In the landscape of conflicting ideologies and differing theologies, there is one area that almost everyone can agree on: the importance of being a “good person.” But what does that really mean?  WikiHow offers: Philosophers have been debating what is good and what is not for centuries. Many people find that it’s more complicated than just being kind, and several complex religions have arisen with the attempt to understand the difference between good and evil. While every person’s journey is different, being good has a lot to do with discovering yourself and your role in the world. (reference) As we…

Read more »

The church in California is initiating a Young Single Adult conference of unprecedented proportions. On August 7th and 8th, all of the YSA’s in the state will gather by temple district for 2 days of doctrinal workshops, sports activities, a humanitarian project, a variety show, dancing, and a special sacrament meeting . As part of this conference, some state-wide goals have been defined. Among these goals is a massive search-and-rescue effort to reach out to less active, inactive, and non-member single adults. The theme of the conference is derived from Ephesians 2:19: “No More Strangers.” (See the YouTube Promotional Video)

Read more »

So-called: 1. called or designated thus 2. incorrectly called or styled thus Two definitions: one is fairly generic, the other carries with a challenge towards an allegation. The word ‘so-called’ appears reasonably frequently in church publications, and grammatically, it almost invariably appears before a noun or a noun clause. With a little wildcard searching, we can get a sample of what official church sources qualify with ‘so-called’.

Read more »

Exodus 20:7: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Euphemism: 1. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

Read more »

Is that a trick question?  Giving thanks and being obedient hardly seem mutually exclusive.  But as I re-examined a New Testament vignette that’s oft-cited this time of year, that message stuck out like a sore thumb—though I had never noticed it before. The story of the ten lepers starts with: And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, “Jesus, Master,…

Read more »

For many Utah latter-day saints, Olympic season brings with it a sense of deep nostalgia. It was six years ago that the world focused in on the Wasatch front, and that the Church began on what would become a path of increasing media attention. However, long before 2002, Mormons had already enjoyed some time in the Olympic spotlight. In 1984, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed at the “Tribute to the Stars” gala preceding the summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At those games, LDS church member Peter Vidmar earned two golds and a silver.

Read more »

From the earliest days of primary, latter-day saints are taught that the proper pronouns to use while praying are “thee,” “thou,” “thy,” and “thine,” and that the common “you,” “your,” etc. are disrespectful and should be avoided. When we turn to the scriptures, we see that “thee” and “thou” are used freely, and we come to associate the words with religious settings and appeals to deity.

Read more »

The Word of Wisdom has come to be a central and defining tenant of the Mormon faith. The phrase “don’t drink, don’t smoke” is almost universally included in a description of Mormon values or behaviors. Perhaps due to its clear-cut nature (or at least the clear cut nature of its prohibitions, not its recommendations) the Word of Wisdom has nearly been elevated to the status of the commandment of commandments. But anyone who has actually bothered to read D&C 89 will know that the Word of Wisdom was given “not by commandment or constraint”, but as just what it claims…

Read more »

Let’s play a little game. In order to be eligible to play, you MUST NOT be a current viewer of American Idol. If you are familiar with any of the contestants on season 7, consider yourself disqualified. This game is actually more of an experiment in cultural image identification. Consider these top 12 contestants on American Idol. Two of them are Mormon. Can you guess which ones?

Read more »

The bloggernacle has seen a good deal of political chatter this past year. Mormons have typically been political active, and are usually pretty predictable voters. While the Church emphatically asserts its political neutrality, it is no secret that the Mormon political mold spells something along the lines of socially conservative Republican, with an aversion to those naughty “liberal democrats.” Given the apparent link between religion and political leanings, I find it very worthwhile to turn to the scriptures in order see what political directives we might find there.

Read more »

Not too long ago I came across an interesting passage in the New Testament that caught my attention and gave me pause. It is found in the obscure book of Titus, chaper 1 verse 15, which reads: “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” I read it over a few times, trying to make sense of it…trying to see if it was saying what I thought it was saying.

Read more »