Monthly Archives: January 2010

Dysfunctional Families or Church?

January 19, 2010
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Dysfunctional Families or Church?

Exit stories are the tales told when someone leaves the church.  The internet is full of these stories, and in many, there is drama in the family as a result of the person’s decision to leave.  Often the person attributes at least some of that family drama to the church itself as an organization.  Yet, it is also true that there have been people who have left the church without family drama or disagreeable behaviors.  So, is the church environment complicit in fostering “bad” behaviors or is it the families themselves who are prone to these behaviors?  Or both?

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Obedience or Natural Law?

January 18, 2010
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There is an interesting character on Youtube who calls herself “The Non-Muslim Hijabi”. She wears a head scarf even though she’s not Muslim.  I felt a kinship with her, since I’m a Non-Mormon Word of Wisdom follower, and generally live all the other commandments.  (The lifestyle teachings, not the ordinances.) In one of her videos, the Non-Muslim Hijabi said something like, ‘Don’t just do something because the Koran says so. Find out the reasons for yourself and do it because you feel the benefits.’  One Muslim woman responded, ‘What is wrong with doing it only to show your obedience...

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On Failed Patriarchal Blessings

January 17, 2010
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Some time ago I spoke to someone I knew about a Patriarchal blessing they had received which seemed to have failed to come to pass.  We discussed it at some length and I then asked them if I could have some time to think about the issue more.  I tried to find reasons to explain the failure and then we discussed each one according to their circumstances, but I raised all as possibilities.  I admit that I was trying to be both comforting and honest, which in this situation was not easy.  The possible reasons I gave the person, as I wrote them...

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Mormon Innovations: the Pre-Mortal Life

January 16, 2010
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I’m teaching the Gospel Principles lesson #2 tomorrow.  I’m going to attempt to utilize proper sources, only utilizing personal experiences and church magazines.  We’ll see if I bore everyone to tears or if we can have an enlightening conversation. The title of Lesson #2 is “Our Heavenly Family”, but I think it is mis-named.  Most of the lesson deals with the pre-Mortal life.  As I thought about this, I think this is one of the biggest theological innovations in Mormon theology.  I can remember teaching about the pre-mortal life as part of the plan of Salvation.  I also remember...

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2009 Niblets are Here!!

January 15, 2010
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2009 Niblets are Here!!

Mormon Matters introduces the 2009 Niblets Awards! It’s back!  The opportunity to honor the unique and talented Mormon bloggers of 2009. It’s a chance to look back on the  year and remember the great things that happened in the Bloggernacle, to come together in a spirit of comaraderie and fun!  Mormon Matters will be hosting this event to highlight YOU and your favorite 2009 Mormon blogs, and we are pleased to announce our continuing collaboration with Ziff of Zelophehad’s Daughters, the mighty numbers cruncher, who will handle results presentation at the end of this event.

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Mormon Law 2009 Year in Review

January 14, 2010
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Mormon Law 2009 Year in Review

The waning days of 2009 saw the possible loosening of Utah liquor laws as a national story. Meanwhile, in a development covered by Mormon Matters, the Deseret News suggested that 2009 marked the end of a decade that saw the growing influence of Mormonism in American culture. What was the LDS experience in 2009 in one particular institution – the American courts? After all, court opinions are at least one indication of the larger attitude towards a minority group. In 2009, I counted around 50 federal and state court opinions involving the LDS Church and its members. (This does...

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Mormon Matters on Kindle

January 13, 2010
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Mormon Matters on Kindle

Just last week, Mormon Matters content became available to Kindle owners.  The only other b’naclers on Kindle are our buddies at By Common Consent.  So, here’s why you should get a Kindle and subscribe to MM!

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The Creation Accounts — Unharmonized

January 13, 2010
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The Creation Accounts — Unharmonized

OT SS Lesson #3 Several years ago I did a study of Joseph Smith’s different accounts of the First Vision. It was fascinating to see how the accounts changed over time and according to his audience. I reflected that I had told my own conversion story many different ways and with different emphases over the years. It was reasonable to me that Joseph would make different points when he recounted his vision to a Jew than to a Christian minister. And it seemed natural that his story would change over time, as he gained life experience and greater depth...

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Follow the [blank]: A Poll

January 12, 2010
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Follow the [blank]: A Poll

In the church, we learn how to be good followers.  There are many things we are told to follow:  the prophet, good examples, our parents’ instructions, the gospel, the brethren, the Spirit, and the dictates of our own conscience.  We are told, on the one hand, NOT to follow the world or the crowd.  But we are told to surround ourselves with good people and follow their good examples.  So, what do you follow when you sense a conflict between two of these?

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LDS Church News Says: “Use Proper Sources” With Gospel Teaching

January 11, 2010
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(Hat tip to Michael Carpenter) This just in from LDS Church News.  Correlation remains king. “A gospel teacher is not called to choose the subject of the lesson but to teach and discuss what has been specified. Gospel teachers should also be scrupulous to avoid hobby topics, personal speculations, and controversial subjects. The Lord’s revelations and the directions of His servants are clear on this point.” and “The Church — through its inspired correlation program — has given us official sources of information to help us prepare lessons and plan activities. Instead of turning to unofficial books and Web...

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On Being an Apostle but not in the Quorum

January 11, 2010
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On Being an Apostle but not in the Quorum

‘In 1866, at the age of only twenty-seven, Joseph F. Smith was ordained an Apostle by President Brigham Young, and served briefly as one of his special additional counselors. When a vacancy occurred in the Twelve the following year, Elder Smith was sustained as a member of that quorum’ .  The date was Oct 8, 1867.  This means Joseph F. Smith was an Apostle a year before he joined the Quorum of the twelve.  Moreover, BY ordained Joseph F. Smith spontaneously without consultation of all members of the First presidency .  Lest we think this is just another aberration of...

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Mormons Celebrating Diversity

January 10, 2010
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Hello Mormon Matters community! I was invited to contribute a blogpost now and then, and hope I’ll be able to throw some meaningful questions into the hopper. I write under the name Ecumenigal because of my eclectic background and multi-faith points of view. I’m sort of a religious mutt.  I’m Mormon by heritage, birth, and culture, an atheist by upbringing, and now a sort of New Age Jesus Hindu with a great appreciation for Mormon theology as encompassing much of eastern and western thought.  In future posts, I hope to talk more about my vedic appreciation of Mormonism. For...

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BYU Students Hit it Big: Miley Cyrus Virus Rap

January 9, 2010
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BYU (and UVU) students hit it big.    100,000 Youtube views and counting.  Who says Mormons can’t have fun? (Notice Helaman Halls in the background.  See here to appreciate the parody)

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Think for yourself or not – that is the question .Cognitive Dissonance 1

January 9, 2010
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Think for yourself or not – that is the question .Cognitive Dissonance 1

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Chosen or Posin’ ? Abraham, Buffy, and Other Choice Spirits

January 8, 2010
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Chosen or Posin’ ? Abraham, Buffy, and Other Choice Spirits

OT SS Lesson #2 This was an interesting lesson to read after last year’s brou-ha-ha over an alleged “generals in the war in heaven” quote. On the 25th of February 2008, the Church issued an official statement from the Office of the First Presidency to all General Authorities, Area Seventies, Stake Presidents, Mission Presidents, District Presidents, Temple Presidents, Bishops and Branch Presidents which read: A statement has been circulated that asserts in part that the youth of the Church today “were generals in the war in heaven . . . and someone will ask you, ‘Which of the prophet’s...

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“Pretender” Mormons?

January 7, 2010
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(Hat tip to Antonio Parr at BCC) To get this post, you’re either gonna have to spend 7 minutes listening to this song ..or be a Jackson Browne fan….but here’s my question: How many of you out there have fallen prey…at one time or another….to being a “Pretender” Mormon?  And I don’t mean pretending to be Mormon.  I mean falling into the middle-class life of which Jackson Browne so eloquently (and slightly condescendingly) sings, after some youthful phase of idealism.  I know I have at times.  More importantly, have any of you found a way to successfully escape?  Or is...

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Time to Study the Old Testament…Again – Part 5 – “Plain and Precious Things”

January 7, 2010
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“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”  (Articles of Faith 1:8)

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Dialogue Subscribers and Book of Mormon Historicity?

January 7, 2010
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In 2005 Dialogue conducted research among it’s subscribers.  There was over a 1,000 responses which (assuming that everyone answered every question) is a fairly good sized sample to infer what the population of subscribers might think.  One interesting tidbit is that nearly half of the subscribers were over 61 and that 40% had a doctoral degree.  They asked a range of qustions but one that interested me was: ‘What way is the Book of Mormon Authentic?’  I thought before showing the results that our readers should answer the same question:

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Canonizing Modern Revelation – A Tourist Guide

January 5, 2010
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Over the past year or so, I’ve become blogging buddies with FireTag, a member of the Community of Christ.  He has his own blog at The Fire Still Burning.  Many of you should recognize FireTag, as he frequently comments here at Mormon Matters.  He was part of my panel for the Interview with the Community of Christ. As some of you may know, the Community of Christ (formerly known as RLDS), canonizes revelations in their edition of the Doctrine and Covenants much more frequently than the LDS church does.  There is an upcoming World Conference (similar to General Conference)...

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What is “sin”?

January 4, 2010
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In my apparently never ending need to define absolutely everything, (e.g. what “bless the food” means or “what is the church?”) I am continuing my “What is…. ?” series, with a topic that I have had a hard time defining in the past. What, really, is sin? Not so much “what are some examples of sin…” because we all know there are endless ways and means TO sin. What IS it? How do you define it?

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