curiosity - Mormon Matters

Faith, Knowledge, Belief, and Stochastic Theory Part 4: Finding Truth – An Optimization Problem

jmb275 June 30, 2010correlation, curiosity, faith, meekness, prayer, religion, thought 10 Comments

In part two of this series I discussed Bayesian inference. Specifically, I discussed how Bayesian inference provided us with a mechanism for deciding in what …

A Non-Historical View of the Book of Mormon

James May 15, 2010Anti-Mormon, apostasy, apostles, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, church, community of christ, curiosity, diversity, doctrine, doubt, education, faith, fear, historicity, history, LDS, liberal, Logic, Mormon, orthodox, restoration, tesimony 73 Comments

Perhaps the time has come in the church to recognize that some members want to openly espouse a non historical view of the Book of …

White and Delightsome or Pure and Delightsome? (Cognitive dissonance 2)

James April 20, 2010accountability, apologetics, apostasy, Bible, blacks, book of mormon, burdens, conference, correlation, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, faith, families, Folklore, historicity, lamanites, LDS, LDS lessons, Leaders, Logic, Mormon, mormon, Nephi, plan of salvation, questioning, race, righteousness 60 Comments

I’m 1/16 th Chippewa and don’t even look a little Indian! I figure from my knee down is pure Chippewa and for whatever reason I …

Interfaith Marriages by guest Madam Curie

guest January 30, 2010accountability, apostasy, apostles, Bloggernacle, Charity, children, christianity, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, Happiness, inter-faith, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, questioning, salvation, women 30 Comments

A recent post by Cr@ig on Main Street Plaza caused me to reflect on the strength of interfaith marriages. I had hoped to generate a …

Think for yourself or not – that is the question .Cognitive Dissonance 1

James January 9, 2010accountability, apostasy, apostles, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, Charity, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, General Authorities, history, LDS, Leaders, Logic, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, questioning, revelation, Scriptural translation, tesimony, thought 70 Comments

Is a “believing heart” really a positive attribute?

James December 27, 2009accountability, apologetics, apostasy, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, Charity, christianity, curiosity, Mormon, new order mormon 98 Comments

I would like to introduce Madam Curie which many of you know her by on her replies at Mormon Matters she also has her own …

In the Shadow of the Temple by Guest

guest December 22, 2009apologetics, apostasy, apostles, baptism, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, doctrine, doubt, education, faith, families, Folklore, General Authorities, Happiness, historicity, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, marriage, media, Mormon, mormon, obedience, ordinances, polygamy, questioning, resignation, righteousness, spiritual progression, temple, tesimony 283 Comments

A close friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous recently saw in the shadow of the temple his story follows: In October, I was …

Temple Wedding Petition

James December 12, 2009accountability, apologetics, apostles, Bible, book of mormon, Charity, children, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, families, General Authorities, General Conference, Happiness, historicity, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, marriage, missionary, Mormon, Mormons, plan of salvation, testimony 161 Comments

A 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 …

Brother Brigham Brother Young

James December 6, 2009abuse, adultery, Anti-Mormon, apostasy, apostles, baptism, blacks, burdens, Charity, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, depression, Discrimination, doubt, eternity, excommunication, faith, historicity, LDS, Leaders, marriage, media, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, polygamy, Priesthood, prophets, race, repentance, salvation, tesimony, thought, Utah, women 6 Comments

Recently I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon with my brother and nephew. This is the canyon in which many of your ancestors pulled out the …

Great Expectations: What Are Your Hopes and Predictions for General Conference?

Andrew September 29, 2009apologetics, blacks, Bloggernacle, conference, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, Folklore, gay, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, Priesthood, questioning, race, revelation 58 Comments

“It’s the MOST WONderful TIIIME of the YEARRRRRR.” The leaves are starting to change color. The evenings and mornings are a bit crisper. Even the …

What if the Brethren decided to allow gay marriage? by Justin Perry

guest August 16, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Bloggernacle, burdens, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, doctrine, doubt, faith, gay, homosexuality, Leaders, Logic, love, marriage, media manipulation, Mormon, news, questioning, sexuality, thought 184 Comments

What if the Brethren decided to allow gay marriage? They’d have to do a lot of back-peddling to explain why they were suddenly in favor …

Expounding on Light

guest July 28, 2009curiosity, Logic, mormon, religion, spirituality 13 Comments

This is a guest post from Heber13. As a guest author, a brief introduction is appropriate. I am a direct descendant from members of the …

Obama and Elvis are cousins

James July 23, 2009blacks, Bloggernacle, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doctrine, faith, Folklore, inter-faith, LDS, liberal, Mormon, President Monson, race, racism 17 Comments

President Barack Obama met with President Monson on Monday in the Oval Office, thanking President Monson for a thorough history of the first family.

WHAT THE WORLD THINKS OF GOD

James June 23, 2009apostasy, Bloggernacle, catholicism, Charity, christ, church, curiosity, death, depression, Devil, doubt, faith, fear, God, Happiness, inter-faith, international, jehovahs witnesses, Jesus, Mormon, religion 15 Comments

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 …

What Makes People Good?

Hawkgrrrl June 8, 2009Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, families, fear, love, mercy, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, service, thought 21 Comments

An article in Newsweek “Adventures in Good and Evil” made a few interesting points about why some people are good and some are evil.

Taking the Fun Out of Funerals

Hawkgrrrl June 2, 2009Asides, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, doubt, families, General Authorities, LDS, Leaders, love, mormon, Mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, reverence, thought 77 Comments

What do you want your funeral to be like? Do you care or do you figure you’ll be dead anyway? How do you feel about …

Women are from Venus, Men are from Kolob

Hawkgrrrl May 27, 2009abuse, adultery, Asides, burdens, children, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, feminism, Humor, LDS, Leaders, Logic, love, marriage, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, polygamy, questioning, religion, salvation, sexuality, theology, thought, women 75 Comments

Based on my experience, I would guess that the majority of LDS women under age 65 would say that polygamy is NOT an eternal principle …

The Problem with Tolerance

Hawkgrrrl May 19, 2009apologetics, Asides, catholicism, Charity, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, General Authorities, inter-faith, LDS, Leaders, liberal, media manipulation, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, prophets, questioning, racism, religion, theology, thought 133 Comments

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 …

Interfaith International British DJ

James May 13, 2009apologetics, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, burdens, catholicism, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, Discrimination, diversity, evangelicals, faith, families, fear, Folklore, general, God, Happiness, history, Humor, inter-faith, international, introductions, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, love, marriage, media, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, news, orthodox, parables, Peace, plan of salvation, podcast, polygamy, prayer, questioning, resolutions, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, service, spiritual progression, spirituality, television, theology, thought, women 10 Comments

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

Mormon Masks

Hawkgrrrl May 11, 2009apostasy, Asides, Beatitudes, Bible, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, families, fear, Happiness, inter-faith, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, parables, Peace, questioning, religion, testimony 17 Comments

Often people have a hard time with intimacy (intimacy = “into me see”) because they feel vulnerable. They would rather deal with ideas than people, …

Botched Hymns

Hawkgrrrl May 7, 2009Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, education, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, music, questioning 66 Comments

We are all familiar with this phenomenon. You’re listening to a song you’ve heard many times, and you think you know the lyrics, but you …

That We Could All Be Like – Satan?

guest May 7, 2009apostasy, Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, fear, Folklore, LDS, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 47 Comments

Today we have a guest post from Bishop Mike T. Young of the Spanish Fork 401st Ward.

April 2009 General Conference – Word Stats

Hawkgrrrl May 3, 2009Asides, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, faith, families, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Priesthood, prophets, religion, temple, testimony, theology, thought 20 Comments

Based on word count, what was the focus of April 2009 General Conference? Before you scroll down, see if you can guess the top 3 …

More Christ At Church

Hawkgrrrl April 30, 2009Asides, Beatitudes, christ, christianity, Culture, curiosity, diversity, faith, General Conference, history, inter-faith, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, parables, prayer, questioning, sacrament meeting, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, spirituality, testimony, theology 36 Comments

The mission of the church is to bring people to Christ (it is not the tri-fold mission of proclaim the gospel, perfect the saints and …

Why Faith Needs Reason

Andrew April 29, 2009curiosity, doubt, faith, FLDS, LDS, Leaders, Logic, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, polygamy, prayer, prophets, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 31 Comments

The tragedy of 9/11 had a big impact on my views about the relationship between faith and reason. As I watched the video footage of …

Are we going to be Eunuchs after this life?

James April 27, 2009abuse, book of mormon, burdens, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, eternity, faith, families, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, General Conference, God, Happiness, history, Humor, Jesus, joseph, Logic, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, prophets, questioning, religion, resolutions, salvation, scripture, sexuality, smith, spiritual progression, spirituality, tesimony, theology, thought, women 79 Comments

My home teacher (who is very cool) came by yesterday to drop off some starter cables for my car and as one does in that …

Scripture Study: The Joy of My Countenance

Hawkgrrrl April 22, 2009Asides, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, God, Jesus, LDS, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, parables, questioning, religion, scripture, service, spirituality, symbols, testimony, theology, thought 16 Comments

There is a strange parable in D&C 88 about workers digging in a field and their boss giving them the joy of his countenance for …

What Else Did God Say To Joseph?

Shawn Larsen April 16, 2009curiosity, history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon 18 Comments

Not too long ago, I sat through an Elders Quorum lesson about the First Vision. The teacher, who I like and who generally does a …

Scripture Study: What’s Expedient?

Hawkgrrrl April 14, 2009Asides, book of mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, God, Humor, joseph, LDS, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, prophets, questioning, religion, scripture, theology, thought 32 Comments

I’d like to start a new feature showcasing stuff I read in the scriptures and getting your opinions on what the heck you think it means. …

Faith vs. Doubt

Hawkgrrrl April 9, 2009apostasy, Asides, burdens, Charity, christ, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, fear, General Authorities, General Conference, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, President Monson, prophets, questioning, religion, restoration, scripture, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought 48 Comments

“Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.”

Families Forver Naked and Not Ashamed

James April 6, 2009abuse, adultery, Anti-Mormon, apostasy, Bible, Bloggernacle, burdens, BYU, children, christ, christianity, church, civil disobedience, Culture, curiosity, diversity, education, environment, faith, families, fear, general, Happiness, history, Mormon, religion, righteousness, sexuality, theology, thought, women 311 Comments

Mormon Matters Motto is Exploring Mormon culture in a balanced way- so bare with me on this one (excuse the pun).

The Untold Story of Black Mormons by Guest

guest April 2, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, baptism, Bible, blacks, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, burdens, BYU, Charity, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, evangelicals, faith, families, fear, Folklore, General Authorities, history, joseph, LDS, liberal, Logic, Mormon, obedience, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, race, racism, religion, resolutions, restoration, righteousness, scripture, tesimony, theology 33 Comments

When I served a mission in eastern Canada in the early 90s, there were many things I was grateful for (warm boots, wool suits, fairly …

Help Wanted: Predicting the Next Apostle

Carter Hall March 31, 2009church, conference, Culture, curiosity, diversity, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, President Monson, Priesthood, prophets, religion, service 114 Comments

This Thursday or Friday, someone at the Church Office building will get a phone call and make the long walk to President Monson’s office. By …

The Problem with Whistleblowers

Hawkgrrrl March 30, 2009abuse, Anti-Mormon, Bloggernacle, burdens, catholicism, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, excommunication, faith, feminism, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, love, meekness, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, questioning, religion, thought 22 Comments

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 …

Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Review: SPOILER ALERT

Hawkgrrrl March 21, 2009Asides, Culture, curiosity, death, Folklore, history, Mormon, mormon, movies, surviving, theology, thought 31 Comments

OK, I realize that the majority of our regular readership are probably not BSG watchers; however, since the reimagined series is based on the original …

Strange Bedfellows

Hawkgrrrl March 20, 2009Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, fear, gay, Government, inter-faith, LDS, liberal, media manipulation, mike huckabee, mitt romney, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, politics, questioning, religion, romney, thought 24 Comments

One aspect of the church that makes me nervous at times is the alliances we form when our interests coincide with other groups, whether this …

Why Mormon Doctrine Is NOT Mormon Doctrine

guest March 15, 2009Anti-Mormon, Asides, books, church, Culture, curiosity, General Authorities, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, questioning, religion, scripture, theology, thought 49 Comments

Many people both within the Church and outside the Church think that Bruce R. McConkie’s book, Mormon Doctrine, is the official declaration of LDS church …

Does Tom Hanks Hate Mormons?

Hawkgrrrl March 11, 2009Anti-Mormon, Asides, Charity, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, families, gay, homosexuality, inter-faith, LDS, liberal, love, marriage, media manipulation, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, religion, thought 95 Comments

Tom Hanks is a beloved actor to many Mormons for his family-friendly roles and everyman quality. Yet, his recent negative remarks (and hasty retraction) calling …

Big Love -Big News

James March 10, 2009abuse, adultery, Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, baptism, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, FLDS, general, God, Happiness, history, inter-faith, Jesus, joseph, marriage, media, meetings, Mormon, Mormons, movies, news, obedience, ordinances, orthodox, polygamy, Priesthood, prophets, religion, resignation, RLDS, salvation, scripture, spirituality, television, temple, testimony, theology, thought, Utah, women 33 Comments

Mormon Art – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Hawkgrrrl March 5, 2009Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, education, evangelicals, Humor, inter-faith, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, symbols 31 Comments

From the misguided and ill-conceived to the hurl-worthy, why is there so much bad Mormon Art? Do Mormons have worse artistic taste than non-Mormons? Or just …

Filtered Visions by guest Reuben Collins

James March 2, 2009apostasy, baptism, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, historicity, liberal, Logic, love, marriage, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, prayer, religion, sacrament, salvation, spirituality, temple, tesimony, theology, thought, Trinity, women 9 Comments

I’ve been thinking about Levi Peterson’s The Backslider lately (SPOILERS AHEAD).

Go to Church or Die!

Hawkgrrrl March 2, 2009apostasy, Asides, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, faith, families, fear, Happiness, Humor, inter-faith, LDS, meetings, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, Priesthood, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 11 Comments

A recent article in Time discusses several studies about the correlation between faith and health. Does church attendance contribute to a healthier, longer life? Is …

Shipbuilding: Tasks or Vision?

guest March 1, 2009apostasy, Asides, burdens, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, General Authorities, God, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, parables, Peace, questioning, religion, spirituality, theology, thought 9 Comments

Spending a week in the Pacific Northwest on vacation, surrounded by boats and the vastness of the sea, when I read this quote from Antoine …

The Stories We Tell

Hawkgrrrl February 25, 2009apologetics, apostasy, Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, faith, history, Mormon, questioning, testimony, thought 30 Comments

Joseph Campbell said: Read myths. Read other people’s myths, not those of your own religion, because you tend to interpret your own religion in terms …

Why aren’t Mormons Green?

James February 23, 2009apologetics, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, BYU, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, General Authorities, General Conference, geography, God, Government, Happiness, international, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, media, Money, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, politics, prophets, questioning, religion, resolutions, reverence, righteousness, sacrament, salvation, service, surviving, testimony, thought, Utah 56 Comments

Jesus for President!

Hawkgrrrl February 18, 2009Asides, christ, church, Culture, curiosity, evangelicals, faith, Government, Humor, inter-faith, Jesus, LDS, liberal, media, Money, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, news, politics, questioning, religion, thought, Utah 21 Comments

Many view the Second Coming as a time when Jesus will personally and politically reign, not just host lamb & lion mixers. So what do …

Baptism Rant

guest February 17, 2009Asides, baptism, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, faith, Jesus, LDS, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, questioning, religion, repentance, scripture, theology, thought 29 Comments

Today’s post is by guest blogger The Teacher.

What is Truth?

guest February 13, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, faith, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, prayer, questioning, religion, righteousness, salvation, spiritual progression, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought 6 Comments

When it comes to religion – can everyone know truth? Can anyone? Today’s guest post is from Justin Perry.

Creeds of the Creedless

Hawkgrrrl February 13, 2009Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, General Conference, inter-faith, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, religion, restoration, theology, thought, Trinity 18 Comments

The restoration was essentially based on a rejection of the creeds of Christendom which were declared “an abomination” and “those professors were all corrupt; that: …

Revelation & Things

guest February 11, 2009Asides, Culture, curiosity, faith, Folklore, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, ordinances, prayer, Priesthood, questioning, religion, sacrament, smith, spirituality, symbols, theology, thought 9 Comments

Today’s post comes from The Teacher. Section 8 of the Doctrine & Covenants refers to “another gift” Olivery Cowdery had, called at different times “the …

The Purposes of God Cannot Be Frustrated

guest February 10, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Asides, book of mormon, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, historicity, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, polygamy, prophets, questioning, religion, repentance, righteousness, sexuality, smith, testimony, theology, thought 20 Comments

The title is from DC3:1. Today’s guest post is from Bouvet and is in reference to this year’s Doctrine & Covenants manual, Lesson 4 is Remember …

A Truth-Seeker’s Guide to the Bloggernacle and Beyond

Andrew February 10, 2009curiosity, doubt, Mormon, mormon, questioning, thought 32 Comments

Several months ago I received a telephone call from Armand Mauss, who is a member of my Stake. He was calling on official Church business, …

Zero Population is the Answer, My Friend . . .

Hawkgrrrl February 9, 2009Asides, children, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, families, feminism, Happiness, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, theology, thought, women 16 Comments

Thought I’d catch your attention with that line from “Saturday’s Warrior,” the bane (or bastion, if you don’t know what you’re talking about) of Mormon doctrine.* …

Why Faith Needs Doubt

Andrew February 8, 2009apologetics, curiosity, doubt, faith, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience 42 Comments

The very existence of what is commonly called the “veil” seems to tell us at least two things about what God intended real faith to …

Oliver Cowdery Was Punk’d!

guest February 5, 2009Asides, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought 26 Comments

When you hear the name Oliver Cowdery, you probably think of the story that culminates in the revelation that became Section 9 of the Doctrine …

Upon What Rock?

Hawkgrrrl February 4, 2009Bible, catholicism, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, inter-faith, Jesus, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, ordinances, Priesthood, prophets, religion, salvation, scripture, symbols, thought 33 Comments

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 …

Horus Bible Parallels

James January 25, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, education, evangelicals, faith, fear, Folklore, general, history, inter-faith, international, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, liberal, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, new order mormon, orthodox, parables, questioning, religion, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, spirituality, tesimony, theology, thought, Uncategorized 22 Comments

Recently I saw Religulous here and he touched on Horus here and a few of the parallels between the story of Horus and Jesus. Many …

A Brand New Year

James January 23, 2009Bible, Bloggernacle, books, catholicism, christ, christianity, church, cinema, conference, Culture, curiosity, diversity, education, faith, families, general, General Authorities, General Conference, God, Happiness, Humor, international, introductions, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, love, media, media manipulation, meetings, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, music, obedience, podcast, prophets, race, religion, spirituality, tesimony 29 Comments

The Problem with Authority

Hawkgrrrl January 20, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, books, church, civil disobedience, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, fear, geography, international, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, questioning, religion, service, surviving, theology, thought, Utah 35 Comments

Mormons are sometimes criticized for their unquestioning obedience to authority. Statements like “When the prophet has spoken, the thinking is done,” and the Primary song …

Abstinence= Don’t think the colour red! Don’t think the colour red!

James January 11, 2009books, burdens, BYU, christianity, church, curiosity, Discrimination, education, faith, families, general, General Conference, liberal, marriage, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, sexuality, tesimony, women 59 Comments

“The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health” (Add Health), Found that conservative and evangelical Christian teenagers are more sexually active than mainline Protestants, Jews, and …

Nipples, Sexism and Racism

Hawkgrrrl January 6, 2009adultery, apostasy, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, fear, feminism, Folklore, Humor, LDS, marriage, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, news, pornography, questioning, race, racism, religion, sexuality, thought, Utah 95 Comments

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 …

Does Religion Devalue Human Life?

Hawkgrrrl December 30, 2008Charity, christianity, church, curiosity, Happiness, inter-faith, Mormon, questioning, religion 31 Comments

Answer: Yes. Any questions?

Can you be a Unitarian and a Mormon at the Same Time?

James December 29, 2008Anti-Mormon, apostasy, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, catholicism, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, general, God, Happiness, inter-faith, international, Jesus, LDS, liberal, love, media, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, prayer, prophets, service, theology, thought 27 Comments

We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons. Joseph …

Temperance Movement and The Word of Wisdom

James December 26, 2008apostasy, Bible, book of mormon, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, General Conference, Government, Happiness, history, international, jehovahs witnesses, LDS, Leaders, liberal, media manipulation, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, religion, restoration, testimony, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 63 Comments

For almost two centuries the Word of Wisdom is solid proven evidence to many members that the Church is true.

Who’s Winning the War on Christmas?

Hawkgrrrl December 23, 2008Asides, Charity, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, faith, families, Humor, inter-faith, Jesus, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, thought, war 21 Comments

Peter Brimelow, a British journalist, is credited with coining the term “War on Christmas” in 1999 to describe the politically correct movement in English-speaking countries to …

Unity, Diversity and Conformity

Hawkgrrrl December 21, 2008apostasy, Asides, burdens, Charity, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, orthodox, questioning, service, temple, theology, thought 7 Comments

How do we create and maintain unity at church while valuing diversity and avoiding conformity? Do we have to embrace the diversity of those who …

The Unsung Hero of the Nativity

Hawkgrrrl December 16, 2008Asides, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, feminism, Happiness, history, Humor, Jesus, joseph, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, parables, questioning, religion, thought, women 13 Comments

As I was setting up our nativity scene this year, I noticed the wisdom and cultural/racial diversity of the Magi, the docile farm animals (not …

Betting on the House!

James December 9, 2008apostasy, Bible, burdens, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, Folklore, general, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, media, Mormon, mormon, orthodox, scripture, tesimony, theology, thought 26 Comments

“What do Catholics, Jews and Mormons have in common?” “Catholics don’t recognize birth control, Jews don’t recognize Jesus, and Mormons don’t recognize each other in …

Virtual RS/PH #22: Gaining Knowledge of Eternal Truths

Hawkgrrrl December 7, 2008christianity, curiosity, doubt, education, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, religion, salvation, smith, spiritual progression, spirituality, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 32 Comments

Mormonism has a focus on gaining knowledge that is unique in Christendom, largely due to the emphasis that Joseph Smith placed on learning. Joseph’s total …

Twilight and “The Great Mormon Novel”

Hawkgrrrl November 24, 2008Asides, books, catholicism, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, diversity, dutcher, excommunication, faith, fear, LDS, media manipulation, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, sexuality, thought 49 Comments

Many consider The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene to be the quintessential Great Catholic Novel: a book written about faith and doubt with …

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson November 19, 2008church, curiosity, education, LDS, religion, seminary, theology, thought 32 Comments

Who wrote this, and why wouldn’t the Correlation Committee allow it to be published today? Every teacher is obligated by his responsibility to others to …

Persecution Complex

guest November 18, 2008Anti-Mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, General Conference, history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, spiritual progression, thought 30 Comments

Today’s guest post is from The Captain. The urban dictionary defines the term persecution complex as follows: One of the top fifteen factors that can …

Virtual RS/PH #21: The Second Coming & The Millenium

Hawkgrrrl November 17, 2008Asides, Charity, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, eternity, faith, fear, God, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, temple, theology, thought, war 30 Comments

To the teachers out there, sorry if this one is coming a day late and a dollar short. Our ward is a month behind on …

Should we have listened to BH Roberts?

James November 15, 2008apologetics, book of mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, Folklore, General Authorities, history, joseph, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, orthodox, prophets, questioning, religion, tesimony, theology, thought 53 Comments

BH Roberts predicted that if church leaders did not address the historical problems of church origins and possible anachronisms in the Book of Mormon, these …

What is a Testimony?

guest November 13, 2008apostasy, Asides, BYU, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, love, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, questioning, religion, salvation, scripture, spiritual progression, spirituality, temple, testimony, theology, thought 10 Comments

Ironically, some of you with “strong testimonies” may think that those struggling with their testimony make only a small percentage of us here today. The …

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson November 12, 2008books, curiosity, education, God, liberal, Mormon, orthodox, questioning, religion, thought 14 Comments

Here’s another quote from a discarded Church manual predating Correlation. Who said it and why wouldn’t it fly in today’s Church?: The pragmatic or experimental …

The Church as a Tool

guest November 7, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Asides, Charity, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, diversity, doubt, education, faith, fear, God, Happiness, history, LDS, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, parables, Peace, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 21 Comments

What is the church to you? A family you must learn to love? A path you must follow? A checklist of items you must do …

There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life!

James October 30, 2008church, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, faith, LDS, liberal, Mormon 63 Comments

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The Envelope and the Message

Hawkgrrrl October 23, 2008Charity, christianity, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, education, faith, inter-faith, LDS, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning 15 Comments

Are you ever nervous about turning your friends over to the missionaries? Do you fear you may be subjecting them to a high-pressure time-share sales presentation?

Virtual RS/PH: Stand Fast Through the Storms of Life

Hawkgrrrl October 19, 2008abuse, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, faith, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, religion, smith, thought 13 Comments

This week’s lesson is an interesting compilation of horrifying stories of persecution and suffering from the life of Joseph Smith. Read on if you dare …

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson October 15, 2008church, curiosity, doubt, faith, LDS, Mormon, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony 36 Comments

Another week, another great uncorrelated quote from an LDS Church manual that would never see the light of day in today’s church: Every discussion of …

Witch-Hunting

Hawkgrrrl October 13, 2008Anti-Mormon, apostasy, Asides, Bloggernacle, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, fear, Humor, LDS, Leaders, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, religion 14 Comments

Halloween is just around the corner! Have you ever been on a witch hunt? Or have you been singled out by a witch hunter? Here …

Stopping Time for the Unconverted

Russell October 9, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, catholicism, Charity, christianity, church, curiosity, faith, God, grace, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, restoration, theology 16 Comments

I had an interesting conversation with a woman today. Missionaries would call it a bash. I called it posing and answering meaningful questions. It prompted her …

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson October 8, 2008apostasy, babies and bathwater, christ, church, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, General Authorities, God, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, orthodox, prayer, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, thought 43 Comments

Hi everyone, Welcome to my new series where I provide you, the reader, with an excerpt from an LDS church manual, uncited, which I LIKE. …

Freak Out! Handling History

guest October 7, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, church, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, historicity, history, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, polygamy, prophets, questioning, religion, spiritual progression, testimony, theology, thought 31 Comments

What do you do when you learn about something shocking that you did not previously know in Church History? Freak out? Retreat into a stupor …

5 Cool Expressions of Spirituality Which Might Seem Weird To Mormons

Clay Whipkey October 1, 20085CT, Culture, curiosity, diversity, inter-faith, mormon, spirituality 17 Comments

I’m starting a series which I’m calling “5 Cool Things”. It will basically be a list of 5 things, not in any order, that follow …

First Families: BOM and Restoration

Hawkgrrrl September 24, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, book of mormon, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, history, joseph, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, prophets, scripture, smith, testimony, theology, thought 24 Comments

There are some interesting parallels between the first family of the Book of Mormon and the first family of the Restoration (the Smiths). Coincidence? Or …

What’s Most Important to You?

Hawkgrrrl September 19, 2008Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, families, General Authorities, General Conference, God, inter-faith, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, obedience, plan of salvation, religion, theology, thought 4 Comments

We all attend church for various reasons, and in reality, no church can be all things to all people. Plus, what you get out of …

Superman vs. Spiderman

Carter Hall September 18, 2008Asides, Bloggernacle, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, General Authorities, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, questioning, television, thought 12 Comments

What do Superman and Spiderman have to do with Mormon history? Nothing at all. But maybe something about the two characters relates to the way …

Churches are Made for the Ninety and Nine… What About the One?

Clay Whipkey September 17, 2008apostasy, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, faith, General Authorities, Happiness, Jesus, Leaders, love, Mormon, obedience, orthodox, parables, questioning, repentance, spiritual progression, surviving, testimony, thought 37 Comments

Believers and non-believers. The faithful and the doubters. Religious conservatives and religious liberals. TBMs and NOMs. These are ways we describe the differences in our …

How Active Are You? How Orthodox Are You? A Self-Assessment

John Nilsson September 4, 2008book of mormon, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, eternity, faith, General Authorities, God, historicity, Jesus, joseph, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, Priesthood, prophets, religion, repentance, restoration, sacrament meeting, salvation, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, smith, temple, testimony, theology, Word of Wisdom 67 Comments

Take this assessment and find out: (Taken from D. Jeff Burton’s For Those Who Wonder : forthosewhowonder.com. Similar to a Correlation Department survey on Religion …

What Would You Change?

Carter Hall September 2, 2008Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, general, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, religion 68 Comments

What if you were given free reign and could change or remove one requirement the church makes of its members — forever? Today’s post is …

Chakras and the Word of Wisdom

Hawkgrrrl August 31, 2008curiosity, faith, God, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Peace, questioning, religion, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom

D&C 89:1 refers to the WoW as: A Word OF Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the …

In Defense of Apologists

Hawkgrrrl August 26, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, baseball, Bloggernacle, christianity, church, curiosity, Discrimination, doubt, eschatoloty, evangelicals, faith, historicity, history, LDS, liberal, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, orthodox, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 52 Comments

The term “apologist” is often used derisively like the terms “lawyer,” “statistician,” or “telemarketer.” Why are apologists so derided? Is it warranted or just a …

Prophetic Smackdown: Moses vs. Joseph Smith

guest August 25, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, Culture, curiosity, doubt, general, General Authorities, history, Humor, inter-faith, international, joseph, LDS, Leaders, marriage, mormon, Mormons, politics, polygamy, prophets, questioning, race, racism, religion, scripture 42 Comments

Today’s post is from an anonymous guest blogger. The critics of the church like to point the finger at Joseph Smith, citing polygamy, concealing polygamy, …

The Other Half of the Circle

Clay Whipkey August 21, 2008church, community of christ, curiosity, diversity, feminism, General Authorities, inter-faith, Jesus, Leaders, Mormon, Priesthood, prophets, women 29 Comments

I am an over-analyzer. As a musician I listen to music in a different way than a lot of folks. I pick apart each instrument …

Is the Internet a Urim & Thummim?

Hawkgrrrl August 20, 2008Asides, Culture, curiosity, history, Humor, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, politics, prophets, questioning, restoration, smith, theology, thought 22 Comments

What is a Urim & Thummim, and how will the earth become like one?

The Sunstone Report

John Nilsson August 13, 2008church, curiosity, doubt, faith, Happiness, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, music, religion, spiritual progression 25 Comments

I attended the Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium on Friday, August 8th. I hadn’t been to Sunstone in ten years. The last time I came, I …

Virtual RS/PH #14 – Words of Hope & Consolation @ Time of Death

Hawkgrrrl August 3, 2008baptism, children, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, eternity, evangelicals, faith, families, history, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, Leaders, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Peace, plan of salvation, questioning, religion, salvation, spiritual progression, thought 22 Comments

A word to the teachers out there. I know what you are thinking. Something like, “Ugh. I got the death lesson?!” So, if you have …

Spiritual or Just Religious?

Hawkgrrrl July 29, 2008Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, faith, inter-faith, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, plan of salvation, questioning, religion, theology, thought 24 Comments

Is your spiritual journey the same as your religious journey, or is religion just one of the facets of your spiritual life?

I’m Okay; You’re Okay

guest July 27, 2008Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, death, doubt, eternity, faith, families, inter-faith, LDS, love, marriage, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, salvation, temple, thought, women 102 Comments

I have one component to my life that prompts little discussions from the lowliest church member to most recently the temple president and I really …

Becoming a Moderate Mormon

Hawkgrrrl July 23, 2008Asides, Bloggernacle, BYU, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, faith, families, history, international, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, news, orthodox, politics, questioning, religion, reverence, thought 37 Comments

We’ve established that there are conservative Mormons (obviously) and there are liberal or “new order” Mormons. Taking the politico-religious rhetoric to its next logical conclusion, …

Dual-Membership, Dual-Priesthood

Brian Johnston July 18, 2008apostasy, christianity, Culture, curiosity, faith, families, inter-faith, marriage, Mormon 59 Comments

A good friend from my high school and college days contacted me a couple of months ago. He told me the news that he was …

The Genetics of Sin

Hawkgrrrl July 15, 2008Asides, children, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, general, history, LDS, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, plan of salvation, questioning, religion, repentance, salvation, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom

There is a lot being done in the medical field to help patients understand their genetic predisposition toward certain ailments. Isn’t the same true for …

Paul: Apostle, Misogynist?

Hawkgrrrl July 8, 2008Asides, christianity, curiosity, feminism, history, Humor, inter-faith, LDS, Leaders, marriage, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, prophets, questioning, religion, scripture, sexuality, testimony, theology, thought, women 24 Comments

“I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.” Jessica Rabbit Plenty of criticism is heaped on post-restoration church leaders. There seems to be a tendency …