Another year of blogging at Wheat & Tares is in the books. Here are the numbers for the whole site (all the bloggers) We had 332 posts, and 8,259 comments.
Total Views: 1,142,710
Total Visitors: 259,793
That visitor number is probably not unique visitors. WordPress (the host of W&T) is looking at IP addresses and cookies (are they called biscuits in the UK?). So every time you clear your cookies, or use the “incognito” mode, it registers you as a new visitor. For example, when the Church Office Building employees read W&T using incognito, either nefariously as a closeted nonbeliever or as part of their snooping job in the Strengthening the Church Members Committee, they would register as a unique visitor.
The number one post of the year was Elisa’s “The Temples they are a Changing”, with 11,491 views (the Average is 3400 views per post). As every year, Hawkgrrl was the number one viewed blogger with 146,010 views for just her posts.
89% of all visitors were from the US, with most of the rest coming from the other English-speaking countries, and just 2% from non-English speaking countries.
I want to thank all our commenters. I always enjoy when a comment is longer that the original post and adds so much to the conversation. You are also pretty funny. Every year the web site Zelophehad’s Daughters does a funniest comments review from all the Mormon blogs. Wheat & Tares has almost all the entries this year. So, thanks again for making us laugh.
Lastly, let us know what we can do better, topics you’d like to see covered, and topics you don’t want to hear about ever again. If you’d like to post something, contact us at guestpost@wheatandtares.org
Happy New Year!
Wheat & Tares 
I would like to understand more about the view of climate change in America. We are having extreme weather here and it is attributed to climate change. This an area where the political right, is defending big mining, and fighting climate action.
I would also like to understand why America supports Israel, while they commit genocide against palistinians, using US supplied weapons. This is becoming a problem for America standing, and Israel has already lost other respect and support. The only way to stop Israel is to withdraw funding.
I se nothing on Lds blogs I read, what is going on?
Extreme weather is not caused by climate change, it is caused by engineered climate influences using methods such as putting alumina and other substances into the atmosphere. There are dozens of patents for these processes and they have been pursued for many years. Just look up Climate Engineering. They are not solving any problems, they are making things worse.
Cachemagic—
What are your sources for this information?
cachemagic’s sources are in his Magic Cache.
It was an interning year and I love the new writers on the blog.
Re climate change.
Ignore cachemagic. That is total conspiracy speculation.
Climate change is certainly something that most people are taking seriously. My friend from Alaska that is a fisheries manager for the tribal nations had a tribal conference on climate change and it was a fascinating meeting because yhe effects of climate change are so pronounced and important.
I work in agriculture and discussions with farmers this last few years has shifted in tone regarding climate change. Almost no one in the farming community is disputing the reality of it any longer. Discussion is all about how to handle and adapt.
I don’t know why sometimes my phone messes with the words. Interesting year not interning year.
Lois and Brian G. You can see some of the information here:
https://russellyanderson.com/globalwarming
I recommend that we stay away from politics generally. In a world in which everything seems to be seen through a political lense, including sports and entertainment and education, it would be nice (in my opinion of course) if we could leave politics out of most of our discussions here on W&T.
I don’t think I’m the only one here who feels this way. Most polling indicates that most voters are disappointed with the prospect of a Trump – Biden rematch. Feelings about a 3rd party have never been stronger (note: what is missing is a valid 3rd party candidate like Ross Perot). My point is that I think many of us are disgusted at both parties, both presidential candidates, the Republican House, the Democrat Senate, even the Supreme Court in some cases, etc. So why infect W&T with our political opinions? Most honest people recognize the incompetence of Joe Biden and the absolute danger of Donald Trump. Most honest people recognize that the progressives have ruined the Democrat Party and the MAGA folks have ruined the Republican Party.
I propose that we discuss politics only in the context of the COJCOLDS. Anyone who wants to defend Trump or Biden or either of the two parties should do so somewhere else. I say this as a former Reagan Republican who absolutely despises today’s Republican Party.
(note: I recognize the liberal bend here on W&T and the dilemma some of you face wanting to give me a thumbs down since I took a shot at Biden but wanting to give me a thumbs up for bagging on Trump)
I’m still attending Zoom sacrament meeting. Maybe it’s offered still because we have many elderly and vulnerable members in the ward. I was disappointed in how my ward responded to vaccines, masks, and Covid in general, and as an introvert I’m happy watching at home and just haven’t gone back in person. At the beginning of the shutdown I thought I’d miss seeing people, as that’s really the main reason we attend, isn’t it? I don’t go to church expecting to be uplifted, and when I feel inspired it’s a nice surprise. But as the weeks went on I realized I didn’t miss it at all. So here I am. I don’t miss Sunday school, and it’s a relief to not go to relief society where I’m either bored to tears or upset about comments from others.
I noticed that the congregation is very small now, especially with the earlier meeting time this year. Part of me thinks I should go back, and another part wonders if staying away is a small way to make a statement that things aren’t working well for many members. Remaining on the inside suits me now, though my husband stepped away some time ago.
I’d be interested in reading thoughts concerning ways to effect change within the church. Is there anything we can do individually?
Another interesting topic would be what callings people have had that they actually enjoyed. I was shocked to find that I can’t think of a single one that I’ve really liked whole heartedly. I tend to think of them in terms of how it could be worse, or it’s so awful I can’t wait to be out, or pretty easy so why complain. Do others feel that way, in general?
I have a hot take to share:
the overwhelming Americanness of the viewers (and posters and commenters?) shows
one thing I find curious about W&T participants (as a whole), is that there is a healthy scepticism directed towards the ‘cosmology’ of the Church, but that same scepticism is often not extended towards the cosmology of the USA… for some reason…
Yes, you became disillusioned with the Church due to questionable decisions made in the present or getting into the history of the church outside of ‘Church-approved’ narratives. But don’t you think that might ALSO be applicable to the USA as a conceptual entity?
Things like the US constitution and the supreme court are objectively anti-democratic things, that, overall are *bad*. And my god, American foreign policy. The mentally entrenched American exceptionalism especially shows whenever American foreign policy comes up.
The USA is generally a nice place to live in, but only because of (comparatively) cheap land and consumer goods, all of which comes at the cost of exploiting and killing poor people at home and abroad.
I would guess that subconsciously most people need some kind of institution to believe in, so even after getting disillusioned with the COJCOLDS you still have to believe in ‘America’ or something. And doesn’t even require being a MAGA conservative, the Democratic party is just as hawkish and committed to keeping the American oligarchy running. The difference is that they’re willing to paint everything over with rainbow flags and occasionally say that black lives matter (as long as they don’t get in the way of the money).
If you are able to get around the narratives and come to conclusions like Joseph Smith being (at best) a sex maniac or that the COJCOLDS is just a giant money-laundering scheme, then you should also be able to come to similar conclusions about the USA and its founding.
If you can’t, you might as well be a TBM, or the level below that where you recognize some problems and wring your hands while
‘acknowledging complexities’ but still believe in the cause and the founding thereof.
One day I hope we have a better understanding of what goes on within the “Strengthening the Church Members Committee.”
It’s just so hard to learn what happens in the black box of church decision-making and influence-building.
A quick thank you to the bloggers and commentators who provide food for thought and a reality check for us who ofttimes wonder “is it just me, or….?” I value this form of community not often found within the walls of the local meetinghouse.
I don’t know whether to agree with Josh that bringing in politics frequently derails the discussion, or to argue with him that it was the church that failed to keep politics out, so how can we discuss the problems at church without discussing politics?
First, the argument for keeping politics out, and even deleting comments that are taking a political tangent, as the first and especially second comments did. Any political talk tends to be a detour from the main topic, and always there are several people who take the tangent. On the other hand, if the topic itself is political then the discussion becomes heated and comments become offensive. There just seem to be too many people too willing to argue politics instead of discuss politics. Funny, that insults break out, not between believers and nonbelievers, but between people who think Trump is wonderful and those who think Trump supporters are idiots.
Now the argument about why politics should be allowed. The church let politics become part of the gospel culture, so how can we keep politics out. The church took a political stand on LGBT rights, in the 70s and after the church took a stand against women’s rights, and in the 60s the church took a stand against civil rights. During my childhood, we were denied help with food because my father belonged to the steel workers union, so 5 kids went hungry because some asshat bishop got his politics mixed up with his church. One of the most recent problems with the church is they refused to take a strong enough stand in favor of science and medicine and require masks and social distancing. They recommended, but didn’t make masks mandatory and so my active husband did not return to church because the politics of the local ward was scoffing at the idea of masks and social distancing. The church just can’t seem to separate politics from religion, so why should we here at W&T?
See, how someone brings up politics and people just can’t help but go that direction. I had to make my whole post a response to one guy who brought up politics.
@Anna yup!
The ‘personal is political’. “Politics” remains an ‘essentially contested concept’. Not all politics is partisan or revolves around parties.
It arguably serves the enfranchised the most when we consider interests as stemming from parties rather than parties from the interests.
I wasn’t going to comment on politics in W&T. Still, Anna has prompted me to enter my two cents worth. While I think religion should be the primary topic of discussion, politics is a manifestation of how we view our religion. Our political opinions and actions should be based on our most basic values which I would say would be our religious, or lack of religion, or our substitution of basic religious values. In other words, people’s most basic values determine not only how they think but also how they act, respond, imagine, dream, or change a society and the only way to do that is through political movements. It could be with the two major parties or it could be in a union, the PTA, or even in your own LDS ward. So I think politics is fair game in many of W&T’s topics.
The second thing I’d like to confront is that I don’t believe it’s “BOTH” parties are to blame. From my experience over the past 20 years, the people who have always said that have been Republicans who are embarrassed by their party, and because the church has so many Republicans, it’s hard to back down on the “One and Only” truth that is ingrained in us as members of the church. It’s hard to believe that the “enemy” we’ve had for so many years can be good, love the Constitution, and do good things. We might not like Trump but we can’t stop watching Fox News so it’s hard to decide what is right.
So maybe for 2024, we should look at our religious/spiritual beliefs and how closely they are intertwined, and as we sometimes question the issues we do, we should include both religious and political implications and not be afraid to change. The simple question “What would Jesus do” is as relevant in politics as it is in religion. Christ spoke “Truth to Power” to the political leaders of the time.
I’d like to just second what LHCA said. Thank you W&T for making me feel like I’m not crazy! Just a couple of suggestions for topics from the “edge of the inside” perspective (if that’s what we’re calling it): Any proven suggestions (even if it’s baby steps) to improve inclusion (lgtbq, race, disabilities, non-trad families) on the local level? I know, that’s asking a lot. Maybe one of the W&T bloggers attended one of those mythical progressive Mormon wards. Also, any blogs on navigating difficult BofM topics with kids/teens (historicity, racism, etc) knowing that they are getting the standard Mormon “answers” at church. Finally, more History and Philosophy is also good.
Much of politics is also moral, or immoral. Can you discuss trump without discussing morality. Is morality supposed to be related to religion. Part of my disallutionment with the church has to do with its morality.
At one point Israels behaviour might have been about politics, but once you kill 8000 children and their mothers trying to kill hamas. Or is that the motive at all, it becomes a moral question.
Thanks for this blog!! It is nice to have an outlet—a place open to a variety of thoughts and experiences—apart from the standard church script and cookie cutter.
I used to think religion was a positive force in society—an example for people to follow of honesty/truthfulness, charity, kindness etc etc.
Maybe it was for awhile(?) but as I look around it doesn’t seem that way so much now—especially in our country.
(I think of those people who’ve been there for me—at times in my life occasionally it was a church member but just as much or more it was a neighbor— not a Mormon and not necessarily someone affiliated with any religion).
(P.s.cachemagic—what sources does your source rely on? It’s not just a source that’s imortant it is also important where that source gets their info.)
Thanks to all the contributors to the blog.
I really liked the last post of “How to be a good ex-mormon”. I would love to see more discussions about universal principles of living good moral lives – and allowing people to comment about how being in the church helps them live those principles, or how being out of the church helps them live those principles.
I’m imagining picking topics that are discussed at upliftkids.org – here’s a paragraph describing part of their approach: “We integrate the best of modern science and ancient wisdom. Whether it’s academic research or timeless insights from the world’s wisdom traditions (including Buddhism, Stoicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, Sufism, and many others), we embrace it. We also acknowledge that both science and wisdom arise from particular cultural contexts and perspectives and must therefore be held with humility.”
I think a lot of blog posts have the theme of “This is a problem in the church”, and those are good and have their place. But I’d like to see more posts with the theme of “Here’s a universal principle found in all wisdom traditions- how does that fit in with being LDS, or being ex-mormon.” I don’t know if that makes sense.
It’s been a great year for this blog. It’s a great place to come and have much more genuine (if virtual) conversations about church matters than one could have in an actual ward. Re the politics question, it’s true, as some have pointed out, that, especially in America, religion can’t really be separated from politics neatly and cleanly. I don’t like overtly political posts, simply because they quickly devolve into polarized positions that end up being generally ineffective when it comes to moving the conversation along. I don’t mind posts that implicate the political realm, though. I thought, for example, that some of the posts over the past year or so about pro-choice issues were really illuminating.
I mean, I understand that it’s more difficult because in addition to both major political parties engaging in the “spin” and virtue signaling that they always engage in, we do have at least a significant portion of one political party who denies a lot of basic, established facts about elections, the insurrection, etc., so it must be harder for the mods to manage topics with a political tinge.
And I agree with aporetic1 about the whole “this is the problem with the church” posts. We’ve seen a lot of those and we’ve all probably come to some sort of settling place with a lot of the difficult history, doctrine, and practices of the church. I really liked the post about how to be a good ex-Mormon; lots of thoughtful and insightful comments there. As someone who will likely be transitioning out of the church this coming year, I’d like to see more of those posts, especially regarding how to manage friendships, how to make new ones, etc. as one’s social circle changes when one transitions out of the LDS Church. I’d also welcome posts that focus on how more nuanced believers might fit their worldviews into secular philosophical frameworks.
As one of the contributors here at W&T, let me say thank you for those who have expressed appreciation for the blog and said it has been a good year here. Here’s something for you: I generally have no idea whether any given post I write and post is going to spur a spirited discussion with dozens and dozens of comments or be a post that hardly gets noticed. I was pleased but surprised my “How to Be A Good Exmo” post got so many comments and such a deep discussion (from all perspectives — blogging doesn’t generate many pats on the back). You just never know.
As for the image at the top of the post — it’s nice we have a significant smattering of outside-the-USA visitors and commenters. I’ve travelled a fair amount and lived overseas a fair bit, and it’s still very hard to get a handle on foreign perspectives and, in particular, how Mormons outside the US think about the Church and about the US/Church relationship. So keep sharing your comments.
A few observations on the comments to this post. They will no doubt be unpopular with many people who read Wheat and Tares. I do not care.
1. I strongly dislike Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
2. Hamas is an evil organization.
3. Some of the people who comment on the posts on Wheat and Tares are frankly anti-Semitic.
4. While living in Taiwan, I became good friends with an American man who was a Jew, who converted to the Church as an adult. He once told me that he could sniff out Jew hatred, a mile away. His comment was quite pertinent to this question.
5. I grew up in West Germany, as an American, in the immediate aftermath of WW2. I toured with my parents the Dachau Concentration Camp, which the post-war West German government had converted into a national shrine of remembrance, while the East German government, a puppet of the Soviet Union, seamlessly integrated Nazi war criminals into their new government.
6. Helen Mirren’s recent movie, “Golda,” is well worth watching. In the movie, she tells Henry Kissinger that she is no longer that little girl who as a young girl in Kyiv cowered in fear of the Cossacks and their anti-Jewish pogroms.
Such anti-Semitic comments make me angry. Hating Jews is the oldest hatred in the world. It is as bad as Trump’s evil attempts to become our next president.
Angrily,
Taiwan Missionary
Taiwan Missionary
I have been trying to understand antisemitism better. My concern for Jewish people is real. My empathy initially came from reading books about Jewish children hiding from nazis (which was necessarily paired with gentiles taking risks to provide shelter and cover).
An insightful book I read as an adult is Hiding in the Spotlight, about 2 non-religious Russian Jewish sisters whose 4-hand piano talents simultaneously put them at risk, and helped them survive the Holocaust. One intriguing portion is when their father provided each sister the opportunity to escape the death march the family is forcibly engaged in. Fortunately, the sisters find each other. They return to their home territory. Some neighbors they thought would assist them are too frightened, but others surprisingly take personal risks and provide useful assistance.
^^Kind of explanatory, kind of an aside (I have ADD.)
Raised in the lds church, not knowing much about the 1948 creation of Israel, I felt like there was something extra special about Israel and the Jewish people.
I still don’t understand it well – it seems that some politics give broad immunity to Israel’s actions, while also being anti-Semitic. Maybe I am observing different factions within one party.
It was an observation from someone I respect deeply that helped me distinguish Israeli leaders’ actions from Jews as a people.
Much as many now differentiate Hamas from the Palestinian people who have been subject to Israeli leadership for 75 years.
You differentiated the leaders of the current conflict (both Netanyahu and Hamas’ actions), and the people impacted by their leadership.
Lately sometimes I have not been able to tell if labels of antisemitism are antisemitic, or defensive reactions to criticisms of Israel’s leaders.
Dear haveagoodday:
Thank you for your observations. I myself am highly critical of Netanyahu and his ilk. But we have members of the U.S. House of Representatives (Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and THEIR ilk), shouting, “from the River to the Sea,” which is a notorious chant from the 1948 war, that meant that all Jews should be exterminated, who lived in Palestine between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
I will share you with a ditty by Tom Lehrer, who was a mathematics instructor at Harvard in the 1950s; he wrote humorous songs, which he sang as he played the piano:
Oh, the Catholics hate the Protestants,
And the Protestants hate the Catholics,
And the Hindus hate the Moslems,
While everybody hates the Jews!
Golda Meir once demolished a U.S. news reporter who asked her a question she disliked: “Yes, we Israelis have a Masada complex.”
This refers to the storming of the last Jewish stronghold in the Holy Land in 67 C.E., as the Romans crushed the Maccabean revolt against their rule, and then later dispersed the remaining Jews throughout the known Western world.
Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister during the 1967 Six-Day War, also said that the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. In the 1992 Oslo Peace Talks sponsored by President Clinton, the Palestinian Authority would not accept the deal, because they only got 98 percent of what they wanted.
This whole wretched affair has become a tribal conflict, and after 2,000 years of persecution and extermination, the Jews are not going anywhere.
Their motto is, “Never again!” It is my belief that God is on the side of those who commit the fewest atrocities, and for that reason, however much I dislike the current Israeli government’s policies, I choose to side with Israel. There is a long history of disastrous Arab misrule in the Middle East.
Thank you,
Taiwan Missionary
Bishop bill,
Big fan. Also active/committed/nuanced member.
There’s an interesting “tell” in the OP… you say (when talking about incognito browsing) that a COB person would visit W&T only due to either:
– being a closeted nonbeliever
– snooping for the SCMC
And that’s it.
Here’s an interesting begged (direct) set of questions, then. Do you increasingly feel that W&T is primarily for nonbelievers and exmos? For cultural but defacto inactive or former members? What are the implications of such a view and “vibe”, for the blog?
BlueRidgeMormon,
As a nuanced attending believer I think W&T is a great place for real thinking and considering other points of view. We do have a few TBMs that join us from time to time as well (Jack). It’s not an exclusive set up which is what makes it so attractive to me.
Here are some of the posts I would like to see on W&T in the new year:
A guest post by John Charity Springs that would clearly explain to me why my purchase of two pairs of Crocs and a visit to 7-11 four years ago clearly set me on the road to becoming a stay at home, lazy Christian.
A post from Rick B interviewing an Oxford professor about his theory that the Book of Mormon geography takes place in Middle Earth and that Tolkien may have translated the Lord of the Rings from the brass plates.
A post from Geoff-Aus that explains why Australia is best place in the world to live even though New Zealand has Hobbits and had the first exMo prime minister.
A post from Bishop Bill about the best surf spots in California and Hawaii that still comes up with some creative way to tie that to current Mormon issues.
But more seriously, what posts I would like to see on W&T in 2024:
A post that shares someone’s experience caring for loves ones that dementia and frailty have stripped life to constant suffering and explores whether Christian values are compatible with euthanasia.
A post that shares their experience or suggestions for maintaining old friendships with people that were originally forged in the fires of shared ling-sustained LDS service together where you run into one another again either in person or social media, but now one of you no longer believes in the church?
A post that shares their experience or suggestions with responding to someone for whom you were a home teacher for a very long time and who because of that friendship (and probably the lack of an equivalent person under the fellowshipping program) has asked you for a priesthood for a serious emergency because they only attend church remotely (thanks to a lovely bishop that has maintained zoom church) and this friend doesn’t realize you no longer attend church. (And you know you don’t believe in the LDS priesthood having any real power anymore,) and you wonder if the value of blessings was always in the expression of love and caring anyway, so should you just do it anyway?
A post on how to support your nieces and nephews in their missionary experience when you no longer believe that trying to convert people to the LDS church without full disclosure of its polygamous and racist history, it’s anti-LGBTQ advocacy, and it’s rigid patriarchy is a good thing.
A post on how to maintain relationships with aunts and uncles and cousins who joyfully vote Trump back into office.
A post, any post, from Elisa and Happy Hubby and Hedgehog.
A post from Rich Brown about how the CoC is handling the Gaza war.
It would be interesting to see a post on the stay-at-home daughter movement in some pockets of evangelicalism as well as Mormon fundamentalism. There seem to be small bits of this creeping into the broader Latter Day Saint culture with young single adult daughters who live with parents, don’t undergo higher education or vocational training, and spend time giving free childcare to younger siblings or nieces and nephews. I don’t know if others have heard about this, but when I discussed it with some young adult church members they were able to immediately identify young women they knew who appeared to fall in this category, without necessarily calling it this.
Anon,
Off the top of my head I can think of a couple families I know who have a single aunt living with them, apparently on a permanent basis (typically mom’s sister).
I don’t know that it goes so far as the aunt failing to become trained or work, but they are clearly involved with child care and sometimes house work. I think extended family supporting each other and working together in this difficult economy is nothing but positive.