The noise began this morning at about 7am. I was already awake, reading the internet in bed, awaiting for an epiphany as I grappled with my current crisis of faith. Morning noise always begins with the sound of the toilet door and then it escalates from there. At about 8:15 the din in the boys bedroom was causing me anxieties. The banging and thrashing sounded ominously like a hole in the gib waiting to happen. I poked my head reluctantly... Read more
In our home I’m out numbered by males 7:1 excluding the dog. Its an overwhelming majority for anyone, let alone a feminist. Over these Christmas holidays I have ‘manufactured’ a discourse in order to mitigate for an explosion of noise from rambunctious lads. It goes like this (and needs to be delivered with all seriousness, at their level, and in hushed tones): Mummy has girl ears (then I pull back my hair and dramatically display them), you have (pause for... Read more
It sure beats me how the issue of opposing same-sex unions became such a hot political potato in the United States. I mean, is it REALLY that important? I mean REALLY? While Iraqi civilians were being killed in their hundreds of thousands, and US and Allied troops we being killed and maimed in their thousands, and while a nation was being ravaged by an invasion which frankly still has most of the world baffled (except George Bush, Glenn Beck and... Read more
I’ve been doing some training in natural horsemanship. Its a gentle and more intuitive method of both being with and riding horses. We learn to read the body language of the horse, to place gentle pressure on the horse in order to have them do as you require and then quickly release that pressure when it does as you ask so that it doesn’t associate doing the right thing with discomfit. This makes a lot of practical sense because... Read more
A couple of years ago I was in a temple recommend interview with a member of the Stake Presidency. I had just arrived through the door when unexpectedly and without any particular context associated with the TR questions I was told.’Sister McCluskey, I’ve heard you bare beautiful testimonies of Jesus Christ, but I haven’t heard you bare your testimony of ‘The Church’ – would you kindly do so now’. This was not a brilliant start to what I had... Read more
I’m entitled to talk about adultery. H1 found himself an adoring Other in his Bishop’s office while supposedly counselling her and then announced to me one Christmas eve that our marriage was over. A few weeks later he and she were playing happy families and showing up at church together as pleased as can be. To tell you the truth it was a bit brutalizing. But still, I’m happy. Nathan is my most favorite husband so far!! In a certain... Read more
There will be some Mormons who will be deeply uncomfortable with the subject of my musings today. Because we Mormons have been studiously instructed to cease to think about our contributions to the church beyond sealing the brown envelope. Matters of faith and pragmatics are often held apart so as to imbue the mundane and secular with a more ‘spiritual’ aura. This is an important and understandable strategy in the development of faith which I most certainly don’t wish to... Read more
Some years ago while H1 was a serving as a bishop we attended a very pleasant cottage evening at the Mission President’s home. As we prepared to leave, Sister President took us aside and effused, ‘Thank you so much for coming. Its wonderful to have the brass turn up”. I hadn’t thought about myself as ‘brass’ before and at the time was deeply discomfited by such a statement. It did draw my attention however to the habits of our... Read more
As Romney takes his increasingly bright nomination campaign on the road, the eyes of the world have invariably turned to questions of his faith. Mormonism has heralded some wonderfully idiosyncratic teachings and naturally the public are asking how much faith can we have in the ability of someone to lead a nation, who fervently holds to a faith tradition which has frankly taught some pretty odd things over the years. So much so that the PR cogs have been spinning lately... Read more
I’ve been pondering on the crisis of identity when who we are in New Zealand feels so dissimilar from the culture of an indigenous American church to which we also belong. For the Mormon church IS deeply American, and wears the stories, mythologies, politics and culture of its roots upon its loins. The part that New Zealand holds in that lore is more ambiguous. We in New Zealand seem to have made little impression on the metropol except that a... Read more
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