Missing Joy
Last weekend at conference, Russell M. Nelson gave a lovely talk about joy. The sentiment of his talk is fine. The is a lot about the world and humanity that need fixing, and sometimes it is hard to pull your eyes away from the negative. I don’t mind the reminder that...
106: The CES Podcast (for the rest of us): Episode 4 – Matthew 18-22
Welcome to episode 4 of Rational Faiths' newest podcat series, The CES Podcast (for the rest of us), with Bible scholar, Dr. Sheldon Greaves and his co-host, Michael Barker. Dr. Greaves and Mike Barker will be looking at this year's seminary and institute curriculum,...
Using Junk Science to Attack the LDS LGBTQ Community: A Timeline
Toward the end of August 2016 the online journal The New Atlantis published a "special report" entitled, "Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences." The article caused a firestorm within the LDS community. Today's blog...
I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt: A Reflection on God’s Grace
After listening to General Conference this past weekend, the concept and act of grace has weighed heavily on my mind. Because of this, I wanted to share this particular talk which was given in my local ward this past August. From the Creation to the sacrifice of the...
An Open Letter to Elder Ballard
The questions “where will you go?” and “what will you do?” add shame to grief. They are questions that produce hopelessness and despair. They are questions that lead, inexorably, to casualties.
Q&A with Patrick Mason: Answers to Sundry Questions
Today we are pleased to feature an interview with Patrick Mason. He is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and the Chair of the Religion Department at Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of several scholarly books and articles dealing with Mormon...
In Praise of Sadness
The danger of trying to purge our lives of sadness as a proof we are living the gospel is that it leads to an artificial mask of distortion we wear in front of others.
-Jeremy Timothy, MD defends an emotion too often denigrated and feared in Mormon culture
Church PR Defames Its Own Website
This week in a BYU Provo marketing class of several hundred students, an employee of the LDS Church PR department came as a guest speaker on branding. He pulled up a website concerning showing love towards gay people and called it an “evil and faith-destroying...
105: The CES Podcast (for the rest of us): Episode 3 – Matthew 14-17
Welcome to episode 3 of Rational Faiths' newest podcat series, The CES Podcast (for the rest of us), with Bible scholar, Dr. Sheldon Greaves and his co-host, Michael Barker. Dr. Greaves and Mike Barker will be looking at this year's seminary and institute curriculum,...
104: The CES Podcast (for the rest of us): Episode 2 – Matthew 6-13
Welcome to episode 2 of Rational Faiths' newest podcat series, The CES Podcast (for the rest of us), with Bible scholar, Dr. Sheldon Greaves and his co-host, Michael Barker. Dr. Greaves and Mike Barker will be looking at this year's seminary and institute curriculum,...
103: The CES Podcast (for the rest of us): Episode 1 – Matthew 1-5
Welcome to Rational Faiths' newest podcat series, The CES Podcast (for the rest of us), with Bible scholar, Dr. Sheldon Greaves and his co-host, Michael Barker. Dr. Greaves and Mike Barker will be looking at this year's seminary and institute curriculum, which covers...
Prayer Theory
Every faith tradition has some form of prayer. No matter their concept of deity; God, Allah, ancestors, whomever, each has a way of addressing their object(s) of worship. There is beauty, insight and understanding in the vastly diverse rituals and observances of other...
TRADING THE CROSS FOR A FLAG
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything”---God at Mt. Sinai I hope the day will come when no one in this world will pledge allegiance to the flag of their country, and our only loyalty will be to the welfare of all humanity. I...
I. Can. Hold. My. Own. Umbrella.
I’m sure you’ve seen it by now. The Sharing Time lesson for Week 2 in October 2017. The object lesson is to instruct someone (a boy, because obvs) to hold an umbrella while children gather under it. You’re supposed to explain that the umbrella symbolizes the...
Priesthood Power
A few years ago I acquired a 1954 vintage copy of “Priesthood and Church Government,” by John Widtsoe. I devoured it. Despite its flaws, it’s a fascinating book. I could easily sum up the book in one word: patriarchy. I don’t mean that facetiously. I mean that...
Elder Oaks Cites Bad Science…Again
On September 16, 2016, Elder Dallin H. Oaks presided over a question-and-answer fireside in Frederick, MD. In this fireside, Elder Oaks was asked the following question: "…what would you tell a friend who was once in the church and is struggling with gender identity?”...
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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