Archive for the 'catholicism' Category

For God’s Sake, Blog!


I wish I could claim credit for the title of the post, but it actually comes from this MSNBC article.  Apparently the Pope is encouraging Catholic Priests to blog.  It reminded me of Elder Ballard’s admonition back in 2007.  Even though the pope doesn’t love computers, he said, Continue reading…

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The Disillusionment Phase


Today’s guest post is by Kate from Myriad Mormon Musings.  Here is a brief introduction, in her own words, followed by her post:

“My name is Kate. I was raised Catholic, but converted to the Mormon church in 1999 in a hippy branch at Cornell University. Since leaving that branch, I have struggled to find my voice within the LDS world. Where does a politically liberal, PhD-holding, working mom fit in? I created the Myriad Mormon Musings blog in an attempt to find my niche as I struggle with LDS culture versus doctrine.”
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WHAT THE WORLD THINKS OF GOD


Whats the world think of god

The ICM poll of 10,000 people in the USA, UK, Israel, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Mexico and Lebanon was carried out for the BBC Continue reading…

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Best and Worst of Mormonism: Quotes!


best-and-worst-of-mormonism-quotes

A Zen Buddhist/Freemason friend of mine has put together some great posts of “Best and Worst Bible Verses.” I have been trying to convince him to make the series into one of those daily calendars. Would it not be great to wake up in the morning and read: “Happy shall they be who seize your infants and dashes them against the rocks!” (Psalms 137:9)? Continue reading…

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The Problem with Tolerance


the-problem-with-tolerance

The church has a history of high level leaders making sweeping pronouncements that are later deemed incorrect, speculative, or unauthorized, yet in each case, church leaders are reluctant to make public correction of those presumptions.  This tolerance sometimes results in dogmatic voices flourishing, drowning out those same tolerant voices that have graciously granted them access to the open mic. Continue reading…

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Interfaith International British DJ


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paul-32

OK Paul technically isn’t exactly an international DJ, not unless you consider that you can listen to his interviews on line.

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What If You Weren’t A Mormon?


“What if you weren’t a Mormon?”  For some reason, this is something that I often wonder to myself.  And this post is about how I would answer that question.

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The Problem with Whistleblowers


the-problem-with-whistleblowers

A whistleblower is someone internal to an organization who alleges misconduct.  So, what if the organization is the church?  Does the church handle whistleblowers effectively or not?  If so, how?  If not, why not?  Continue reading…

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St Patrick, a Wonderful Missionary


Since today is St Patrick’s Day, I wanted to write a quick post about St Patrick.  Few people know his story.  I know that Mormons love to tell and listen to great missionary stories, and I think Patrick is an example of forgiveness, missionary work, and Christian service.  I’ll keep it brief, but a longer version of this post can be found here.

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Upon What Rock?


upon-what-rock

There’s a difference in interpretation between how LDS and non-LDS view the statement by Jesus to Peter when he says “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”  While all might agree that there is a play on words between the name “Peter” and “rock,” Catholics consider this scripture as the origin of Papal authority, whereas LDS readers would say that Jesus was referring to “revelation” as the rock upon which He would build His church.  So, just what rock was Jesus talking about? Continue reading…

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Are We Cross at the Cross?


As I was getting ready for church one Sunday, I went to put on a necklace. I looked at the cross that a non-LDS family member gave me a few years ago. She knows I’m a Christian and I’m sure she thought it would be a nice gesture (which it absolutely was!), but I opted for the heart necklace instead. I’ve worn my cross out in public many times and I personally have no problem with it. But I’ve yet to wear it to church. 

This got me thinking about something I’ve never been quite sure about. How do we Mormons really feel about the cross? Continue reading…

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A Brand New Year


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The Age of (Un)Accountability


NOTE: This is the first post for a new Guest Author – The Faithful Dissident. We look forward to many more to come.

Growing up with younger siblings, I always had a hard time believing that Satan couldn’t possess kids under the age of eight.  And that goes for myself too, since if what my parents have said is true, I was a bit of a devil child.  But, in all seriousness, I have some questions that make it hard for me to not see conflicts between the doctrine of the Age of Accountability and other Church doctrine. Continue reading…

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Conservative Evangelicals & Liberal Mormons: Are They Really Similar In Ways?


The following quotes are excerpted from an article written in 1989 and quoted by the Fundamental Evangelists Association.  (The entire article is an interesting look into the factions within evangelism.)  I was struck by the concerns expressed within a couple of the statements and simply want to explore them here as they relate to Mormonism.  (The higlighted parts are my emphasis.) 

“Calling the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.” This was the ecumenical theme of the Second International Congress on World Evangelization, held July 11-20, 1989 in Manila, The Philippines. Commonly referred to as the Lausanne II Conference, it was publicized as being one of the most, if not THE most, important and influential meetings ever held by evangelicals. It was indeed big – 4,336 in attendance. It had a large geographical representation (190 nations), more than the United Nations. And, it was costly – 10 1/2 million dollars. Continue reading…

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Stop Baptizing Our Dead!


stop-baptizing-our-dead

The LDS doctrine of Baptism for the Dead is unique within Christianity. The explanation for the doctrine and additional references on the LDS Church website can be found here. There is also a fairly lengthy explanation on Wikipedia here. It is a controversial doctrine and many groups have protested this vicarious work for the dead, including Jews, Catholics and others. I find a certain ironies in their protestations.

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