Women’s Session

[Anonymous]

The soda can analogy made an appearance during testimony meeting today, and now I know.

[Anonymous]

My whole thing with the soda can reference was totally personal and how I read into it. I just felt like she was saying, “if you are spiritually filled, satans tactics will not be able to bend you”. Maybe I totally read into it wrong, but I am really sensitive to this kind of thinking. I was reading my scriptures every day, plus studying them. I was fulfilling a calling to the best of my abilities. I prayed at least daily. I was all in and loving it. That didn’t protect me from my faith being completely shaken. Sometimes I feel like TBM’s are always telling me that it’s easy and if your faithful you can’t struggle. Maybe it is for some people, but it wasn’t easy in my case. It’s been one of the most painful things I have gone through and I hate when my struggles get diminished. Anyway, rant over.

No one even really mentioned the conference in our testimony meeting yesterday, pretty sure it was “ok” for most people. But, our entire meeting people talked about their testimonies being questioned or questioning their own testimonies and what they really believed. It was pretty awesome.

I have lower expectations for this weekends conference, which might be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Now you all have really got me curious about the soda can. Was the soda caffeinated or something?

I skipped the General Women’s Session this go round (I watched it last October). All I know is that DW was home in less than an hour an a half. She walked through the door, I said “No fair” and she knew exactly what I was talking about. A conference session clocking in at under 90 minutes and I confirmed that they showed videos again to break up the monotony of talk after talk after talk. All of that AND it’s on a different weekend than all the other GC sessions.

Women, I’m SUPER jealous.

[Anonymous]

Not gonna lie, I’m quite pleased the women’s sessions has its own weekend and can be as long as it wants to be. I suspect it’s because the leaders think that during the full conference weekend, women will be too busy at home/men will be too busy going to their meetings to take care of things at home, which makes me roll my eyes a little at traditional roles and expectations and what have you, but hey, that’s me the cynic talking, and they’re probably not too wrong in many families’ cases. So makes sense, carry on, Church.

Also, I thought the soda analogy was going to be something caffeinated, too. But nope, it’s just hey, if you’re a soda can full of light, Satan can’t crumple you, and if you’re empty of light, then you’re bound for the flat as a pancake club.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

I was reading my scriptures every day, plus studying them. I was fulfilling a calling to the best of my abilities. I prayed at least daily. I was all in and loving it. That didn’t protect me from my faith being completely shaken. Sometimes I feel like TBM’s are always telling me that it’s easy and if your faithful you can’t struggle. Maybe it is for some people, but it wasn’t easy in my case. It’s been one of the most painful things I have gone through

Ditto for me. For our family. The only thing we didn’t do was Family Home Evening, but we had all our dinners together around the table, we had family religious and spiritual discussions. We took lots of camping trips and campfire was a great FHE type event. But everything was being done, with full purpose of heart, sincerity, no doubts, no saying “no” to callings, temple recommend holders, tithe payers, scripture readers, etc. Then Kaboom –

I wouldn’t be surprised one day to learn that my husband chose agnosticism to save himself from any further wipe outs or disappointments.

[Anonymous]

West wrote:

Also, I thought the soda analogy was going to be something caffeinated, too. But nope, it’s just hey, if you’re a soda can full of light, Satan can’t crumple you, and if you’re empty of light, then you’re bound for the flat as a pancake club.

Now you’ve really got me curious. Was Mahonri Moriancumer involved in any way?

[Anonymous]

I saw the cans. The “lemon-lime” was clearly visible, but no brand. If it were caffeinated they’d probably have to censor it at BYU.

[Anonymous]

West wrote:

if you’re a soda can full of light, Satan can’t crumple you, and if you’re empty of light, then you’re bound for the flat as a pancake club.

I thought it was going to be a replacement for the “shelf” analogy. If you keep cramming all your doubts into a soda can, one day it may violently explode. But that is me being cynical.

[Anonymous]

LookingHard wrote:

I thought it was going to be a replacement for the “shelf” analogy. If you keep cramming all your doubts into a soda can, one day it may violently explode. But that is me being cynical.

Because I’m immature (just look at my avatar):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25SPhNpWIhk” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25SPhNpWIhk

It’s better than the youtube clip I found of a muscle dude (Satan) crushing full soda cans.

[Anonymous]

I know Christ taught in analogies, and I know why, but I don’t quite like many of the modern day analogies we use in the Church. I like the thought of using a soda can to represent a shelf, though. It seems less…bothersome for me when we compare people to common objects, I guess? I don’t know, connotations and all that.

nibbler wrote:

West wrote:

Also, I thought the soda analogy was going to be something caffeinated, too. But nope, it’s just hey, if you’re a soda can full of light, Satan can’t crumple you, and if you’re empty of light, then you’re bound for the flat as a pancake club.

Now you’ve really got me curious. Was Mahonri Moriancumer involved in any way?

Well, now I imagine a modern day Mahonri, looking for something common and plentiful like rocks and coming across a pile of to-be-recycled soda cans. Added to that, Mahonri is my little cousin’s name, so there’s a new level of fun to the imagining.

Also, all this talk about soda cans and light had me just remembered the Liter of Light movement. It’s fascinating and I think a wholly more appropriate analogy to use, and I think I’ve found my focus for the sacrament talk I have to give in a few weeks.

And FYI, the Liter of Light movement brings light to people’s homes in countries where electricity is sometimes a rarity. Using old plastic bottles, like 1.5L plastic soda bottles, you add water and a bit of bleach, cut a hole in the ceiling to install it, and the light that filters in through the bottle and refracts can generate as much light as a pretty decent light bulb using some garbage and basic science. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s nice how a piece of common garbage can be used for such good. In the Philippines where they initially started it, they pay local people to make the bottles and install them.

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