Recently, I was in a meetinghouse in our area for the first time. On the wall directly above the entrance to the chapel, there is a small plaque. Continue reading…
Archive for June, 2008
And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.
Alma 1:26
And the elders or high priests who are appointed to assist the bishop as counselors in all things, are to have their families supported out of the property which is consecrated to the bishop, for the good of the poor, and for other purposes, as before mentioned… And the bishop, also, shall receive his support, or a just remuneration for all his services in the church.
Doctrine and Covenants 42:71,73
The calling is not a regular remunerative position, but interrupts professional employment; whatever financial losses accrue are part of the expected sacrifice. The family involved gives of its time and energies without salary, though there is a modest allowance for living expenses.
Gerald Day, “Mission Presidents,” p. 915, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Unlike local leaders, who maintain their normal vocations while serving in church assignments, General Authorities set aside their careers to devote their full time to the ministry of their office. The living allowance given General Authorities rarely if ever equals the earnings they sacrifice to serve full-time in the Church.
Marvin K. Gardner, “General Authorities,” p. 539, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Do tell….what were your experiences today w/ the LDS Church’s anti-gay marriage statement in your local ward?
Feel free to share experiences of friend and family as well.
Michelangelo, one of most prominent figures of the Renaissance’s A-List, is famous for his sculptures and his frescoes, nearly all of which depicted religious themes. The ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican are possibly his most well known and celebrated works (perhaps rivaled only by The David.) Commissioned by and under the close supervision of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo was essentially acting as an agent of the Catholic Church. What I find most interesting though, is that when we carefully look at his art, we find depictions and representations of things that are *not* part of the theological tenants of Catholicism, but are in fact congruent with certain teachings and beliefs of Mormonism. Continue reading…
The view of God’s godliness ranges from God as a Bonewits Parasite to God as the ex nilho creator who controls everything down to the direction and location of sub atomic particles. Those views of omniscience and omnipotence as to God and just what that means inside and outside of time were to be Part Three.
Perhaps our feelings about tomorrow’s letter were abreacted in last week’s multifarious and sporadically acerbic discussion. My purpose here is to highlight some of the feelings and perspective of one who is connected to many aspects of the Church’s political action regarding gay marriage. My sister Emily is a lawyer in California, and gay (also kind, witty, and sagacious, but that is beside the point). Her journey through life has had a positive and profound impact on my family and I. I have learned a lot from her, but this issue specifically has inspired me to be more thoughtful and considerate of those who are different from my straight white male middle-class American self (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Continue reading…
Well, an FLDS update, that includes a link to an Ikea spoof.
What other things that everyone seems to be taking seriously can you think of spoofing?
Borrowing from Grits for Breakfast:
” here’s some recent coverage that may interest Grits readers:”
- Fort Worth Star Telegram: Polygamist sect fights back by emerging from isolation
- London Times: What next for polygamists?
- Salt Lake Tribune: Was FBI probe in 1980s lost chance to curbe FLDS leaders?
- Salt Lake Tribune: Jeffs daughter wants to ditch her attorney
- San Angelo Standard Times: CPS, judge threatened American foundation
- AP: Cost of raid tops $14 million
- The Spoof: Polygamists to replace same sex couples in Ikea ads (satire)
- The Common Room: FLDS June 22
This one is for you parents and aspiring parents out there. How would you answer the following question: Is it more important to you that your child be “good,” or that he/she be “happy”? Hold on to your initial responses — I don’t think it’s such an easy question.
I work with a publisher in Great Britain who is keen to do some lavish, glossy, full-color coffee-table-type books on Mormon themes (or hot-chocolate table, if that’s how you prefer it).
This fine gent has asked me to shake some trees and see what topics Mormons would like to see given this kind of treatment, whether historical, cultural, or whatever. He prints ‘em cheap in China and stacks ‘em deep in places like Costco and Barnes & Noble.
So take a moment to sit down on your sofa and stare down at your coffee table and try to picture what kind of Mormon-themed coffee-table book you’d like to see there, something that hasn’t already been done (or, if it has been done in some form, hasn’t received the glossy full-color illustrated treatment it deserves yet).
Thanks in advance for any suggestions! (And I’m sure none of them will be tongue-in-cheek…)
[NOTE: I must be a masochist. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read the questions asked in this post and stick to those questions when you comment. I don't want this to turn into the typical battle over homosexuality. I use that topic only because it is perhaps the best example of the overall issue right now.]
Homosexuality is a complicated topic – especially because so many people, particularly in religious discussions, over-simplify it. I want to focus narrowly today on what is “sin”, “transgression”, “moral” or “immoral” – or a combination thereof. Continue reading…
Something I have mentioned before is that I believe many members don’t really understand what the Book of Mormon actually says about many things – just like few Christians really understand what the Bible actually says about many things. Much of my perspective on this issue stems from my belief that it is a natural reaction to accept what others say about topics with which we do not feel comfortable claiming to be experts. As long as the explanation we hear sounds good – as long as it makes sense to us – we often take it at face value and don’t examine it closely and critically. This is true especially when the one giving the interpretation is in some position of authority.
This is my first “Common Scriptures in Review” post – something to consider as an alternative reading to what many assume. Continue reading…
The Match
Prepare for the ultimate philosophical smack down between a David and a Goliath! In one corner we have our champ Craig L. Blomberg who I have been told is one of the foremost New Testament scholars in the world. Simply put, he’s brilliant.
Our contender is my former missionary companion who was never anything but a junior companion.
Craig Blomberg comes out of his corner swinging, in How Wide the Divide? His upper-cut is the logical impossibility of the Mormon concept of becoming divine and having more than one Omnipotent “being.” He says,
Even simple logic should suggest that it is contradictory to have more than one omnipotent being; otherwise, for example, not only would God be able to judge me but I would be able to judge God. Both of us could theoretically destroy each other, and then there would be no eternally existing God. (How Wide the Divide? p. 212)
Over the years, the church has cut back and eliminated activities that, in some cases, were long-standing traditions. Which ones do you miss the most?
- Speech Contests
- Stake Dramas and plays
- Talent shows
- Concerts
- Roadshow
- Dance Festivals
- Monthly ward activities
- Ward fund raisers
- Inter-church sports tournaments
- Know Your Religion
- Gold & Green Ball (Laurels coming out party?)
- Others
I am sure that there are other activities that I have not mentioned. I also think that some wards and stakes may still do things that are on the list.
What were your favorites?
“Whitewashing” is an accusatory term often used against the church to describe efforts to gloss over sticky points in doctrine or history. So, does the church engage in whitewashing? Continue reading…
So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.
Joshua 10:40
Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:13
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