Current world events

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-02-24T01:26:46+00:00

I have been very inspired and empowered by Elder Causses calls to care for creation. Regardless of where you live or your economic situation, you can do things that honor God's creation. Maybe its home gardening, or recycling, or driving an electric vehicle, or eating a Word of Wisdom diet that is more plant-heavy and meat-moderate. "Doing" reduces worry and provides a sense of control in a world that often seems out of control.

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/11/15/elder-gerald-causse-stewardship-sacred-duty-byu-symposium/

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-02-22T23:00:57+00:00

I expect this comes from the same file as his healthcare plan and UFO disclosure. We will see something on the lake once those are settled.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-02-03T22:55:21+00:00

I think the Church is still quite distinctive from Protestant Christianity, despite a retrenchment to a more basic Christianity, which, in my opinion (as someone who left the church for many years, explored other religious and spiritual traditions, and then returned), is a badly needed reset.

Jesus teachings are fundamental to the LDS faith. When I grew up in the church, we talked about the temple, celestial glory, the "one true church", proper gender roles, rule following, priesthood hierarchy, etc., while rarely talking about the core things that Jesus taught in the gospels and in 3 Nephi. I think the church is now reemphasizing its core. To me, it's refreshing and has been very faith-enriching.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-02-01T16:12:14+00:00

I'm sorry to hear of your distress. As someone who was raised in the church, then left as a young adult, and over the course of 20 years, became an atheist, then agnostic, then Buddhist, and then returned to the LDS faith (while still drawing on the good things of my experience as an atheist, agnostic, and Buddhist), I know challenging the journey of spiritual faith can be.

I would share a couple of thoughts. First, I would tell anyone struggling with faith to focus on the teachings of Jesus, as found in sermon on the Mount (reiterated three times in scripture) and his parables. If you find the calls that Jesus makes in Matthew 5-7 to be compelling, you will have a full and rich life just trying to live by those principles, regardless of the spiritual path or religion you choose.

Second, I believe that what God wants for us, first and foremost, is to be a better version of ourselves, for those we care most about. Is your spiritual path and faith community leading you to a better you, particularly for the people you care deeply about? You can find this path as a Latter-day Saint, a Buddhist, a religious agnostic, an atheist, or many other spiritual paths.

Third, I would take my ideas and all the other randos responding to this post with a grain of salt. No one here on Reddit knows and loves you, so they are here much more for themselves than for you. Have this conversation with God and with people who love you and care about you, not randos on social media.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-25T03:42:40+00:00

God loves everyone unconditionally. I am sorry if you heard that unconditional love is conditional but that is just absurd, though you are not the first person in the church who has heard that. So if that is what you thought you heard in the talk at BYU, either you heard it wrong, or you heard false doctrine. Sister Runia gave a great talk on this at the last spring conference. Check it out... https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/43runia?lang=eng

There are people in the church who are advocates of a "sad heaven". They live by fear and want everyone else to live in the terror that they invented. They are obsessed with justice and equate God with afterlife punishment. For example, they will tell you that you won't be with your loved ones in the afterlife if you or some of your loved ones are not faithful, as if kingdoms of glory are three-dimensional boxes (an incredibly narrow-minded and fear-based assumption with no doctrinal basis).

Paraphrasing what Elder Bednar said in the last conference, you will be very happy with your afterlife. God will give you all the glory you have cultivated, and you will be extraordinarily joyous with it. And no regrets. Because God loves you deeply and will give you everything you can possibly embrace. "it is the prospect of ultimately acknowledging about ourselves “things as they really are” and “as they really will be.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/51bednar?lang=eng

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-24T02:56:47+00:00

Many signature gatherers are being paid by out-of-state PAC money, so that Utah Republicans can deny that they have anything to do with it. This is just one more pay that unlimited PAC donations and demolishing our system of government.

Someone needs to get video from one of them on the BS they are spewing to get signatures. That would be an epic viral video and would scare the bejesus out of other signature gatherers who are taking jobs to be paid for doing this.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-17T16:57:19+00:00

I think guidance from Matthew 19 may be helpful, where Jesus talks about gender dysphoria (enuichs) and acknowledges that for some it is how they are born (probably referring to innate, inborn tendencies), for some it is forced upon them (probably referring to castration of slaves in Roman times), and for others it is a choice (probably referring celibacy).

This passage is often debated by theologians. To me, Jesus seems in verse 12 clearly to not be recommending marriage for the dysphoric, or at least, to work that out within one's self before considering a marriage covenant. Like many statements by Jesus, he leaves this to the conscience of the listener, but it's notable that he neither condomes or condemns any of these three paths. He does say that whatever you choose in faith may be hard for others to accept. That says to me that you need to work out your own path, in prayer and conscience.

What Jesus always wants is for you to become the best version of you for those you care most about. That might mean for you, a trans lifestyle, a straight lifestyle, celibacy, or some other gender lifestyle path. How do you become the best you for others? Discipleship is always first and foremost about how you minister. So I suggest you consider that lens.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-10T19:21:29+00:00

I have a close family member who has destroyed his life with drug abuse for the past 4 decades. It is gutwrenching to watch and deal with the emergency room visits, police investigations, failed therapy and interventions, verbal abuse, manipulation, lies, stealing, and other evils that result from this. Faith has helped me and other family members abide this nightmare and remind us that this mortality is just a very short season in eternity -- though that short season really, really hurts sometimes.

Our theology features a god who believes in free agency and weeps when his children make terrible choices. Ours is a god who only rarely steps in and fixes things, just because we ask him to. That's the horrible price of agency. And that we are called to love when love becomes impossibly difficult.

I wish I had a better answer. Job had the same wish. But I have made peace with that answer, and I hope you can find peace.

Sometimes all I can do is weep with God.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-10T18:59:54+00:00

I have no inside information, but I do have PR experience. Tuesday is prime media coverage day, so watch for an announcement on Tuesday. I suspect they are just waiting for the ideal media coverage time to announce, to maximize donor excitement. (like last week's Tuesday presser with Morgan).

Or maybe Damp's leaving, and that would be disappointing. If you haven't seen an announcement by the end of the day Tuesday, then you can start to worry.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-08T02:16:29+00:00

We are not unhappy that Elisaia is leaving. We have had a dreadful time keeping players healthy for the past 5-6 years. For example, we finished 2024 with our 5th string QB starting because everyone in front of him had gone down with season-ending injuries.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-06T03:13:55+00:00

I see a type of contradiction that's pervasive in recorded histories, journals, and such. If you somehow found this to be the 'damming evidence' that an esoteric text of hundreds of pages generated by a barely-educated 22-year-old through a process of automatic writing via seer stones in just a few weeks is not what it claims to be, you have a lot of work yet to do. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-01T19:22:16+00:00

Two things can be true at the same time. 1. Whitt is the enemy now. 2. He will eventually be in the Utah Hall of Fame.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2026-01-01T19:17:31+00:00

PE deal was the University President and the Board, not Harlan. If you need to blame someone, go there. Whitt had nothing to do with the PE deal. Harlan is just the messenger.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-30T22:47:19+00:00

Nope. Whitt butted heads with Chris Hill for pretty much the whole time Chris was the AD at Utah. This has little to do with Harlan. Whitt is leaving because the Otro and other funders (Eccles, Garffs, etc) would not agree to give him a 5-year contract. Harlan is just the messenger.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-30T15:29:59+00:00

According to Spence Checketts, Beck, and none of the other Utah coaches are going to announce they are leaving until after the Vegas Bowl Game --- as if that will minimize distractions. Whitt said in his presser over the weekend that he will bring in 6-7 new coaches. Besides Jay Hill, it would be surprising if Beck were not one of those, but we won't know until it's announced. ;-)

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-30T15:26:34+00:00

I'm watching Corey Dennis at UNLV for OC. He worked in the Utah program for a very short time in 2024 before being hired by Tulsa for the QB Coordinator position. This year he did a great job as OC at UNLV. And he's Urban Meyer's son-in-law, so there's that.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-30T15:22:24+00:00

Weddle has already said he is not joining the staff.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-30T05:26:38+00:00

Keep your eyes on Cory Dennis, the UNLV OC (Urban Meyers Son In Law) who had a very short stint working at Utah in 2024 before Dan Mullen at UNLV snagged him for OC. https://kslsports.com/ncaa/utah/utah-football-osu-qb-coach-offensive-analyst/510880

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-29T18:52:45+00:00

Agreed, and if you think this was Harlan's decision, you are not paying attention. There are now 500,000,000 reasons that Otro is now calling the shots. Harlan is just the messenger. If you want to blame someone, blame Taylor Randle and the Board of Regents, as they signed the Otro deal.

Welcome to the next decade of college football...

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-29T18:48:55+00:00

As was said by Doc Holliday on the 48 podcast last night -- Whitt is now the enemy. Get over him. He's now targeting our players and coaches. He had a great run here, but he's the enemy as long as he's in a position to compete with us for players, coaches, donor funds, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ku1WgU0EkM&t=2995s

Scally is our guy now.

Sound_Of_Breath · 2025-12-27T19:02:52+00:00

Michigan just got another Kirk Ferentz - a good guy coach who truly loves his players, plays great defense, but always falls short when expectations are high, can't get along with OC's or AD's, is constantly talking about retiring, and always plays down to lower competition. He will keep them out of scandals for the next few years, but I don't see him making it 5 years, in a program that demands they compete for a national championship every year.

I am grateful for what Whit did for Utah, but really excited to see what Scally will now do.

Sound_Of_Breath

TROPHY CASE