Posts Tagged ‘ God ’

Approaching Isaiah 58: Fasting as a Spiritual Practice

October 12, 2009
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Sometime ago Jana Reiss wrote a column for Sunstone entitled ‘Mormonism as Praxis’ in which the writers attempted to explore what Mormonism means in terms of ‘spiritual practices’.  Jana, in a Sunstone podcast with Dan Wotherspoon, has explained that one of her main interests is trying to understand how these spiritual practices can become effective through a Mormon context.  This post is a feeble attempt to think in that same vein.  I wanted to try and understand how fasting is a spiritual practice.

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The Genius of Mormonism: Israel is Back, Baby! (POLL incl.)

July 13, 2009
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The Genius of Mormonism:  Israel is Back, Baby! (POLL incl.)

One of the attractive components to Mormon theology was the notion that Mormons were a chosen people, and both figuratively and literally part of the House of Israel.  The Book of Mormon also offered the idea that Israel was all over the earth throughout time in various times and places and that they are always the chosen people.  Mormon youth (and adults) who receive a Patriarchal Blessing are personally informed of their own lineage as a member of the House of Israel.  So, how does this compare to other religions’ views of Israel and Judaism?

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Groupthink

June 30, 2009
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“Groupthink” is what naturally happens when a group becomes sedentary and sluggish.  When change is introduced or new people are introduced, they challenge the “groupthink.” I’ve never seen the word groupthink (when used correctly) as a positive.  Does the church suffer from groupthink or just unity (“being one,” and “if ye are not one, ye are not mine.”)?  You decide.

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Spirituality, Rationality, Mentality, Duality

June 21, 2009
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Spirituality, Rationality, Mentality, Duality

Today’s guest post is by jmb275. In my first guest post, I talked about intellectualism and faith. A few of the commenters pointed out that I had somewhat assumed that we had dual natures – spiritual and rational. The point was mentioned that the term “spirituality” could be loosely defined to be many things – not necessarily religious in nature. In this post I would like to address these issues as I have been pondering it for quite some time.

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Looking Forward to the Good Life

June 18, 2009
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I’ve spent some time over the years thinking about questions that remain in regards to the logistics of the afterlife.

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Intellectualism and Faith: A Would-Be Marriage!

May 29, 2009
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Intellectualism and Faith:  A Would-Be Marriage!

It is easy to think yourself out of a testimony.  It’s as simple as saying “well I can’t prove God exists, or doesn’t exist, therefore I am agnostic.”   Today’s guest post is by jmb275.

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Evidences and Reconciliations 8/11/08

August 11, 2008
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I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Amos 5:21-24 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most...

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Evidences and Reconciliations 06/23/08

June 23, 2008
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So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. Joshua 10:40 Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13 Discuss, my friends:

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Our Foundation Stories Part II: The Meaning of the First Vision

June 4, 2008
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Our Foundation Stories Part II: The Meaning of the First Vision

Now that we’ve discussed the nature of the First Vision, what did it mean? There are many meanings, the most vital being those which each person can discover for herself or himself. Here are those we are most familiar with, because they have been written and spoken about at length in the official media of the institutional LDS Church:

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Liberal Mormonism II: Why I am a Liberal Mormon

March 31, 2008
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Liberal Mormonism II: Why I am a Liberal Mormon

I was raised in a household of faith. My parents are believers who encouraged discussion of religion in their home. I’ve asked around and found that this isn’t the case in many LDS homes. My parents asked what we children learned in Primary and Sunday School and then what we thought about it!

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