On the sweetness of Mormon life. Some child behind me started yelling during a really good talk about charity. Because of the talk, perhaps, I remembered not to turn around and gawk. Later I peeked behind me and saw a young mother with three small children who had slipped in late. Her husband is a good man but he doesn’t believe and won’t come and he works on Sundays anyway, so she and her children are usually late. Sometimes they’re so late they don’t come until the very end of sacrament meeting. But they almost always come. Be the... Read more »
LDS Newsroom
- Mormon Helping Hands Assist in Maryland Park Cleanup (Photo Essay) May 23, 2012
- Faith Leaders Gather in Pacific Over Freedom of Religion May 22, 2012
- Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right | May 21 May 21, 2012
- Church Honored in Spain for Blood Drive Promotion May 18, 2012
- Mormon Leaders Discuss Helping Hands Efforts With Connecticut Governor May 18, 2012
- Like Jabari Parker, Thousands of Mormon Youth Attend Seminary May 17, 2012
- British Singing Sensation Katherine Jenkins to Perform at Pioneer Day Concert May 17, 2012
- Manaus Brazil Temple Opens To the Public May 16, 2012
- Connecticut and Indiana Mormon Temple Renderings Released May 16, 2012
- Ground Broken for Provo, Utah’s Second Temple May 12, 2012
Yearly Archives: 2007
Latino/a and Mormon
America, as they say, is browning. Latino/as recently surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group in the United States, and the Church is experiencing that browning along with the rest of the nation. “According to Church statisticians, the future of the Church does not lie in Europe, Canada, or the United States but rather in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and among the ethnic groups in this country.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
José Smith
The Spanish-language scriptures use the name José Smith. This raises interesting questions: Which names do we choose to translate and which do we choose not to translate, and why? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Unsung II
The poem Stille Nacht has six verses, though we typically only sing three of them. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Silent Night
Son: Was the night when Jesus was born really silent? Me: No, not really. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
I was born in Sharon, Vermont
Yesterday was Joseph Smith’s birthday. I wonder sometimes how important it is to us in the 21st century that he was born in Vermont, given that the narratives we use to discuss Joseph usually skip his birthplace altogether and fast forward to New York. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Seeing Him
Because Adam asked, here’s my Santa Claus/Meaning-of-Christmas manifesto, originally written on my own blog three years ago. A brief update: our oldest daughter, mentioned below in this post, is now eleven, and while she is a joyful and spirited participant in the Christmas season, particularly for the sake of her three younger sisters, she isn’t herself much of believer any longer, and all my philosophical/theological reflections mostly flat with her. But that doesn’t worry me. Give her time; she’ll come around. I probably thought pretty much the same at her age, but as the wise man once said, I’m... Read more »
Revelation Made Flesh
Christ was uniquely part divine and part mortal. The Almighty was his father, the woman Mary was his mother. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Religious Pragmatism
Oliver Wendell Holmes famously wrote, “The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.” In various writings, he expanded that claim, contrasting a natural law approach to justifying legal and ethical rules of conduct with his own more modest approach rooted in history and experience and falling under the broad perspective labeled pragmatism. Since religion in general and Mormonism in particular have many rules of conduct for which a variety of justifications grounded in natural law, experience, and history are held out, Holmes’ approach may shed some light on how we do this. Be... Read more »
The Christmas Dress, by Elaine Harris
My wife’s grandmother, Elaine Harris, has lived in Evanston, Wyoming, all her life, except for a brief period during the Depression, when lack of work at home forced her parents–my wife’s great-grandparents, John and Dorothy Martin–to relocate their family to Bountiful (technically Woods Cross) in search of employment. It was there, seventy years ago this Christmas, that Grandma Elaine….but wait: she should tell the story. It is, after all, her own. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Unsung
Christmas Bells, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Naked, and ye clothed me
When Christ says to Mary and Joseph– I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me –they will not ask him “when?”. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Zion v. Babylon: Life in the Enclave
In his recent (and excellent) book, Making Space on the Western Frontier: Mormons, Miners, and Southern Paiutes, Paul Reeve examines the contact and interactions between the three groups mentioned in his title in southern Utah/eastern Nevada during the last four decades of the 19th century. Although Reeve uses the word “frontier” in his title, he is not using it in the same way as Frederick Jackson Turner, who saw the frontier as succeeding waves of Anglo-American civilization moving relentlessly across the continent. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Prayer and parascripture
‘Parascripture’ was the term Hugh Nibley used to refer to popular statements of religious sentiment that weren’t actually found in scripture, and that can sometimes be the vehicle for foreign ideas to find a home in a Mormon setting. An example in recent circulation is, “If you want to talk to God, pray; if you want God to talk to you, read the scriptures.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Christmas and the Sacrament
There is only one Christmas. Each year it comes slightly more into view. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Primary Was Intended for Boys
(and always has been). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Narrating the Priesthood Ban and Constructing Selves
The way we see and define who we are is usually closely related to how we understand the past. Most of us have overlapping identities that require us to negotiate compromises between them and these compromises shape our narratives of history. African American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have two dominant identities, black and Mormon, and as such, they have the burden of negotiating a compromise between these identities in relation to their understandings of the priesthood ban. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormonism Q&A I: Race issues; Jesus/Satan issues; some sources
There have been some interesting discussions of Mormonism in the media lately. Commenters like Lawrence O’Donnell, Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, and others have made statements about the church in highly public places. What are we (or others) to make of these? In this post, I’ll try to address some of the questions that I’ve seen in various media contexts lately. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Favorite Christmas Posts
Reading bloggernacle Christmas posts each year is one way I observe Christmas. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Haun’s Mill Massacre in Mormon Memory
In April 2005, I spent two weeks on assignment for the Joseph Smith Papers Project in Missouri and Illinois, visiting court houses and archives searching for documents pertaining to early Mormon history. On the second evening of my stay in northwestern Missouri, I drove down a lonely dirt road to a desolate place that had significant meaning for me as a Latter-day Saint. When I arrived, I found only a small creek surrounded by trees, grass, mud, and a small plaque that identified the site of the Haun’s Mill Massacre... Read more »
HIHO
That stands for “Historian In, Historian Out”–Times and Seasons bids farewell to one historian, Paul Reeve, and welcomes another, David Grua. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Iza
The mission president called. Would I, as his counselor, conduct a baptismal interview? A case he wouldn’t have the zone leaders handle, a woman with a troubled past. Most likely involving a chastity issue. 3 people like this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Thou Shalt Blog
You heard it here first: a member of the Quorum of the Twelve has ordered you to blog about the Church. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What the Smith Boys Said This Year
This year, Simon turned nine, Nathan turned six, and Truman turned three. For previous installments, see here, here, and here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
“Falls, Gardens, Death”
From the archives. This Christmas season I’ll be reposting a few favorite Christmas posts from the past. This first one is from December 18 of 2005 and may not make sense as a Christmas post until a later one I put up. I would appreciate that any substantive comments be left in the combox of the original post. I’m leaving this combox open for any technical comments or for comments on this introductory paragraph. (more…) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Feast of Saint Tithing Settlement
If Mormons had a liturgical year, the distinctively Mormon part of December would be tithing settlement, not a limp dutifulness like Joseph Smith’s birthday. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Best Mormon Poem Ever Written
According to Eugene England, this is the best Mormon poem ever written: 12 people like this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Mittmitthuckmitthuckmittnationalreview
I apologize to you unfortunates who don’t know the pure, sweet beauties of an obsession with politics. This post is not for you. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Gadianton Robbers Among the Ancestors
In fall 2001 (vol. 27, pp. 125-149) the Journal of Mormon History published an article I wrote entitled “‘As Ugly as Evil’ and ‘As Wicked as Hell’: Gadianton Robbers and the Legend Process among the Mormons.†Let me share a few excerpts from it and then pose a question. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Christmas Cigarettes
Imagine that universally-respected researchers had determined that most of the people in your community eat too much sugar and fat, and are at serious risk of developing diabetes, hardened arteries, and other ailments associated with poor diet and inadequate exercise. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
I Heart Rob Bell
I have a theological crush (not to be confused with an intellectual crush or a garden variety crush) on Rob Bell. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
My People Shall Wear Wooden Shoes
In 1874 a short lived satirical newspaper appeared in Utah, under the title Enoch’s Advocate: A Temporary Journal Devoted to the Interests of the United Order of Wooden Shoes. The paper’s sole intent was to take jabs both in picture and in print at Brigham Young and the United Order effort he had launched territory wide that year. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Great Sermons: Criticism
“I am persuaded that many do not understand the Church’s teachings about personal criticism, especially the criticism of Church leaders by Church members.” Thus begins Elder Oaks’ 1987 article on criticism, its uses and abuses. Our Relief Society President used it as the basis for a Sacrament Meeting talk last month and I thought it deserved a renewed audience. As is typical of Elder Oaks, this is a well thought out piece. Enjoy! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
In Which Jules Verne Meets Clarissa
Clarissa, the daughter of commenter East Coast, is a seventh-grader, the only Latter-day Saint in a student body of more than 600. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Stop Cancelling My Church!
Up at 6:20am, into the shower, on with the shirt and tie and jacket. Grap some Grape-Nuts in the kitchen. Open the front door: a half-inch or so of sleet on the ground. No biggie, I think. Normally I walk, but this morning I’m running late, so I hop in the car, drive to the chapel for PEC meeting. No one there. Drive around the chapel twice: still no one there. Cancelled for sleet?, I ask myself. Drive home, log on the computer, check the e-mail. Yep, sure enough: the stake presidency cancelled all meetings yesterday evening (we were... Read more »
News and Commentary on Romney’s Speech
As of this writing, Google News lists 769 newspaper reports about Mitt Romney’s speech yesterday, and 8,232 stories since yesterday containing the word “Mormon”. Please share your finds with the rest of us. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Monolithic Myth
Much of the commentary and criticism swirling around Mitt Romney and the religion issue seems to take as its starting point the assumption that there is a single Mormon view on any particular issue, decided by LDS leaders and accepted by the LDS membership. Too bad there isn’t a Mormon view on particular issues. That kind of kills the theory. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mitt Romney’s Speech “Faith In America”: Your Reaction
Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind introduction. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
La Ville des Mormons
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If I were Mitt Romney
We recently surveyed a bunch of politically savvy bloggernacle types — including some of our own T&S crew — and asked them to answer in a few paragraphs this question: “What would you say tomorrow (in the much-anticipated “Religion Talk”) if you were Mitt Romney?” Here are replies we’ve received: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Standing Strong and Immoveable
Each Monday they rotate drivers. Every three weeks it is my mom’s turn. She picks up Margarete and MaryLou in her Buick and they drive to St. George to visit Shirlee. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Even the Devils Also Believe in Themselves
I was flipping through a book called The Secret at the bookstore. I don’t want to criticize the book itself too much, since I haven’t read it in detail. But there seem to be an awful lot of bestsellers, prosperity gospellers, and seminar gurus out there, all preaching that “you are the way, the truth, and the life.” Update: The definitive review here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Polygamy: How Much Instead of How Many
In a 19th-century Utah newspaper, a wise and thoughtful satirist argued that the polygamy “problem†had wrongly been characterized as a numbers issue—how many wives a man had—rather than a quantity issue—how much wife a man had. The satirist offered this ingenious answer under the heading, Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Thoughts from the Anvil
I suspect that on Thursday Mitt Romney’s Mormonism will perform the function that Mormonism has been fulfilling in American politics for a century and a half: It will be an anvil on which this mainly Protestant nation hammers out the place of religion in public life. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Orality, Literacy, Apostasy and Restoration
In the historiography of communication, orality refers to reliance on the spoken word as well as to the corresponding institutions and habits of mind, while literacy means not just the ability to read, but also the mental habits and social institutions that attend the use of writing, or more specifically the use of an alphabetic writing system, or the particular cognitive framework that has developed along with the alphabetic systems of Western Europe. The Mormon concept of a historical apostasy can be described in terms of orality and literacy. In fact, Brian Stock, an eminent historian of medieval literature,... Read more »
Personal Note
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What Do Mormons Look Like?
In 1846 during the Mormon Exodus from Illinois, as the Saints were strung out in various camps across Iowa and farther west, Mormon Warren Foote went in search of a mill to grind some of his grain: “It is quite a curiosity for the inhabitants here to see a “Mormon,†he wrote. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mitt Romney’s Mormon Speech
Mitt Romney has decided to formally address his Mormonism in a speech this Thursday. His campaign is stressing that he won’t be detailing Mormon doctrine, but speaking more broadly to the role of faith in America and in Mitt Romney. This speech will cause every major news organization on the planet to discuss Mormonism this week, with coverage that may exceed even that of the Salt Lake City Olympics, where Mormonism appeared only as a local interest sub-story. This week Mormonism will be at the center. Over the next week we will offer threads about the speech, commentary and... Read more »
Times and Seasons Welcomes Paul Reeve
It has no doubt been noticed–for those that care about the deep red-blue rivalries of Utah, anyway–that Times and Seasons does pretty well when it comes to drawing upon the Cougars insofar as perma- and guest-bloggers are concerned, but until this point, our track record with the Utes has been lacking. With arrival of Paul Reeve, an assistant professor of history at the University of Utah, as a guestblogger for the next little while, we hope to turn that record around. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Family Circle
On the sweetness of Mormon life– We came a few minutes late to our small ward and could hardly find a spot to squeeze in. The chapel was full of family from the funeral on Wednesday and for today’s two baby blessings. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Terryl Givens: The Scholar as Celebrant
Terryl Givens is doing a great deal in People of Paradox. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Reflections on People of Paradox by the Author
Terryl Givens was kind enough to share some reflections on his book, People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture, in response to our questions. His answers follow, in italics. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Watching conference
Stake conference in the mission field. Still the mission field, for although we are a stake, there is no stake center, only a chapel in some of the main cities, and rented rowhouses elsewhere. The stake covers some 10,000 square miles. Therefore we gather in this huge, sparsely lit movie theatre—theatre number 14 in a massive cinema complex close to the highway. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Another Conference on Mormons
Call for Papers: “Interpretation: LDS Perspectives†Sponsored by Mormon Scholars in the Humanities and Mormon Scholars Foundation Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Graduate Student Conference at Claremont: Call for Papers — CHANGE!
“May These Principles Be Establishedâ€: Mormonism in the Political Arena Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Wonder of a New Religous Art Tradition
Terryl Givens and Richard Bushman share a common pattern of scholarship. Both seek to put the Mormon experience into a broad cultural and historical framework. Both seek engage us by bringing Mormon history into dialogue with the broader history of our shared civilization. This is part of an encouraging direction in serious Mormon scholarship that seems to be moving beyond myopic focus of endless chronicles. Givens’ work had the added benefit of good prose that is actually fun to read. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Tracing Emily (updated)
This story begins at the bitter end, with suicide in a Butte brothel. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Givens’ Winter Wheat
His fruitful new study provides lots to chew on this winter. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
People of Paradox Symposium
Terryl Givens’ new book, People of Paradox, provocatively explores how distinctive features of Mormon faith are expressed in Mormon culture. Times and Seasons has decided to hold a symposium to review it, and to take up the conversation it begins. The symposium will include Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Martial Hymns
A Canticle for Liebowitz has a remarkable scene where a priest tries to persuade a mother not to euthanize her radiation-poisoned child. He argues with her in front of the emergency euthanasia tents, under the gaze of a statue called “Mercy” that the emergency euthanasia authorities have erected. The statue is a copy of a copy of a copy of a Christus, each copy more androgynous, more passive and weak. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Grad Student Conference: Mormonism in Politics
Graduate Student Conference at Claremont: Call for Papers “May These Principles Be Establishedâ€: Mormonism in the Political Arena Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mission Thanksgiving Meals
Here’s a post for your afternoon stupor. What were your mission Thanksgiving meals like? Tell us in the comments. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Thanksgiving
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. The world, and all they that dwell therein. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Turkey: The Poll
What’s going to be on your plate tomorrow? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Brothers in Arms
Today, my older brother, James Daniel Fox, turns 40. That’s right: 40. Forty! Which means I’m thirty-nine, and that’s plain crazy. Something has gone dreadfully wrong, I know it. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Stem cells with promise
Two different scientific teams have independently discovered they can convert normal human cells into “embryonic” stem cells without destroying or cloning embryos. For those of us who realize that “embryo” is just shorthand for an embryonic person, this is great news. See the NYT and the Washington Post Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Book Review: People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture
People of Paradox is unusual: Givens sets out four major paradoxes in Mormon thought and then shows how various aspects of Mormon culture (the life of the mind, architecture, visual art, dance, film, etc.), at various moments in history, negotiate those dilemmas. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Churches of Iron and Clay
I’m probably the last man on the Bloggernacle to realize that the the great stone which smashes to bits the statue in Daniel is not necessarily just a universal government. The stone is the gospel Kingdom, which is both spiritual and temporal. So it makes as much sense to compare parts of the statue to various churches and dispensations as it does to compare them to empires. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Blogging, Church Doctrine, and the Limits of Authority
People frequently claim that Mormonism is an essentially atheological religion. It is not always exactly clear what is meant by this statement, but it generally seems to me something like we place right practice and sacred stories at the center of our faith rather than an abstract set of propositions. Whatever the merits of this claim, I think that it is hard to deny that the concept of “church doctrine†is enormously important within the church discussions. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sorting voices from the dust
When we read the Book of Mormon, whose voice do we think we are hearing? Trying to answer that question, I think, is one of the essential moves in a Mormon mode of interpretation. Consider, for example, 2 Nephi 2:17, where Lehi pauses to speculate on Lucifer’s origins: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Three Statements
In 2004, the church issued True to the Faith, a First Presidency-approved booklet discussing many points of church doctrine. The booklet includes a discussion of birth control. How does that official, First Presidency-approved discussion compare to both President Beck’s recent talk on Mothers Who Know, and to the anti-Beck statement at the What Women Know website? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Replenish the earth
Is “multiply and replenish the earth” one commandment, or two? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Children Are Not Optional
Several women I know and like recently signed on to an anti-President-Beck’s-talk statement. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Joy of God
In Moses 7, Enoch sees God weep because of the wickedness and suffering of his children. When does God’s weeping end? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Wackiest attempted priestcraft, Google version
Check out these wacky ads, straight off of today’s Gmail sidebar. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Random Thoughts on the Princeton Conference
The recent conference on Mormonism and American Politics at Princeton University, organized by former Times and Seasons blogger Melissa Proctor, was–from the perspective of this participant at least–a resounding success: plenty of exchanges, ideas, and arguments, some presented formally through papers and many others emerging informally through conversations after and between sessions, all packed into a little more than a single cold, grey Saturday in New Jersey. Reports on the conference are already making the rounds (see Matt B.’s excellent summary here, for example); those seriously obsessed with Mormon studies will be happy to here that the entire conference... Read more »
Did Laurel Thatcher Ulrich sell out?
How an obscure academic article yielded marketing gold. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sound Bite Mormonism
What the conservative chattering class is chattering about the last few days is Jacques Barzun and his book From Dawn to Decadence . So it was no surprise to see Steve Sailor quote the book’s lessons. Here’s one lesson that piqued my Mormon interest. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Going Long: Of Clubs and Conduct
John Varah Long was cited to appear before church officials in 1866 for, among other reasons, “belonging to the young men’s social club, and other conduct unbecoming a saint.†Is it possible that the social club, one cause of Long’s excommunication, was also a model for the church’s Mutual Improvement Associations? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
After this manner
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Out of the Intellectual (and Electronic) Ghetto!
I have long thought that there ought to be an online clearing house for research papers related to Mormonism. My proposed model is SSRN, the Social Science Research Network, where scholars in law, economics, and other disciplines upload copies of working papers and published articles. Each article is accompanied by an abstract, and all of them become text searchable and available for downloading. (Scholars who either cannot or will not upload copies of their articles can still upload abstracts.) At present there are about 132,000 scholarly papers up on SSRN. Mormon studies, I have long thought, ought to have... Read more »
Publicizing Good Works
Go read this. Then return and report. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A poem for leaf fall
That time of year thou may’st in me behold Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Paradigms Lost and Found
Ben called my attention to this discussion. David Bokovoy, who is working on a PhD in Hebrew Bible at Brandeis and is the CES director in Boston, sets out this argument: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Book of Mormon stories
A recent change in the wording of the Book of Mormon may suggests a shift in the church’s view of the relationship between Lamanites and American Indian tribes. The prior introduction, written just 26 years ago by Elder McConkie, stated that the Lamanites were “the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Romantics and their Fragments
Reading the Book of Mormon is a lot like reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
When Words Fail
In the summer of 1879, a meteor streaked across the sky above Utah, and people throughout the state tried to describe what they had seen and heard. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A less melodramatic post on vouchers
So it’s vouchers time in Utah. Here are what I see as the relevant issues, minus the apocalyptic rhetoric: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Minding our P’s and Q’s
A Evangelical classmate of mine discovered an easy tactic for bothering his Mormon classmates, that often required him only to occasionally omit the letter B or W from a sentence. In discussion about the church, he would conspicuously mention the name “Spencer Kimball,” or “Gordon Hinckley,” or “Ezra Benson.” This drove many of my Mormon classmates batty. It seemed to be a great moral wrong to refer to “Gordon Hinckley” without the intervening B. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormonism and American Politics conference, November 9-10
This weekend, Princeton will host an interdisciplinary conference to discuss the contested intersection between religion and American politics. Speakers include Richard Bushman, Richard Land, Kathleen Flake, Philip Barlow, Marci Hamilton, Alan Wolfe, Helen Whitney, Mark Silk, Noah Feldman, Sarah Barringer Gordon, Stephen Macedo, Thomas Griffith, Melissa Proctor, Robert George, Russell Arben Fox, Chris Karpowitz, David Campbell, John Green, and Francis Beckwith. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Patron Saints, Mormon Edition
I’m tired of waiting around for Mormonism to develop the rich extra-biblical tradition of our Christian friends. Let’s get the ball rolling! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Painted Skies
My God paints the skies for me. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
The Right to Unrighteous Dominion
Is it possible for someone not in a position of authority to practice unrighteous dominion? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Tea Party
Don’t forget, this weekend is Sunstone East, organized by blogoddess Kristine Haglund. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Going Long: Of Speculation and Dark Mormon Doings
November is TV sweeps month, where networks and stations vie for audiences to set their advertising rates for the coming months. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Living in an Unjust State
Suppose your government took an 11-year old child away from you–you’ve been his foster parents for two years–and put him in an institution. The reason? You’re Christians who believe homosexuality isn’t right. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Notes on Halloween
1. I don’t like Halloween. When we moved to Germany, I was looking forward to spending a couple years without interference from the least export-worthy American holiday celebration I can imagine. 2. Since I was last here, Halloween has been exported to Germany. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Why Joseph Went to the Woods
Joseph Smith went to the woods because he wished to know the truth of his existence. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Family Size and Religious Optimism
A while back the chattering class got its knickers in a knot about demography. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: The Greatest Mormon Halloween Costume Ever
So, that costume you’re going to wear to your ward Halloween party tonight? The one you’ve been working on for weeks? The one that you’ve consulted your parents/spouse/children/roomates/bishop/stake high council about? The one that manages to be simultaneously perfectly orthodox as well as moderately heretical, perhaps even a little risque? The one you’re so proud of? Well, no offense, but maybe you should just chuck it and go as Bozo the Clown. Because you see, the World’s Most Perfect Mormon Halloween Costume has already been done–it was done, in fact, two years ago. And we’ve got the evidence, right... Read more »
Two-Question Poll
Which of the following statements would you agree with? 1. A school voucher system should be put into place, to more easily allow parents to remove their children from sometimes-deficient public schools and place them in more appropriate, parent-selected educational environments. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormon Studies Moves Up a Notch
Today’s LA Times has a longish article on the recent official announcement of Richard Bushman as the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies, in the School of Religion at the Claremont Graduate University in Southern California. The appointment as a visiting professor is an interim post until the endowed chair is fully funded. The article makes some interesting comments. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Of Heavenly Dads and Heavenly Dyads
Are all of us praying to Mother in Heaven, unawares? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormon Courts at the American Society for Legal History
I have been doing research lately on the resolution of civil disputs in Mormon courts in the nineteenth century. Last week, I presented some of my research at the American Society for Legal History conference at ASU. I recorded my presentation and made it into an episode for the Law Talk podcast that I do through the Concurring Opinions law blog. Here is a link to my talk, which is about 25 minutes long. Enjoy! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Monday morning quiz
True or false: Mormons believe God is a married couple. (To receive credit, you must explain your answer. ) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mutual Questions
Before there were Young Men and Young Women, there were the Young Men’s and Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Associations. Before there were correlated lesson manuals and basketball and scouting and Young Womanhood awards and dancing-a-Book-of-Mormon’s-width-apart there were homemade programs. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Abdullah’s Bold Move in Faithful Education
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is building a university from the ground up. It is to be much less conservative than other Saudi institutions, but is explicitly based in Muslim values. This opens some very exciting possibilities. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Red
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. Joel 2:30-31 (Photo: San Diego Fire Moon, originally uploaded by Tamara Hart, link via Exponent II) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mothers Who Know: Homemaking
Note: this post begins a series of posts on President Beck’s recent conference talk. If you feel the need to vent your dislike of the talk, I imagine that you might possibly be able to find a thread somewhere in the Bloggernacle where you can do just that. But you can’t do it here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Walk into the Moon
I hope some of you grabbed your moon glasses and stepped outside to have a look at how that full moon lights up the world. Thirty thousand miles closer than usual and thirty percent brighter, tonight this lesser light has a chance to really shine. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
I Had a Comrade
By now you will have heard the news that J.K. Rowling herself has decided to preempt the Dumbledore slash fiction. She reveals that Dumbledore’s intense attraction to Grindelwald was homosexual attraction. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Get Some Sleep
Anonymity isn’t the only reason the internet is quarrelsome. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Ten miles
We’re about ten miles from the danger zone, living in the shadow of the fire. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
If I’m Not Alexander, I Must Be Diogenes
The textbook I used when I taught freshman comp at BYU contains an essay by Gilbert Highet titled “Diogenes and Alexander.†This well embellished tale recounts the legendary maybe-it-happened, maybe-it-didn’t visit that Alexander the Great paid to the notorious Cynic philosopher at Corinth. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Morning Star
We don’t often refer to Christ as the morning star, although there’s good scriptural precedent for the metaphor, and several 16/17th century Lutheran hymns (my particular target of religious envy) make use of it. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
The multitudinous family of Smith
Josiah Quincy famously wrote that, “Of the multitudinous family of Smith, from Adam down (Adam of the “Wealth of Nations,” I mean), none had so won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph. His influence, whether for good or for evil, is potent today, and the end is not yet.” Was he right? And does this still hold true today? Where does Joseph rank, within the multitudinous family of Smith, in present-day influence? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Teaching the Net Generation
It’s easy to forget how much time LDS teenagers spend in LDS classrooms, roughly seven hours per week. Are they learning anything? That’s a fair question, as the “classroom model” that governs teaching hasn’t changed much over the years, but students have. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Evans Political Bull-Bear Political Indicator: October 2007
Here are today’s Evans Bull-Bear Political Indicators. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Sordid Political Post for Mittheads and Anti-Mittheads
Prominent evangelical conservatives are making Mitt Romney noises. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
In case you’re here for that other Times and Seasons . . .
We get a fair number of visitors from the search string, “Times and Seasons.” I’m sure a portion of these are actually looking for the blog; and others may be after discussion of the general concept (which isn’t solely a Mormon idea). But I’m sure some of them are actually looking for an online version of the old Mormon periodical. Where do you go if you want to read the original Times and Seasons? Here (scanned-in pages; scroll down); here (description and search link); here (transcriptions). (All links via the amazing Ardis Parshall.) Any other questions? Be the first... Read more »
Lorenzo’s exhortation
“A new century dawns upon the world today. The hundred years just completed were the most momentous in the history of man upon this planet. It would be impossible in a hundred days to make even a brief summary of the notable events, the marvelous developments, the grand achievements, and the beneficial inventions and discoveries, which mark the progress of the ten decades now left behind in the ceaseless march of humanity. The very mention of the nineteenth century suggests advancement, improvement, liberty, and light. Happy are we to have lived amidst its wonders and shared in the riches... Read more »
Side Effects of Utah’s Voucher Program
I haven’t been watching this issue very closely, but if I understand correctly, Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Books, Mormons, Interpretation
The topic of the 2008 conference of Mormon Scholars in the Humanities is “Interpretation: LDS Perspectives.” I won’t be there, unfortunately. But if I were to attend, I know what I would talk about. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Winter Food
The icy breath of winter descends. Yesterday reached a low of 59; the forecast for the next few days drops to a bone-chilling 55. (Don’t hate me because I live in paradise.) The seasons cause changes. Starting about now, I won’t be able to swim at the beach without a wetsuit. We’re packing away shorts — one or two pairs, maybe — and breaking out the sweater. Also, it’s time to look to winter foods and recipes once again. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Private Chapels
I have holy envy. I want a private chapel. I want stained glass, a pew, children kneeling, ritual, beauty, low murmurs, and I want it in my home. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Does Seminary Make Kids Fat and Stupid?
And, if so, what should we do about it? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Help out Harry Reid
When Harry Reid spoke at BYU last week, he brought up a topic he was uniquely suited to address. To paraphrase, how can you be a Mormon and a Democrat? Reid’s response was, well, deeply predictable in the outset but wildly unpredictable after that. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Thoughts As I Depart
My time is just about gone. Tomorrow, I return to the anonymity of the commenter – responding to posts that others have written, instead of wondering whether anyone will respond to mine. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Women Who Know
… grow tomatoes in their home garden, and lots of them. Men who know grow them, too. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
On the Road for On the Road
I recently brought to a successful conclusion a one-month, eight-hundred-mile odyssey that had a simple and straightforward object: to purchase a copy of Richard L. Bushman’s On the Road with Joseph Smith: An Author’s Diary at Deseret Book. I didn’t think it would be such a challenge. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
My Niece Died This Morning
She was 12 years old, and her death was totally unexpected. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Do some good this weekend!
Don’t forget: Get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping by supporting the Gifts Outreach book fair at all Utah Barnes and Noble bookstores, Saturday October 13. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What Do Utahns Google?
Original article here Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Dealing with the Religious
Are you an agnostic divorced man whose Evangelical daughter (two weekends a month) is worried that you’ll go to hell? You’re in luck, because in the past week, two different columnists have offered you their advice. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormonism and American Politics Conference at Princeton
There has been much discussion of Mitt Romney’s run for the White House, both here and throughout the Bloggernacle. Predictably, scholars don’t want bloggers to have all the fun. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Muddle in the Middle
When you put joy first, what happens to your mind? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Torn Between Two Lovers
English manufacturers were not the only ones to make Mormons the butt of a joke to advertise their products. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Putting Joy First
One of the reasons I loved my mission so much was that both of my Mission Presidents emphasized what I already believed about the purpose of a mission – both what it means to be a missionary and how that should direct missionary effort. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Miracle Fatigue and the Still, Small Voice
Elijah had had enough. He left his servant at Beer-sheba, walked a day’s journey into the desert, and sat down to die. What was going through his head? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Opposite of Feminism
What’s the opposite of feminism? Hierarchy? Patriarchy? Oppression? For me as a married man, the opposite of feminism is selfishness. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
A Brief Commentary on the Title Page of the Book of Mormon
The title page of the Book of Mormon is a really fascinating passage of scripture. I think that it provides a very useful model for thinking about scripture in particular and revelation in general. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Three Book Reviews
Some new books: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Wonder of Warts
(***NOTE***: I realized Saturday morning the folly of posting a new thread the night before General Conference begins, so I took it down. Chalk it up to being a greenie. However, I feel pretty good that Elder Edgely must have read my post Friday night (“endure together”) and changed his talk accordingly. *Grin*) It is a basic medical truism that you cannot be cured of an illness unless you go to a doctor – or someone else who can heal you. In order to be healed, you need to expose the problem that is troubling you to someone who... Read more »
Serapion
If you listened to conference, you heard his words. He is the fourth-century monk, referenced by Elder Holland. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Unto Him That Receiveth I Will Give More
In General Conference we get to be a people, instead of just wards; we get spiritual refreshment in prayer, song, and preaching; and sometimes some personal answers. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Most Popular Names
Can you guess the ten most common last names in America? (Link via A Soft Answer). You can check your guesses at this link. My first ten guesses got six right answers. (I missed #3, 6, 7, and 8; my incorrect guesses came in at #13, 14, 15, and 23.) Can you do better? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Elder Eyring on Decision Making
Go to BYU.tv and set the date to Saturday Oct. 6th. Then click on LDS General Conference 10am. Go to 2:55 (that’s two hours and 55 minutes) into the program and listen to Elder Eyring talk about decision making by the Quorum of the Twelve. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What President Beck Didn’t Say
She didn’t say that you should keep your home as clean as the temple. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Beck and Call
Just FYI, if 400+ comments at T&S aren’t enough for you, check out some of the following other nacle reactions to President Beck’s talk: Heather at MMW: What I Wish President Beck had Said. Lisa at FMH: I Want to Sustain Her, but I Don’t Believe Her. Carrie at Tales: President Beck’s Other Talk. Kristine Haglund: I’m a Traitor to my Gender Why I Liked President Beck’s Talk (Mostly). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sunday Afternoon General Conference Open Thread
As is tradition here at Times and Seasons, please feel free to post your comments, thoughts, insights and inspirations regarding the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sunday Morning General Conference Open Thread
As is tradition here at Times and Seasons, please feel free to post your comments, thoughts, insights and inspirations regarding the Sunday morning session of General Conference here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Saturday Afternoon General Conference Open Thread
As is traditional here at Times and Seasons, please feel free to post your comments, thoughts, insights and inspirations regarding the Saturday afternooon session of General Conference here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Saturday Morning General Conference Open Thread
As is tradition here at Times and Seasons, please feel free to post your comments, thoughts, insights and inspirations regarding the Saturday morning session of General Conference here. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Last Meal
So let’s just say that one day you find yourself sitting on death row and Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What Might Go Right
I was signing copies of GIFTS at a Barnes and Noble author event when a tall, brunette middle-aged woman approached the table. She peered at me and the stack of books at my elbow with curiosity. “Do you have any friends or family members with Down syndrome?” I asked. “No,” she said. “I’ve been lucky.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Legal Limitations on Church Contact?
On every ward’s roster are a few zz’s, people who have requested no contact. In different wards, I’ve gotten different messages about these folks. In some wards, clerk/bishop/EQP/etc will say something like, “we can’t talk to Bro. Jones. We’re legally prohibited from talking to him.” Is that true? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Archive of Restoration Culture Database
Last year, BYU Studies announced that they were placing the Archive of Restoration Culture online. This database consists of statements from contemporaneous sources about doctrines that are now viewed as distinctly Mormon. If you’ve ever wondered, “Was anyone else discussing an idea like three degrees of glory, around the time Joseph Smith wrote?” — this is where you find your answer. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Anaïse Guyot: The Girl They Left Behind
Early missionaries carried the gospel to many corners of the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, baptizing converts in neighborhoods where there was no established branch to sustain them. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Today, I Lost My Faith in Humanity
“Bert” came into our lives his senior year in high school, after a torturous journey through adolescence and a broken home. He now attends a small college in northern Ohio – and he had the following experience yesterday. He gave his permission for me to share it with all of you. (I made slight editing changes to make it acceptable for this forum and to hide the exact location.) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sleep is Over-Rated
Mary had a little lamb; it was a little sheep, but then it joined the Mormon Church and died of lack of sleep. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The great T&S scavenger hunt (a.k.a. “Outsourcing”) *UPDATED
1. Each link in the current “Abbreviated link list” that points to an outdated URL: 4 points. (Please list correct URL in your comment). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Scheduling the Primary Program
I don’t wish to detract from Adam’s lovely post, but after reading the comments, I am surprised at how common the late September Primary Program is. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Times and Seasons Welcomes Curtis DeGraw
There are those who get invited to guestblog at Times and Seasons because they’ve been a regular in the Bloggernacle for ages and we figure their turn has come. There are those who get invited because it collectively occurs to us that we and our readers would really benefit from hearing from a circus animal trainer/professional skydiver/registered Democrat/Hollywood movie star/John Birch Society chapter president/illegal immigrant/11-year-old chess master/French chef/member of President Hinckley’s security detail/quantum physicist/polygamy rights activists/dude on the corner handing out pamphlets/female panda/etc. And then there are those who get invited because we just plain like them. Curtis DeGraw... Read more »
Primary Program
On the sweetness of Mormon life: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Small Favors
I headed to the organ after choir practice. Twenty minutes till Sacrament meeting started — enough time to quickly run through the hymns and play some prelude. I knew what hymns we were singing (the music director e-mails me once a month), and none were too difficult. Suddenly the chorister approached me, with a worried look on her face. “There’s been a few changes to the music,” she began. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
President Monson Goes FMH
President Monson told the following joke at the General Relief Society meeting: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Crossfire Canyon: A study in conflict, part three
See Part Two posted 9/27. On September 22nd, I rose early and hiked into Crossfire. Afterward, I stopped at the local market and ran into a women I’d seen at the BLM’s open house, one of the most vocal SPEAR members present that night. We greeted each other and she demanded to know who I was and what my interest in the canyon was. “Are you one of those tree-huggers or something else?” she asked. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Born to Run/Walk
Okay, everyone. The race is on. Feel free to post comments, times, discussion, and links-to-pictures (if you’ve uploaded them to flickr or something). Or e-mail me pictures (kaimipono at gmail) and I’ll post them. Good luck, everyone. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Porting the Sacrament
Did you know Buzz Aldrin took Episcopalian communion on the moon? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Crossfire Canyon: A study in conflict, part two
See Part One here. On September 18th, the BLM held an open house explaining the closure to local residents. The BLM’s acting field manager opened the presentation, telling everyone that the purpose of the closure was to stop traffic through cultural sites. It wasn’t intended to be permanent, he said. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormon Film Series at the University of Chicago
From Frank Bednarz, “a programmer with a student film society at the University of Chicago, Doc Films:” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
In Defense of Commentaries
Let’s say that you learned to cook by watching others and that you’ve never picked up a cookbook or seen a cooking show. Could you become an excellent cook? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Crossfire Canyon: A study in conflict, part one
Crossfire Canyon is not the canyon’s real name. Following the trend in nature writing, I have refrained from providing any obvious identifying names or details. Otherwise, this three-part series describes actual events and conversations. Mormons in Utah, especially in southern Utah, often find their concepts of stewardship put to the test when predominantly non-Mormon environmental groups act to preserve resources they perceive Mormons (or any others) are abusing under their stewardship ethic or are allowing to be abused. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
We’re All Utah Mormons Now
After we got to talking about temple attendance in Elders’ Quorum I mentioned Pushing Towards the Temple. Our high councilman was sitting in. He observed that whoever was pushing towards the temple, it wasn’t us. The major effect of the Church building a temple out here in our backyard is that we started taking the temple for granted, he said. We’re Utah Mormons now, he said. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Cacophony of Heaven
My wife and I cleverly decided to live in the same ward as my parents, so our small children only keep us from listening to about half of sacrament meeting. They were particularly well-behaved yesterday so I think I got in about 2/3s. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Relief in the Order
The town of Kingston, Utah, was settled as a United Order community, whose inhabitants pooled their economic, spiritual, and social resources and attempted to live the law of consecration Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Taking On the Big Questions
Today’s colleges and universities have abandoned their most important task, en masse, says Anthony Kronman in his recent Boston Globe article. What are the prospects for getting back in the saddle? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Trib Columnist Accidentally Raises Interesting Questions
It is going on ten years now since I have lived in Utah, but I still follow Utah politics from afar partly as a matter of tribal attachment but mainly because they are just so strange and fun. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Blacks and the Priesthood: What are the options?
Why were Blacks denied the Priesthood from the early days of the church until 1978? Of course, the official (and only really undisputable) answer is, “we don’t know.” But what are the options, really? Let’s go over the list of conceptually coherent potential reasons for the Priesthood ban. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Pushing Toward the Temple
A while back, Dave asked about possible narratives to structure 20th or 21st century Mormons. Another way of thinking about this question is how we bridge between modern experience and our historical narratives. We need not only new stories but also ways of maintaing continuity with our old stories. Consider the two images below. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Barbarians at the Gates
And who might they be, these cultural barbarians? You and me, according to the author of The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture (Doubleday, 2007). Will it kill the Church too? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A reader wants to know…
A T&S reader has a question about daily family scripture study. How have you made it work in your home? To what extent do the words “daily,” “family,” “scripture,” and “study” apply? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Book Review: Setting the Record Straight: Blacks and Mormon Priesthood
Millennial Press has a new series of short books on controversial topics. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Happier, Healthier, and More Charitable
A Venerable Bede links to several sources showing that at least in the United States, believers tend to be happier, healthier, and more charitable. The pseudonomyous Theodore Dalrymple has something similar to say. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Brief Conversation About Belief
Sir Poach-a-Lot: Is belief objective, or subjective? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What I Did Today
1. Four loads of laundry. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Little street vendor
She is a little street vendor who put up shop next to the entrance of the church with the long name. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sacrament at Home
On the sweetness of Mormon life: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Praising the man
“No, we don’t worship Joseph Smith,” I explained to the investigator. “We respect him as a prophet.” “You mean, like Mohamed?” he asked. “No, more like Moses, or John the Baptist.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Robbers Bound By Their Oaths?
How binding are promises to do things that are or later become inconsistent with our moral progress? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Christ for the Pagans
A First Things writer reckons that the West needs a pagan revival before it can have a Christian revival. In Africa and in the ancient world, the theory goes, Christianity flourished because the people were afraid of the capricious spiritual powers and principalities and were glad to find refuge in a God who could love and be loved; who would free them from demons; who did not demand sacrifice. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Brigham ‘n’ Ethel 4Ever
A woman — or, perhaps, a group of men and/or women — bent on a practical joke and signing her letter as “Ethel,” once wrote to Brigham Young from St. Louis to propose marriage. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Homework from Richard Bushman
This summer I had the chance to participate in a workshop at BYU put together by Richard Bushman. Bushman wanted to gather together Mormon academics working outside of Utah to discuss the question of how we explain Mormonism. My own sense is that when we explain our beliefs — even to one another — we often fall into the trap of repeating verbal formulations rather than actually thinking through and describing what it is about the Restoration that really drives our commitment. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Homosexual Duty to Marry?
I know that this is controversial for some readers, but for purposes of this discussion stipulate that same-sex marriage in wrong. As an institutional shift it will damage the institution of marriage in ways that will harm society in the long run. Obviously, this is a hugely controversial claim, but for the time being just accept it. Notwithstanding this, however, a number of jurisdictions have adopted same-sex marriage statutes. Let’s also stipulate the homosexual conduct is sinful, a belief held by most Mormons and one that certainly seems to be church doctrine. Should Mormons who hold all of these... Read more »
Taking the Kids Away
The Telegraph reports that the British government intends to take the baby away from a pregnant, single woman with a troubled past as soon as the child is born. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
“The most difficult of all the many subjects”
That is what B.H. Roberts called it when he reached the point in his monumental Comprehensive History of the Church where he had to confront the Mountain Meadows massacre, which occurred 150 years ago today. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
September 11, 2001
From the archives: One Person’s Story. In Rama was there a voice heard. (With additional comments and links here.) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Changing Abortion Views
Over the last decade, being “pro-life” has got a lot more popular. To a lesser extent, pro-life political positions have also got more popular. An extremely comprehensive recent look at changing opinions in a swing state is here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Only in the Mormon Church
When we first moved to our current ward, for an initial stay of only a year, I was asked to serve as a counselor in the elders quorum presidency before I had attended a single sacrament meeting here. A year ago, we returned to the same ward, and yesterday we discovered that that previous elders quorum president and my wife are eighth cousins. And all this time we had assumed we were the exceptions in a ward and stake where everyone seems to be related to each other. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Dialogue Flood Article
I have a vague recollection of President Benson telling a story about how (not) to do missionary work: he compared it to trying to convince a young girl to replace the doll she had with the doll you were offering her. He pointed out that ripping the head off of her doll to reveal its inferior contents may not be the most successful approach; you would be far better off in extolling the virtues of the doll you wanted her to play with. Good advice. I wish White and Thomas had followed it in their recent Dialogue article. Be... Read more »
A French View of Mormonism, 1941
I’ve referred a time or two to one of my heroes, Leon Fargier, the only Melchisedek Priesthood holder in France during World War II. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A modest proposal
In order to prevent inadvertent exposure of nursing mothers’ breasts during church meetings to the bishopric, or to the deacons passing the sacrament — and the related possibility of those men having bad thoughts — scarves or blankets should definitely be used to conceal the nursing from male eyes. Thus, effective immediately, all deacons and bishopric members will wear scarves or blankets over their heads. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Technology and Religion
Get Religion has posted a review of an interesting Wall Street Journal article examining how cell phones are affecting Hutterite culture. The GR post uses that example to touch on the larger issue of religion and technology, which is one of those rare topics that hasn’t been kicked around the Bloggernacle much. Christian radio, televangelism, and online churches come to mind for American religion in general. How has technology impacted the LDS Church? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Of (pea!)nuts, nipples, and freedom: Imposing individual needs on the community
Kage (err, KAGE) over at Tales posted recently about nut-free schools. She strongly supports the idea, given the possibility of an allergic reaction in vulnerable kids. Commenters have been even more adamant Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Bushman to Claremont
Claremont Graduate University has announced: Professor Richard Bushman has been appointed as the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Four Jewels in His Crown
Ann Greenwood was born yesterday at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. She was three weeks early. Though the events of yesterday were excessively fraught with interest, mother and child are now doing well. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Of Perfect Organizations
“No other organization is so perfect as the Mormon Church, except the German army.†Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Lines, Circles, and Time
Let’s think about lines, circles, and time. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Number One Qualification
There are all sorts of characteristics one wants in a Bishop. Ideally he’d be kind, honest, obedient, a good people person, in-tune spiritually, good at administration and delegation, care deeply about the youth, doctrinally aware, and so on. But all of these pale in comparison to what I consider to be by far the leading qualification for Bishop. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
I don’t even know if Maria is her real name!
My neighborhood erupted a little while ago. The issue was immigration. I found out about the eruption when I was doing my visiting teaching. I won’t go into the details of the neighborhood fight, just a few lines I heard as I prepared to do a typical visit. “Maria is illegal, you know. She has her sister’s social security number. I don’t even know if Maria is her real name.†Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Dialogue about gay marriage
This month’s Dialogue prominently features a discussion of gay marriage. Surprise number one: The lead article, by Randolph Mulhestein, is one of the best articles against gay marriage that I’ve read. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Cosmos: a personal view
In 1980, when I was nine, for thirteen weeks running, I watched Cosmos on Sunday nights with my father. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Generations
The tireless Kevin Barney is hosting a discussion of LDS apologetics for teenagers over at BCC, trying to get a handle on the tone, approach, and content of a fireside-type presentation to LDS youth on that topic. Reflecting on this, it occurred to me that one of the challenges is how the topics that get thrown at Mormons (and that therefore get discussed by LDS apologists) change from generation to generation and how this might be a problem. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Last Blast of Summer Reading
Hard to believe it’s the end of summer, especially with temps around here expected to top 100 again. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Resolution No. 1
It is the sense of Times and Seasons that the bowl system for college football makes no sense and that there ought to be a proper tournament of some sort. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Public Service Announcement
Stumble–because the world needs more ways to waste time online. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Guilting the Lily
In the Preface to New Genesis: A Mormon Reader on Land and Community, the editors cite an unidentified 1991 report that places each of the thirty largest Christian denominations in one of five categories based on their environmental stances. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Announcement: The Great Bloggernacle (sorta virtual) Marathon Relay
Each relay team will consist of 5 runners. Over the course of a 48-hour period, each team will, collectively, run and/or walk a marathon (26.2 miles). Here are the current (draft) rules. Feedback is welcome. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Getting in the way
Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally: Why not? Harry: What I’m saying is – and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form – is that men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Bell Tolls
August 2007 has seen the passing of two fine Mormon historians Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Proud Sponsor of . . .
The Parents TV Council has studied TV ad buys over the last year and has published a list of the worst companies for sponsoring or advertising on raunchy, violent, and profane programs in preference to clean programs, along with a list of those companies that best take the opposite approach. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Larry Craig and the weird anti-Mormon commenters
There’s some discussion online about whether Idaho senator Larry Craig (recently in the news for lewd acts) is LDS. According to his official biography, he is not. For some anti-Mormons, this isn’t enough. Here’s a (real!) comment from one blog: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Nephrite and Jadeite
It was one of the last zone conferences I attended. President Gonzales paused in his talk, and then pulled out a small greenish-colored jade bracelet. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Where do I find “Official” History?
The tension between “official” Mormon history and other sorts of Mormon history is a central narrative for a lot of Mormon intellectual discussion. D. Michael Quinn, for example, who is a fabulously tenacious researcher at times seems to have little in the way of a historiographic agenda other than to do “honest” history rather than “official” history. This is very laudable, of course, but it is an intellectual agenda that depends decisively on being able to identify “official” history and its scholarly lapses. Which brings me to my question: Where do I find the “official” history of the church?... Read more »
The Times and Seasons Hat Trick
This summer, Times and Seasons was fortunate enough to host three superb guest-bloggers: Dave Banack, of Dave’s Mormon Inquiry fame; Patricia Gunter Karamesines, who came to us by way of A Motley Vision; and Kathryn Lynard Soper, who blogs and writes at her pseudo-eponymous blog and the journal Segullah. We are proud to announce that, one by one, all of these fine guestbloggers have succumbed to our desperate pleadings and wholly fictional promises of shiny new kitchen appliances stuffed with cash have agreed to make their presence here at Times and Seasons more permanent. For more proper introductions to... Read more »
Critics pan “September Dawn”
New York Post: “‘September Dawn’ succeeds completely at failure; the unified incompetence of its writing, directing and acting suggest a man who manages to be on fire and drowning at the same time, just as the bus runs him over.” New York Daily News: “‘September Dawn,’ written by an evangelical Christian, may be the worst historical drama ever made.” New York Times: “The maudlin, grotesque western ‘September Dawn,’ . . . apes ‘Schindler’s List’ in hopes of creating a Christian Holocaust picture.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Are Women More Spiritual Than Men?
A reader writes: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mother’s Day
Another remarkable series is running at FMH: “How I became a mother.” Contributors have posted ten stories so far, many of them remarkable discussions of adoption, battles with infertility, emotional issues, family, and more. The series itself doesn’t yet seem to have a page (hint, hint!), but they’re all listed under FMH’s “Motherhood” category. This series — like Day in the Life before it — highlights why FMH is such a unique and vital part of the bloggernacle. Good work, Lisa and cohorts, and all of the series authors. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Doors in the Wall
The function of the brain and nervous system and sense organs are in the main eliminative and not productive. Each person is at each moment capable of remembering all that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe. The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant knowledge, by shutting out most of what we should otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely... Read more »
Coming of Age
Once upon a time, there really was a moment when a girl left behind an actual, old-fashioned childhood and embarked on a well-defined period of preparation for motherhood and marriage. Now, childhood ends earlier than ever, while adulthood in the traditional sense—of settling down and starting a family—begins much later, if at all. In the middle is a stretch of adolescence so extended—and so various, from teenage parenthood to perpetual studenthood—one hardly knows when coming of age should be celebrated, or why. –from a Slate review of a book on Quinceaneras. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Lord Is With Us
Matt has kindly invited me to continue guest posting at will. And I’m glad, because my mind is spinning this week with thoughts I’d like to dump on you guys. I’m going to start with a long preamble: this sacrament meeting talk that was assigned to me a few months ago. More to follow tomorrow. We don’t call this earth life “the lone and dreary world” for nothing. We are strangers here, homesick for our heavenly parents, our heavenly home. In our mortal bodies we are subject to all kinds of difficulties and infirmities, both mental and physical and... Read more »
LDS Historical Sites
A couple of months ago I heard a presentation on the general topic of historical sites that the Church owns and manages. I came with a pocketful of snarky questions but left with some appreciation for how tough the task is and (on the whole) how well the sites are set up and managed. I’ll give a couple of paragraphs summarizing the talk, then a couple of paragraphs commenting on historical sites I have visited. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Evans Political Bull-Bear Indicator: August 2007
The people who bet money on their ability to predict political events are bullish on Mitt Romney. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
We’re number 68!
BYU shot up over 50 places in the university rankings that were just released this week. Not in the US News and World Report rankings, where BYU continues to bounce around the 70s, but in the Washington Monthly rankings of universities’ based on their contributions to society, where BYU went from 124 to 68, right between Loyola Chicago and Brown. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Remember My Son
I read a lot of Abraham Lincoln books. I can’t say enough good about him, but I have to admit that, like his law partner said, “his ambition was a little engine that never quit.” Some historians have argued that the key to his ambition was his undeniable fear of being forgotten, his fear that after his death the world would be as if he had never been. That is why he tried so hard to make a name. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Who’s the Bad Guy?
The writer of the gospel of John worked really, really hard to make it clear that no one suspected Judas: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Anti-Gay Violence and Church Belief
We seem to discuss issues of homosexuality ad nausum around here. Surprisingly, one particular subtopic that hasn’t really come up in the past is the real problem of anti-gay violence. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Twisted
Baseball cards and Pokemon cards are the modern descendants of the 18th and 19th century trade card Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Lessons on Sex and Morality, from the Book of Esther
The Old Testament gives us all sorts of strange stories. One that I’ve been thinking about lately is the delightfully wacky book of Esther. In particular, I’ve been wondering about the lessons on sex and morality that we can learn from this book. And I find the answers a little surprising, to say the least. We’ll start with lesson one from Esther: Use sex to get power. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Wrongful Exposure of Adultery
A man used 1-800-FLOWERS to send roses to his mistress. Despite his explicit instructions to keep the matter secret from his wife, the company sent a thanks-for-using-our-services note to his home address a couple of months later. His wife investigated and ended up discovering her husband’s affair. They’re getting divorced and the husband is suing 1-800-Flowers for damages. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mesquite cooked
We left our hotel late Sunday morning, heading home from Utah. We weren’t sure whether we’d make a 2-day trip of it, stopping in St. George or Vegas, or whether we’d pull an all nighter. It would depend on how we felt. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Story Time!
The day before the cliff swallows return to traditional nesting sites in canyons near where I live in southern Utah, the sky hangs quiet, with only a few ravens, hawks, and eagles spiraling through. The next day, whoosh! Swallows arrive reeling in their folklorico like revelers at an unseen party spilling onto a quiet street. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Suggestions for expatriate Mormons
I don’t know of any Americans planning to move into my ward soon. If there were any, I wish they would understand a few things from the outset. (If you’re contemplating a foreign assignment in an industrial nation, some of this might apply to your situation as well.) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Roll Call: Non-U.S. Readers of T&S
Comments expressing love for President Faust have been left by readers in India and the Netherlands Antilles. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
On the Sweetness of Mormon Life: Pleasant Plants
In Sunday School yesterday we read about the day of Pentecost where Peter cited God’s promise that in the last days He would pour out his Spirit and the Saints would dream dreams. The Lovely one and I garden every year, partly because we like it, partly because our parents always did it, and partly because our prophets recommend it (President Faust made a particular impression on us). We aren’t equal in our enthusiasm for all the commandments (she’s much more into searching Isaiah then I am, for instance), but we both like to garden. Be the first to... Read more »
Donations
“The Faust family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Church Missionary Fund or to the Perpetual Education Fund.” There is a site at lds.org/Faust available for making donations. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Field Notes #4
It is the destiny of mint to be crushed. –Waverley Lewis Root June 12, 2007 Rained most of the night. Morning’s cool and sweet. Good day to venture into a canyon. Because the storm has left behind puffy white seeds that could blossom suddenly into rain, I replace my extra water bottle with a rain poncho. In honor of the sky, scrubbed to a deep, shining blue, I wear my turquoise tee shirt. Usually I wear a white one with sleeves, but I like to wear this color when I hike. Weather permitting, I do. Be the first to... Read more »
James E. Faust, 1920-2007
President James E. Faust, second counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley, has passed away at age 87. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Friends in Strange Places
It is surely one of the more unexpected voices to go to bat for Joseph Smith: Harold Bloom in his 1992 book The American Religion, which gave serious (if unconventional) consideration to Joseph Smith’s role as a religious figure and which famously described him as a “religious genius.” As sort of a post-script, in the March 2007 issue of Sunstone there was a two-page essay by Bloom entitled “Perspectivism and Joseph Smith.” I can’t say I follow every remark in the essay, but I do appreciate his continued interest in Joseph Smith. Here are a few points Bloom makes... Read more »
Family Service
On Matt’s thread, Jordon F. wrote, “I should add that I think children are particularly quick at grasping and enjoying the opportunity of rendering service as a family. “ Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
How Much Should We Advantage Our Kids Over Others?
When asked why they aren’t more generous with their time or money, many people answer that if they gave more, it would be at the expense of their own children. Sure, the argument goes, it would be great if I could pay an extra $100 to provide immunizations for kids in Africa, but my first duty is to my family, and giving that $100 for immunizations would prevent me from taking my kids to the water park. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What’s the Official Doctrine on “Official Doctrine”?
Esteemed reader Andrew Ainsworth is writing a paper on the official doctrine on what constitutes official doctrine. He emailed me the following bleg for your help. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Summer Seminar update
For those interested in the BYU summer seminar, I’ve revised the post, adding the titles of and abstracts for the papers. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Why Haven’t You Adopted an Orphan Child?
For years I’ve been torn by the knowledge that there are thousands of orphaned or abandoned children desperate to be welcomed into a family like mine and our reasons for “passing by on the other side” when we see the “least of these.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Millennial Children
Over time I’ve discussed various reasons to think that we’ll have the pleasure of raising kids in the Millennium. For convenience I’ve collected all those reasons and shortened them down, with links to the longer original versions. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
EMPIRE: an Idiosyncratic Review
Orson Scott Card has written Empire, a near-future thriller about coups, plots, and civil war in America. What follows is a short but idiosyncratic review with spoilers. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Quality
Warning: To write this post, I’ve had to get personal. I apologize in advance for that, but some points I make require grounding in my observations about personal experiences, many of which are highly charged. The stories and observations I report here in no way represent everything I think about these matters. More importantly, they don’t represent everything I will think; I’m not through turning over these events and ideas to see what else is there. If you’ve come to this post already feeling overwhelmed or bothered about something, you might want to skip reading this, because it might... Read more »
BYU Summer Seminar
The annual summer symposium, this year “Joseph Smith and His Times,” will be held on Thursday, August 9, 2007. The symposium will feature papers by twelve summer seminar fellows on the theme “Mormon Thinkers, 1890-1930,” covering topics ranging from the influence of Herbert Spencer on Mormon thought to Mormonism and Modernity. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Unlettered
“Our correspondences show us where our intimacies lie,” writes Terry Tempest Williams. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Myths for the Modern World
I just finished finished reading Karen Armstrong’s A Short History of Myth (2005). Almost everyone loves myth from a distance, as a conceptual springboard or reference, as long as it doesn’t get too close to one’s own beliefs or worldview. This book helps put myth in a more useful perspective, which I’d like to explore. But rather than spend several paragraphs defining or explaining what myths are or are not, I’ll just settle for a one-sentence definition [myths are stories about the world with cosmic significance, that talk about birth and death, love and pain, good and evil, earth... Read more »
The Language of God
There’s something interesting in the current Deseret Book catalog. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Tickled by the Fringes
For more than 200 years, my father’s family has lived in western New York, centered between Canandaigua and Palmyra. Whenever anyone publishes a description of Joseph Smith’s neighborhood and the neighbors who knew him or hired him or harassed him, I scour the writing for familiar names. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Very Serious Harry Potter Q&A
1. How does Harry Potter get from one room to another? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Personal Purity
When I was in high school, I had a friend whose family always struggled to make ends meet. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Armor of God, version 1.0
Breastplate of righteousness? Check. Helmet of salvation? Check. Garments of vengeance and cloke of zeal? Check, and double check. 2 people like this post. Like Unlike Read more »
‘Til We Meet Again
I keep telling myself this, but now I really mean it: It’s time for me to make a graceful exit. Thanks for a fun 10 days, everyone. I’ve appreciated all your comments (yes, all). If I’ve left any loose ends you want to call me on, or if you’d like to contact me for another reason, email me: kathryn (at) kathrynlynardsoper (dot) com. Cheers! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Jailtime for “Murder” Moms?
Pro-lifers generally aren’t interested in throwing women in jail for having abortions. Ana Quindlen believes they should be, if they want to be consistent. I’ve encountered many pro-choice people who believe some variation of the same thing. If you think abortion should usually be illegal you must think women who have abortions are murder moms, and if you think someone is a murder mom, you must want them punished as a murderer. If you don’t, your views are in contradiction. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
BYU Studies cinema
A message from Jack Welch and Gideon Burton: The upcoming issue of BYU Studies, volume 46, no. 2, will be a long-awaited, double-sized issue about Mormons and film. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Is it Right to Abort Unborn Disabled Babies?
Is it right to abort unborn disabled babies? 2 people like this post. Like Unlike Read more »
A little knowledge
In January 2007 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued new guidelines recommending first-trimester Down syndrome screening for all pregnant women, regardless of age. That means this year, 4 million American women will be offered first-trimester screening for DS, and thousands will receive a positive prenatal diagnosis. This protocol is supposed to increase women’s reproductive freedom, but I fear it does just the opposite. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
The Psychology of a Two-Lobed Atonement
Mormons are distinct in the emphasis we put on Gethsemane. We see Christ’s Atonement as having two primary lobes at Gethsemane in the garden and at Calvary on the cross. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Extra-ordinary
Now working on my final guest post. Thought I’d toss a (non-related) bone in the meantime: Here are ten candid, insightful, courageous pieces from Segullah’s back issues. Enjoy! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Brigham Young and the history of reading in the West
Brigham Young’s condemnation of novel reading during the last two decades of his life is a perfect example of a much-studied moment in the history of reading, the hypothesized “reading revolution” of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. But the peculiar trajectory of Brigham Young’s attitude, from wary tolerance of novel reading to blanket combination of it, is unusual. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Teach me diligently
I’ve just been called as Gospel Doctrine teacher. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
My Love Letter to Boy Scouts
I heard today from a great-grandchild (one of 30) of the little girl in the story below Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
What think ye…
…about the Church’s new pamphlet on same-sex attraction? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Bitter, Sweet
This essay was recently published in Literary Mama. I’m posting it here as a precursor to my upcoming post about prenatal testing for Down syndrome. I. In the beginning You can tell a great deal about people by the way they react when you tell them you’re going to have a retarded child. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Fields Notes #3
Who I am is not enough. It is necessary to become more. May 3, 2007 Been out of action nearly a month due to injury from hiking in broken-down boots. Finally bought new boots. Two days ago I made it into the canyon and found it well awakened since my last visit: trees far along in their leaves and birds flying and lizards scuttling as if there’s been no winter hiatus. Also, birds sounded fit to burst with song. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Book Review: Head Start with the Book of Mormon
When I think about the curricula available to evangelical homeschoolers, I instantly become guilty of several of the deadly sins. Oh, if I were a young earth creationist, the riches that would be mine! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Coming Home
Summer, 2003: I was a wreck. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
21 Million Dollars for Live Child
A Florida jury awarded a couple 21 million dollars for bad advice they received from a geneticist (though under state law they may only receive $200,000). The couple’s first baby had severe disabilities but the geneticist told them they would not have future children with the same problem. But the odds were actually 1 in 4 and the couple’s second child was also born with the disability. The 21 million dollars is to compensate the couple for the harm of having to raise their medically-expensive child. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
True Confessions
Let not any man publish his own righteousness, for others can see that for him; sooner let him confess his sins, and then he will be forgiven and he will bring forth more fruit. (TPJS 194-195) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Hearing Voices
Two years ago when Segullah made its debut I fielded lots of questions. The most frequent was this: Why a new journal? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Shelter in the Shade of Planted Trees
The movie The Best Two Years was better than I expected. It was also hard to watch. My own mission was a lot like the movie. It was the best and worst two years of my life. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
To the Mountains of Ephraim
This is a talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting today. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives: Pioneer Children
A week has passed since Pioneer Day. We remembered it here. In my sacrament meeting, where the speakers reminded us of President Hinckley’s meditation on the shade cast by the trees the pioneers planted and the “long shadow” they themselves cast in which we still find some shelter from the heat of the times. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Hafens on Equality
ECS wrote about this article over at FMH ; I’d like to take a different perspective on it–I want to tell you what I liked about it. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
(Language of) Memory of Feeling
Memory is a poor substitute for feeling, and language is a poor substitute for memory; yet it is through those dual prisms that we translate the ephemeral raw material of emotion into something more permanent. And it is only that language of memory of feeling — awful, inadequate substitute that it is — that can be preserved and recounted and ultimately woven into narratives about life. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Fleshy Tablets
I have a tattoo on my left ankle. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Times & Seasons Welcomes Kathryn Lynard Soper
Times & Seasons is happy to welcome our newest guest blogger, Kathryn Lynard Soper. Kathryn is a mother of seven with a passion for writing and editing creative nonfiction. Raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, she’s lived in Utah since her BYU days (BA English, 1993). Founder and president of Segullah Group, Inc., Kathryn is editor-in-chief of Segullah: Writings by Latter-day Saint Women and editor of Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives (Woodbine Press, 2007). She recently published personal essays inLiterary Mama, Meridian Magazine, and Mamazine, and is currently writing a memoir about her... Read more »
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Iff you’ve finished reading the book, Official Times and Seasons Coblogger and Person of Illustriousness Russell Fox has opened a discussion of Deathly Hallows here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Field Notes #2
We might use language in our attempts to set boundaries, but language contains in microcosmic acts the macrocosmic thrust toward new form. November 4, 2006 The trail into the canyon is rougher at November’s threshold; run-off from recent storms took the same trail to the canyon’s main water course that I must take. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
SPOILERS: A VERY unexpected ending
That’s not how I expected the ending to be and, yes, I found it a little puzzling. WARNING: SPOILERS. Do NOT click through unless you are prepared for SPOILERS. (more…) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormon literature: the horror, the horror?
One of the frequent laments about Mormon literature is that so much of the Mormon experience is tied to spiritual experience, which is very difficult to describe in prose. Mormon authors facing that problem could learn a trick or two from Stephen King. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Chains
We sometimes hear two related but distinct chains of reasoning about the consequences of what are perceived as womens’ natural tendencies. Chain One: Women are naturally more spiritual than men. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Rescued From the Dustbin of History
And just where is the dustbin of history these days, you ask? It’s at Amazon, where the pitiless laws of supply and demand are on full display in the “used books” queue attached to every book title. That’s where I rescued a like-new copy of Claudia and Richard Bushman’s Building the Kingdom of God: A History of Mormons in America (OUP, 2001) for the price of $0.03. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Three, Part One
Which Dialogue articles should the savvy blog-reader have hot-keyed and ready to go? What would the top three articles be, for useful citation in blog conversation? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Another Pew Study
See here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Whose Woods Are These?
We moved into our house on the first weekend of January, 1980. One reason we chose it was that it reminded us of Pennsylvania, where we did graduate work. (The other reason? It was the only house we afford because the seller gave us great terms.) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mail and Fee Mail
The postal rate for periodicals is expected to rise significantly this week, due to changes in the ways rates are calculated. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Hypothetical
What would happen if there was no question in the temple recommend interview about the Word of Wisdom–but there was one about home and visiting teaching? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Field Notes #1
Remember the silence around Pueblo Alto in Chaco, so heavy you felt blanketed by its snows, and the desert landscape spread out below, unmoving for miles? That was silence. Not even a breeze singing on the stones. June 8, 2006 Hiked in the rain this morning. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Before the cradle
There are songs that make me feel that God is all and I am nothing, and that God has given me everything and I deserve none of it, although that is far too precise and theological a description for an experience that is almost entirely pre-rational. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sweat
All winter I plotted how to improve the garden, my first focal point for exercising “good stewardship” over the acre plus we moved to a year and a half ago. Last year’s garden had gone all right. I loved every minute in it, especially the time spent with animals, like Woodhouses’ toads and cliff swallows, which helped keep the garden in good order. But I got a late start and the harvest fell short. This year, I pushed to start my tomatoes on time along with other herbs and veggies that don’t mind sprouting indoors. I schemed how to... Read more »
A Remarkably Crude and Obvious Forgery
In a recent video dialogue between two of the The Atlantic Monthly‘s stable of talented writers, left-wing blogger Matthew Yglesias argued that the Book of Mormon was “a remarkably crude and obvious forgery“. Right-wing blogger Ross Douthat essentially agreed with him. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Problem of Counselling with Councils
Much of church government is carried out in councils and recently they have been received new emphasis, particularly from Elder Ballard. Councils are, however, a problem. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Opening Up of Africa
An editorial by this title appeared in the Deseret News late in 1877. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Times and Seasons Welcomes PGK…
…or Patricia Gunter Karamesines, to those who know her outside the blogging world. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mamadou
Mamadou has AIDS. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Guest Post: The Apostles’ Creed and the Book of Mormon
This post was written by Bryan Stout; his biography appears at the end of the post. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Missing Essentials
Once upon a time, there was a book called Essentials in Church History. It was first published in 1922 and authored by Joseph Fielding Smith, who was made Assistant Church Historian in 1906 and an Apostle in 1910 (then President of the LDS Church from 1970 to 1972). For many years, this book (in one of its many successive editions) was part of every ward library and was found in most LDS homes. It was sort of expected that Mormons would read the book and know their history. It may have been faith-promoting history, but at least it spent... Read more »
Elder Busche on Women and Priesthood
When F. Enzio Busche was a temple president, he was once asked by a priesthood leader “when thought the Church would receive revelation giving the priesthood to women.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Allodial Property and the Restoration
Oliver Cowdrey has the distinction of being one of the few Mormon dissidents to make his stand against church authorities on the basis of obscure doctrines of real estate law. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Vera Wang designed my marriage
Everybody’s talking about expensive weddings; let’s talk about expensive marriages. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Women and Sacrament
On an intermittent but regular basis, women alone perform a portion of our Sacrament blessing. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Blasphemy of Truth
Suppose I claim that I am right about something (which I do with some regularity). Is there any way to avoid the fact that this is also claiming that God agrees with me? And doesn’t that seem blasphemously presumptuous? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Note to Our Readers
A post recently appeared on Times and Seasons which we regret. While each post reflects the views of the individual writer and is not vetted by the group before posting, we acknowledge that each post also reflects upon Times and Seasons as a whole. Each of us bears some responsibility for the tenor of discussions here. We particularly regret that J.W. Marriott became the target of personal insult. It is specifically against our policy to question the worthiness of any church member. We would like our readers to join us in recommitting to conduct discussions in a manner that... Read more »
Losing my Religion
I did grad work in biblical studies in Berkeley in the 90s, which means that the Documentary Hypothesis was one of the unquestioned tenets of my faith. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Notes on a Theory of Ordinances
Ordinances are a central part of the gospel, yet of late I find myself wondering what exactly they are. Here are some of my preliminary thoughts: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Gathering
When Moroni first appeared to Joseph Smith, he quoted a number of scriptures, including Malachi’s prophesy that “And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.” We generally read these words as a reference to temple work, but there is much more going on in them, I believe. This morning, after playing baseball with my son, I sat watching him play on the lawn with his stuffed seal (who had been transformed into a super hero) and I... Read more »
Great Sermons: Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers
I think I must have missed this one when it came out in 1999. Elder Ballard takes the time to list out a few teachings he considers signposts of False Teachers. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Church’s Internet Outreach
A brotherly reader wrote me yesterday: I was at realclearpolitics.com today and saw that they’re running an ad for mormon.org. Advertising on rightish political blogs makes a lot of sense right now. Has anyone else seen any Church internet advertising? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The 4th!
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, -more- Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A German mirror on Mormons in American religion and politics
Gerhard Spörl, reporter for Der Spiegel, surely did not have an easy task. After his editors at the finest German-language news weekly on the planet took notice of a German Mormon apostle and a Mormon candidate for the U.S. presidency, they gave Spörl the responsibility for interviewing Dieter Uchtdorf, visiting the church offices in Frankfurt, and trying to explain Mormons and their religion to a million German readers (article in English translation here). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Limits of Tolerance
I suppose that I can support the legalization of polygamy with certain specific limitations. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
New Pew Study
See here. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Bloggerstone
Some familiar names appear in the preliminary program for the upcoming Sunstone symposium. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Ph.D. versus Sci-Fi
Beliefnet is hosting an online debate of sorts on the topic (and I’m sure you’ve never seen this one before) “Are Mormons Christian?” Albert Mohler, who holds a Ph.D. (in systematic and historical theology) and is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, titles his post “Mormonism Is Not Christianity.” Orson Scott Card, an award-winning science fiction writer and an active Latter-day Saint, replies with “Who Gets to Define ‘Christian’?” I’ll take one paragraph to talk about Mohler, one paragraph to talk about Card, and one paragraph to talk about the mixed bag of comments to Card’s post. Be... Read more »
LDS.org responds to Julie and T&S discussions
Apparently folks in the Church Office Building drop by T&S from time to time. Today, this press release was posted to LDS.org, responding in part to Julie’s post on the recently posted Ensign article on MMM. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Warning
Please ask your children to leave the room now! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Creation of Mormon Lawyers
Brigham Young and Joseph Smith had some very harsh things to say about lawyers, but from the beginning, Mormon attorneys sought to create an ecclesiastical identity for themselves other than that of lying tricksters bent on stirring up litigation. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Laie and statistics
If you’re applying to BYU-Hawaii, should Dartmouth be your safety school? 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Who Owns That Church?
There’s always an owner, of course — there are few concepts more disfavored in the law than real property without an owner. But when it comes to chapels and church buildings, the question of just who owns them can get messy. The latest example: a congregation in Orange County that is trying to leave the Episcopal fold and take its building with it. The congregation just lost the latest round in a fight with the national Episcopal Church and its Los Angeles Diocese over who owns the congregation’s building. [Hat tip: the Religion Clause; see also the Orange County... Read more »
“Larger Projects”
Last week, Adam Greenwood pointed out to me an essay by Sally Thomas in First Things, titled “Home Schooling and Christian Duty.” Her article defends home schooling against a very particular kind of attack–specifically, the claim that educating one’s children in the home, away from the public schools, is a failure to be a witness to others as a Christian, a failure to be “in the world,” and more specifically be a light unto it. It’s an interesting claim, one which comes down to, as Ms. Thomas puts it, the idea that homeschooling is selfish, that “homeschoolers enthroned... Read more »
Living in the limelight
Sometime on or before November 4, 2008, the Romney campaign is going to tank. (Dwelling too long on the possibility that he won’t tank is not good for the cardiac health of both his supporters and his opponents, so we’ll ignore that possibility for now.) After the Romney candidacy is no more, how are we Mormons going to make people notice us? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Snakes on the Plains
An article in the July Ensign provides a short list of dangerous threats to the home. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Mormon Narrative for the 21st Century
Historians don’t just catalog events, they assemble events into stories or “historical narratives.” But to really be relevant or worth reading, a given historical narrative has to tap into a bigger theme or “grand narrative” (using the term rather loosely). I’m going to flesh out that concept a bit, then float some observations on the emerging grand narrative that might frame Mormon history in the 21st century. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Cat Burritos
God wants us to be mean to animals. This is clearly the take-home point of the lesson I taught last week, which included a discussion about a camel: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The wisdom of one-room schools
I think Kaimi’s metaphor is apt, maybe in more ways than he intended. Every few weeks, or every few days, there’s another discussion of polygamy, and some country hick who’s new to the big city suggests in breathless wide-eyed wonder that plural marriage was a way to care for widows and other women without families. Thereupon much merriment ensues among those who are wise to the ways of the world. Who could be so naive? But then I read what Richard Bushman told the Pew Forum a few weeks ago: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The One-Room School
Snooty Elitist Kristine doesn’t think I should be writing this post, because I haven’t read enough books. I’m going to write it anyway. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Biographies of a New World Man
Joseph Smith, it’s fair to say, was a rebel and a runner and a restless young man. That, plus his many religious accomplishments, makes him an attractive subject for biographers both in and out of the Church, who have responded by writing dozens of Joseph Smith biographies. In fact, I think that when it comes to history, Mormons are spoiled without generally knowing it. Pull down a denominational history or the biography of any other 19th-century religious figure from the shelf of your local library and you’re likely to get a snoozer. By comparison, early LDS history and the... Read more »
Times and Seasons Welcomes Dave Banack…
…or, as you likely know of him, DMI Dave. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
“Are Mormons Bankrupting Utah?”
That is the question asked by Zeke Johnson and James Wright in a recent Suffolk University Law Review article.* Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Glasnost
The September Ensign has an article about the Mountain Meadows Massacre (HT: M*). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Art and Part
“What e’er thou art, act well thy part.” David O. McKay’s famous line motivated him during his mission and during his presidency. It’s not a bad philosophy, either. If I’m a Mormon, I should be a good one. However, for many of us, the question isn’t acting well a part. It’s discovering what we are to begin with. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Why I am a Christian
I’ve always been happy to be a Mormon without insisting on being a Christian. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
FTA: Toward a Theology of Supermarkets
If you are looking for a morally, philosophically, and theologically fascinating place, I can think of few locations in contemporary life that can compare to the supermarket. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Floor
Technically, we weren’t supposed to go on splits with Chepe at all. Not by a longshot. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
King James and Queen Valera
On my mission in Guatemala, we didn’t use the King James version of the bible. Instead, we used a popular Protestant translation called the Reyna Valera. This raises all sorts of fun questions. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Bushman Moment
Richard Bushman’s recent appearance at a Pew Forum conference on Mormonism and Democratic Politics has got me thinking about the role of scholars of Mormonism in shaping the religious news coverage swirling around Mitt Romney’s candidacy. I decided to do a little bit of informal content analysis of recent news stories, seeing which scholars are getting quoted. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Brides Among the Beehives
In the Reuters interview with Elder Christofferson, the interviewer asks, “There is historical evidence that suggests Joseph Smith took a 14-year-old bride, Helen Mar Kimball, when he was 38 years old. In today’s terms, that would make him a pedophile. Does this bother you or other LDS church members?” Elder Christofferson replies, “It would depend on what all the facts were and the context. In those days, of course, was that it was not so uncommon in the society of the time.” Just how factually accurate is this defense? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Tyko
Everything changed when Tyko came to church. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Interview with Elder Christofferson
Read it here. (HT: BCC) Lots of hot topics: polygamy, women and the priesthood, evolution, Romney, etc. Discuss. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
MWS: Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is the Campbell-nominated author (twice-nominated now) of the fantasy novels Elantris and Mistborn: The Final Empire. His novel Well of Ascension, second in the Mistborn trilogy, will be published in a few months. Other projects (including the playfully titled Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) are on the horizon. Brandon also recently released another full novel in draft form, Warbreaker, which is available for free at his website. He blogs at BrandonSanderson.com and posts frequently on the message board at The Official Time-Waster’s Guide. Brandon graciously agreed to be interviewed, as part of our ongoing Mormon Writers Symposium.... Read more »
The reader in Mormon literature
What I dislike most about discussing Mormon literature is the all but inevitable moment when someone disparages the low artistic taste and congenital stinginess of Mormon readers. So let me set out the foundation for any discussion of Mormon literature and its readers: Readers owe authors nothing. Not a single copper-plated cent. Not a second of their time. Nothing. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
A Few of My Favorite Things
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“Corianton”: Genealogy of a Mormon Phenomenon
This is the paper I read at the recent Mormon History Association meeting. I post it now in connection with T&S’s Mormon Writers Series commemoration of the 30th anniversary of President Spencer W. Kimball’s call for a renaissance in Mormon cultural arts Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
It’s a Girl!
Earlier today, Elizabeth Rose Oman was born in Richmond, Virginia. Both Heather and the baby are doing well. Elizabeth is 8 lbs 2 oz and 21 inches long. Labor lasted for 18 hours, and we are very glad that she is here. God has been very good to us. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Bloggernacle: The Chain Novel
To celebrate, I’m enlisting you all to assist me in this groundbreaking literary endeavor. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Two Million Strong (and Growing…)
Sometime this morning–perhaps even by the time I put up this post–Times and Seasons’ visitor counter will pass the two million mark. Two million readers in a little over three and a half years. Not bad for a blog that doesn’t feature kittens or porn. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
God of the Gaps
Is it really such a bad place to be? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormon Courts
For the last six months of so, I have been doing a lot of research on nineteenth-century Mormon courts. Earlier today I presented some of my preliminary research to the law school faculty at William & Mary. For those who are interested, you can take a look at my paper online. In doing my research I’ve had a number of discoveries that I’ve found interesting. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
How to Dissent Like a General Authority
I’m gonna steal BCC’s idea going to contribute to the fine discussions of the lifting of the priesthood ban with a few thoughts on what we might learn from some responses to the ban. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
I was a Teenage Mormon
Over at Pilgrim Girl, Jana discusses how she was told as a teen that her life would be a movie that everyone would watch in the hereafter. She writes: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormonism and Pluralism
Mormonism and Pluralism In the U.S. today, many people are wary of religion because they feel it often supports a kind of intolerance. Mitt Romney’s presidential candidacy provides an interesting case study on the relationship between faith and pluralism. On the one hand, we see clear examples of religious intolerance from people like Bill Keller. On the other hand, ironically, the Mormon faith to which Romney adheres is committed in its very scripture to a deep and wide pluralism. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Conferences and Events
- Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology Annual Meeting
- Duck Beach Mini-Conference
- Seminar on B.H. Roberts’ "Seventy’s Course in Theology"
- Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) Conference
- BYU Education Week
- BYU Idaho Education Week
- Sperry Symposium
- Utah State Historical Society Conference
- John Whitmer Historical Association Annual Meeting
- Association for Mormon Letters Annual Meeting
Calls for Papers
- The Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology
- Brazilian Mormon Studies Conference
- Colloque international sur le mormonisme (International Conference on Mormonism)
- LDS Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists
- Mormon Media Studies Symposium
- Sunstone Kirtland
- Sunstone West
- Sunstone Symposium: MORMONS AND MORMONISM AS A POLITICAL FORCE
- BYU Religious Education Student Symposium
- RESTORATION STUDIES SYMPOSIUM