Everyday Revelation
One of the most important facets of the LDS church is revelation. We believe that our leaders are privy to revelation for the church as a whole, and that we as members are supposed to seek revelation for our personal lives and our families. In this two-part series, I...
Missionary March Madness: Craziest Missionary Moment?
March, at least in the world of college basketball, is a month of fierce competition. In the spirit of the month, I have decided to put on an internet-wide contest. To all who have ever served missions: In narrative form, share your craziest, most absurd, most ridiculous mission story in the comment section. The winner will get a totally awesome prize.
SALT CITY STRANGERS
SALT CITY STRANGERS Note: To visit the website for this comic book series, click here. Nothing in storytelling resonates with an audience more than having a character they can relate to. When an emotional connection to the narrative exists between the story and the...
Tamar’s Fight
The story of Tamar, Judah, and Onan is a very secular story… we have no angels, no visions, dreams, burning bushes or pillars of smoke. There is no sacrifice, no religious rituals at all; Tamar does not even petition God or ask for his favor. She takes matters directly into her own hands, ready to risk everything in order to claim what is rightfully hers.
I Hope They Don’t Ask Me About My Mission
“Who here thought that their mission was the most important Spiritual experience in their lives?” the Elder’s Quorum instructor raised his hand expectantly while giving a lesson on missionary work. Most everyone raised their hand. I looked around, but the only others...
“Why aren’t the women included in this?”
When Chieko Okazaki, 1st Counselor of the General Relief Society Presidency was presented with the finished Proclamation to the Family in 1995, her response was as follows:
“Sometimes I think they get so busy that they forget that we are there.”
In this post, Lori Burkman cites and discusses a remarkably candid interview with former 1st president of the General Relief Society Presidency Chieko N. Okazaki.
If even a member of the General Relief Society Presidency has felt left out of the important discussions and meetings, what does that mean for women in the church as a whole?
Injustice in a Just World
I have always clung to the idea that the vast majority of people are basically good. At the same time, a look at history or the news makes quite clear that even good people are capable of doing some pretty horrible things. Why is this? Back in the 1960s a...
Metaphor: What is it Good Phor?
Reading the Old Testament leads us to confusing and troubling stories of cosmological creation, global genocide, strange marriage practices, lies, incest, and countless tribal wars all sanctioned by God. To a modern reader almost none of this makes sense, let alone is...
What’s All This Hullabalooky With The Womenz?
OK, so I had a different post planned today. It was super-duper smart and stuff. But I've been struggling with a chronic illness all week that makes my brain fuzzy, my thoughts loopy, and I can't think much very well clearly. But then a great thing happened-the...
What’s keeping us from becoming Gods?
First Post Previous Post Next Post Why aren't we Gods, yet? The list of reasons I'm not a God is pretty long, but I want to approach it from a physical perspective rather than a moral one. To do so, I want to explain to you a bit about Robin Hanson's Great Filter...
Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
One of the most exciting things to discuss and study in religion for me has always been Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphic literature.[i] Some of the most beautiful literary works I have read are found in the Jewish writings outside of the Hebrew Bible, but roughly...
The Problem with Being Pro-Truth
Mormons have a lot of easily recognized sayings.* These phrases are crafted after years of cultural interactions and are sometimes memorized as a response to a problem. Many of these sayings are harmless such as “please bless this food to nourish and strengthen our...
#doublestandard
BYU recently held it's Pro Day where NFL scouts come to watch players. It looks like things started out well, but eventually all hell broke loose and we had football players in underwear. I mean sports attire. I'm not sure what they were thinking posting those...
The Stranger Started From Disguise: Circumstance and Divine Identity
Based on actual events. Shared with permission. I’ll never forget the morning I got that surprise knock at my door. I wondered who it would be, since the clock hadn’t even yet chimed nine o’clock. I opened the door, and there she stood on my porch, her hair wrapped up...
Rebecca at the Well or, Going the Extra Mile for the Camels
Abraham is remembered both in the Bible and in the vast body of tradition that grew up around him for his generosity and his respect for the canons of hospitality. The servant of Abraham is looking for a woman whose sense of hospitality is just as lavish as Abraham’s.
Ask EOR Pt. II
See previous installments here. Let’s dive right in to some questions! “Dear EOR, My bishop tells us we were generals in the war in heaven in the preexistence. Does that mean I outrank him? What can I order him to do for me? -Anonymous” Dear Anonymous, I have some bad...
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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