Last January 2009, I wrote a piece “Stop Baptizing Our Dead.” I spoke about groups who objected to the LDS Church baptizing the dead that …
Saturday Session Thoughts
These are just a few quick observations from today’s sessions, not every talk, though, nor every observation. I also want to direct attention to the …
What if the Brethren decided to allow gay marriage? by Justin Perry
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 …
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 …
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 …
Women are from Venus, Men are from Kolob
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 …
Worship or Whine?
This post was inspired by David Stout’s series of posts on LDS Worship, Part II and Part III as well as HawkGrrrl’s post entitled “More …
When the Ward Splits
Since I have lived in Colorado Springs (almost 6 years), I have witnessed a phenomena at Church I hadn’t experienced before while living in San …
Temples Unbuilt
I happen to be cruising around the LDS Temple website the other day and I was looking at the Temples under construction. I was wondering …
Nepotism in the Church: 2009 Update
Last time, I did a lengthy post on Nepotism in the Church, which you can find here. This is an update for this year so …
The Bloggernacle: The Church’s Unofficial Complaint Department
Since I began using the Internet, I discovered both the positive and negative aspects of it. One can find a wealth of information heretofore unattainable …
President Thomas S. Monson: First Year in Review
Today, February 3, 2009 is the 1-year anniversary of the calling of President Thomas S. Monson as the 16th President of the Church of Jesus …
There Are Too Many Books about the Church
As I sit at the computer in my office, my back is to the 400 or so books I have about the Church in my …
The Irony of Proposition 8
I hope you can stand at least one more post on Proposition 8 and its aftermath.
Hedging Your Bets: Refusing to Leave the Church
Two men pull up to a house they’ve never been to before. It’s dark, but a few lights appear on. They slowly get out, not …
Pharisees: Bad Guys or Bad Rap?
One of things that bothered me when I joined the church and started studying the New Testament was the way the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes …
“God Spared My Life” or Did He?
As the tragedy and outrage of the September 11, 2001 attacks unfolded, we heard news reports about the tens of thousands of people that potentially …
The other version of the Abraham story
What if Abraham had disobeyed God? Here’s the other version of the story I dug up after breaking into secret Illuminati archives and comparing translations …
Excommunication: Shame or Fame?
We’ve all seen the headlines: Excommunicated: LDS Church boots creator of ‘Men on a Mission’ calendar Local gay Mormon faces excommunication LDS author facing excommunication …
I’m Okay; You’re Okay
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 …
Confessions of a Coffee Heathen
In the past, I consumed large amounts of Mountain Dew and “energy drinks.” I’m getting older now (almost 40). My insides just can’t tolerate the …
Dual-Membership, Dual-Priesthood
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 …
Celestial Marriage Amendment
I read this letter in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning, and even though I know it’s a satirical slam, I could not help but …
Our Foundation Stories Part VI: The Laying on of Hands
This is the last installment of Our Foundation Stories, I promise! As a child, I heard the story of the restoration of the Aaronic and …
How My Wife Exercises Her Priesthood
Tired of talking about gay marriage? How about women and the Priesthood? 🙂 In all seriousness, let me share with you a recent experience that …
Evidences and Reconciliations (6/30/08)
And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the …
A letter from my sister…
Perhaps our feelings about tomorrow’s letter were abreacted in last week’s multifarious and sporadically acerbic discussion. My purpose here is to highlight some of the feelings …
Which Church Activities Do You Miss?
Over the years, the church has cut back and eliminated activities that, in some cases, were long-standing traditions. Which ones do you miss the most? …
White-Washing
“Whitewashing” is an accusatory term often used against the church to describe efforts to gloss over sticky points in doctrine or history. So, does the church engage in whitewashing?
The Bright Night of My Soul
Andrew wrote a beautiful and moving post recently – “Dark Night of the Soul“. In reading that post and the subsequent comments, I had an …
A Few Choice Words on Swearing
What constitutes swearing? Is it always wrong? If so, why?
Active in the Church
My 21-year-old son, Ethan, was home from college for a couple weeks this summer. On Sunday when he came to church with us, our bishop …
Our Foundation Stories Part IV: The Book of Mormon Translation
Was the Book of Mormon translated? Was the Book of Mormon revealed? Was it inspired? Was it all three, or a combination of the above? …
Rock the Gerontocracy!
Larry King described the Mormon faith as a “gerontocracy” (Hello–Pot? Kettle here). Being led by 15 men with a median age of 76 is a …
The Book of Mormon: Would You Regularly Study Inspired Fiction?
I’m intrigued by those on the bloggernacle that see The Book of Mormon as fiction but inspired by God. It’s common to hear someone that …
Ok, So What If It Isn’t True?
The Church of Jesus Christ claims to be the Restored Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the “only true and living church on the …
Mormon Ancestor Worship
Do Mormons practice a form of ancestor worship? What does it mean that we must be saved “with all our dead”?
Voting Mormon
In a previous post, I explored the idea of defining “political” vs. “moral” issues for purposes of deciding when (and how) the Church should get …
The Fallout Story
The Fallout Story is a rule of etiquette (that I made up) that I hold sacred for discussing breakups. The rule is: the dumpee owns …
Certainty: Blessing or Curse?
Speaking to a group of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith once said that if he had the lungs for it, he would preach a …
Our Foundation Stories Part I: The First Vision or the First Visit?
Do you believe that God the Father, the Son, and maybe even the Holy Ghost visited Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820? Or did …
MormonNews: The End Of Temple Work As We Know It?
According to the Utah Catholic bishop, John Wester, the Vatican has issued a directive to not release parish records to LDS researchers (who then use …
Evidences and Reconciliations 5/19/08
I intend this to be the first entry in a regular series, something you can look forward to on a Monday afternoon. Like all series, …
Offenders for a Word, Part 2 – Do Mormons Worship Jesus?
In my last post I wrote about how we are all forced to take a thought and translate it into words and that this is …
New Same-Sex Marriage Ruling; Same Old Polygamy Stereotypes
Unless your last name is Van Winkle, you likely already know that, yesterday afternoon, the California Supreme Court concluded that the state’s law prohibiting same-sex …
An Hour of Peace and Rest
I usually enjoy going to church. I look forward to it, despite talks that are occasionally less-than-dazzling, overly-perfumed women in the pew in front of …
Give Said the Little Revenue Stream
Do Mormons do less charitable giving due to the commitment of paying tithing? Three months of the year, you can rest assured there will be …
Offenders for a Word – Part 1 – Is Jesus God?
I love words – I love to read, write, talk – but I think words leave out almost everything. That [is] frustrat[ing]… feeling that what …
How Change will Occur in the Church
This post is not intended to be a historical look at changes that have happened in the church throughout the years, but more of experiential …
Through the Ears of a “Gentile”
“I’m so glad I was born in this, the one true church of God.” “Please bless the party leaders tonight [of the Republican Party] that …
Mormon Miracles: Seeking for a Sign
How much does God intervene in our lives? More than we give credit to Him or less than some would like to believe? Why do some require evidence of God’s …
When Obedience Doesn’t Bring Happiness
As Mormons, we are constantly taught and reminded that obedience brings happiness. So what are we to conclude when we’re obedient but still aren’t happy?
The Nature of God and Bible Bashing Sharing
Like many members of the church, I believe that humankind is of the same species as God; that our Heavenly Parents are like us only …
Why a Testimony of the Gospel is Not Enough
I have been under the impression over the last 26 years in the Church that if one had a pretty strong testimony of the Savior, …
The Mormon Urge to Glurge
glurge (GLURJ) n. A sentimental or uplifting story, particularly one delivered via e-mail, that uses inaccurate or fabricated facts; a story that is mawkish or …
Raising the Bar
Is it just my imagination, or are more missionaries returning home early? Seems like this used to be a rare event, spoken about in the …
Mormon Coffee
Hi, my name is Andrew, and I’m a diet Coke-oholic.
Men: The Weaker Sex?
There is a common belief among LDS that wonderful women are sometimes saddled with mediocre men or sometimes no man at all, which will result …
God’s Hit List in the Book of Mormon
One of the most unseemly and disturbing images in the Book of Mormon is when Nephi is commanded to cut the head off of Laban who …
The Sun Never Sets on the Mormon Empire: Cultural Colonialism
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 …
Laymen = Clergy: The Genius of Mormonism?
When the Church of Christ was organized on April 6, 1830, none of its members were professional clergy, but all its adult male members were …
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 …
A Non-Member Kirtland Experience
I recently read an interesting post by a non-member couple and their visit to Kirtland. IMO, their contrast of the Kirtland temple (Community of Christ) tour …
Nepotism in the Church
As I watched the press conference last week between the Sunday sessions of General Conference, I found out that the new 2nd Counselor of the …
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 …
Drop it! Who’s Worthy to Take the Sacrament?
Is it ever appropriate to intervene when someone “unworthy” is going to take the sacrament? What level of “unworthiness” makes such intervention justified?
Shouldn’t This Be Against the Honor Code?
Some background. The University of Utah athletic teams go by the name “Utes”. BYU are the “Cougars”. The Utes are also an American Indian tribe. …
‘The White Shirt’
Growing up in a fairly liberal Orange County town I was exposed to differing cultures and religions. Hindu, Jewish, Jehovah’s Witness, Church of Religious Science, …
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 …
Mormons as Trinitarians
Mention the word “Trinity” to a group of Mormons and the response you’ll get probably will be “I don’t believe that false doctrine of Satan!” …
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 …
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Ben Stein is prominently featured in an upcoming documentary called “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” where he takes a stab a neo-darwinism, and seeks to bring …
“The Whole Church is Under Condemnation”: The Talk that Changed the Church
April 1986: President Benson presides over his first General Conference. Did anyone listening to his humble little talk, called “Cleaning the Inner Vessel,” realize that …
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 …
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 …
Elijah: Prophet, Seer, and Mass Murderer?
1 Kings Chapter 18 tells the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal. We read that Elijah and Ahab confront each other, and Elijah …
Liberal Mormonism I: Diagnosis
Let me be clear about a few things. First, I have been diagnosed as a liberal Mormon. Second, liberal Mormonism has been discussed before in …
What If Everyone Found Out the Mormon Plan of Salvation Was True?
Let’s perform a thought experiment. Pretend like there is no Mormon Church at all. But one day Jesus Christ returns and the Millennium beings. Christians …
My Open Letter to Glenn Beck
Well, I’m back after a bit of an illness. I don’t know if this post will generate any interest, but I thought I’d share it. …
The Parable of the Elephant
Sometimes I recall nuggets of spiritual wisdom but cannot remember when or where I picked them up. One in particular has increasingly taken on new …
Why we need more apostates
Explosive Church growth has had a real impact on one of the core experiences many LDS had growing up — knowing apostates. The lack of …
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 …
Why I Am Not a Disaffected Mormon
There seem to be a number of disaffected Mormons lurking the Bloggernacle these days. I am not one of them. Here is why.
BYU and the Honor Code
As a current BYU student, I am bound by the “honor code,” a document that all students are required to sign in order to enroll. …
Who are these Anti-Mormons?
This post is by Heather B. I’m not a member of the LDS church, although I was once. I’ve had many members ask me over …
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 …
WWJB: What Would Jesus Blog?
It’s been a few months since I first came out to my family and friends. I’d been living a secret double life for too long, …
The Book of Mormon: Paving the Way for the Doctrine & Covenants
In my last post I discussed one possible view of the Book of Mormon as a basic doctrinal text and thus a foundation for Mormon …
A New Take on Fundamentalism, Faith and Curiosity — Or….Does Mormonism Inspire Curiosity?
How does this apply to Mormonism?
Robert Millet & Krista Tippet Pt. 2: Mormon Missionary Work Targeted at “Helping People Accept Jesus as Their Savior”?
The more I listen to this interview — the more I enjoy and respect Dr. Millet. I have even listened to the extended interview now, …
For time and all eternity
This post is by Heather B. My husband and I were married and sealed to each other in an LDS temple over 6 years ago. …
Joseph Smith, On His Own Terms
In studying Joseph Smith in the 1970s I was struck by how often Joseph Smith would remind the brethren that they did not know as …
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 …
LDS Myths about Reorganized Latter Day Saints
My uncle emailed me the other day. The bishop in his ward gave a talk about the Kirtland Temple and explained how the LDS church …
Should I Care if My Christian Neighbors Call Me a Non-Christian?
Evangelical Christians have been very vocal over the last century in denouncing Mormons as a “non-Christian” religion. Even the more moderate Catholic and Protestant sects …
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 …
MYTHBUSTERS: The “One True Church”
There are a lot of myths both inside and outside Mormondom about the LDS claim to be the “one true Church.” That claim is difficult …
Converts to the Church: Quality versus Quantity
In 2006, there were more than 272,800 convert baptisms in the Church. A year later, I wonder how many are still active? As President Hinckley …
Do You Happen to Know So and So….
Have you ever noticed how small the LDS Church world is? It is not uncommon to run into people who know people you know. I’ve …