In Maine, Judge Clapp was not pleased. The sarcastic comment he made at an October 6, 1998 custody hearing would get him in trouble. He …
Great Expectations: What Are Your Hopes and Predictions for General Conference?
“It’s the MOST WONderful TIIIME of the YEARRRRRR.” The leaves are starting to change color. The evenings and mornings are a bit crisper. Even the …
Nuclear Disarmament Meets Mormon Patriotism
Lately more and more Church members have begun to wonder why the Church is so supportive of the United States military. We’ve experienced a long …
Worthiness Interviews: A Poll
There has been a lot of discussion in the b’nacle about the worthiness interviews routinely conducted by members of the bishopric with the young men …
In Praise of Elder Packer: ‘Let Them Govern Themselves’
It might just be the posts that I read, but Boyd K. Packer is not the most popular of Apostles in the Bloggernacle (or perhaps …
Trading Polygamy for Statehood
If one searches around the bloggernacle, you’ll find a snarky comment about how the church traded polygamy for statehood, or that the church just wimped-out …
The Church and the IRS
Thomas Vaughn Barlow really does not like the IRS. On June 8, 2007, he sent it a letter, which stated: This means that if you …
“Moderation in All Things”: A Poll
The phrase, “moderation in all things” is a euphemism usually (but not exclusively) associated (by Mormons at least)with the Word of Wisdom. It usually means …
A Personal Interpretation of Elder Hafen’s Remarks
At the Evergreen conference held September 18-19, 2009, Elder Bruce Hafen gave a talk regarding homosexuality. The talk was reprinted on the official LDS Church …
‘I really think it would be best if you ended your remarks at this point?’
John Remy posted an interesting blog/video where a man, speaking about his concern with the Church’s practice and policy during the Prop 8 debate, was …
Is The Church Sacrificing Principle for Profit With Hunting Preserves?
“To what degree should the principle of ‘respect for life” be extended to bird and animal creations? What do the scriptures, Joseph Smith, and other …
The Growing Mormon Sex Abuse Scandal
The chagrin would be immediate from reading these words in a law book: For five years, in defendant’s capacity as a schoolteacher, neighbor, and secretary …
Liken All Scriptures: Matthew 7:1-2
[poll id=”59″] Please explain your answer.
LDS Grass-Roots Interpretations of the Eve Archetype
Since Eve is one of the most powerful archetypes for women, it’s not surprising that this story is at the root of many discussions of …
Lessons from the BYU Women’s Conference
Some people know that my wife spoke one year at the conference. What they usually don’t know is that they found my wife because the …
On Agency and Accountability: An Inter-dependent View
Jeff Spector wrote a post on Agency a few months ago which I enjoyed alot. The discussion led me down a slightly different path and I …
Bringing Out The Delusional
As I am hardly the model of mental health myself, I am generally loathe to describe others as crazy. However, one cannot read all of …
“Ich Bin Ein Pioneer”
This post was originally scheduled to appear on Pioneer Day, but I had a bit of an accident and had knee surgery the day before, …
LaJauna on Life – Lesson #1: Deserving Charity
Today’s guest post is by LaJauna. Hiya there folks, please allow me to formally introduce myself to you all: My name is LaJauna L. Jentsen, …
What Mormon Prisoners Want
In an earlier mormonmatters post (here), I examined the rise of Mormons as criminal defendants in court opinions. Not surprisingly, most LDS criminals do not …
The Genius of Mormonism: Ordinances
This is the next installment in my series about what gives Mormonism staying power and makes it an effective religion at winning and retaining adherents.
Wherein I stop being liberal and start standing up for what I believe
A lot of what I talk about in regard to the church is a reaction against something else. For a period of time my wife …
How Our Families Can Help Families Around the World Escape Poverty
A year ago my wife and I were struggling to find ways to teach our children the importance of helping those in need, and lamented …
Have you read the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon Yet?
Christopher Nemelka has published the sealed portion of the Book or Mormon and has also translated the 116 pages of missing manuscript. His website can …
The Surprising Truth About Mormon Employment Discrimination
Religious discrimination in the workplace is barred in the United States. It has been that way since the 1960s. This prohibition is across the board, …
My 9/11 Tribute
This essay has almost nothing to do with the September 11th attacks. If anything, the attacks that many of us saw only served as a …
Narratives
History seems like a collection of facts, but in reality, most history is a collection of stories that we use to give context to the …
The Sesame Street Approach to Primary
The children’s television series Sesame Street premiered November 10, 1969. I was just turning 10 years old, so I didn’t watch it very much as …
Too Much of a Good Thing: A Birth Control Poll
Does the church discourage birth control? Are couples encouraged to breed as quickly and frequently as nature allows? Take this poll to share your feelings …
Mormons Doing Nasty Things
Are Mormons more often criminals than members of other similar religions? This is a question we will never answer with precision. After all, one’s religion …
John Remy’s Been Summoned to a Disciplinary Council for Reported Apostasy
John Remy (an old friend of Mormon Matters) is being summoned to a stake disciplinary council for apostasy. Bummer. Sad. Our love goes out to …
‘A Sacred Silence’: Blake Ostler on the Heavenly Mother
In a Sunstone presentation entitled ‘A Return to Logic’, which discusses Blake Ostler’s work, he was asked about the Heavenly Mother. As a fan of …
Overseas Persecution of Mormons: A Comparative Analysis
We know that the LDS Church has projected itself around the world through its missionary efforts. This has occurred during a time when U.S. immigration …
Homework Assignment for this Sunday’s Testimony Meeting
Every now and then, you can find me sitting in testimony meeting with a note card on my lap and a pen in my hand, …
The Word of Wisdom and animal cruelty
I had one of those “oh, great” moments today as I was searching the news online. I have “oh, great” moments now and then. For …
Is Wrongful Excommunication Legally Redressable?
Jeff Breinholt is a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, and a hobbyist legal researcher/writer on cultural issues, including modern American religious movements. We …
Mormon Mysticism and the Tarot
Andrew’s previous post on the Book of Abraham got me thinking about Mormon mysticism and how it has been de-emphasized in the modern Church. In …