Author Profile: Peter Brown
Author Archive for Peter Brown
Allow me a little economic soothsaying. Given that all good things must come to an end, and given that the more
rational economist are now saying we’re back at 1929, lets assume that the Greater Depression is upon us once again. American culture as we know it will change. Barak Obama will most likely be president, with a progressive wind at his back, and the storm clouds will indeed be dark by the middle of 2009. Attempts will be made to revive the economy, through programs, bailouts, and governmental incentives. Like in 1930, we provide government alphabet programs to do this, however, unlike the 1930’s we will be starting with massive deficits. Instead of gently expanding and encouraging consumer spending to jump start the economy, a la John Maynard Keynes, we encounter a meltdown of our currency due to our very high and unmanageable debt like pre-war Germany. Hyperinflation and Weimar-like conditions melt the entire economy in ways never seen before. Essentially, America becomes bankrupt. Our currency is worthless, we’re being told to merge into a one world order and currency to stabilize, and fascism on one hand and civil unrest on the other is threatening to topple us.
I’m jumping us back into the shark pool. Please no derogative, homophobic comments, or personal attacks on me—just a warning—I’ll delete you. I’m assuming that most homosexual are true believers in the concept of equality in love. I’m also assuming that many people against gay marriage are not homophobic or anti-gay, but truly believe that the structure of the gay marriage movement is an attack on the family as well as freedom of religion. I think this is at the heart of why the Church is against the gay marriage movement, which unknowingly or untold has its foundations in Marxian Critical Theory. If you want to understand why this is so important to the Church, you have to connect the dots here. The foundation of this fight is steeped in a scriptural culture of conspiracy, and its recent 50-year history of anti-communism and the rich tradition of skepticism of government in the Church courtesy of its own history and Helaman’s Gadiantion stories. Continue reading…
Witness the almost meltdown of Bear Stearns a few months ago, the nationalization of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the new meltdowns of Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch, the bailout of insurance giant AIG? I have a little training in economics so for those of you that need a clear explanation, here it is—this was caused by greedy people who loosened rules to get more money, and expected the taxpayer to bail them out if there was any trouble.
What we have is another classic Book of Mormon last days parallel as pointed out by Samuel in Helaman 13. Continue reading…
From the devout to the skeptic to the disaffected, our experience with the Church is personally contextual. We take issue with belief systems as well as the performance aspect of the religion i.e. do we practice what we preach? Our experiences are most often influenced in the sociological atmosphere of our local church branch. Even Church theology influences us locally if we take general belief cues from our local Priesthood leadership. It dawned on me recently that our own judgments of church efficacy in practice are largely based on our experiences with local leadership. Continue reading…
On a personal note, my wife and I are scheduled to be sealed in the temple next month. We have a week’s vacation and with great apprehension, I muse over our options. My wife wants to spend the time going to southern California, romping through Disneyland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, possibly Knots Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. I have never been to a single one of these attraction, though I have had opportunitites which I have declined. I would like them see them, though. Continue reading…
I had the opportunity of late to score a read from a family member’s library. This family member is an activist on the fringe set of fundamentalism and preparedness, dabbling into the occult and mysticism as well—happy times! I happened to return it so this will be a bit rusty on the documentation side. The book is called Awakening to Our Awful Situation by Jack Monnet. It even comes with a nifty little CD that explains how the United States took down the World Trade Center. If you want to find this book, you can buy it at the Chevron gas station in Cove Fort at the intersection of I-15 and I-70. Hinckley’s father/grandfather? Ira used to live there in that godforsaken outpost—it’s like a must see for the Utah family vacation—but I digress. Continue reading…
I know this is really anecdotal, but almost everyone I know is serving a stateside mission. I have wondering about this situation and wonder (if its true on the aggregate) why this is the case. It would only make sense when you think about it to keep missionaries native. As the church grows and expands, I think it’s probably inevitable. Undoubtedly there are benefits to sending Elder Junior to Africa or South America (important optimal Americanism, and multiculturizing the missionary), but there are some benefits to staying home as well. Here are a few:
“Elders are agreed on the way and manner necessary to obtain celestial glory, but they quarrel about a dollar. When principles of eternal life are brought before them—God and the things pertaining to God and godliness—they apparently care not half so much about them as they do about five cents. Instead of reflecting upon and searching for hidden things of greatest value to them, [the Latter-day Saints] rather wish to learn how to secure their way through the world as easily and as comfortably as possible. The reflections, what they are here for, who produced them, and where they are from, fro too seldom enter their minds.” – So said Brigham Young.
I grew up in the capital of Mormonism, the heart of Salt Lake Valley. I straddled the two dominant cultures in that valley and experienced tension in my relation to both of those cultures. I lived and went to Church on the west side while through my Junior High and High School years, I went to two prestigious east side public schools courtesy of open enrollment laws. I was bussed. I never really fit into either culture. I was left an island unto myself.
The east side is a collection of families that make up the wealth of Utah. In 1975, these families contained many of the General Authorities, members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, those of wealthy pioneer stock, business owners, university professors, real estate professionals, and those with land. The west side was an outgrowth of President Monson’s Pioneer Stake in Rose Park. They were the working class, the poor, inflowing Polynesian, Latin, and Asian minorities from Vietnam. The outgrowth of Rose Park became West Valley City, Taylorsville, Kearns, Magna, and West Jordan. These communities each had elements of the working class and had sizeable minority populations. Continue reading…
After what has been discussed about Scouting in the Church, I wanted to share some inside information that I have to explain why the Church will probably stay with Scouting (Cetus Paribus, meaning the homosexual ban remaining).
A year ago I was part of a seminar with Frazier Bullock, who is an area authority in Utah, who presented a presentation about Scouting. If you’d like it I have it and can send it to you. The presentation outlined that along the Wasatch Front, 40-50% of young men are going inactive. This is not because they are reading Fawn Brodie, guys and coming to some “enlightened” agency-based conclusion, but more like they are loosing their agency to cigarettes, immorality, and peer-based distraction. He also showed a graph that showcased some research results: Continue reading…
In 2010, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will celebrate its Centennial anniversary. In 2012, the Church will celebrate its centennial contract with the BSA. With these upcoming historic events, its likely controversy over the BSA and its links with the LDS Church will grow for a time. On a macro scale, the BSA is no different than any other not-for-profit organization. It has a board, professionals, organization structure that is completely independent of the Church. Only 17%-18% of all units are LDS sponsored. Mormons and Methodists trade off on who charters more units. On a local scale, wards charter or own certain BSA units. They operate the BSA program within the parameters of both BSA policy and LDS general and local policy. The contract between the LDS Church and the BSA puts believing members in a strange corner. Does acceptance of the LDS Church and all that go along with it necessitate acceptance of the BSA? The answer to that question has many intricate layers. These layers involve an individual who may not like the BSA and its programs period, but it could be relegated to dislike in its organizational structure or its local professional and volunteer leadership. In this post, I want to focus on some of the typical problems I’ve found.* Continue reading…
Mormons in 1830 were in league with a slew of millennialist faiths (Shakers, Campellites, and Adventists) on the brink of actualized utopia after the resurgence of premillennialism. The Second Great Awakening was typically seen as symbolic of the “refreshing of times” as spoke by Peter and a rejection of the philosophical polemics of the religious aspects of the Age of Reason. The only thing to do was to wait for Jesus to put His capstone on the Romantic Age.
According to Bushman, early Mormon converts were imminent millennialists. Even Joseph himself was sure of its coming. The establishment of the
Last time I discussed a sub-culture of the LDS church that is increasing as an influential force, especially given the current state of unease in
There is a fascinating community of—I’ll call them neo-fundamentalist LDS (NFLDS) for now—out there who illuminate a cultural template that I find greatly missing on the Bloggernacle, at least any intellectual variety. Struggling to find my voice on a message board such as this, I have decided to help illuminate more of the fundamental side of LDS culture—not that I am a true believer of any sort—I’m kind of like the George Noory of fundamentalism. I find it fascinating and it prickles my hair follicles, but I wouldn’t say I’m a true believer; more of a hedge-better. Doctrinally or theologically I’m more interested in the apocalyptic and economic side of it, than say, whether a man should have more than one wife. I am finding that my general spiritual interest direction would be characterized as moving that way—so maybe I can be a type of fundamentalist that will help us round out the different voices on this board—although I still consider myself an observer and I’m definitely a strong supporter of our current Apostolic leaders. Continue reading…
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