Two brief svithey thoughts

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1.

Angels

Angels are decidedly different from God in the modern imagination. God is, to most believing Americans, fully ethereal. And even to Mormons, God isn't apt to show up during breakfast, you know? He stays in his heaven; all's right with the world.

Angels though --- angels break those God-on-this-side,-us-on-the-other rules. Accepting angels ---especially as per Mormon theology --- prevents us from keeping God in his box. And that can make me uncomfortable. I don't want an angel showing up in my classroom. That would really cramp my style.

The takeaway here is this: Angels change the game and shrink the modern/God division. And I think that's all for the better.

2.

In memoriam, JBW

I didn't memorialize Elder Wirthlin when he died because I didn't know what to say. But this weekend, my parents gave to me the packet of letters-to-the-president that my mission president returned to me when I came home from Korea.

In one, I talked about Elder Wirthlin who had recently visited Korea. I called him a man of perfect sincerity.

This is true. He is a man I always felt I could trust. Imagining Elder Wirthlin in even an intentional exaggeration is difficult.

He was a good man and we will miss him, though we cannot begrudge him his passing.

last week's svithe