Blog Archives

Book Review: Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons

October 29, 2009
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Book Review: Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons

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

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Another “Faith Promoting” Hoax is Circulating

December 1, 2008
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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:

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The Compassionate Ones

October 18, 2008
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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...

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Certainty: Blessing or Curse?

May 29, 2008
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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...

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Reed Smoot Hearings: A Review and What it Says About Today

March 2, 2008
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Reed Smoot Hearings: A Review and What it Says About Today

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...

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Avoiding the Very Appearance of Evil… (the CleanFlicks story)

January 29, 2008
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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...

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