LDS cheerleaders booted for refusing to compete on Sunday

[_Joseph]

They better not try BYU who competes in various sports and activities on Mondays. The stuff about Sunday is a good learning experience for them. They make the choice and live with it. The other girls make their choice to compete and all is fine. Sandy, Utah is a douchebag city where Mormons run things and hypocrites are the norm. Nothing new in that. The place is full of Marin County wannabees and Alta HS is the perfect place for them, Sunday participation or not.

It is a cheap trick the girls are playing on their fellow cheerleaders, demanding to be part of the whole thing but begging off on major competition this way.

[_Dwight Frye]

From the comments section:

Fitting that today is Groundhog Day, this experience has been re-hashed time and time again by those involved. I am the husband of Jodie Staples, one of the 2 Mormons-At-Large depicted by this article and the families involved. I have more details and more insight into the realities and difficulties of the coaches’ perspective than anyone else, except the coaches themselves, who are understandably keeping quiet at this time. But I am not.

The very existence of this article is laughable. I am sure the author didn’t stumble upon this incident. No doubt someone contacted them. With an ulterior motive perhaps? Same goes for the news reporters trying to interview my wife. But that’s beside the point. Here is MY perspective: These girls are NOT victims of any injustice or discrimination as the article so poorly illustrated. These girls are experiencing the natural and eternal law of agency. Choices have consequences. Who is responsible for the girls’ choice to attend a public school? Who is responsible for trying out for cheer? Who is responsible for the decision to not compete on Sundays, or practice on Mondays? The answers to all three: the girls and their families. And that is FINE. Commendable is their ability to make tough decisions. Despicable is the victimization and self-aggrandizement that is taking place, i.e. “We are so picked on/Aren’t we great for standing up for our beliefs?”

In the most recent Conference, Elder Cook said “We should not expect that because some of our views emanate from religious principles, they will automatically be accepted or given preferential status.” As a graduate student of family-therapy, I am disappointed to see the cardinal rule of self-accountability being broken. This entire article and experience screams of holier-than-thou mentality. Especially when also considering the fact that my wife has had her testimony questioned by parents, received threatening emails, rumors of legal action, contact from the district wanting to investigate, disruption to the class and squad, time loss, emotional taxation, subjection to this article and news reports, and general frustration over A DECISION SHE DID NOT MAKE.

While I’m steamed up, answer me this; how is it that one of the families in the article refuses to participate on Sundays, but is comfortable picking up McDonalds on the way back from sacrament meeting and enjoying the rest of the Sabbath day at Universal Studios. Happened last year. Not judging, cause I did the exact same thing and travel is tricky with respect to Sabbath worship. But wow oh wow, how frustrated I am at this entire incident and the inconsistencies and lack of civility.

PS: I take FULL responsibility for this comment. Jodie has NOTHING to do with it.

[_Joseph]

how is it that one of the families in the article refuses to participate on Sundays, but is comfortable picking up McDonalds on the way back from sacrament meeting and enjoying the rest of the Sabbath day at Universal Studios.

Typical Utah Mormons. A perfect fit for Sandy, Ut.

[_hobo1512]

Wasn't there a recent discussion about Mormon football players in the NFL, and how it was no big deal for them?

The majority of games in the NFL are on Sunday, and the remaining are on Monday Nights.

Reconcile that.

[_moksha]

Thank goodness the LDS school administrators did not cave in the decision to remove these girls for the competition team. As they noted, it was the girls right not to complete for religious reasons and it was the teams right to boot them off for that refusal to compete with the team.

[_cafe crema]

Also from the comment section

I feel that I have a unique prospective to make a comment on this subject. I am an active LDS member who has spent most of my adult life working with youth. I have coached many sporting teams over the past 15 to 20 years. I have been a Young Mens President three times and have been a Counselor in the Bishopric working with the Youth programs. I have two daughters her were Cheerleaders in High School. My youngest cheered for a Cheer squad for many years before entering a local prominent High School. She was on the Varsity Cheer squad all three years and was a Captain her Junior and Senior years. I also have known the Alta Cheer Coach for many years. I really applaud these young lady's for their decision but I think that it is important to know the whole story. First, this subject was talked about when these girls first tried out last Spring. This didn't just come up. They have known about it for months. This is a national competition that is held out of state and the local schools have nothing to do with the scheduling. My daughter mentioned that these competitions are very important to keep the girls focused on working hard throughout the year. I also take offense to negative comments about the coach. She is great member of the church and I pray ever night that my recently returned missionary son will marry someone exactly like her! These girls have their agency to choose but the choice should have been made last Spring when they were told about the Sunday competition. Whether we like it or not there are so many more things that we have to compete against to keep our youth strong and engaged in the gospel both spiritually and physically. I wish that we could control everything so that it would be easy for our children to make the right choices but this is just not the gospel plan. Remember that even the Saviour learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Let's just all keep more open minded and continue to help each other through this battle of life.

Maybe FHE was just a way to push the issue while still managing to look super pious.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

And in other news, MormonTimes.com just cannot stop fawning over all of the Mormon Football players who play beer sponsored professional football on Sunday:

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/1953 ... Super-Bowl

No wonder Romney ended up being a flip-flopper.. Mormons are not consistent.

[_Tchild]

No wonder Romney ended up being a flip-flopper.. Mormons are not consistent.

No they are not.

I was at the BYU ceremony to retire the number of Steve Young at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo. It was nice to see the then, first counselor of the first presidency (now the living oracle and mouthpiece of God for the whole world), Elder Thomas Monson praise and congratulate Steve Young for all the sabbath day violations that he had committed in the name of making Mormonism look normal and sane to the world.

The brainwashed crowd of 50,000 LDS overweight and out of shape sports fans, voiced their boisterous approval while chowing down large helpings of Nachos drenched in oozing artificially flavored and colored cheese sauce (all Word of Wisdom approved) while quenching their thrist with 64 oz corn syrup based non caffeinated soft drinks.

It was the Mormon version of "bread and circuses", only more vacuous given that God's only mouthpiece for the whole earth was in attendance to honor the violator of its fourth commandment (of the ten commandments).

Otherwise, the weather was nice, the setting spectacular, and seeing Steve Young was pretty cool.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

I was at the BYU ceremony to retire the number of Steve Young at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo. It was nice to see the then, first counselor of the first presidency (now the living oracle and mouthpiece of God for the whole world), Elder Thomas Monson praise and congratulate Steve Young for all the sabbath day violations that he had committed in the name of making Mormonism look normal and sane to the world.

The brainwashed crowd of 50,000 LDS overweight and out of shape sports fans, voiced their boisterous approval while chowing down large helpings of Nachos drenched in oozing artificially flavored and colored cheese sauce (all Word of Wisdom approved) while quenching their thrist with 64 oz corn syrup based non caffeinated soft drinks.

It was the Mormon version of "bread and circuses", only more vacuous given that God's only mouthpiece for the whole earth was in attendance to honor the violator of its fourth commandment (of the ten commandments).

Otherwise, the weather was nice, the setting spectacular, and seeing Steve Young was pretty cool.

I never knew about this.

I mean sure, it makes sense since so many Mormons idolized Steve Young.

I see that BYU administration bent the rules for Steve:

There is specific criteria established for a jersey retirement consideration at BYU.

- The player must be a first-team All-American ✓
- The recipient of a major national award ✓
- University graduate of BYU ✓
- The player must also undergo a minimum 15-year waiting period ✓
- Achieve significant accomplishments after graduation ✓ ... and worked many Sundays to achieve that!
- Be a faithful member of the LDS Church .... hmmmmmm

"Be a faithful member"... as in at the time they retire his jersey? Or just during some point of his life?

Steve was hardly a "faithful" member during his football career; for if he had been a faithful member, his jersey would not be hanging in the BYU football stadium.