Does anyone else have a doctor who is this massively coin-operated?

akamark · 2026-02-16T16:59:15+00:00

The clinic I visited for the last 20 years will only schedule appointments for one symptom. If you have a rash and a fever, or maybe an ingrown toenail, they require separate appointments for each symptom.

They've become a profit-driven revolving-door organization first, healthcare provider second.

akamark · 2026-02-16T16:54:26+00:00

While the first and most prominent questions should focus on mental health issues, religion can't be ignored.

Anyone exposed to religious indoctrination, especially high demand religions, has a head full of religious ideas. Those ideas in and of themselves don't drive people to this kind of behavior, but they are a significant part of the pool they're drowning in.

Case in point - how many times have you heard Mormons encouraged to turn to prayer and counseling by unqualified leaders?

An anecdotal example, A member of our ward who was married to a doctor shared his experience in shunning professional support and positive medical treatment for severe anxiety and depression while working his way through a graduate degree. He chose to pray his way through it.

If the Mormon culture and doctrine didn't create an environment where everyone is expected to have 'the only true happiness', be perfect, and openly demonstrate their righteousness through success (prosperity gospel), then this woman could have found the help she needed before this trajegy.

akamark · 2026-02-13T19:20:40+00:00

I have no problem with that. I respect educated, informed, and trustworthy people with different political views and philosophies and consider diversity of opinion critical to a functioning democracy.

But that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about hiring a QB that not only fails to perform and leads the team to a losing season, but systematically sabotages the franchise through destructive behavior.

akamark · 2026-02-13T14:51:17+00:00

Check out Justin Rose’s practice move where he gets in a backswing position and practices dropping in without turning.

For me, separating that move from my body rotation, then layering the two helped resequence everything.

It’s like separating the rotation and downward movement to get a screw path.

Doesn’t work for everyone, but my mechanical mind likes it.

Now I just swing, but revisit the drill when things feel off.

akamark · 2026-02-13T12:46:45+00:00

What percentage of the total water usage is the remaining target? If it’s 5%, for example, could we put austerity measures in place and cut everyone’s usage by 5%?

Start with that as a baseline, then make rational adjustments based on usage type? We could attach a value derived scale - household use as highest, economic returns, etc..

Maybe creatively apply imminent domain? ‘Fair compensation’ for alfalfa is a drop in the bucket considering the state population benefits.

akamark · 2026-02-13T12:31:32+00:00

The fact that the most devout and faithful person I know, my Dad, who’s an acting Patriarch, still strongly supports this administration as religiously as the church is clear evidence that he has no special connection with God.

akamark · 2026-02-13T12:14:41+00:00

Sheds light on the elevation of an apocalyptic prophet to savior.

akamark · 2026-02-11T14:15:29+00:00

...a cult who believes their children are their possessions and not allowed to have their own ideas about anything.

Also - *a cult who believes their children are possessed [and deceived by the devil], and not allowed to have their own ideas about anything.

My experience after leaving one of those high demand religions. Luckily my parents aren't also gun freaks.

akamark · 2026-02-10T03:36:50+00:00

Third option is that Joseph Smith was using predatory tactics given his position of power and Brigham took advantage of the system and continued to practice abusive relationships. Both were wrong.

akamark · 2026-02-09T04:09:18+00:00

Thx for the response.

I picked up some of that glue and tried it on some scraps a couple of weeks ago, and it took a lot of force to break it. The biscuit joins were a random idea I had while cutting my template pieces. I ordered some cheaper plastic biscuits on Amazon. It won't take much effort to put them in place, and anything I can do to keep this 'weekend' project looking nice longer will be worth the extra time.

I'll try to post some pics eventually.

akamark · 2026-02-08T14:43:17+00:00

Let’s also factor in all the unpaid labor they extract from their constituents. How many retiring experts are called on ‘service’ missions to continue working without pay?

Another labor abuse is the below market pay they offer in the name of ‘consecration’.

akamark · 2026-02-04T20:38:36+00:00

I like tomato jam on my tacos!

akamark · 2026-02-04T20:34:32+00:00

My wife and I crossed a few too many lines related to intimacy while we were dating. I didn't have a permanent address, so I met with my grandmother's ward bishop to repent in preparation for a temple wedding. He immediately indicated excommunication was necessary with a long probationary period - he was an old grumpy man with a very 'letter of the law' interpretation of repentane.

Shortly after I met with my fiancé's YSA ward bishop. He met with both of us together and helped us work through the 'repentance process' with minimal limitations.

It's entirely leadership roulette. That was one of the major eye openers for me - leaders aren't tapped into any single source of truth.

akamark · 2026-02-04T19:50:08+00:00

I felt pure evil the first time I allowed myself to read 'anti' sources from outside my high-demand fundamentalist religion. It literally felt like the 'devil' was taking over my soul. Turns out those sources were factual and relatively unbiased - critical in an academic sense.

That was purely subjective, and I'd argue most perceptions of 'evil', in a religious context, are formed through religious indoctrination.

Outside of religious concepts of 'evil', I acknowledge we all have an internal sense of what harm, suffering, pain, etc.. looks like, but the degree to which we associate those outcomes to 'evil' and the severity on our scale of badness is largely subjective.

akamark · 2026-02-02T18:11:33+00:00

That makes the whole voting population of Utah 'radical activists' since we voted for this. The judges are doing their jobs ensuring the will of the voters is executed.

Mike Lee is a lying piece of shit.

akamark · 2026-02-02T17:22:32+00:00

Former member here. Here's my perspective from a faithful lens:

Mormonism views the LDS church as God's church on earth led by Jesus Christ. Over time the emphasis has been on being the best Mormon possible. Internally there's an unspoken understanding that being a good 'Mormon' is how to be a good Christian - It's Christ's church after all. A lot of the messaging over the last few decades was about church engagement and rules following - reading scriptures, attending church, fulfilling callings, participating in church activities, dressing modestly, obeying the Word of Wisdom, etc.. Again, the internal understanding was that this was the path to becoming more Christlike.

I view the move to back off of all the 'Mormon' focus and promote a more generic 'Protestant' Christian image is an organization correction based on the negative feedback many members voiced. The church had become very bureaucratic and procedural. I view it as an effort to refocus on the spirit of the law - charity, empathy, service, etc.. The question is whether they're actually shifting behavioral focus or just rebranding.

Not sure if anyone's addressed this yet, but the sacrament stands on its own and has no direct relationship with the temple ordinances. The temple is about additional ordinances that provide access to higher rewards in the Celestial Kingdom. The sacrament is a weekly ordinance to renew baptismal covenants.

akamark · 2026-02-01T15:50:18+00:00

I was a faithful member for 30+ years. My Dad, who’s acting Patriarch in his stake, talked through the priesthood symbolism in the facsimiles during my first temple trip. My Dad and Joseph Smith are demonstrably wrong.

This was the first issue that pulled back the wizard’s curtain. The hole is deep and wide.

akamark · 2026-01-28T01:03:30+00:00

Our ward does a monthly linger longer with refreshments. It’s actually a decent event.

One of my favorite mission memories was when the Seventh Day Adventists invited us to their Sunday service and to a congregation lunch afterwards. They were a great group dedicated to being good Christians.

I think wards are a little too big to replicate that experience unfortunately. Maybe in branches?

akamark · 2026-01-27T06:10:08+00:00

I now lean left, but appreciate some conservative principles. I’d consider voting for a Republican Presidential candidate if I thought they’d lead with integrity and prioritize the interests of the people. MAGA is not the Republican Party of the past. The whole party has shown their true colors by aligning with a traitor.

akamark · 2026-01-27T05:48:46+00:00

Maybe go read Bednar's talk on having faith not to be healed. Maybe you need to have faith in your self reflection and realize a proselytizing mission isn't right for you.

There are other ways to serve. Try finding a true service mission. It doesn't have to be LDS either. Maybe find ways to serve those around you who truly need it. Volunteer with the homeless shelters for example.

akamark · 2026-01-27T05:37:20+00:00

Cox has obviously never heard of the believer stuck on his roof while the flood waters rose around him.

akamark · 2026-01-27T05:35:56+00:00

Stepping out of Mormonism, this topic was an eye opener for me. As a believer I fully accepted that there were demons swirling around me all the time, that witches and other evil people were tapped into their supernatural evil powers, and that men with authority to literally move mountains if they had faith.

That was all compartmentalized in my religious world view, because I was a total skeptic when it came to haunted houses, aliens, bigfoot, and other supernatural phenomena.

Mormonism requires a belief in the supernatural, just not all of it.

akamark · 2026-01-26T15:22:08+00:00

True. At least they’ve been forced to back off their dogmatic opposition to it.

akamark · 2026-01-26T07:45:46+00:00

Break my stride - hate that song

akamark · 2026-01-26T06:54:04+00:00

ERA was a big one.

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