Church was canceled the first Sunday of January because of the monster snow and cold that hit the Midwest and other areas. Because of extreme sickness we've missed the last two Sundays.

This has served to delay my decision.

I can't decide how stupendous it is or how important or even what I should do.

My ward Relief Society will give me a Joseph Fielding Smith manual, however, I have to SIGN for it. Yup, sign for it. Otherwise, I can't have one.

I'm not certain how this bizarre practice got started but the rationale is that sisters lose their manual and ask for another one. Well, they can't have one, can they! We'll show them their signature of the first one they received and they will just have to lump it if they don't like it.

This policy is enforced.

In fact, the Relief Society president loaned a manual to an investigator sister I was sitting by last year. After Relief Society was over, she came and took it back. If you aren't a member, apparently you don't deserve one either. Me and the senior sister missionary sitting on the other side of this hapless investigator were both mortified.

I have a fundamental problem with all this.

When I was teaching Gospel Principles the only extra manuals to be had were in the library. The librarian told me they were strictly managed because the missionaries were handing them out to "just anybody!" Can you imagine?

I find all of this extremely offensive. I just can't nail down the reasons why. Part of me says just sign for it and the other part of me says to take a stand and order my own copy myself, and then flaunt it in the Relief Society president's face.

Is it just me or do you have a problem with it too?

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