face cards vs face book

*please note that my left shift key (the one I use most of the time) is broken, (works sporadically at best) and it is not likely that I will be going through to fix all of the lower case letters.  please just ignore.

           VS.







several weeks ago we were having a "game night" for our young women's activity.   I just grabbed a stack of games from our game closet that could have at least 6 players at a time - easy to learn, and quick to play.  one of the games i took is called sequence.  it is played by drawing a card (basic facecards) and matching the cards to the corresponding picture on the game board.  you then place a token of your color on that space and try to get 5 in a row. it's simple, easy to learn, easy to play, and you can play with 3 teams of 2, so i figured it was a good game to take.

we get there, a group of kids pick that table and i proceed to teach them how to play and get them started.  then one of our young women came in and pretty much freaked out because we were playing with facecards - which are "forbidden in the church" and are of the devil!

Now, I knew vaguely about the recommendation given many years ago that members of the church shouldn't play with face cards.  I mostly know about it only because i remember a story told by my grandfather, about how he remembered his parents throwing their face cards into the wood burning stove when the counsel was given. I wondered if maybe I was leading these poor youth down the paths of sin, so I came home and looked up what i could about it.

the issue regarding the use of playing with face cards seems to have originated from president joseph f. smith. I liked this ensign article,written in 1984 by "Former Stake President, Idaho Falls Idaho Ammon West Stake" in response to the question "How should I feel about playing cards"

"The two most common criticisms of card playing have been, first, that it is a waste of time, and second, that it tends to end in gambling. Both criticisms are valid because, while extremes, they too often occur. Writing at a time before the advent of excessive TV viewing, which is the modern time waster, and before the coming of extensive state-sponsored lotteries, which today enhance the tendency to gamble, some of our General Authorities have spoken out against card playing. Let us consider what President Joseph F. Smith said:

“While a simple game of cards in itself may be harmless, it is a fact that by immoderate repetition it ends in an infatuation for chance schemes, in habits of excess, in waste of precious time, in dulling and stupor of the mind, and in the complete destruction of religious feeling. … There is the grave danger that lurks in persistent card playing, which begets the spirit of gambling, of speculation and that awakens the dangerous desire to get something for nothing.

“One’s character may be determined in some measure by the quality of one’s amusements. Men and women of industrious business-like, and thoughtful habits care little for frivolous pastimes, for pleasures that are sought for their own sake. It is not easy to imagine that leading men in the Church would find any pleasure that was either inspiring or helpful at the card table” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 329).

he concluded his response by saying, "While it is best to avoid the use of “playing cards,” my personal experiences indicate that our family has enjoyed many benefits from playing games with cards. At a time when amusements are generally enjoyed alone, for example TV viewing and video game playing, we in our family like to play card games together. It has been both unifying and has provided the arena for much give and take. All in all, playing card games has given us many delightful moments."


As i thought about this, I determined that the use of facebook, television, other computer distractions,  are much more likely than face cards to
1)  waste huge chunks of my time
2)  open me up to a wide variety of evils,
3)  "dull and stupor" my mind,
4)  become addictive


etc....


i shared my thoughts regarding this with those (few) girls who seemed interested and/or concerned about the first yw's adamant cries that i had brought SATAN into the church.  I told them that they are safer playing a game of sequence for 20 minutes at a youth activity, in cultural hall of the church, then they are spending hours and hours involved in social media, mind numbing and spirit dulling "music," and watching questionable television shows and movies.  (I found it hilarious that the girl who started all this chose to stay at that game table (all the while complaining about the evil of it all) since that's where the BOYS that she thinks are cute were sitting.  I guess maybe it's ok to be in the presence of Satan if the boys are cute enough??????  NOT!)

I know this is more than long enough already, but i just have to follow up with this - two weekends ago at our stake conference there were several talks that mentioned the over used of facebook, and other other social networking sites.  it was prompted that i too am going overboard and am addicted.  Elder Oak's talk on good, better, best was quoted a couple of times.


GOOD - facebook allows me to connect with friends and family and know what's going on in their lives


BETTER - blogging is a venue for me to journal - which we are supposed to be doing, and still lets me connect with family and friends (those that are willing to take the time to read more that the 150 characters (or whatever the number is) at a time.  (my "blogging" went way down hill once i got a facebook account  and now what do I have to show for it?  pretty much nothing.)


BEST - writing in my private journal


I'm not so good at writing in my private journal, but i can move it up a step by writing the more "non-personal things" in this forum.  My new "facebook rule" is that i cannot log into facebook unless I have


1) worked for at least 1 hour on my "housework"
and
2) written something on my blog with in two days