Are We a Suitable Bride of Christ?
A recent Sunday School discussion has stuck in my head. It was the last lesson on the New Testament and we read Revelation 19:7-9, which describes the symbolic marriage feast at the coming of the Savior: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the...
CAN PROPHETS PREDICT THE FUTURE?
The other day I was listening to an episode of the Freakonomics Radio podcast entitled, "How to Be Less Terrible at Predicting the Future." 1 As part of the episode, they interviewed Dr. Philip Tetlock, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, cross-appointed in...
Making Safer Spaces
I know. People don’t need yet another post about how much they dislike and disagree with the Exclusion Policy. It’s no secret that I’m upset about it, for what it’s doing to the LGBTQ Mormon community, and for what it means for children who want to be baptized at the...
Book of Mormon Stylometry in Pictures and Tables
Measuring Style in the Book of Mormon This blog post is long (3000 words, 28 images), and it is a quick, poor, and short summary of stylometry relevant to the Book of Mormon. I've left out some topics that were only covered with words. I've not included one...
90: Top Ten Books in Mormon History – Pedestals and Podiums
One event or movement that is still in the memory banks of many Mormons or just outside of the memory of the younger generation is the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) of the 1970s and 1980s. In what became a culture war more than a discussion of women's...
“The Policy” and the priesthood oath
Elder Nelson recently declared that the church’s policy targeting gay members and the children of same-sex couples was a revelation from God, but I struggle to see how the policy embodies the principles which should govern priesthood exercise of power, as contained in...
Absolving Reponsibility for Suicidal/Homeless Teens
Earlier this week I was caught up in an online conversation that has taken me a day to digest. On a thread discussing the trauma experienced by LGBT people and youth in the Mormon community, I had brought up Elder and Sister Nelson's talks on Sunday. The backlash that...
You Can Care About More Than One Thing
I am so tired. So, this week President Nelson made us all question whether he really was Boyd K. Packer with a mask on (too soon?), it was awkward and strange and sad and better and longer articles have been writen about that. This is not one of them. Right now among...
The Exclusion Policy and Biology vs Behavior
I had the following email exchange over the past two days, initiated by a friend who is concerned about Russell M. Nelson’s announcement on Sunday night that the recently introduced LDS Church policy on gay couples and their children has been elevated to the status of...
A New Member’s Guide to Ward/Branch Callings
Congratulations, new member, for getting baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is a huge step in your life. Now that you are a member, it won't be long before you get a calling. Since no members on the local level are paid, all...
THE EXCLUSION POLICY – IS THE CHURCH BEING LED ASTRAY?
With Elder Nelson's recent reconfirmation of the Church's exclusion policy,1 I hear a lot of members defending it by saying, "The prophet will never lead the Church astray." Let's take a look at that argument. "The prophet will never lead us astray." "How do you know...
89: Mette Ivie Harrison – The Bishop’s Wife and Other Things
Mette Ivie Harrison is the critically acclaimed author of 8 YA books, including Mira, Mirror and The Princess and the Hound series. Her first adult novel, The Bishop’s Wife, was a national bestseller and was met with critical acclaim. At the end of 2015 the highly...
Why I Turned In My Temple Recommend
“And so I say to Elder Christofferson and the other leaders: Our family is actively dealing with the issues that are arising where we as parents feel one way and the expectations of our Church are very different. But we’re not gay, so our soon-to-be 8-year-old is good to go?” — James Patterson talks about how he’s dealing with the Church’s recent policies
Going to church somewhere new.
For the past few weeks I've been going to church somewhere new. I have always enjoyed learning about other faiths and have never considered myself an insular Mormon. I have visited other churches for a long time. I served my mission in the Southern United States and...
Ex Machina and A Theology of Goodness
I admittedly took my sweet time to sit down and watch Ex Machina. I had heard mixed reviews, but I was interested in the science fiction aspect of the story. In one of the film's more memorable scenes, the character Ava asks Caleb: “Are you a good person?” Caleb...
“Finding One’s Own Well From Which to Drink”
“… spiritual strength requires finding one’s own well from which to drink. We should recognize, first, that we are responsible for our own spiritual diet, and second, that sources of inspiration are sprinkled indiscriminately throughout time and place.” Crucible of...
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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