Relief Society and the Priesthood
But I firmly believe that God intended RS to be something extraordinary, something that will change the world. And we support the priesthood by being proactive in doing the work of God.
Who Does God Obey?
I wrote a painful post using a horrible, hackneyed metaphor about God as an artist. Now it is gone, thank goodness, and instead I just want to ask a few questions. In Doctrine and Covenants, God says, “It is not meet that I should command in all things.” Joseph Smith...
“…or we shall not come out true Mormons.”
Note: This is the beginning of a series of posts I am conceptually calling, "The Song of Redeeming Love: 20 Neglected Principles of Mormonism." It is my hope that it will help persons in the midst of faith crises, identify gospel principles with which they can still...
Epistemic Certainty: “I know” vs “I believe”
Interestingly, the beginning of the spike [in the use of the phrase “I believe”] occurs when the 1st Manifesto was issued (world we’re “stopping” polygamy), and the spike ends when the “Council of Friends” (FLDS) was created. Then “I believe” has stayed especially low throughout the era of church correlation… [the other graph shows] how many times you hear the phrase “I know” for every “I believe.” It makes a “V” shape with a couple outliers. There is a clear trend of hearing more “I know”s than “I believe”s at conference.
Indiana Jones and Mormonism
Indiana Jones and Mormonism by Michael Barker The other night my wife and I went out on a date. We had some dinner and watched Iron Man 3. As we sat through the ten minutes of trailers, one caught my attention, it was a two-day, limited release of Indiana...
Lord, Let Me Be A Wind Tunnel
Next month I have the opportunity to participate as a panelist at the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City. The panel will address the issue of being a "Borderlander." Until very recently I've never really thought of myself in those terms. I'd always just thought of...
So What Kind of Underwear Are You Wearing?
So, what kind of underwear are you wearing? Has anyone ever asked you that before? Was it your spouse? Was it a friend? An associate? How about a complete stranger? If it was someone other than your spouse did you tell that person how inappropriate the inquiry was? I...
Transhumanist Parallels in Mormonism
This is the second in a series of posts on Mormon Tranhumanism. The first was written by James Carroll. Many people are surprised to discover that Mormonism and Transhumanism have anything in common. In fact, they are remarkably compatible. In this post I've collected...
Bushman, Babies, Bath Water
"A Belief and Doubt in Mormonism- Navigating a Faith Crisis" July 6, 2013, Provo City Library Sponsored by the Temple and Observatory Group, a not-for-profit organization. Members are unpaid and there is no church affiliation or funding. Their purpose is to help...
Welcome home, Proxy Carmichael
Yesterday would have been my great-grandmother’s 119th birthday. She was 97 years old when she died, and she was an amazing woman. I was born on her birthday, and it is the source of my love for my birthday despite my ever-increasing age. I am thankful every day that...
A Reflection on Latter-Day Patriotism
Brothers and Sisters, we are nearing a very important date this week. For those of you who are not from the United States, this week we will be celebrating July 4th, which is a celebration of the day our founding fathers decided that they were sick of doing their...
DOMA / Prop 8 and the End of the World
In response to the recent United States Supreme Court ruling overturning Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California's Proposition 8 the LDS Church issued a press release. Before we dive into that I want to highlight a few of the following...
Banishing The Cross: A Book Review
Between growing up Protestant and eventually joining the Roman Catholic Church, the cross and the crucifix have always been part of my life. I assumed that it was a part of all Christianity. When I met my now-husband and was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of...
The Grand Fundamental Principle of Mormonism
“THE GRAND FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF MORMONISM” by Michael Barker Over two weeks ago I did a post titled, "25 Things You're Doing Wrong". It gave a list of what the traditional-believing Mormon should do if they wish to maintain a loving relationship with a friend...
An Open Letter to Prop 8 Supporters
An Open Letter to Prop 8 Supporters Dear Prop 8 supporters, I remember this feeling you may be feeling today, now that Prop 8 appeals have been exhausted and same-sex marriages are about to resume in California. I remember this feeling that your vote doesn’t count....
Reflections on Eternal Progression
Reflections on eternal progression by Viliami Pauni These thoughts grew out of a very simple post in an online Mormon discussion. After some internal debate I've decided to let the following quotes speak for themselves without much interruption from me. What...
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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