Last week we speculated on where the church would be today if it had not extended the priesthood to blacks thirty years ago, and now …
Mormonism as Spiritual Survival of the Fittest
In earthly nature, the term natural selection refers to the process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups who adjust …
A Question, Part 1 of 2
Put on your speculation hat—or, if it works better for you, peer into your hat—and see what you come up with on the following question: …
Is “Unconditional Love” Really Possible?
When I used to work as an editor at the LDS Church’s Ensign magazine, I remember that the correlation committee instructed us not to use …
Mormonism = Paganism + Christianity
When I look at the mortal religious scene here on earth, I think one of the adversary’s masterstrokes has been to split apart two key …
Mormon Coffee-Table Books?
I work with a publisher in Great Britain who is keen to do some lavish, glossy, full-color coffee-table-type books on Mormon themes (or hot-chocolate table, …
What Do You Think about Sunstone?
Most of you probably heard that Sunstone recently hired two new employees to carry out the “open forum” Sunstone mission through the magazine and symposia. …
Birds & Bees in Utah County
Not too long ago I went to “maturation training” in Lehi, Utah, with my 11-year-old fifth grader, who was definitely already showing signs of puberty …
A Latter-Day Tower of Babel?
Here’s something that gives me pause: people making up creative names or nontraditional spellings of traditional names for their children. This seems to be a …
News from the Mormon Literary World
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to let Mormon Matters readers know about a recent interesting development in Mormon literature that I’m involved in as a publisher (definitely …
Too Quick to Pry and Judge?
I don’t necessarily disagree with the points made by BYU law professor Lynn D. Wardle in his Salt Lake Tribune editorial regarding the Elliott Spitzer …
Thoughts on President Monson
I was recently asked by a journalist for my observations on the new Mormon prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and I thought I’d share my responses …
My Mormon Midlife Crisis
I always thought the midlife crisis was just a cliché. But now I’m 41, and I’m finding myself in the midst of an all-too-real midlife …
Mormon Family Shrinkage
I’m the oldest of ten kids. I spent my teen years (1979–1986) living across the street in Bountiful, Utah, from a family with eleven kids. …
“Sorceries, and Witchcrafts, and Magics”
By about 325 A.D. the Nephites had reached this point: “And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the …