So you say you want a Revolution
“ We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” Doctrine & Covenants 121:39 Few things in life...
Temple Baptisms – A Reflection
TEMPLE BAPTISMS - A REFLECTION It was the combined opening priesthood meeting when the announcment was made that the youth in our ward would be going to the temple in two days to do baptisms for the dead. They needed some volunteers from the Melchizedik Priesthood...
Discovering the Old Testament: Sacrifice, Sin, and the Cosmic Order
We don’t have a Summa Theologica for ancient Israel. Instead, we have to look at the rituals and slowly, carefully, tease out the theological ideas that lay behind them.
Make Your Own Metaphors!
Ah, sweet metaphors. Sweet, sweet metaphors that are dropped into church talks like chocolate in the spiritual trail-mix of words coming out of someone’s mouth at the pulpit on any given Sunday. Sometimes the chocolate might be overly-familiar, but well-loved like an...
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Goddess
I yelled in church today. I have never yelled in church before. And I have been going to church for over 35-years. Maybe it was about time. Maybe it was bound to happen. But nobody was more surprised than I when my simple question during Priesthood meeting became...
Unassuming God
First Post Previous Post Next Post Assumptions about God Omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Dogma in our modern understanding is pretty much just another way of saying "arbitrary assumptions". According to a Pew Research Foundation survey on religion (see...
CHILD ABUSE AND THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC
Child Abuse and the Sacrifice of Isaac by Tresa Brown Edmonds As a survivor of childhood abuse, the way we usually teach the story of Abraham is deeply disturbing to me. Any God that would command someone to harm their child just for the sake of His own worship is...
Black Pete and Early Mormonism
Black Pete and Early Mormonism by Mark Staker When Joseph Smith sent four missionaries to Missouri with copies of the newly printed Book of Mormon in October 1830, those missionaries went through Kirtland, Ohio. In Kirtland they found an African-American member of...
Discovering the Old Testament: Why It Matters for Mormons
Discovering the Old Testament: Why It Matters for Mormons By Sheldon Greaves, Ph.D. Since late October of last year, I’ve been publishing a weekly podcast called “Discovering the Old Testament.” The format is a roughly 20-minute lesson or lecture where I discuss the...
Silver Linings Playgroup
Urie, Wyoming. Population: 262. Actually 263. A baby had recently been born into our family. And I was her stay-at-home dad while her mom taught school. Wyoming isn't really made for stay-at-home dads. It consists mainly of empty, windy, baby-unfriendly sageland...
“As Far as it is Translated Correctly…”: Varying Bible Translations and the Latter-day Saints
Note: Just like my last post, I want to note that I use academic studies throughout this post so I have moved all of the bibliography to the end of the document in order to facilitate a more convenient reading for those not interested in the notes. If you are...
Ask EOR Pt. 1
Going forward I am going to be dedicating the second Wednesday of every month to a new feature I am affectionately dubbing “Ask EOR”. Here is where I will answer your questions about anything related to Mormonism—anything at all. It should be noted that these answers...
Two Lampstands: Two Branches
Two Lampstands: Two Branches Women and the Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood by Michelle G. Wiener, M.A., M. Ecum. Studies And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,...
Yes, We Have No Bananas!
And like that whimsical song of yesteryear, I not only have no bananas, I also have no blog article for this month. I feel, however, that I owe an explanation to my faithful readers, so sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of my wrestle with the Lord. It is not like...
Paradise Within
Guest Post: Emily Dyson Why are we righteous? Why do we keep God's commandments? To what end? A while ago, I was in a Gospel Doctrine class that was discussing the view of the afterlife laid out in Doctrine and Covenants Section 76. “The Vision” appeared to have...
Three Newly Discovered Early Black Mormon Women
Three Newly Discovered Early Black Mormon Women Connell O’Donovan February 9, 2014 Two digitized missionary journals accessible on the LDS Church History Library website have proved to be valuable sources of information on the early membership of three black Mormon...
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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