Playing the Ball as It Lies
As I read the words of Joseph Smith, his personality seems to come right off the page. Easy to like and easy to trust, he is that old family friend I've looked up to, a hero of my youth even. Of this charismatic prophet who wore his heart on his sleeve, John Taylor...
Blind Obedience and John C. Bennett
In discussions with devout members of the Church, I have brought up the idea of blind obedience vs. informed obedience. I subscribe to the latter and rail against the former. I am concerned when one's own moral compass is required to be shut off in order to obey....
NEW- Mormon Women Scholars’ Network
A PLACE FOR WOMEN TO CONNECT, COMMUNICATE, COLLABORATE, AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN MORMON STUDIES, RELIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP, AND RELATED DISCIPLINES.
What Eve Would Tell
Something hissed in my ear that day, made it hard to hear Father say He loved me and I had done no wrong. I was His shining star, His brightest daughter. But when it happened, I tell you, I felt dimmed– I didn't know this was my desire unto my husband;...
The Big Announcement: A Summary
by Michael Barker The Big Missionary Announcement: A Summary My brothers, as well as our friend Jerilyn, all watched the live-stream Church broadcast this Sunday afternoon. And I, for one, was underwhelmed. All the flurry of excitement seemed to follow the same...
Special Broadcast: The Work of Salvation en VIVO!
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Mormon Transhumanism – What is transhumanism?
Transhumanism. It’s one of those techie buzz words that has become popular recently. It also conjures up images of things like cloning, eugenics, cyborgs, sex-bots, terminators, and cryogenics. But what is transhumanism really all about, and how can we separate the...
JOSEPH SMITH’S POLYGAMY, VOLUME 1: HISTORY – A BOOK REVIEW
Note: This is a book review of only Volume 1 of Brian C. Hales' Joseph Smith's Polygamy. The reviews of Part 2 and 3 will come later. _______________________________________________ "If polygamy is the most controversial story in the history of Mormonism,...
Whosoever Looketh On A Woman…
This was posted earlier on the blog http://toeveryonethatbelieveth.blogspot.com/ . We thought it was such a great post that we wanted our readers to enjoy it. Thank you Amy Grigg for your wonderful essay! I've seen a lot of people post that swimsuit video lately. I...
What Are We to Make of Joseph Smith’s Bible Revision?
In the previous installment, I discussed the history of Joseph Smith's Bible revision (JSBR), which is generally referred to as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) in the Utah Mormon tradition and the Inspired Version (IV) of the Bible in the Community of Christ...
Happy Corpus Christi !!!
by Dr. Zina Petersen Disclaimer!!! The following essay contains gross oversimplification, sweeping generalization, near-criminal abridgment, collation of merely distantly-related factoids, and probably several blatant lies. Depending on further historical,...
No offense, but…
I know the topic of giving and receiving offense has been thoroughly combed over in other forums, but it is such an important topic that I believe a great deal of the major points bear repeating. I want to particularly address judgment, hypocrisy, and the fauxpology....
Big Announcement SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!! (Using my monster truck voice) Everyone ready for the big announcement this Sunday? Have you started guessing what the meeting will be about? Is it going to be service missions? Is it going to be about lowering the sister missionary age? Will...
Our Own Tent: Girls’ Camp, Losing my Pants, and Finding my Truth
It sounds so zen: losing my pants helped me find myself. I felt guilty, zipped snug inside my tent wearing a short thin nightgown, with the lack of covering for my bottom half bringing such a reprieve. You see, due to a forgotten suitcase and an incident with the lake...
Our Eternal Parents – A belief statement in the vein of The Living Christ
From time to time, the LDS church has issued belief statements on various topics, most notably in recent memory, The Family: A Proclamation to the World and The Living Christ. A couple of years ago, I realized that a belief statement on the nature and attributes of...
The Inclusivity of Mormon Weddings: A Prayer for Change
The Inclusivity of Mormon Weddings: A Prayer for Change by Michael Barker I consider myself well-read in regards to Mormon thought, theology, and history. Yet, as embarrassed as I am to say, it was not until last year that I realized that the majority of the countries...
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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