LRCA Committee Meeting

Wrote this to the guy working on our story minus the P.S. : )
Knowing what I know now if I had the chance (believe me this experience has totally changed me, I had no idea the power of ignorance) I would ask the state of Arkansas, What do you know about Mormons? Go ahead think of it. Make a list in your mind. Now, How do you know these things? We were told we are so incompatible that we could not even exist on the same campus. When we asked which of our teachings. We were told the "vast" differences between the Bible and the Book of Mormon were a major problem. We asked for a list of the differences. Bottom line. No one in that room had read even one line of the Book of Mormon let alone the whole book. They were going on the word of others who had also probably never read it. Now we don't expect others to read the Book of Mormon, but if you want to know about a movie do you ask someone who has seen it or someone who hasn't? They either need to read the book or take the word of those who have over those who haven't. What do I have to gain by miss representing my religion to them? If a Jehovah's Witness or a orthodox Jew or a Bible churcher tells us what their church believes and represents we just accept it and assume that what they are telling us is accurate. When a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day  Saints tells someone about the church people generally are suspicious. They think that can't be true that isn't weird enough. We invited them to read the Book of Mormon or visit one of the five LDS congregations in the area or visit mormon.org the churches official site to form their policies so that their policies aren't based on here say.

As I told you I feel like we were sent to meet with a group that would let us feel like we had been heard but not do much else. Since they also were very closed to the idea of others attended the meeting even just to view the proceedings we were obviously to be heard in a very controlled way. Their anger at us involving the media was voiced and we said in as kind a fashion as we could that their desire to keep this a private issue was one that we could only see benefiting their position not ours. They expressed again that if they were to have a dozen or so of their parents come out in support of Mormonism that it would not be important. They suggested that we should quietly find someplace else for Sam. I pointed out (as mentioned in a previous email to you) that because of the condition of the LRSD and the available programs and financial aid this was the only program. Tangent: Feels kind of like separate but equal. I know this is a private institution, but when they suggest that while only the best is good enough for their children (believe me these are people who would swim the Nile to avoid public schooling) and suggest that you can find other more appropriate schooling in an area where almost 100% of the schools are failing the NCLB initiative it is telling. At the time if Brown vs. the Board of Education white schools had excellent materials and trained teachers, black schools had second hand books that were falling apart and teachers who had little training. Do you see the parallel? Obviously I don't expect you to include it, just saying.
Anyway...
In closing, I fully understand why we are excluded. These churches fought to the point of massacres, excommunications, and church sanctioned executions 1500 years ago. Its what made the Nicene council necessary (which was not peaceful or pretty) , its what prompted the Pilgrims, its what created the 95 theses of Martin Luther. This is just another page in the history of Christianity. The church was established in April 1830. Hopefully it won't take another thousand years before people actually look at the doctrine and accept it not as true but as just another branch of Christianity. After this experience however I won't be holding my breath!

Jessi Duncan

P.S. After a forty five minute meeting we were told that they were hearing what we were saying and they could understand what we were saying but their job wasn't to write policy, just to enforce it. So why were we invited to this meeting instead of the one with who ever has the power to change the policy? Sigh, I think they are hoping that we will feel adequately heard and sit down somewhere and be quiet. On the flip side we were photographed by the paper today and it should be coming out soon. The photographer said possibly on Sunday's front page! Please continue praying that this story will come out correctly.