OT SS Lesson #36 LDS Sunday School students will soon take a quick leap through 66 chapters of Isaiah in five forty-minute lessons. All too …
Yom Kippur and the Symbolism of Jonah’s Spiritual Journey
OT SS Lesson #33 If your ward happens to be just a little bit behind on the Sunday School lessons, you might experience the synchronicity …
Adversity: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
OT SS Lesson #32 After the Satan figure is given permission to afflict Job as a test of his faithfulness, three of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, …
Sophia of the Proverbs and the Feminine Divine
OT SS Lesson #31 Feminist readers of the scriptures are well aware of the passages in Proverbs 8 which personify Wisdom (GK Sophia, HEB Hokhmah). …
Discussing the Temple Initiatory from a Faithful Feminist Perspective
I recently had my temple recommend renewed and I’ve been thinking about the temple initiatory for women and wishing I could discuss it from a …
Passing the Mantle
OT SS Lesson #29 The prophet Elisha is introduced for the first time in 1 Kings 19. Elijah has recently had his encounter with the …
Should Mormons in the Diaspora Celebrate Pioneer Day?
It has only been in recent years that I have slowly become aware that not every convert to the Church shares my deep identification with …
The Divided Kingdom Today
OT SS Lesson #27 “Take an old piece of clothing,” our SS lesson advises, “or a piece of paper that is cut in the shape …
The Question Solomon Couldn’t Answer
OT SS Lesson #26 Our Sunday School lesson this week attempts to deal with the conundrum with which we are faced when considering that Israel’s …
Latter-Day Morality
You may not be aware of this if you grew up Mormon, but the LDS definition of morality is rather different than that which is …
When the Fourth of July Falls on the Sabbath
Yesterday’s activities began with a Pancake Breakfast over at the Church, followed by a softball game. We loaded up several of the kids from the …
Approaches to Psalms
OT SS Lesson #25 The Book of Psalms is one of the most beautiful and meaningful books of the Bible, and it is agonizing to …
Writing a Life
“It’s the people who write, who last. If any woman out there has any inclination to to remembered in the future, the next few generations, …
King David and the Doctrine of Blood Atonement
OT SS Lesson #24 The following statement was made by the LDS Church last Wednesday in conjunction with the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner by …
Homosociality and the Friendship Between David and Jonathan
OT SS Lesson #23 The story of David and Jonathan is one of the most inspiring examples of true friendship anywhere. Our LDS SS manual …
You Can’t Ride Two Donkeys With One Ass: Saul and Spiritual Rebirth
OT SS Lesson #22 Ever since I was introduced to the word “liminal,” I have claimed it as my own. This word describes a threshold …
Patriarchal Hierarchy and the Kingship Model
OT SS Lesson #21 When we lived in Saudi Arabia a few years ago, I obtained a faculty position in the fairly newly-formed department of …
A Memorial to Peace
“War, rather than any foreign state, is the supreme enemy of country and mankind. One day citizens will covet for this nation the prestige of …
A Closer Look at that Virtuous Woman
OT SS Lesson #20 Sometimes I wonder how women in the Judeo-Christian tradition got stuck with the gender role identifications they have. The Old Testament …
Binding the Broken-Hearted
Nothing is more painful than a broken heart. When this kind of sorrow gets deep into a person’s soul, all troubles are magnified, blessings are …
The Death of McConkie’s Mormon Doctrine
Last night on KUTV in Utah, an announcement was made which signals the end of an era. It was reported that Bruce R. McConkie’s Mormon …
Feminist Musings on the story of Jephthah
OT SS Lesson #19 You are going to talk about the Biblical Judges in this week’s Sunday School class, and the lesson’s got it pretty …
Circumcision Rock & Roll
OT SS Lesson #18 The advantage of blogging the SS lessons instead of teaching them is that I get to cover the chapters that are totally skipped …
Our MM Mothers
John Dehlin: I love my sweet Mom (Nan McCulloch) — for a hundred different reasons. She’s a wicked cook. A spectacular actress. A fantastic decorator …
The Lonely Polygamist: MM Book Review
At the tender age of 19, a sister missionary handed me a Book of Mormon and challenged me to read it. The only thing I’d …
The Angel and the Ass
OT SS Lesson #16 The story of Balak and Balaam is a study in the marvelous complexity and richness of Biblical literature. The pericope includes …
Limiting Revelation: The LDS Concept of Stewardship
OT SS Lesson #15 A scripture in the Doctrine & Covenants encourages us to “be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] …
What if the “Sunday School Answers” were:
First, do no harm Be kind Help others I see nothing but good coming from praying, reading the scriptures, and keeping the commandments. But it …
Symonds Ryder and a Crisis of Faith
Once again, the story of Symonds Ryder has been misused to illustrate a point about leaving the Church over something inconsequential. Undoubtedly there have been …
The God of the OT vs. the Golden Calf
OT SS Lesson #14 Sometimes I have a hard time with the Jehovah of the Old Testament. I’m not always sure how much of the …
If Easter Be Not True
I’ve learned a few things from teaching swimming lessons to tiny children for over 30 years. One of the most obvious is that some kids …
Conference Moments
To get you in the mood, I’m sending some of my favorite Conference Moments from the past, in no particular order. Join me and share …
The Seder, Social Justice, and Leroy Jessop
OT SS Lesson #13 At a Passover Seder this week, President Barack Obama’s message to American Jews focused on social justice. Obama said that the …
What Dreams May Come
OT SS Lesson #12 Whether dreams come from the unconscious mind or directly from God, they are valuable sources of revelation. Dreams can tell us …
Brothers: A Review
What if — as well as a description of birth order and an indicator of hierarchy — the appellation “firstborn” was also a title? Could …
The Relational Definition of Sin
One of my favorite experiences at the BYU Studies Symposium was listening to a set of two talks on the subject of sin. That might …
Bombshell at the BYU Studies Symposium
A small crowd at the BYU Studies Symposium yesterday was on hand to receive Richard Holzapfel’s self-proclaimed Mormon history “bombshell.” He presented the morning plenary …
The Virgin and the Whore: Thinking Beyond Dinah and Potiphar’s Wife
OT SS Lesson #11 Lesson 11 in the Old Testament manual employs several stories from Genesis 34-39 to develop the theme of sexual morality. Joseph’s …
Jacob’s Ladder: More on Faith Vs. Works
OT SS Lesson #10 Though it’s only an “additional teaching idea” in Lesson 12, Jacob’s ladder has captured my imagination due to some conversations I’ve …
Putting an Edge on Abraham
OT SS Lesson #9 This story is so very, very familiar to us that I think it’s important to look at it with a fresh …
Where the Lord Annihilates all the Gays
OT SS Lesson #8 “The Genesis passage is very clear, that the sin of Sodom that brought on the destruction of the city was indeed …
Sod, Seed, Salvation: Abrahamic Covenant and the Claim to Palestine
OT SS Lesson #7 Sod, seed, and salvation — it’s how I like to describe the Abrahamic Covenant. There were three promises in the covenant. …
Joseph Smith Didn’t Believe in Watchers
OT SS Lesson #6 Hidden in our scripture reading for this week is a strange little passage which many modern Biblical scholars say was originally …
From Patriarchy to Eternity
I am going to put this as simply as possible, and let’s start with a definition. Patriarchy is a social system in which the father …
Why I want to Live the United Order
OT SS Lesson #5 I have often thought that had I not joined the Church at age 19 I would have liked to have joined …
Adam & Eve as UFOs (Unidentified Figurative Objects)
OT SS Lesson #4 Although our SS lesson for this week presents Adam and Eve as two literal, physical characters, the temple ceremony hints that …
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 …
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. …
This is my Work and my Game Plan
OT SS Lesson #1 With Jeff’s interesting introduction to the OT course of study, I’m sure many of you have peeked at the first OT …
The Bloggernacle Song (inspired by Adam Sandler)
There’s been a lot of buzz about Senator Hatch’s Hanukkah Song, and The Tonight Show’s Mormon Song. I don’t think either one of them can …
Like a Virgin
This post is a response to Aaron Shafovaloff over at Mormon Coffee. If you go to enjoy the lights on Temple Square, you are likely …
Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Revelation
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners are so named because they respond to learning in different ways. Visual learners are responsive to stimuli they can see. …
Women’s Studies at BYU: Parity or Parody?
When I first discovered that BYU had announced the closing of their Women’s Research Institute, I was appalled, as were many interested parties both on …
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, …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
An Outsider’s Look at the United Effort Plan
If you were in downtown Salt Lake City today, you may have noticed a large rally of over a thousand peacefully protesting polygamists. What is …
Church Doctrine is Like the Bloggernacle
Bloggernacle aficionados have been trying to define our little corner of the internet for years now. Everyone has a vague idea of what the term …
The “Doctrine of the Family”
I was disturbed as I read the Visiting Teaching Message for the month of March. It is titled “Uphold, Nourish, and Protect the Family,” and …
Populating Worlds: Joseph Smith’s Legacy
I’ve always been rather fascinated with the “fruits” of Joseph Smith’s polygamy. Orson Pratt, who was an early defender of plural marriage, often explained that …
Healing the Waters of the Dead Sea
The Relief Society teacher was teaching the lesson on the signs of the Second Coming, and she was writing these events on the board as …
For the Little People
For some time, Mormon bloggers have lamented the fact that there was no wide-reaching aggregator that featured solo Mormon-themed blogs. Dr. B. has, for the …
Religious Education in the Church–It’s no School of the Prophets!
On January 23, 1833 in Kirtland Ohio, Joseph Smith met for the first time with a select group of members in what he termed the …
A Mormon History Mystery
This week our BYU student daughter called to ask us to help her with an assignment: she was supposed to find a question that could …
Media in the Bedroom
Beginning as far back as March 2001, the Church has advised members not to locate their computers in a bedroom. William C. Porter, in the …
Are you still getting those “Obama is a non-flag-saluting Muslim” emails?
In a June of 2006 speech, Barak Obama spoke honestly about the uncertainties of belief. “Faith doesn’t mean that you don’t have doubts,” Obama declared. …
News Matters– A Public Display of Religion
Welcome back to News Matters– a news feature which presents an LDS look at current events with an opportunity for our readers to interact from …
Binding Members to the Church
President Hinckley has reminded that we all need at least three things to remain firmly in the faith—a friend, a responsibility, and “[nourishing] by the …
News Matters
Our new news feature will present an LDS look at current events with an opportunity for our readers to interact from a Mormon viewpoint. Your …
Wearing Pastel Pantsuits
It was back in the 1980’s, and she wore a pastel pantsuit to Church. It wasn’t just any pastel pantsuit, either. This was a sophisticated lady; …