General Authority and Personal Authority: Unlocking the Power of Revelation
There have been a handful of moments in my life when I’ve realized that common words and phrases in LDS culture have become so familiar that they have lost their original meaning. For example, stake center, FHE, and “without a shadow of a doubt” are such common jargon...
The Reasons for the Season
The Christmas season is upon us. Colored lights are adorning fences and awnings and lamp posts. Christmas songs are beginning to take over radio stations, and big family dinners are being planned. Children all over are beginning to mark off their calendars and...
86: Discovering the Old Testament
Those interested in understanding or exploring the Hebrew Scriptures need to listen to Sheldon Greaves' podcast called Discovering the Old Testament, if you haven't already. It is a project he has been working on for about two years and is now complete with it final...
Toward a More Radical Christianity
“Rather than grabbing headlines for things like silencing dissenting opinions, opposing gay marriage and suing people, wouldn’t we rather the Church be known for radical, almost crazy expressions of love?”
James Patterson explores what the world would look like if we really followed Christ’s commandment to love one another
Hyphenated Faith 1: Mormon-Buddhists
As a people, Mormons aren't particularly concerned with being like everyone else. Our history is one of actively seeking "set-apart" status--sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Maintaining a trench between ourselves and the "world" is an integral part of...
A Prayer
“I have heard these words and marveled. Far more often I have simply forgotten. I have felt thy love for me, a sinner, even to the consuming of my flesh. Help me to remember that love extends to each and every one of thy children. May I not let myself be found using the distancing and dehumanizing terms for my enemy we have in the past.”- Jeremy Timothy shares a personal plea and wrestle with God in the wake of terrorism on our shores.
Mental Health, Resilience, and Mormonsim
Dear family (personal, extended, and cultural), As you know over the past few years, some members of our family, myself included have experienced emotional/mental difficulties and or illness that has resulted in the necessity of counseling, medication and in some...
OxyMormons #6
A weekly ‘political cartoon’ about Mormonism (or bi-weekly…or monthly…). Click on comic to see it in full size.
85: Media and Minority Religions
"People that are different than us are weird aren't they? I get it. Different cultures and experiences and what have you, it makes sense. But people from obscure religions are not just strange but downright scary. Who could actually believe that stuff right?" The...
And Ye Took Me In
Recently I came across a video on Facebook that showed refugees landing on the Grecian shore. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not to help these people in need. I've always been firmly on the side of helping them but watching this video snapped...
On the Vilification of Disagreement
In the past month, because I’m struggling with the church’s recent pronouncement on people who enter into a same-sex marriage and the children of those couples, I’ve been accused of a few things: ● Lacking a testimony ● Not being an active member ● Not knowing my own...
Approaching A Theology of Activism
There’s often an inclination to lean towards the nurturing of the eternal body found in the spirit. In acts of faith and obedience in service to God, are we missing an aspect of the creation that concerns the care for the temporal body? Care for the body means we must...
We’ve heard these arguments before…
On August 27, 1954 Elder Mark E. Peterson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered an address to a gathering of church religion teachers entitled “Race Problems – As They Affect The Church.” He began by cautioning listeners that many in the Church have been...
Policygate 2015: We’ve been beating this drum a while now.
When the policy came out a few weeks ago it hit like a ton of bricks. One of the reasons for the policy was given by Elder Christofferson was that a clarification was needed after the supreme court ruled in favor of marriage equality. This sounded a bit strange to me...
CHURCH GIVES $5M FOR REFUGEES; ASKS THAT IT NOT GO TO KIDS OF GAY REFUGEE COUPLES
Salt Lake City, UT—The church has generously donated $5 million to support Syrian refugees, and the First Presidency has also encouraged members to assist those fleeing violence throughout the world. At the same time, the church has quietly updated the Handbook,...
OxyMormons #5
A weekly ‘political cartoon’ about Mormonism (or bi-weekly…or monthly…). Click on comic to see it in full size.
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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