Limited Christmas seed offer, first-come first-serve

Hello all,

As snow flies, we might as well sit in a comfy chair

and start drawing garden plot plans :) As a special

Christmas gift, I’m offering more than $100 worth of

seeds, plus the downloadable class “No Nonsense

Household Tips for Saving Money,” for $39.

First-come, first-serve. Many seeds in this package

have been sold out for more than a year. These are the

normal-sized seed packages, same as I always sell.

This offer also includes something very special --

Perennial Tripled Wheat. Perennial means you plant

it once and it produces a harvest year after year.

This important grain was given to me by a grower

who kept it from extinction for years. Perennial wheat

occurs rarely in nature, and this is one of those rarities,

improved and grown by farmers decades ago.

It is guaranteed non-GMO, non-hybrid, pure seed.

I have grown this to test it, and I can now guarantee

it is absolutely perennial. You will find this wheat for

sell nowhere else. Everyone interested in preparedness

should have these seeds in storage, if not in the garden.

Because I have very little of this seed, this wheat will

only be available as part of this Christmas offer.

Also:

- I have filmed a new tour of my winter geothermal

greenhouse, now available at Youtube here.

- For the first time ever, I now have stevia seeds

available at SeedRenaissance.com. You can find it here.

- Some of you have suggested I need to better explain,

especially to new readers, why you should consider

buying seed from me. Three reasons. First,

I literally search the globe for the last seeds of important

historic varieties, like the perennial wheat. I am

single-handedly keeping alive many important

heirloom seeds varieties. You can read more about this

work in my Forgotten Skills book.

Second, for every common heirloom variety I offer, I’ve

grown and rejected 30-40 other varieties. I spend huge

amounts of time and money on these tests, because no

one else is doing this work. I evaluate how these varieties

perform in an organic garden, without petro-chemical

fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides. I evaluate earliness,

flavor, production, storage, cold-soil tolerance, winter

harvest ability, self-seeding capacity, and more. If I

don’t love a variety, I don’t sell it.

Finally, every seed I sell is guaranteed pure, never

hybrid, never GMO, never patented, never corporate

owned. Our food supply MUST remain in the public

domain, at least what is left of our heirlooms.

Here is the full Special Christmas Seed Offer. You can

see details of each variety, and order for

$39 at SeedRenaissance.com. I expect this will sell

out quickly. Please note that shipping and handling for

this package is $7.

1 Mormon Winter pumpkin

2 Dwarf Blue Siberian kale

3 Caleb’s Deep Winter lettuce

4 Brown Goldring lettuce

5 Vernal Red orach

6 Pioneer Pink Eye beans

7 Albino beet

8 Snow Fairy tomato

9 Golden Sweet peas

10 Noir des Carmes cantaloupe

11 Amarillo carrots

12 Potimarron Winter squash

13 Perennial Tripled wheat

14 Chioggia beet

15 Scarlet Nantes carrot

16 Lemon Balm

17 Collard Vates

18 Waltham Butternut squash

19 Sweet basil

20 Tom Thumb peas

21 Roma tomato

22 German Queen tomato

23 Tom Thumb lettuce

24 Non-GMO Turkey Red Winter wheat

25 Non-GMO Red Fife summer wheat

26 Lemon Grass culinary herb

27-30 Marvel of Four Seasons lettuce 4 PACKS

(so you can give some as stocking stuffers!)

Merry Christmas! -Caleb

Two Thanksgiving Gifts from Caleb

Hello all. Thanksgiving quickly approaches, and I am grateful to everyone who attended classes, bought seeds and books from SeedRenaissance.com, and read this blog in 2013. To show my gratitude, I want to give you two Thanksgiving gifts.

First, I have released a brand-new downloadable class called “Raw Honey, Honeycomb & Propolis for Health.” I feel so strongly about this information that I am offering this class for $1 between now and Thanksgiving. (On Thanksgiving Day, the price will go up, so get yours now). I was going to give this class away for free until Thanksgiving, but I have been told that in order to make my copyright legally binding, I have to charge something. If you find this new class useful, please spread the word so as many people as possible can get this class while the price is practically free :) You can get it by clicking here:

Second, below is my recipe for Fresh Persimmon Curry, which is super-healthy :)

I like to make curries in the fall not only because they are so easy to make and taste so good, but because I can put in lots of the spice turmeric, which is anti-inflammatory and helps the body stave off colds and flu. If you are not familiar with this spice, here is some information on turmeric from the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

"Turmeric is a plant. You probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry. It has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses. But the root of turmeric is also used widely to make medicine. Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems and gallbladder disorders. It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, and cancer. Other uses include depression, Alzheimer’s disease, water retention, worms, and kidney problems. Some people apply turmeric to the skin for pain, ringworm, bruising, leech bites, eye infections, inflammatory skin conditions, soreness inside of the mouth, and infected wounds."

The onions in this curry recipe are also anti-inflammatory and great for people with sinus issues.

Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits of all time. When I lived in Japan, I would walk down the streets and there would be trees loaded with persimmons, just like apple trees in America. I had never seen nor eaten a persimmon before I lived in Japan, but I immediately loved them and was known to eat a half-dozen in one sitting :) Persimmons sort of look like flat tomatoes, but they taste like a cross between an apricot, a pear, and an apple. They are WONDERFUL. Persimmon curry is a very Japanese recipe -- the Japanese love to eat curry and rice. Right now, persimmons have just come into season in the U.S. and have begun appearing in grocery stores, so if you've never had one before, now is your time! They are great when eaten raw like an apple (the persimmon skin is tough so you'll want to peel it), and they are great in curry. So without further ado, here is my recipe:

Fresh Persimmon Curry

(serves 4-6)

1.5 cups of rice, to be cooked

3 medium onions, diced

3 carrots, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon olive oil (again)

1 cup milk (or coconut milk)

1/2 teaspoon curry powder (for mild curry. Double if you like spicy curry)

1 tablespoon turmeric

2 fresh persimmons, diced

1 breaded chicken breast filet per person (I just buy this at my local supermarket deli to make life easier. Breaded pork chops are also excellent.)

Step 1. Put the rice on to cook. I use a $10 rice cooker from Walmart that we've had for many years. In Japan, a rice cooker is a household necessity!

Step 2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet or enameled cast iron pan, on medium heat, begin to saute the onions in the first tablespoon of oil. Add the carrots, cover the pan, and lower the heat to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until carrots are soft.

Step 3. In your pan, push the onions and carrots to the edges of the pan to clear a space in the center.  In this center hole, add the second tablespoon of oil and the flour. Stir the oil and flour together and cook on medium heat for one minute, and then stir in the vegetables. Add the milk, curry, and turmeric and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Step 4. Turn off the heat. Add the diced fresh persimmon. Serve over rice. Slice the breaded chicken breasts and serve on top of the curry. Enjoy!

Books about the Health and Medicinal Value of Propolis

If you don't know what propolis is, or how to use it to get healthy, you can get my online class called "Honey, Honeycomb & Propolis for Health" by clicking here:

Geothermal Greenhouse Tour Nov. 2013

Since my book Backyard Winter Garden became a #1 bestseller in the gardening category on Amazon, I have had many requests via email for a video tour of my geothermal greenhouse, so here it is :)

Join us at the LDS Natural Living Conference Nov. 2!

[pictured: A 1.2 pound tomato from Caleb's 2013 garden]

Hello all! Come join me at:

LDS Natural Living Conference

Saturday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Stone Gate Center for the Arts (Grand Ballroom) 886 W. 2600 N. Pleasant Grove, Utah

$89 per person

Healthy light lunch included.

To register, click here or visit SeedRenaissance.com and click on “classes”

Every participant will go home with more than $50 in gifts, including: water kefir starts, milk kefir starts, natural yeast starts, raw honey, stevia seed, stevia leaf, stevia extract, recipes, & winter garden seeds!

Check-in 8:30 a.m.

CLASSES:

Kefir for Natural Health -- An introduction to milk kefir, water kefir, and their health benefits, including starts to take home and complete instructions on homemade kefir as well as store-bought kefirs. Includes recipes. Kefir grains are a lacto-fermentation culture start that you grow at home, turning milking into a yogurt-like drink that is rich in probiotics and protein. Kefir is exceptionally healthy. Linda Smith is an expert on kefir with many years of experience.

 

Raw Honey for Health -- Did you know that raw honey and raw honeycomb have exceptional abilities to curtail allergies, asthma, and respiratory health problems? Caleb Warnock teaches the difference between raw honey and “pure” honey sold in the grocery store, and how to use raw honey to immediately improve your family’s health.

Microgreens for Protein -- Sunflower seeds are extremely easy to sprout, contain a wealth of protein and vitamins, and best of all, can be grown indoors any time of year for fresh eating in salads, on tacos, or just for snacking! Linda Smith is an expert a sprouting-for-health expert who is passionate that everyone can grow fresh food in their kitchen window!

Sweet Stevia Baking: Stevia is a green leafy herb that is sweeter than sugar but does not contain any sugar at all, and does not spike the glycemic index. After growing stevia in his garden for the past four years, Caleb Warnock has spent the past two years working on stevia baking recipes using low sugar or no processed sugar for brownies, cookies, cake, caramel, and much more! You will go home with two baking recipes, as well as leaf stevia, stevia extract, and instructions for making stevia extract at home.

November Gardening! Caleb Warnock is the author of the national bestselling book Backyard Winter Gardening. He will teach you what you can plant in your backyard right now, without any artificial heat or electricity, for eating all winter long! You will take home seeds that you can plant immediately for fresh eating, despite the bitter temperatures! Full instructions for small-space winter gardening.

Natural Yeast Cookies -- For the first time ever, Melissa Richardson will teach a class on how to make natural yeast cookies which are delicious and supremely healthy. These techniques will satisfy your family’s sweet tooth without guilt for the holiday’s this year! Don’t miss this chance!

Natural Yeast Holiday Baking -- Melissa Richardson is an expert on baking with natural yeast, which has numerous health benefits. She will take you through the basics of natural yeast baking with surprising ideas for holiday treats that are healthy, all-natural, and delicious!

A New Lie About GMO Food (Being Told For Money)

Slate.com has just published a new interview with Ingo Potrykus, who is a co-inventor of golden rice, which is genetically engineered to combat blindness and death in children in poor countries by supplying 60 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin A in a single serving (basically splicing a beta carotene-producing gene into rice). The interviewer is very kind to Potrykus, as demonstrated by not asking Potrykus any hard questions. The article is an editorial, not a report, based in the online title -- “It’s Wicked to Oppose Genetically Modified Golden Rice” (When you click through to the actual story, the title disingenuously changes to rephrase the online title in the form of a question).

The writer asked Potrykus why Greenpeace and other groups have been so opposed to his project to create a GMO rice. Potrykus replies: “They've realized that it's politically more effective to be radical and not judge things on a case-by-case basis. I've had high-level discussions with Greenpeace over the years, and it becomes clear they cannot tolerate any genetically modified organisms, even those that can be used for the public good. If you encourage them to change their position on golden rice, their response is the same: They're against GMOs. That's the position, and it's very successful.”

Then the interviewer says: “These groups tap into public opposition to GMOs. Why do you think there is such vehement opposition?”

And Potrykus says, “Since the early 1990s, the majority of the media has repeated the mantra that GMOs are highly dangerous for the environment and the consumer. This mantra is fuelled continuously by a well-financed and -organized anti-GMO lobby. One of the cleverest tricks of the anti-GMO movement is to link GMOs so closely to Monsanto and other multinational corporations, because Monsanto has no friends. That strategy guarantees millions of supporters because people are emotionally against multinationals and in favor of organic farming because of the perception that it's run by idealists who protect nature and don't make money from it.”

This is a lie being told for money.

What Potrykus chooses not to say is much more important that what he says. Earlier in the article, the writer points out that there is a project in Uganda and Mozambique that has successfully bred heirloom sweet potatoes to do exactly what this GMO rice does. What no one in the article points out is that heirloom (open-pollinated) food has no owner. Every GMO food does. So the people who developed the improved sweet potato strain have created a food that no one owns -- if you can get some, and you know how to save and grow sweet potatoes (by using slips) then you can have these sweet potatoes, and anyone who wants to can grow them forever -- just like all the heirloom vegetables we have today.

But the GMO rice is owned and patented, and Patrykus will get rich off it, if it is approved in the Philippines (that country is considering it now). And anyone who ever wants to grow the golden rice will have to pay Potrykus’ company, forever. And that is truly wicked.

Not to mention real concerns about the fact that once modified genes are released into nature, humankind cannot ever control them again.

GMO food has one single goal -- to make its owners rich. I know first-hand about the allure. I create vegetable varieties. It has taken years of work to stabilize my two winter lettuces. And I sell the seeds. But once someone has bought the seed from me, they can save it and grow it and have it for the rest of their lives, without ever paying me another dime. They can sell it themselves. They can give it away. (Hopefully they will know what they are doing and know how to keep it pure, which isn’t rocket science but is important.) All of this is as it should be -- because I didn’t invent lettuce. I just created two new and much needed strains for winter growing. I did this hoping to help replace some of the winter varieties that have become extinct because they were carefully and quietly replaced by corporate-owned lettuces.

Owning the food supply is wicked. Improving the food supply is wonderful, but doing it with hybrids or GMOs which are patented and owned will do more to cause starvation and hardship than any other single factor. We give away our ability to feed ourselves for free by forcing farmers and gardeners to pay for seed each year instead of growing their own. This is what Potrykus is not saying in his interview -- sure, he’s created a food that will improve nutrition. But if his rice is approved, he will also force starving nations to pay for his seed forever, just like Monsanto.

There is only one way to support heirloom food, and that is by eating it, whether you grow it yourself and pay for the seed, or you buy it from people who are working hard to keep it from extinction, which has already happened to the majority of heirloom seed. Vote with your mouth, and your money. -Caleb

You can read the whole lie here: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/new_scientist/2013/10/golden_rice_inventor_ingo_potrykus_greenpeace_and_others_wicked_for_opposition.html

How to Preserve Onions for Winter

My friend Anji Sandage has some great suggestions for taking advantage of the flood of onions each autumn, like we are experiencing now. I asked her to write a guest blog for me, and she obliged :) I've added a few notes too. Here is Anji:

 If you have an abundance of onions -- and with it being fall you just might if you grew onions in your garden, or bought a bunch from a farmer -- you may have more than you can use right away. Onions can be stored fresh, but will start going moldy after about 2 or 3 months if they are not handled properly, and the sweet varieties do not last as long in storage as other varieties do.

To store onions fresh for up to 3 months without them getting moldy or sprouting , here are a few tips:

-Never store onions and potatoes together
-Do not store onions in plastic bags
-Keep onions in a dark, cool, dry storage area, such as a kitchen drawer or a basement storage room.

Onions just left together in a bin will start to go bad after a month or so, even when stored in a dry, cool, dark place, and storing onions in the refrigerator poses other problems, including the transfer of the onion smell to other produce for one, and a loss of flavor and texture after a while is another.

If you keep your onions in a brown paper bag with holes punched in it, they will last up to 3 months. There is a blog post on the Yummy Life blog that has some great tips for storing onions for up to 3 months here:

But, what if you have, say, three or four 30-lb. bags of onions that you just got for really cheap through a farm co-op or a group buy? [note from Caleb: Where I live, 25-lb. bags of onions are on sale right now for $4 and change!] In this case, 3 months may not be long enough. You may want to freeze them. Onions when frozen will last much longer than 3 months, especially if they are vacuum sealed.

To freeze your onions, the first thing you want to do is peel and chop them. Nothing like chopping a 30-lb bag of onions to make you cry – but there are a few things that you can do to minimize the tears

-Don't touch your face after chopping onions until you have washed your hands.
-Don’t breathe the onion fumes though your mouth – as much as you are tempted, it’s better not to hold conversations while chopping onions. I’m not sure why this is, but the waterworks start as soon as I start talking to someone while chopping onions.
-Keep some cold water running close by – If my eyes are stinging, bending close to the faucet with cold water running really seems to help.
-Keep your onion pieces together while chopping to prevent as much of the oils from escaping into the air. The tighter I keep the pieces together, the less tears I seem to have. It works best if I peel the onion, then slice it in half, and then lay each half on its side and cut it in thin slices, hold the slices together, and then cut in thin slices again in the opposite direction. This allows the rings to work for you in that the structure of the onion has done most of the work for you and there is a lot less chopping to do.

[note from Caleb -- you'll have fewer tears from onions if you use a very sharp knife, which keeps the onion juices from splattering.]

Of course, if you have a food processor, that saves you a lot of work, and all you have to do is peel and quarter your onions, fill your food processor with the quartered onions, and then pulse until they are finely chopped. After the onions are chopped, there are a couple of different ways to do this – one involves small vacuum seal bags and a foodsaver. The other involves a greased muffin tin and gallon-sized Ziploc bags. Of course the vacuum sealed onions are going to last the longest, but not everyone has access to a vacuum sealer, and the bags can get expensive.

[note from Caleb - if you don't have a vacuum sealer, there is a self-sufficient answer: the Archimedes Principle. Put your chopped onions in a freezer bag, and lower the bag into water until only the top is not submerged, and seal the bag. This removes all the air.]

I have also found that the juice from the onions tends to get everywhere and even with the vacuum sealer on the moist setting, the bags sometimes will not seal because the onions get too juicy. Freezing the onions in muffin tins allows you to have a bag of ready to use ½ cup measures of onions that are easily accessible, and they still stay good for several months. I used lard from pasture raised pork to grease the muffin tin to make the onions come out easier after they have frozen. I also added a small amount of water into each measure of chopped onions so that the bits would stick together better in a cube (or my kids called them hockey pucks) after freezing.

Once the onions are frozen, just store the frozen onions together in a gallon sized Ziploc bag in your freezer, and when you need an onion, simply toss in one of your frozen ½ cup servings (or more if you like) into your cooking ground beef or into the slow cooker with your roast, or thaw it out beforehand and drain any excess liquid to use the onions in salads or other recipes.

Anji is the mother of 4 children, and a blogger at meanroostersoup.com. She is the chapter leader for the Salt Lake County chapter of The Weston traditional foods and herbal remedies, and works as a certified foot zone therapist.

"Choir of Angels": A Christmas Treat

Some of you might know that from Oct. 1 until the end of each year, I read only Christmas novels. I love to get into great Christmas-themed books. Right now I'm reading The Christmas Train by David Baldacci. My friend Michele Mirabile has just published a new short Christmas novel (with my own publisher, co-incidentally). Choir of Angels is at once cozy and tender, reminding us that, like her character, Riley, we know “exactly what Jesus would do” when the warmth of the Christmas Spirit is interrupted by adversity. Riley teaches us that when we let go of pride, a spirit of love will wash over us and settle into our hearts. After all the presents under the tree have been opened, only the gift of love and humble acts of sacrifice bring lasting meaning and happiness. Be prepared to fall in love with Christmas all over again. . . 

I asked Michele to share with us how the story came to be, and an excerpt of the first pages:

"I drew on the emotions and trials of my own life over the past few years. Our oldest daughter passed away in January due to complications of the flu, leaving behind a husband and four sons. Shortly afterward, another daughter announced her first pregnancy. And all the while my husband bravely battled through one complication of his stage-four cancer, and then another.

"These trials of life and death filled us with joy, anger, and untold pain. But the angels of our community reached out with support and love and gave us a whole new perspective of the importance of service, and the gift of sacrifice. It was during this time I came up with the idea for Choir of Angels, the story of how a young boy’s redemption made for the “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”  

"I always wanted to write a Christmas story, and my mind was constantly sorting through elements and wondering how I could pull them all together for a good read. My father was a band director, and he kept his kids busy with music lessons of one kind or another. I played the piano and flute, and spent years performing in concert and marching bands. So I understood the dedication and elation (the story's main character) Riley felt while competing for the part of Joseph and winning.

"I hope everyone who reads Choir of Angels will come away with a renewed desire to serve. And that their lives may be enhanced with the same degree of joy and satisfaction Riley experienced during Riverwood Elementary School’s best Christmas pageant ever." 

And now, an excerpt from the beginning of Choir of Angels:

Riley loved Christmas as much as any other boy or girl. He loved how his breath 

hung in the crisp December air like little puffs of clouds. He loved the way lights twinkled like tiny stars from the eaves of houses. And he loved the way his heart soared at the sound of Christmas strains. 

As far back as he could remember Riley had been moved by the sounds of 

Christmas. As each melody wafted from the radio or from carolers who strolled from 

door to door, Riley’s soul filled with such bliss it was all he could do to keep his feet on 

the ground. 

But this year, he had a whole new reason for such joy. He’d earned a spot in the 

school choir, and today he was auditioning for the part of Joseph in Riverwood

Elementary School’s annual Christmas pageant.

Even now, the thought sent Riley’s heart soaring to grand new heights. All he 

could think about was how great he’d be as Joseph—and how much everyone would

admire him. 

He’d worked very hard in preparation. He’d rehearsed every word of every song

until he could barely eat or sleep because of the music that rolled through his head. He was so consumed with the pageant and the prospect of playing Joseph he didn’t know 

what he’d do if he didn’t land the part. 

“Come on, Riley. Let’s hustle.”

Derek pushed through the open door and stomped his boots on the mat. He’d been 

Riley’s best friend since Kindergarten, and he came by every morning at the same time to 

pick him up for school. 

Riley jumped at the sound of Derek’s voice. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t heard him coming up the walk. 

He scrambled to his feet and snatched his jacket from the back of the chair. The last thing Riley wanted today, or any other day for that matter, was to risk being late. Because late meant trouble. And trouble meant Sam.

“Bye, Mom!”

“Good luck today.” His mother waved from the kitchen. “And don’t forget your 

homework.”

Riley grabbed his homework and his crutches, and made a beeline for the front door.

Riley had never been able to run like other kids. He wore special shoes with built-up soles and a leg brace for stability. Most of the time, he got around just fine with the help of crutches. But every so often, when his strength just wasn’t up to par, he needed a wheelchair. 

Today, however, was a good day for Riley. He stepped outside into winter’s icy embrace and pulled his zipper to his chin. Draped in a blanket of new-fallen snow, the world had transformed into a wonderland. 

Riley looked left and then right. Catching no sight of Sam or the Wilson twins, he followed Derek down the walkway, shuffling through the powdery wilderness like a boy without a care. He loved the way the snow crunched beneath his boots and clung to his lashes. 

Are Mormons Allowed to Have Questions?

My friend Dianne, whom I have known for more than 30 years, is no longer a Mormon. She hasn’t shared with me all her reasons for leaving the church and I haven’t asked. But Dianne has sparked conversation recently by posting things on Facebook that some people felt were anti-Mormon.

One of Dianne’s Facebook posts indicated that the Mormon Church prophet and apostles are secretly taking money or enriching themselves at the expense of the faithful (like me). This upset some of her friends and family, who told Dianne on Facebook that “you post these things knowing it hurts your family and intentionally hurting someone is wrong regardless.”

I want to propose the opposite -- if Dianne has questions or concerns about any aspect of the Mormon Church, that is our problem. By “our” I mean the Mormon faithful. Far from shutting up, Dianne should speak up. Because it is the job the faithful to answer these questions.

If the faithful tell Dianne not to ask questions, then Dianne should be more concerned that someone is hiding something.

Let me frame this another way.

I have friends who feel strongly that abortion is a woman’s right. I have several Mormon friends who have had abortions. If abortion is used to avoid the consequences of promiscuous sex, the person having the abortion does not understand the moral consequences. If they don’t understand, that is because we, who do understand, have failed to teach them.

No law for or against abortion has any moral impact. For example, what if America followed China’s lead and passed a law requiring abortion? If you understand the moral consequences of abortion, then no matter what the law says, you would not have an abortion. If you are a man, would you rape a woman because the law required it?

People who believe abortion is a right aren’t stopped by a law. Abortion is not a legal issue. Abortion is a moral issue. Morals can only be taught. Morals cannot ever be correctly legislated.

Force of law does not replace morals, and cannot trump agency.

Only teaching can influence agency.

The same is true of leaving the Mormon Church, or any church. If someone leaves, it is because they have concerns. If they have concerns, their questions have not been answered.

People are leaving the Mormon Church in droves because they have questions and concerns. You need look no further than the internet to see this. There are a lot of questions. Was Brigham Young a racist? Was Joseph Smith having sex with very young girls? Is President Monson making himself rich at the expense of the faithful? These are just the tippy-tip of the iceberg of questions.

All of these questions have answers. “Shut up” is not an answer. “Your question hurts me” is not an answer. Exclamation points, exasperation, and shaming are not answers. Dianne eloquently and correctly pointed this out on Facebook when she said, “I'm very sorry that this hurts those I care so much about. I know how betrayed and hurt I felt as well when I learned of these things.”

If Dianne asks a question, and the response is “Shut up and don’t ask questions” then who is morally to blame if Dianne walks away? Is the Mormon church a tradition that brooks no questions? Or is the Mormon church a safe place to get answers?

Is Dianne wrong if she listens when people -- even openly angry people -- have accusations against the Mormon church?

What if you listen, and what the accuser says makes sense? On Facebook, Dianne has posted some things -- legal documents etc. -- that appear to prove that President Monson and the Mormon apostles are hiding financial transactions. Is the Mormon leadership a scam? Can these questions bear the light of day?

Of course they can. But only if people can talk. Only if Dianne can safely ask her questions, and someone can safely answer.

The least influential people are the emotional, angry people. The person holding the sign that says “God hates fags” is not teaching or promoting Christ. The person standing at the abortion clinic shouting “You are a murderer” is certainly not influencing the clients. Influence comes through teaching -- often over years.

Some people might say, “Dianne is unteachable!”  Or “Dianne has been taught!” Or “Dianne refuses to be taught!” But the teacher’s job is not to shout, or shame, or tell someone to shut up. Does a teacher say “I judge you unteachable”?

Or does a teacher examine where the teaching went wrong and then work harder to be understood?

If we are concerned about how people vote, or what people believe, deriding those who don’t agree with us does not influence them to rethink. Derision is self-indulgent. You get the false feeling of having “stood up” for your principles because you belittled people who don’t agree with you. We are surrounded by people who entertain themselves by shouting, as if they have accomplished something. Instead of influence, they have created distraction and distance.

The only way to “stand up” for your principles is to teach. Teaching by example, or by answering questions. By being available.

Distraction is the most dangerous power in the world. Distraction drowns out the teachers and dulls the senses.

The first rule of teaching is safety. If someone is not emotionally safe to ask a question, they won’t ask. If they don’t ask, you can’t answer. They can’t learn. You have harmed the student.

Influence is quiet, and often slowly built. Entertainment (distraction) is loud, bold, and unlikely to be sustained.

Can Dianne ask a question? If she did, would anyone hear?