Many people both within the Church and outside the Church think that Bruce R. McConkie’s book, Mormon Doctrine, is the official declaration of LDS church doctrine. Today’s guest post is by Paradise Destroyed.
Monthly Archives: March 2009
Positive Black History in the Church
Much has been made of the LDS Church’s unflattering history regarding the priesthood ban. But there are some positive stories. I’d like to address some things that happened prior and during the ban that are more positive in nature to the church.
International Ignorance
Someone mentioned in a blog post that I read recently about how accessible materials and information about the Church are for us these days: blogs, books (official and unofficial), news, the internet in general. I couldn’t agree more. There’s a wealth of information about the Church at our fingertips and goodness knows that many of us spend hours reading, analyzing, discussing, and debating it all. I’m often surprised that more Mormons don’t take advantage of it. There is one problem, however. This wealth of information is NOT equally available to members of the Church.
A So-Called Case Study
So-called: 1. called or designated thus 2. incorrectly called or styled thus Two definitions: one is fairly generic, the other carries with a challenge towards an allegation. The word ‘so-called’ appears reasonably frequently in church publications, and grammatically, it almost invariably appears before a noun or a noun clause. With a little wildcard searching, we can get a sample of what official church sources qualify with ‘so-called’.
Moving along on both tracks
Well, my latest ponderings. Your feedback will be welcome.
There’s more than one way to (not) abide it . . .
Today’s post is by The Chorister. Sometimes I get really frustrated with my relationship with the church and find myself increasingly feeling like I don’t fit. So I e-mailed my younger brother recently and told him some of what I’ve been feeling. He’s had similar feelings in the past, but seems mostly at peace now. Here’s part of his response: “I’m so sorry for you to be in that place. I know it must be hellish, and that you must feel so isolated. It’s a long, hard road, sometimes, isn’t it? It’s funny, because now that I am...
The Bloggernacle: The Church’s Unofficial Complaint Department
Since I began using the Internet, I discovered both the positive and negative aspects of it. One can find a wealth of information heretofore unattainable for most people to the vilest, debase and disgusting things imaginable. The Internet can be used for both good and evil.
Does Tom Hanks Hate Mormons?
Tom Hanks is a beloved actor to many Mormons for his family-friendly roles and everyman quality. Yet, his recent negative remarks (and hasty retraction) calling Mormons who supported Prop 8 “unAmerican,” and his role as executive producer on Big Love which is about to air the most sacred Mormon ritual on television begs the question: Does Tom Hanks hate Mormons?
Soliciting Advice for My Son
My oldest son has finished all of the preparation that is required to submit his mission papers, and our Stake President has formally submitted his application. Therefore, we should know where he will be serving around the end of the month – and he probably will leave around the beginning of this summer.
From Black Panther to Mormon: The Case of Eldridge Cleaver
He’s the stuff of kitschy seminary teachers who like to make the Church hip to their edgy adolescents: Eldridge Cleaver. A real Alma the Younger story that those white kids in Utah Valley can understand.
Is Mormon Culture Depressing Utahns?
Ever since I read the MHA study ranking Utah as the #1 most depressed state in the U.S., I’ve been asking my Mormon friends and family why they think Utah has a higher percentage of population reporting depression than any other state.
Dancing through the Sidebar
Feel free to comment on any of the following links – or any others in the sidebar: Hat night at Mesa Temple Wow, could these guys be more Mormon? I know that narcissism is true. HOLY CRAP!! If You Can’t Be Moral, at Least Be Rich Is the Garden of Eden Actually a Real Place? Live the Word of Wisdom – Save the Planet!!!
The “Doctrine of the Family”
I was disturbed as I read the Visiting Teaching Message for the month of March. It is titled “Uphold, Nourish, and Protect the Family,” and begins with the question, “Why must I defend the doctrine of the family?”
More Open Mormon History
I attended a few Mormon History Conferences last weekend. I gave a more detailed account on my blog, but wanted to see how Mormon Matters readers react to a few comments made at these conferences.
Mormon Art – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
From the misguided and ill-conceived to the hurl-worthy, why is there so much bad Mormon Art? Do Mormons have worse artistic taste than non-Mormons? Or just on par? You be the judge. I’ve included various works of art below, all by Mormon artists. Some I like and some I don’t. See what you think.
The Larger-Than-Life Relics of Heritage, Part I: The Sweetwater Rescue
I’m not one of those “let’s prove popular stories incorrect so we can watch the orthodox-squirm” kind of fellows. You know the kind…they start their debunking by saying: “You won’t find this in the handbooks,” and top it off by saying: “I just think it’s so ‘interesting’ that we want to forget our history” (and if you listen closely, you can hear them snicker as they utter the word ‘interesting’). I tend to think of these folks as the Mormon Jokers–they just like to watch Mormon theology burn. On that note, please know that I want to watch...
Dissecting Porn: A look at some interesting statistics.
Today’s post is by Orchard. First off an introduction of myself is in order as this is my first actual post! I’ve been around for a while writing behemoth-sized responses to threads which then require massive digestion on the parts of readers. I’d apologize for that, but doing so might imply some level of contrition or intention to stop. Since neither is the case, I’ll say that I am aware that it does cause some people’s brains to go into shock mode. I am a research associate at a large educational research organization and my background is in Industrial/Organizational...
Faith and Logic: Finding and Navigating an Individual Balance
NOTE: This is a guest post by David Stout, Disciples of Christ minister. I write from the perspective of a Disciples of Christ minister whose girlfriend is a devout Mormon. I am, therefore, very sympathetic and supportive of the LDS (I pray for your church daily) but embrace the theological position often known as Protestant Liberalism. In reading one of Mr. Nielson’s posts a while ago, two things jumped out at me. One is the issue of the relationship of Jesus and the Father and the other is the relationship of faith and logic. I will address the latter...