Archive for the 'missionary' Category

Mormon Missionaries Die in Romania


I want to let everyone know of a very unfortunate situation in Romania.  According to this Deseret News article, Elder McKay Choy Burrows, 20, of Highland, Utah, and Elder Jace Edwards Davis, 20, of Logandale, Nevada, died from accidental natural gas asphyxiation due to a gas leak in their apartment sometime Friday night in Romania.  It’s terrible that such a seemingly preventable tragedy happened to these 2 young men.

  • Share/Bookmark
10 Comments

Temple Wedding Petition


PetitionA temple wedding petition to is being circulated to promote love and happiness in the family by changing the church’s stance on civil marriages preceding temple weddings. The petition requests that the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make it acceptable to have a civil marriage ceremony first, if desired, and then giving the couple the necessary time to attend the temple for the sealing ordinance as they do in those countries whose laws require it.  (The petition is not endorsed by Mormon Matters; this information is being shared for discussion as a news item).

In the following video which lasts about 2 minutes, Jean talks about the stigma some members may feel if they choose a civil wedding ceremony. The other preseding videos last approximately 2 minutes each.

Temple Wedding Petition 3 Here

Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
161 Comments

Perspective


Everybody blogs, right? Why not me? Looking for my niche, my angle, and the one thing that seemed to make me stand out in my corner of the world. I found it: Being single. And 40. And Mormon. In a family ward. In a town where EVERYONE is under 30, sealed in the temple and constantly reproducing. The best humor is found in our painful life experiences. Read about mine and laugh with me. Or at me. Whichever Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
14 Comments

Michael Smith Suspended for Iran Comments


Ok, I am when someone who get bothered when someone makes disparaging comments about another ethnic group.  Fox suspended LA Clippers announcers Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith for one game because of one email from “a viewer who e-mailed Fox to complain.”  Give me a break.  Please, what is so offensive about this conversation?

Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
56 Comments

Is The Church Sacrificing Principle for Profit With Hunting Preserves?


“To what degree should the principle of ‘respect for life” be extended to bird and animal creations? What do the scriptures, Joseph Smith, and other early Church leaders teach about the grand design and purposes of God’s non-human creations? Does having “dominion” over the kingdom of creatures mean we are their predators and exploiters or does it suggest a “stewardship” relationship in which we become their caretakers in order to help them “fulfill the full measure of their creation?” If the scriptures teach, “woe be unto man that sheddeth blood or wasteth flesh and have no need,” and “the blood of every beast will I require at your hands,” what rationale could be used to explain Church-owned, revenue-generating enterprises such as Deseret Land and Livestock and the Westlake Hunting Preserve? Do these operations constitute sacrificing principle for profit?”

Sacrificing Principle for Profit: Church Wildlife Enterprises and Hunting Preserves, Sunstone Magazine

Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
25 Comments

Interfaith International British DJ


Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

paul-32

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

Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
10 Comments

LDS Worship – Part II


The following is the second part of the series written for us by David Stout, Disciples of Christ minister, about his perception of LDS worship.  The first post can be read here.  Again, thank you, David.

The second reason (I am interested in the possibility of returning a bit of the former fire of earlier Mormonism to the current church) lifts the service I attended from the background of Mormon history and sets it against the backdrop of the LDS future. As I mentioned parenthetically in my previous post, one of the talks used in the Sacrament Meeting I attended was one given originally by David McKay. As I understand it, President McKay was the prophet who set the LDS on its modern missionary explosion. Prior to his time Mormonism was largely confined to the mountain west. McKay, however, had a vision of a broader reach and that was the impetus for the current status of the LDS as a nascent worldwide religious community. Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
46 Comments

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…

  • Share/Bookmark
22 Comments

What Advice Would You Give Our Bishops? (“Missionary Work”)


I am on the Stake Missionary Committee, and Wednesday night we had a fascinating set of meetings.  I couldn’t help but think as the meetings unfolded that everyone here would have been shocked at the conversation flow and the end result of our final committee meeting.  I don’t want to go into lots of detail, but I do want to recap two highlights and ask everyone here the same question my Stake President asked us:

What advice would you have me give our Bishops?  Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
27 Comments

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.

Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
Comments

RS/PH #28: Missionary Service: A Holy Calling, a Glorious Work


Missionary Work—When I first saw the topic, I thought “Ugh, what a boring topic.”  But I was pleasantly surprised, and learned some things about early LDS missionary work.
Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
Comments

Every exmember a missionary


And now, dear friends at Mormon Matters, is your regular report from the Dark Side of the Moon.

I was reading a comment in another article here, and what Doug had said intrigued me:

This board started out as a place for middle-way thinking people to discuss problematic issues with doctrine and history. It would now appear that anyone with an opinion different then the “current LDS view” is attacked as I and many others have been. On several other discussion boards, mormon matters is considered a pro LDS blog. Gentlemen, just say the word and I’ll find another place to try and help those who don’t see the church the way you do understand that they’re not alone. I guess it’s true; there is in reality no room for a NOM in the church.

I don’t know if I have ever thought of MM as anything other than a pro-LDS blog. But I *have* always recognized that this site is of a different caliber, of course, than M* or T&S and others. So I guess, I’ll try to shake things up and offer a different perspective and hope that I don’t get chased out on a rail. Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
77 Comments

A Brand New Year


Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
29 Comments

Why I Almost Went on a Mission


I hear there’s a Primary song — “I hope they call me on a mission.” I’ve never actually heard it sung, but I vaguely know that it does exist and that there are some members who have their kids sing it enough that they internalize it. I never grew up with that, of course.

Missions just never seemed for me. At first I was apathetic to the concept, and then I was doubtful. Then, I became opposed to the concept. Why should I derail my life? (The answer of: “Because it’s what the Lord wants you to do” or “Because righteous people should want to be obedient” fell flat against me.) What good could a mission really do for me? Why should I try to convince people who already have religions and ways of life that they are wrong? Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
85 Comments

Nipples, Sexism and Racism


nipples-sexism-and-racism

There was an interesting article in Time recently about Facebook’s censorship of pics with nips, specifically eliminating pictures of breastfeeding moms (and, in their defense, a few of topless women who just happened to be holding babies).  But, this brought up an age-old question of Mormondom:  why are there no nipples on the Nephites in the BOM vids? Continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark
95 Comments