Huge Internet Survey
On the June 23rd in a special leadership broadcast, Elder L. Tom Perry announced that the Church would be rolling out a program to allow its full-time missionaries to use Facebook and other new media platforms to connect with investigators and potential converts. This...
$&%^#. I think the church might be true.
$&%^#. I think the church might be true. That impression came to me last week as I was riding my motorcycle to work. It was not a welcome impression. But it was undeniably an impression. It didn't so much just enter my thoughts as invade them, much like...
Absurd Moments in Mormon Art, Part 1: The Anti-Fashion-Christs
In 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson gave his classic talk, ‘The Book of Mormon- the Keystone of Our Religion’. He emphasized the importance of reading, studying, and becoming familiar with the stories and messages that the book contained. The importance of the Book of...
Sunstone Symposium 2013: A Photo Journal
This was the first year that all us Barkers from Rational Faiths went to an entire day at the Sunstone Symposium. It was freakin' awesome. The best part was getting to meet so many friends that have either contributed to the blog, or with whom we have only met...
So…. When you gonna have kids?
A "late start" on The Timeline I was 31 when I got married, my wife 28- much later than the typical “Utah County Mormon” timeline. We’d each heard “when ya gonna get married?” plenty of times, as if choosing a spouse is like buying a car. Just go find one you like and...
Sharing Tents (Thoughtfully Approaching Issues of Gay Boy Scouts)
One of the concerns raised when the BSA voted to allow openly gay Scouts to participate in the program was the issue of tent-sharing. I don't blame any parent or leader for wanting to think thoughtfully about this issue. I do want to point out some realities that will...
I’m a Mormon, Yes I Am
Sometimes I think back on my BYU days, especially the beginning ones and the 18 year old that I was. I felt like I was on fire with the Spirit. I felt alive with the gospel. I remember sitting in church, sitting in my religion classes, and just feeling the truth of...
The Song of Redeeming Love.
“Many, if not most of the Mormons we know, live the gospel in a similar way that most Mormons play piano. They pay very strict attention to the script. The laws. The covenants. The commandments. The leaders. That’s an important skill to achieve, but unless we move on and challenge ourselves to live the gospel in other ways, we will stagnate, burn out, and likely give up on our religion.”
One Tongan’s Journey with Church History
I am a first generation Tongan American and a convert to the LDS faith. I have had certain spiritual experiences that justify my belief in the Church and in Joseph Smith as Prophet. However, these spiritual experiences did not answer all of my questions regarding the...
Access Denied?
When Michael asked me to write a post about the accessibility of the Catholic hierarchy vs that of the LDS hierarchy I admit I was intrigued. Too intrigued perhaps, as my writing style can never do this topic the justice he must have envisioned giving it. I shoot from...
Preventing a Dysfunctional Discussion about Doubt
I must first express how happy I am that we are having a larger discussion about doubt, but it is an incredibly dysfunctional conversation. Limiting itself to the same paradigm that created the problem. The discussion is stuck on the fact that most if not all doubt...
Mind, Body and Soul
"What is man that though are mindful of him?" - Psalm 8:4 What are we? How much of us is simply the result of brain chemistry? Is our consciousness an illusion? Is there any part of us beyond our body? Is our will an illusion and behavior determined? How much of our...
Addressing Issues that can Test our Faith: Part I
At least monthly, my Stake President receives letters from church headquarters in Salt Lake stating that a member of the stake has requested that their name be removed from church records. He has noticed that the number of letters is increasing. My Stake President...
Mormon Transhumanism: Criticisms and Responses
This is the fifth and last post in our series on Mormon Transhumanism. The first part was an introduction to transhumanism written by James Carroll. Carl Youngblood wrote the second and third parts, and Lincoln Cannon wrote part four. In this post, I will address some...
Doubts and the Church
I think we forget how powerful the actions which we covenanted to do at baptism can be. It’s interested to remember them. We are supposed to mourn with those that mourn. Then after mourning with them, we comfort those who stand in need of comfort. Then I suppose after that you can start dishing out advice you have for them.
When the Option Becomes the Expectation
When the Option Becomes the Expectation By Michael Barker "I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended...
LGBTQ Mormon Crisis
Two Printable handout for bishops and stake presidents that talks empirically about LGBTQ suicides:
The LGBTQ Mormon Crisis: Responding to the Empirical Research on Suicide
Youth Suicide Rates and Mormon Religious Context: An Additional Empirical Analysis
The Barker Brothers’ Projects
These videos were created for Latter-day Saint parents and allies to voice their love for their LGBT brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. They want to give a message of comfort and support to other parents who are navigating the difficult conflicts that can arise in families around this issue.
“Cogito!” (“I think!”) follows the intellectual adventures of a recovering academic outside the walls of academia.
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