I, Apostate
I am an apostate. Or so I hear. It has recently come to my attention that certain members of my ward have taken to calling me an apostate, likely because of articles I have posted at Rational Faiths. It is hard for me to tell precisely what it is I may have said or...
Love, Love, Love
http://youtu.be/uq83lU6nuS8 I’ve recently gotten pretty excited about Ash Beckham’s latest TED talk. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Her message was twofold, and so there are two important lessons I took from it. She talks about closets and how we all...
The Dangerous Doctrine of Christ
Paul insists that we are utter slaves to sin; hopelessly in bondage, without any power to become free unto ourselves. One who is already free must purchase us on the open market and declare us to be free. That is the role of Christ. His most majestic and awe-inspiring title is and will always be, Redeemer.
Introducing a Mormon Womanism
In Alice Walker’s text In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens, Walker identifies a term called womanism. The term itself is derived from the word “womanish” or opposite of “girlish” i.e. frivolous, irresponsible, not serious. Walker goes on in describing it as “a black...
Who is Your God?
I'm a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan—well except for "The Last Airbender" and "Lady in the Water". Well okay... I just liked "Signs", "The Village", and of course "The Sixth Sense". I love the little twist and the stories inside the stories. One of the conversations in...
Tears for the Unordained Women in My Life
Last Saturday my wife tells me that our 13 year old La La (nickname) is going to be set apart on Sunday as a counselor in the Beehive’s Class Presidency and we are invited to attend. I sigh, not because I don’t feel proud of her but because I feel afraid of this...
The Most Important Talk Ever Given In the History of Mormonism
The following is a transcript of a live presentation given at Brigham Young University on October 23, 2002 by Chieko Okazaki. My dear brothers and sisters, aloha! This is an unusual experience for me; the conference organizers asked me to speak to you today giving an...
The Old Testament Does Not Prohibit Homosexuality
Of the 27 references to Sodom outside of Genesis, not a single one makes even a passing reference to homosexuality. These outside reference are priceless for Biblical scholarship, they are an example of the Bible interpreting itself.
Mormonism in Transition
Geoff reviews Mormonism in Transition and promises you that if you read some of the quotes he gives from the book, you will want the book.
Talking in Circles
I've had many interactions the past few months with people who are concerned about me and what they consider to be controversial views within the LDS church. IF they decide to actually talk to me about it, it seems they often come at me with an intent to get me back...
Feels like I’m wearing nothing at all
The ability to be introspective is a divine gift handed down to us. I try to take advantage as often as I can, checking myself here, mulling over my behavior there. Of course I am not nearly as successful as I should be with curbing my behavior considering I have...
Three kinds of contention, and a way out
Contention is bad. It's just one of those things that we all know: we've read it and heard it too many times to count. But contention doesn't mean disagreement. It doesn't mean arguments. It means something far more significant. In this post I'm going to suggest that...
Abraham’s Unfounded Assumptions
Abraham moves to Gerar with some unfounded assumptions in mind about the people there. They are Canaanites. He clearly thinks that they cannot be trusted to behave themselves, and fears that the local King Abimelech will decide he wants Sarah, and is willing to kill her husband to get her.
Akedah – Must We Kill Isaac?
Would a kind and benevolent God require that Jephthah follow through with his oath to the death of his innocent daughter and ask Abraham to kill the child of the covenant? Should humanity be required to commit barbarous acts if commanded by God? Was Kierkegaard correct in assuming that because Abraham was more elevated than the rest of us; what would otherwise have been a repugnant act was instead for Abraham obedience to a higher moral imperative? Was Abraham deceived in thinking that the instruction came from God? Why didn’t Abraham push back in the Akedah as he did for Sodom and Gomorrah? How do we reconcile the biblical narrative of the binding of Isaac with the idea of a kind and benevolent heavenly father?
What the Heck is a Cafeteria Mormon?
WHAT THE HECK IS A CAFETERIA MORMON? "Teach of faith to keep all the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy. Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that...
When it comes to equality, which side of history are you on?
I grew up thinking that with a handful of scripture references and General Conference talks in my pocket, I could always feel “right” about hard issues. After allowing myself to truly listen to people and face the facts, I realized that there are multiple ways to be on the Lord’s side.
In this post, I share the stories, struggles, and statistical data that led me from being homophobic to becoming an LGBT ally.
Where do you stand on LGBT equality and why?
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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