Back in 1976, it looked like the LDS Church was going to enjoy a $156 million windfall. The reason? It was the death of billionaire …
Where the Wild Mormons Are
I took my 10-year-old and 2 friends to see the movie “Where the Wild Things Are,” and I watched enthralled as they yawned, ate candy, …
Book Review: Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons
Those who know me understand that this book would be of interest to me. My experience reviewing it led to some trains of thought that …
The Church of the Big Bang
I remember a remarkable conversation I once had with another Elder when I was a missionary. He and I had been talking about the relationship …
A Baptism for the Dead Dilemma
Last January 2009, I wrote a piece “Stop Baptizing Our Dead.” I spoke about groups who objected to the LDS Church baptizing the dead that …
Ghosts: What Are They?
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a ghostly encounter? If you do believe in ghosts, what do you think they are doing? …
De-centralising the Spirit: Between Charisma and Bureaucracy
In a lecture entitled ‘A Historian’s Perspective on Joseph Smith’, Richard Bushman shows an interesting trend in religious cultures that surrounded Joseph Smith. This trend centers …
Pres Monson Accepts Honor From “School of the Prophets”
I saw this interesting photo in the Deseret News today, and just had to share. In the paper edition of the Deseret News, President Monson …
The Church’s Litigators
Remember Kenneth Starr? He was the former judge-turned-special-prosecutor who tried to drive Bill Clinton out of office with tawdry tales involving the President’s dalliance with …
The stories we tell
In sacrament the speaker told a story about a young man who stood up, eventually, against his friends for a disabled schoolmate. That made me …
1968-1970: The Civil Rights Movement Comes to BYU
The 1960s was a time of turmoil in the United States. This turmoil extended to American college campuses. It focused on the Free Speech Movement …
Vagueness as a Gospel Principle
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a …
Was Jesus a Buddhist?
The NT doesn’t give much insight into Jesus’ life between age 12 and 30. Did he encounter Buddhism and seek personal enlightenment? Or are these …
Egon Friedell and the Christian ‘Bad Conscience’
This photograph was taken by Sebastiao Salgado at a gold mine in Brazil. I first saw it in a room at the University I attend. As …
It Is Possible to Effect Some Changes in Your Stake
I’ve enjoyed Andrew Ainsworth’s recent posts on (1) being a loving critic of the church, (2) in a way that doesn’t get you excommunicated. I …
How to Provide Critical Feedback to Church Leaders Church Without Getting Excommunicated
If you didn’t happen to read the February issue of Ensign Magazine in 1987, you missed some valuable instruction about how to provide critical feedback …
Are You an Internet Addict?
As church members, we have been cautioned about the internet: ease of access to porn, its mind-numbing addictive qualities, the lack of high quality content, …
Can Mormons Be Fair Judges and Jurors?
The task was simple. Get a list of the area’s religions and invite them to a Cobb County Planning Commission meeting. The clerk went to …
Shlomo: A Key to Peace
In today’s economy, you have to be really sharp to stand out over all those other applicants competing for the job you want. For example, …
Approaching Isaiah 58: Fasting as a Spiritual Practice
Sometime ago Jana Reiss wrote a column for Sunstone entitled ‘Mormonism as Praxis’[1] in which the writers attempted to explore what Mormonism means in terms …
Joseph Smith: Treasure-seeker or Prophet
One of the most controversial aspects of Joseph Smith’s early life—and one not especially well known among most Mormons—is his adventures as a treasure-seeker. His father was likely a treasure-seeker before the family moved to New York from Vermont, where divining rods were the common medium in the search. Sometime in the early 1820s, Joseph was introduced to seer-stones, a common scrying device in western New York. Joseph quickly developed a reputation as a talented seer, and was known to peer into his stone to direct fellow treasure-seekers in their hunts. When Joseph was gaining notoriety as the Book of Mormon was being prepared for publication, local antagonists in Palmyra were quick to ridicule his treasure-seeking activity. A local newspaper editor, Abner Cole, referred to treasure-seers as clear “impostures” in an article on Mormonism and wrote a piece of satire that mocked the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s treasure-seeking.
White Noise
Everybody blogs, right? Why not me? Looking for my niche, my angle, and the one thing that seemed to make me stand out in my …
So you want to be an improver?
There are two types of people who try to improve organizations from the outside of hierarchies. Those who volunteer and those who are asked for …
Mormons, Free Exercise, and Unrighteous Litigation
John Boyle was offended that his country club scheduled golf tournaments on Sunday. He was a Mormon who kept the Sabbath day holy. So he …
Did Elder Holland Denounce or Carefully Avoid the “Inspired Fiction” Theory?
If someone can find something in the Book of Mormon, anything that they love or respond to or find dear, I applaud that and say …
Ardi and the Rise of Mormon Symbology
With the advance of science and the study of more and more artifacts such as Ardipithecus ramidus, believing Mormons are faced with a challenge which …
A Jungian View of the First Vision
The First Vision is often viewed as a literal visit from two Heavenly beings during Joseph Smith’s waking hours. Yet, he consistently refers to it …
Common Consent: Democracy or Prophetocracy?
At 10:00am on a brisk August morning in 1844 Sidney Rigdon addressed the Saints. Brigham Young spoke briefly before the break and at length in the …
Saturday Session Thoughts
These are just a few quick observations from today’s sessions, not every talk, though, nor every observation. I also want to direct attention to the …
Feminist Conference Matching Game–Updated with Answers
Do you know your Apostles’ wives? Bonus points if you can give first/maiden names in the comments. (Don’t cheat–only make a guess if you didn’t …
MM Guide to What to Wear to Conference 2009
SATURDAY SESSIONS: Readers, we know that most of you will be home using the internet or other media wonders of today to keep abreast of …
Mormons and Intellectual Property
One might think that property, a uniquely secular notion, has no truck with ecclesiastic authorities. After all, there’s supposedly no property in Heaven. Instead, everything …
Do We Know How to Be Loving Critics in the Church?
Several years ago I heard former Secretary of Defense William Cohen lament the sad state of affairs in American politics where, as he put it, …