Posted on 03/03/2008 11:08:00 AM PST by greyfoxx39
Religious and cultural traditions collide in odd ways.
• Is it right to tell election poll workers, assigned to Mormon church meeting houses, to not bring coffee, sodas or anything else caffeinated to refresh themselves during their long day tending to voters?
-SNIP-
First, let’s look at the polling place duties and sipping Maxwell House in the meeting house.
Longtime Tempe poll worker Mary Ann Hemmingson has signed up to work the polls for the March 11 election. She’ll spend her 14- or 15-hour day in a church, but no longer one that belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I never sign up to work at a Mormon church because the board workers there are not allowed to have any caffeine on the premises,” she said. “That means no coffee in the morning and no Diet Coke in the afternoon. ... You don’t want to see what I look like without my daily dose of caffeine. It’s not a pretty picture.”
“The Word of Wisdom” portion of the Doctrine and Covenants, put forth in 1833 by church founder and prophet Joseph Smith, says that “hot drinks are not for the body or belly.” Add to that what H. Burke Peterson, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, said in 1975: “We know that cola drinks contain the drug caffeine. We know caffeine is not wholesome nor prudent for the use of our bodies. It is only sound judgment to conclude that cola drinks and any others that contain caffeine or other harmful ingredients should not be used.”
Advising followers to restrict what they take into their bodies is one thing, but applying that mandate to those people who perform a public job inside their buildings in a one-day stint seems to be taking things too Far.
(Excerpt) Read more at eastvalleytribune.com ...
Sorry you feel the way you do. Perhaps you would have the local government go ahead and build its own polling places. That would suit me. I don’t live out there and won’t pay the taxes for it.
It seems to me that you have a problem with The Church’s policies about anything so I’m not surprised you have problems with this.
See post #233.
You are welcome to your opinion. I choose not to attack someone personally for disagreeing with me.
Looks like a rough neighborhood.
Dear sitetest,
This is not about voters, but about poll workers who must remain on the premises for 14 to 16 hours on election day.
You are building a strawman so it can easily be knocked down. Why don’t you address the working condition of poll workers and forget about the voters for a minute?
For example; LDS do not allow swearing inside a LDS Ward House. What if poll workers were banned for saying “Damn it?” A little too restrictive wouldn’t you say. The moment a building acts in a civil capacity, it is ruled by civil rules and not ecclisiastical ones, or else everyone who came into the building would neccessarily conduct themselves according to LDS rules of “reverance.” They would be forced to speak in subdued voices, fold their arms an maintain a decorum of reverence since these are the “rules” of being inside and LDS wardhouse.
... Didn’t last long though ... just had to go for a personal dig at someone, didn’t ‘it’.
Are you equating requiring someone to refrain from bringing coffee into one’s facility with honor killings?
sitetest
I’m not surprised at the fact that you choose to attack my person instead of focusing on the issue.
In my experience your actions and words are not out of character at all for one who is involved in Mormonism. You even judge coffee and tea drinkers on par with drug addicts.
Peace _ _ _baby.
Not the only one "digging", either.
Boy, THAT didn't take long. Post 241
Now you’re evading the issue. I’m just following your logic to its unavoidable conclusion.
You seem to be saying that restrictions are permissible on the part of the facility’s owners as long as they don’t exist for religious reasons. It's okay to ban food and beverages generally if the issue is safety. Or perhaps cleanliness. Or perhaps to preserve the new carpet.
But it's not okay to ban a subset of food or beverages for folks' five minute trip into the facility, for religious reasons.
That’s religious bigotry, plain and simple.
Are you planning to bring a ham sandwich the next time you visit the local Orthodox synagogue?
sitetest
There is something wrong with someone who equates requiring people not to bring coffee into the auditorium with honor killings.
As offensive an insult that is to members of the LDS, it is overwhelmed by what it says about you.
sitetest
The only solution is that Mormon Churches and Muslim Mosques should not be allowed to hold the polls in their buildings.
Have you ever worked at a polling place? I have. I had an unexpected need of personal sanitary devices during the 16 hour shift that I worked. I was not allowed to leave for any reason. I was finally able (during my break) to make an emergency call.
I tried to make due until help arrived. I was brought a hot lunch by a family member. IIRC there was a bottle of Iced Tea as my beverage.
We were offered a place to eat lunch and have refreshment during our brief breaks. The LDS Church should have a facility and area ready for those who work, to eat or drink whatever they wish (as long as it is legal) don’t you think? If they cannot provide such a place, then the State should select another venue.
This story is about poll workers not being allowed to drink coffee during the time they are working at the polls.
That isn’t a few minutes, it is usually a 12-13 hour day.
The Mormons want to control what the workers are drinking, they should just say we will no longer let our churches be availabe for the elections. There are always other options.
MY "conclusion" is that you have a personal problem with someone that disagrees with you, and feel the necessity of resorting to personal attacks for what you perceive as my motivation.
Is that your usual habit? Sounds very familiar.
Are you equating requiring someone to refrain from bringing coffee into one’s facility with honor killings?
________________________________________________
Dear sitetest,
No, I mentioned honor killings because you said that anyone who objected to the mormon rule of not drinking coffee for religous reasons ..
“You have a problem with its religious motivation.
I think that makes you a religious bigot.”
BTW I object to adultery and polygamy...
I believe that Joseph Smith was a sexual deviant...
Does that mean any mormon who has a problem with my objections due to “religious motivation” is a religious bigot ???
As offensive an insult that is to members of the LDS, it is overwhelmed by what it says about you.
________________________________________________
That’s not what I said but while you are at it...
Adultry is offensive to me...
What does that say about the mormons who insult me due to my objections ?????????
For the lurkers information, please note just WHO is making the personal attacks and inviting rebuttal.
“This is not about voters, but about poll workers who must remain on the premises for 14 to 16 hours on election day.
“You are building a strawman so it can easily be knocked down.”
Actually, the poll workers seem to have the freedom to choose not to work at polling places with this restriction in place.
It appears that the building of strawmen is your peculiar province, here.
“The moment a building acts in a civil capacity, it is ruled by civil rules and not ecclisiastical ones, or else everyone who came into the building would neccessarily conduct themselves according to LDS rules of ‘reverance.’”
In your own mind.
The use of the facility is governed by the agreement between the facility’s owners and the election authorities. If the facility’s owners propose restrictions that the election authorities find too burdensome, then the election authorities are free to reject the facility as suitable. If the election authorities insist on fewer restrictions, but the facility’s owners find that unacceptable, they can walk away.
Obviously, in the case cited by the article, there was a meeting of minds, and the restriction against caffeinated beverages stands.
sitetest
Indeed!
You should see what happens when they find a Baby-Ruth candy bar on the premises!
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