Although Brigham Young is one of the most well-known Presidents of the LDS Church, perhaps second only to Joseph Smith, it seems most Mormons are …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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, …
“Save Kolob”: Church News Says Book of Abraham “Not Central to the Restored Gospel”
High Priests Groups world-wide are still reeling at the Church News’ announcement that questions surrounding the accuracy and authenticity of the Book of Abraham are …
Do We Let the Church Get in the Way of the Gospel?
Any church is like an orange: it has sweet, juicy, nourishing fruit (i.e., truths that help people live better lives); and it has a tough, …
Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up?
David W. Bercot, a Texas attorney and Evangelical Christian, embarked on a quest to discover what Christians believed and practiced before the Nicene Creed. What …
POLL: Prophetic Infallibility, Obeying the Prophet, and Being Blessed for Obeying the Prophet
What do active Mormons think their Church leaders teach them, and what do they actually believe personally, about the infallibility of the Prophet’s statements about …
Adam and Eve: the First TBM & NOM
There have been several attempts over the years to categorize Mormon “belief-styles”: Orthodox Mormon versus Liberal Mormon, Iron Rod Mormon versus Liahona Mormon, and so …
Why Faith Needs Reason
The tragedy of 9/11 had a big impact on my views about the relationship between faith and reason. As I watched the video footage of …
Does the LDS Church claim to be “an exclusive conduit to God”?
Recently, a veritable Icon of the Bloggernacle, who for purposes of anonymity we shall call “Aloysius Miller”, published a post stating: “I don’t see the …
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 …
Brigham Young: Prophet, Pioneer . . . Radical Environmentalist?
Although Brigham Young is one of the most well-known Presidents of the LDS Church, perhaps second only to Joseph Smith, it seems most Mormons are …
Bad Apologetics, Meet Bad Polemics
polemics: The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct …
Why Would God Create Ordinances?
LDS Church leaders have made it abundantly clear that the Church’s claim to be the “only true and living Church” does not mean Mormons have …
A Truth-Seeker’s Guide to the Bloggernacle and Beyond
Several months ago I received a telephone call from Armand Mauss, who is a member of my Stake. He was calling on official Church business, …
Why Faith Needs Doubt
The very existence of what is commonly called the “veil” seems to tell us at least two things about what God intended real faith to …
The Curious Case of Solomon Spaulding
For years now I’ve heard people offhandedly dismiss the Book of Mormon as a known plagiarism of “the Solomon Spaulding manuscript.” I’ve finally gotten around …
God’s Dilemma
“We thought that we had the answers. It was the questions we had wrong.” -U2, 11 O’Clock Tick Tock Lately I’ve been thinking a lot …
Elder Wirthlin’s Last Messages of Love
Anyone who favors term limits for members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should take a close look at Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s three …
My First Visit to an Orthodox Christian Church
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the familiar Mormon claim that we are the “one true Church” is as much a statement about …
Examining the Church’s Political Neutrality
neu-tral /ˈnutrəl, ˈnyu-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [noo-truhl] -adjective: not taking part or giving assistance in a dispute or war between others. (Random House Dictionary.) * …
Backlash: Anger and Outrage Against Mormon Support for Same-Sex Marriage Bans
For those interested in seeing video footage of the recent protests at the LDS temple in Los Angeles, see the links below: Fights in front …
Same-Sex Marriage Proponents Trash Mormons
See the video here: Same-Sex Marriage Proponents Trash Mormons
What is Heaven? What is Hell?
We pray. We read scriptures. We go to Church. We fulfill our callings. We obey our Church leaders. As much as we’d like to think …
6 Minutes 44 Seconds
This could be the most meaningful six minutes and 44 seconds that you spend today.
“Knowing” & Other Leaps of Faith
I’ve been thinking lately that perhaps the greatest difference between Mormons along all points of the spectrum is not the degree of faith they have …
How Progressive Mormons Are Actually Retro Mormons
In the year 2035, how will Mormon beliefs compare to previous generations? If “progressive” Mormons have their way, Mormon beliefs in 2035 will more closely …
When Obedience Doesn’t Bring Happiness
As Mormons, we are constantly taught and reminded that obedience brings happiness. So what are we to conclude when we’re obedient but still aren’t happy?
Mormon Coffee
Hi, my name is Andrew, and I’m a diet Coke-oholic.
Slandering the Lost Sheep
When I talk to Mormon friends, occasionally someone will mention a mutual friend or acquaintance who claims to have left the LDS Church because of …
Putting Away Childish Things: My Evolving View of God
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a …
Little Mosque on the Prairie: What Mormons Can Learn from Muslims
What do Mormons and Muslims have in common? A lot more than you might think. And a popular sitcom about Muslims living in a small …
“What Children Know”: A Children’s Rebuttal to Elder Ballard’s Conference Talk
Late last night as I was putting the finishing touches on my Monday morning blog post, I heard a faint knocking on the front door …
Prophetic Counsel About Sex Within Marriage: A Brief History
Over the years, the LDS First Presidency has made various statements about sexual relations between husband and wife. Unsurprisingly then, Mormons seem to hold divergent …
How Mormons Are Buddhists & Vice Versa
A few months ago, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting in which I discussed how studying other religious faiths and their scriptures had enriched …
Gathering God’s Words to “All Nations”: When, Where, How, and Who Cares?
At a recent General Conference, Elder Oaks reiterated the Book of Mormon prophecy that “the Lord will eventually cause the inspired teachings He has given …
The Unfinished Restoration: A Global Vision
Mormons tend to think of the Restoration as a discrete series of events that began with the First Vision and concluded with the Martyrdom. Because …
The Parable of the Elephant
Sometimes I recall nuggets of spiritual wisdom but cannot remember when or where I picked them up. One in particular has increasingly taken on new …
Why I Am Not a Disaffected Mormon
There seem to be a number of disaffected Mormons lurking the Bloggernacle these days. I am not one of them. Here is why.
The Ammon Approach: Redefining Missionary Work
When it comes to Church growth, the Church sets high expectations for itself. Likening the Church to that scriptural stone that rolls forth to fill …
WWJB: What Would Jesus Blog?
It’s been a few months since I first came out to my family and friends. I’d been living a secret double life for too long, …
Church’s (Official?) Position on Biblical Interpretation
Brother Jensen thinks the story of Jonah spending three days in a whale’s belly is not literally true, but is a beautiful metaphor of Christ’s …
MYTHBUSTERS: The “One True Church”
There are a lot of myths both inside and outside Mormondom about the LDS claim to be the “one true Church.” That claim is difficult …
10 Things Every Mormon Needs to Know
In my view, the needed changes in Mormon culture do not require Church members to depart from their leaders’ counsel. To the contrary, I believe …