused, depressed, and remarkably unhappy.  But all that changed that minute in the delivery room when I got to first hold my child.  I was elated. My life had a purpose.  17 years later, being a parent has brought me more happiness than any other thing. Even when everything is difficult (like right now, actually), I have never regretted making that "mistake". NEVER. So I admit, the idea that "righteous" Mormons somehow have a monopoly on happiness rubs me the wrong way, and while many or even most LDS people might be more empathetic, I just keep seeing that scripture used to mean something it was never intended to mean, and I can't stand it anymore. Happiness is scattered everywhere. Just because someone found theirs somewhere you wouldn't care to look doesn't make it less real, or less valid, or less valuable. Of course, if you are a person who thinks only people who believe what you believe can be happy, my last statement might have made you unhappy. The blessing of life is, you've still got time to get over it, and you really, really should.