NOM

According to this article, which I find very good, but do sort of object to the mild politicization within it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act ... 9bc2a5547f

I suppose in a way he was, but only because I think for most of us, for the vast majority of human beings, it is a lifelong struggle to learn to love somebody just the way they are. It takes time, hard lessons, and difficult choices to realize that to cherish somebody does not mean implying you think the person is perfect or can not improve (to paraphrase the article). Almost all people have to endure a vast number of ideas that come from some form of flawed human endeavor (religion, the state, etc) before weeding them out, if they are to see what it truly means to accept somebody as they are. There is too much encapsulated in that idea to explain in words, and although I think the LDS church and other churches do genuinely try and convey the right ideas, I feel like the simple teachings of a guy like Mr Rogers is a step ahead and I didn't even know it.

I wish I could have believed what he said when I was a kid - the message about a person being lovable as they are, but he was really only one voice among many and most didn't echo that statement. Maybe it's time more voices spoke it, because he's gone and it's an important thing to say, possibly the most important message of all. I don't think I'm crazy in postulating that idea, even if it still sounds strange to me after a lifetime of struggling to accept it. And I think it's very important that kids - people, really - hear and believe this very important lesson.

Mr. Rogers was definitely radical. His total acceptance of everyone is radical in any time period, but especially his total inclusion of African Americans in the late 60's. When he cast Francois Clemmons as Officer Clemmons, he became the first African American to have a recurring role on a kids TV series. When Mr. Rogers invited Clemmons on air to sit with him and rest their feet together in a wading pool, that was radical. When, upon getting out, Rogers dried Clemmons's feet, that was radical. (Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together.

15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was The Best Neighbor Ever :

Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he'd often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn't concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn't just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec's house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver's home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life.

Thought You Couldn’t Hold Mr. Rogers In Any Higher Of An Esteem? Check Out These 6 Wonderful Facts

2. “Certain fundamentalist preachers hated him because, apparently not getting the “kindest man who ever lived” memo, they would ask him to denounce homosexuals. Mr. Rogers’s response? He’d pat the target on the shoulder and say, “God loves you just as you are.” Rogers even belonged to a “More Light” congregation in Pittsburgh, a part of the Presbyterian Church dedicated to welcoming LGBT persons to full participation in the church.”

Did LDS Church leaders ever denounce this so-called "Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood" for his radical message?

moksha wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:58 pm Did LDS Church leaders ever denounce this so-called "Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood" for his radical message?

I don't think the church ever officially denounced him. I can't imagine a children's program even being on their radar. But I knew ward members who refused to let their children watch. They didn't like the idea that love could be given unconditionally. Love was conditioned on good behavior, period, and they could quote general authorities to that effect.

From Christopher Nolan's epic 2008 movie, "The Dark Knight"L

Lt. James Gordon: Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

Mr. Rogers is the complementary opposite of Batman. Fred Rogers is the hero we need, but we hardly deserve him.

alas wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:18 pm I knew ward members who refused to let their children watch. They didn't like the idea that love could be given unconditionally. Love was conditioned on good behavior, period, and they could quote general authorities to that effect.

Alas, I know the folks at Brigham Young University were big proponents and even practitioners of aversion therapy.

Do you think that being restrained and forced to watch four hours worth of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood would be effective in deprogramming TBMs?

Conversely, would their testimonies be bolstered by watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?