Author Profile: Nick Literski
Author Archive for Nick Literski
Those who know me understand that this book would be of interest to me. My experience reviewing it led to some trains of thought that I’d love to explore with others here. In posting the below review, I’m hoping to spur some discussion along the following lines:
- Discussion of the book and/or the review
- Discussion of the relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism
- Discussion of the current state of LDS apologetics
Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons
Matthew B. Brown, Covenant Communications, Inc., 2009 Continue reading…
In the last few days, a story has begun to circulate widely among many LDS members, which claims to be the testimony of an assistant matron at the Los Angeles California Temple. Here is the story, as it has been publicized by e-mail and blogs:
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008, 6:16 PM
My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders: Continue reading…
Don’t run away!! Bear with me for just a moment, because this isn’t going to be another of “THOSE” discussions on the topic of Proposition 8. In the course of the past few months, I’ve had some unexpected insights in connection with the initiative, and I flatter myself enough to think they just might be useful.
No matter how much frustration I may sometimes be feeling in the Proposition 8 dispute, I need to be aware of what I’ll call “the compassionate ones.” I recently read Carol Lynn Pearson’s book, No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones. Among the stories Ms. Pearson shared was the short account of an LDS woman who found herself calling 911 to intervene in her closeted gay husband’s suicide attempt. Continue reading…
Speaking to a group of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith once said that if he had the lungs for it, he would preach a sermon that would make all of them shut their mouths and go home until they knew something about deity. He then asked the following question: “Why be so certain that you comprehend the things of God, when all things with you are so uncertain?” (TPJS, p. 320)
Why, indeed? Latter-day Saints are well known for declaring their beliefs with the preface, “I know…” It’s simply not enough to say, “I believe….” In fact, the “I know” phraseology is so common, that in order to add emphasis, some will go further, with statements like, “I know with every fibre of my being….” In the LDS community, this emphatic certainty is looked upon as a desireable thing, so much so that those who are less emphatic in their affirmations can be looked upon as a bit defective. This “knowledge” is often, in fact, presented as one of the great offerings of the LDS church. Hugh Nibley, in many of his works, referred to what he considered the “terrible questions.” “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” To Nibley, these were universal questions faced by all mankind, and not being certain about the answers made a person unbearably anxious. Continue reading…
Title: The Mormon Church On Trial: Transcripts of the Reed Smoot Hearings
Editor: Michael Harold Paulos
Publisher: Signature Books
Reviewed by Nicholas S. Literski
For decades, talk of the Reed Smoot Hearings has conjured up claims of religious persecution, duplicitous testimony, and shocking admissions. Intimidated by the multiple volumes of original source material, would-be historians have settled for short excerpts and whispered rumors. That day has passed, and we have Michael Harold Paulos to thank for it.
Condensing thousands of pages of testimony into a single volume presents tremendous challenges. Editorial bias, consciously or not, continually threatens to interfere with an honest, balanced impression of the whole. I’ll admit I was initially concerned when I read that Paulos attempted to “balance testimony favorable to the LDS church with testimony that was not.” In spite of Signature Books’ solid track record in documentary history, I worried that Paulos might distort the overall tenor of the hearings by forcing a “balance” that did not exist in the original. My fear, however, was entirely misplaced. Continue reading…
Latter-day Saints are often taught to avoid the “very appearance of evil. ” This makes sense for any group that believes deity has called it to be “a peculiar people.” The individual examples of LDS members speak far louder than tens of thousands of missionaries in white shirts and ties (and dresses or skirts, of course). While this wise counsel can be taken to extremes, most seem to understand the principle behind it.
A recent news story from Utah, however, has me thinking about appearances vs. reality — something Jesus addressed when he talked about “whited sepulchres.” Several years ago, Daniel D. Thompson and Isaac R. Lifferth operated a franchise video store under the banner of Clean Flicks, Inc. The idea was simple enough. Thompson and Lifferth purchased videos of PG-13 or R rated films, and edited them to remove what many LDS felt was “inappropriate” content (read: sex and at least some violence). What better business model in a state where 72% of the population has been repeatedly cautioned to avoid naughty movies? Well, maybe a legal one would be a bit better. In mid-2006, the company was brought to a halt after a federal court ruled that the business’ activities constituted copyright infringement. Many were disappointed with the “end” of the Clean Flicks story. Thompson and Lifferth reopened their store under the name “Flix Club.” Continue reading…
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