On the 2nd November 2007 a press release was issued from the Church, attributed to Pres. Hinckley, which said: “. . . the Church encourages a deeper and broader examination of its theology, history, and culture on an intellectual level . . . open dialogue and conversation between the Latter-day Saints and various scholarly and religious communities . . . Mormonism has a depth and breadth of substance that can hold up under academic scrutiny”.
Over the last year, I have come across a few bloggers who are members of the Community of Christ (formerly known as RLDS). I have always been curious about the Community of Christ, and have often wondered the differences in worship between their services, and LDS services. I wanted to share some of the stuff I’ve learned. (This is a shorter version of my post which can be found here.)
In a pro-family church, why doesn’t family always come first? We state that family comes before church, and yet there seem to be many in the church who don’t live as if they believe it. What do we need to do to get people to believe that family (and marriage) comes first?
Actually, we will begin with verse 28, but I don’t want to copy and paste everything…so I assume you all have scriptures (or can follow along with the link I provided). But I want to directly quote a few scriptures. 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away. 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. … 36 Behold...
Today’s post is by Orchard. The following narrative is purely speculative in nature, but I think the thought experiment has merit. I am a fan of alternate history, and wrote this some time back. I have strongly debated whether or not to post it, as I recognize that the concept hinges on a single moment in time–but it really puts to question: DID Pilate have free will? Could he have avoided putting the Savior to death via crucifixion? It’s impossible to know what could have been, but I present this as a possibility.
This is a guest post from S Faux at Mormon Insights. Preface: Listed below are some secrets for “trunky” LDS missionaries (Elders and Sisters) with the help of a little Wizard of Oz imagery:
Here is a modified excerpt from a 60-page writing that I made for close friends and family members when I decided to leave the church a few months ago. It was my attempt at helping them understand my view. I think most of them didn’t bother reading it. I wasn’t looking forward to the conversations that I would be having with them, but I was surprised to find myself not having those conversations. Today’s guest post is by Michael. In the spirit of Mormon Stories, he was invited to share his experience.
The US Supreme Court just announced it will not hear arguments regarding the US military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
An article in Newsweek “Adventures in Good and Evil” made a few interesting points about why some people are good and some are evil.
The way we experience time has never been too fascinating to me until the last week or so. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it hit me, but all of a sudden I found myself attacking the very fundamental nature of time itself. This has led me to look at prayer in a completely different way. Let me explain. As I type, I can see that the desk in front of me has width, length, and depth. I can perceive all three dimensions simultaneously. People like Steven Hawking insist that time is a dimension also. And yet, while the first...
Perhaps it is the heretical imp in me, but I have often shifted in my seat uncomfortably as I sit in classes at BYU and in the church house while folks accept as axiomatic all the talk about the American revolution as merely the harbinger of the Restoration. The argument goes like this: the gospel could not be established in a land of tyranny, it is argued. Whatever the errors or skeletons of our founding fathers (if they be admitted at all), they served as Cyrus figures for the Saints. They were “wise men” who helped to shake the...
In an ideal world, we would like everyone to be members of the church (actually, this is just a generalization that I’m going to write just so I can have an introduction to this article). Ideally, we’d like them to be faithful members of the church who sustain the prophet, live great lives, enjoy their lives and find purpose with their lives that match up with the Gospel. In an ideal world. Unfortunately, Liebniz was a little off the mark. We live in a good world (again, if you disagree, please just go with this one so I can...
You see them every week at Church, attending their meetings, performing their callings, shuttling their children to this or that activity. They are active in the Church by every definition. But are they really ACTIVE in the Church? Are they ACTIVE in the gospel?
Today’s guest post is by Joe Geisner. Over on Juvenile Instructor, Jared T. and Ben have done a wonderful job of reporting on the “Sacred Space” symposium held at BYU. After reading the comments on what the academics think of sacred space I reflected on my own experience with sacred space. The academics focused on the Mormon Temple as our sacred space. I wrote the below experiences a few years ago after a trip to my ancestral homeland, Ireland. It was in response to an individual about not casting his pearls before swine. A friend of mine was the...
David Carradine died today in a hotel in Thailand. Go with God, Grasshopper.
I am an active member of the church, and a believer. I am well aware of most of the controversial issues (Book of Abraham, DNA, Book of Mormon historicity, polyandry, etc.). Some of them occasionally bother me. Others do not. Although according to statistics I am very educated, I probably could not win an argument defending the church on any of those points. I could not support the church on Prop. 8, (if you want to specifically comment on that, please go here). I will probably never understand in this life why we are discouraged from praying to our...
What do you want your funeral to be like? Do you care or do you figure you’ll be dead anyway? How do you feel about burial vs. cremation? Are you an organ donor?
A few weeks ago, we had quite a discussion on the Malay Theory. While I heartily acknowledge that Mesoamerica is the most widely believed setting, there are many other theories out there. A little more than 10 years ago, I was vacationing in Hawaii with a few friends. While there, we attended a small branch and became good friends with one of the members there. The member invited us over for family home evening, and introduced us to the idea that the Book of Mormon happened in South America. I had never heard of this before, and became quite...
