I was talking with a French colleague at dinner about the differences between European politics and American politics, and he made a statement that left …
Preaching in Alamo
Over spring break, I preached in Alamo. No, not THE Alamo.
Eating & Drinking in Church: A New Trend?
It might just be me, but I’ve noticed an upswing in eating and drinking during the three hour block. Now, I am not talking about …
Why Hollywood Should Convert to Mormonism
Very few famous Hollywood actors are Mormon, even fewer are practicing Mormons. While there are some obvious disconnects (e.g. law of chastity, modesty, time commitments), there …
The Evil of Flip Flops and Pants
We had a Relief Society lesson a couple weeks ago on appropriate dress. A few clear conclusions came from the discussion. Women’s pants are evil …
The Greek and Roman Testaments: A Scriptural Analogy
One of the interesting panel discussions at last weekend’s Restoration Studies Symposium was entitled “The Future Status and Use of the Book of Mormon in …
A California Mormon visits the other Zion
By Joe Geisner (guest blogger) No I am not talking about Utah. I left Sam Brannan’s Zion for Joseph Smith’s Zion on April 11, 2008. …
The End of Polygamy (Again)?
The raid in Texas is interesting (and differs from AZ and UT prosecutorial efforts) in that polygamy is being attacked directly. So, will this shift in approach …
The Establishment of Religion & Elder Christofferson
At the recent press conference (April 6th 2008) celebrating Elder Christofferson’s Apostleship, he was asked to comment about a local issue by The Salt Lake …
“From the crossroads of the West”
Years ago, my wife and I skipped our ward meetings to attend Music and the Spoken Word and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Putting Away Childish Things: My Evolving View of God
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a …
Little Mosque on the Prairie: What Mormons Can Learn from Muslims
What do Mormons and Muslims have in common? A lot more than you might think. And a popular sitcom about Muslims living in a small …
Liberal Mormonism III: Prognosis
Count up all the liberal Mormons you know. Now, compare that number to the number you knew ten years ago. Now multiply the difference between …
Why Eugene England Still Matters
If you spend any time here in the Bloggernacle, or leafing through the pages of any number of “alternate voices,” you are bound to encounter …
Mormon Persecution Complex
Are Mormons really more persecuted than other faiths or do Mormons just perceive that because the criticism is aimed at us? Are there as many …
The Amazing Adventures Of “The Mormon Answer Man”
Look up there . . . . who’s that emceeing the Ward Roadshow? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Mormon …
Deep in the Heart of Mormondom
Outside of my own library and the virtual community I’m connected to through the internet, Mormondom has very little impact on my immediate environment in …
What is Jesus’ Personality Type (MBTI)?
For the unindoctrinated, MBTI (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a psychometric that classifies people into one of 16 profiles. It is primarily used to help people …
Gathering the Good of Other Faiths
In speaking of other faiths, Joseph Smith admonished early church members to “gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them …
What If They’d Put Nauvoo in Iowa?
Nauvoo was a mistake. At the close of the Missouri Mormon War in the winter of 1838-39, the Saints crossed the icy Mississippi. The people …
Mark Your Calendars — 2 Upcoming Conferences IRL
Meeting together in person to exchange ideas, you ask? Haven’t you heard of the “internets” John Hamer? Hasn’t the awesome nature of the MormonMatters Blog …
My Disenchantment with Church and State—Part 2 The State
MY DISENCHANTMENT WITH THE STATE Perhaps I should blame Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman or John Pilger for my enlightenment. Or perhaps I should …
The Jagged Little Pill We Call Mormonism
. . . . there I was writing my ex-wife a letter trying to explain what a Temple Marriage and Sealing is and what it …
My Disenchantment with Church and State—Part 1 The Church
MY DISENCHANTMENT WITH CHURCH As long as I can remember, I was always rebellious against what I felt was unjust coercion, but I feel it …
Can We Laugh Here?
It seems almost every Sunday in our ward someone takes the time to crack a joke from the podium. I find this ever so wonderful …
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 …
“Please bless the food that it may change on a molecular level to provide us with additional strength that we would not get otherwise…”
I’m out of the YSA circuit now, but when I was there I often heard the prayer, “Please bless the refreshments, that they may nourish …
What Do Joseph Smith and Gladys Knight Have in Common?
When I was a kid in Southern California, it was obvious to me that there were two kinds of people in the world: Mormons and …
My Mormon Midlife Crisis
I always thought the midlife crisis was just a cliché. But now I’m 41, and I’m finding myself in the midst of an all-too-real midlife …
Neo-Fundamentalism Part 3: LDS Premillennialism
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 …
A style of our own
Whenever I heard about a “style of our own” I thought back to Moroni’s robe and David O McKay’s vision of the City of God. …
The Danzig Case: Does the LDS Church Influence Members to Oppose Same Sex Marriage?
Many of you may be aware of an ongoing case in Utah involving Peter and Mary Danzig. I’m not going to summarize here, as you …
Lost Hemisphere: A Traditional Book of Mormon Geography
When I was 6 and my sisters were 5 and 3, we read the Book of Mormon with my parents as a family. I was …
Peculiar People: Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
For a religious community that is often misunderstood and sometimes maligned or mocked, we don’t learn much from our experience. I can’t tell you how …
“It’s More Than a Religion”: Mormonism as Family
Story 1 From p. 102 of An Abundant Life: The Memoirs of Hugh B. Brown: (Brown addressing a group of 75 LDS servicemen during World …
Reconstruction Part 2: Abandoning “Being Right” In Search of “Having Joy”
In part one of this reconstruction journey, I talked about how being hyper-focused on being right intensifies the impact when you come to see that …
The Reason for the World
Continuing the disclosure of my musical hobbies, I enjoy playing the piano. I haven’t taken lessons for several years, but I’ve got a nice little …
A New Take on Fundamentalism, Faith and Curiosity — Or….Does Mormonism Inspire Curiosity?
How does this apply to Mormonism?
BYU Baseball Player Expelled for Not Attending Enough Church?
[Updated — More on the story here.] Apparently BYU (and the LDS church) have expelled BYU’s best baseball player for (allegedly) not attending church enough. …
Passage to Zarahemla: An Interview With Chris Heimerdinger
Anyone who has ever set foot in Deseret Book should recognize the name Chris Heimerdinger. His signature novel, “Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites,” was the …
Avoiding the Very Appearance of Evil… (the CleanFlicks story)
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 …
Culture Shock in Orem
A couple Sundays ago in our singles ward, we were reminded on no uncertain terms that if we were not currently enrolled in a BYU …
Bigfoot, the Three Nephites and the Lost Tribes of Israel
Today’s post is by SuperNerd. I would like to give a shout out to all the Ward crazies…Where have you all gone? Every Ward has …
Got Gender?: A Modest Proposal
Men don’t understand women very well. I understand them even less because I grew up with brothers. No sisters. This may have contributed to my …
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