A recent study concludes that mandatory waiting periods lead to fewer women killing themselves. Another study by the same people suggests that parental notification laws reduce venereal disease among teens. This is ostensibly because teens behave like rational actors, but that can’t be right. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
LDS Newsroom
- Concern Over Changes to Home Storage Centers Unnecessary June 17, 2013
- Social Media Gives New Twist to Tabernacle Choir’s 2013 Tour June 17, 2013
- Mormonism in Pictures: Temple Square Attracts Millions of Visitors | 14 June 2013 June 14, 2013
- Father's Day Video: Remember What It Takes to Be a Good Father June 12, 2013
- Church Providing Relief After Most Recent Oklahoma Tornadoes June 6, 2013
- VIDEO: Moore, Oklahoma, Woman Leaves For Mormon Mission in Wake of Tornado June 6, 2013
- Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites | 5 June June 5, 2013
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir to Donate Wisconsin Historical Marker June 5, 2013
- "On Faith" Column: Scouts Policy Should Be Seen for What It Is: A Reaffirmation of Core Values May 31, 2013
- Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right | 30 May 2013 May 30, 2013
Blog Archives
Test-Tube Tower of Babel
Recently I linked to an article about single women getting artificially inseminated, without the trouble of men or marriage. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Pro-life, Pro-Constitution
Us pro-lifers and constitutionalists are learning again what we should have already taken to heart: put not your trust in princes. Yes, we always rely on Egypt, and Egypt always turns out to be a reed, shaken with the wind. Update: Take that, Egypt. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Credentialism and the New Elites, by a Curmudgeon: Degrees of Glory
Bloggentiles have been arguing over credentialism–the belief that everyone needs a degree. Not an education, mind, but a degree. Preferably several. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Saints and Soldiers
I saw Saints and Soldiers with my lovely one and my father last night. I liked it. A lot. But before you rush out to buy the DVD, you should know that I was biased. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
From the Archives, Updated: September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001. Four years have passed–four more nails in the cross, one called Katrina–but we remember. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
The Sabbath Pages
There are Sabbath Heroes, but there are Sabbath Businesses too. We all know about the Chick-Fil-A’s of the world, but what about the local entities? I’ve been kicking around an idea for a bit now on how to recognize them. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Spam Attack
Times and Seasons had a massive spam attack yesterday. In dealing with it, one of your trusty editors might have accidentally deleted several recent comments. Apologies to our ever insightful, delightful, and mostly un-apostate commenters. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Abortion Yack
We know from experience that having an abortion thread that stays on topic is tough, especially if the topic is fairly narrow. Here’s a thread for all those general remarks you’re dieing to make. It’ll probably get shut down when the other abortion threads wind down, Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Pioneer Children
A week has passed since Pioneer Day. I was moved by the memorials here and in my sacrament meeting, where the speakers called us to reflect on, in President Hinckley’s words, the “long shadow” the pioneers cast in which we still find some shelter from the heat of the times. The shadow is real, I think. Some of us are here because of them. In law school I met a girl whose ancestors had joined the kingdom in England and crossed the ocean. Like many, they lingered for a few years at the eastern terminus of the trail to... Read more »
Till we feel like it.
Vows like “For as long as we continue to love each other,” “For as long as our love shall last” and “Until our time together is over” are increasingly replacing the traditional to-the-grave vow Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Adamic Language and Market Prices
Here’s another weird post (making an unbroken string of 50+, for those keeping track at home). What exactly is Adamic, the pure tongue of Heaven? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
“The children whom thou shalt have”
After prophesying the woes that will come on Israel, Isaiah relays a promise of the Lord’s: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem”
Shelby Foote, from Mississippi, has died. He was 88. He was best known for his three-volume work, The Civil War: a Narrative Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Gambling
Today’s Elder Quorum topic was gambling. Like Calvin Coolidge, like President Hinckley, we were against it. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
On a Characteristic Failing of Mormon Thought
“Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me,” Jehovah commands. I suppose that applies to our fetishization of free agency. Fetishizing free agency, and getting twisted up in knots about it, are characteristic failings of Mormon thought. (By Mormon thought I don’t mean scholarly Mormon theology and philosophy, if there is such a thing. I mean something more homespun than that, and I think more important). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Space Sails to Zion
You know that I’m enthusiastic about mankind’s move into space as a way of breaking the cultural bottlenecks and societal ruts that hold up the outside and inside growth of the church.* See here, here, and here (scroll down). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
An Inside Look at Little Mercies
Let me tell you one small mercy of our Lord’s. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Roswell and the Restoration
People often ask me what Mormonism has to say about UFOs. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Rich and Poor, in Utah
In one of those weird internet odyssies–a series of clicked-through links led me to this article extolling(?) Utah’s lack of diversity, which led me to this report on income inequities–I discovered that Utah had the least income inequity of any state in 2000 and was second only to Indiana in 2002. I moved from Utah to Indiana in 2001, but could there be another explanation? Something Mormon? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Classing Mormons
The old dichotomy, under various names (Chapel v. Internet, Iron Rod v. Liahona), classed us either as folks who thought breaking rules was the same as following the Spirit or as folks who thought following rules was the same the as following the Spirit. What about those people—they exist, I met one once—who thought . . . following the Spirit was the same as following the Spirit? I therefore propose a new Mormon classification. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Funding the Household of Faith with the Mammon of the Feds
Suppose a religious group receives some federal mammon to fund their good works. Pregnancy counseling, say, or a homeless shelter. Or job training. If the group uses paid employees in that good work, should it be able to hire exclusively from within the faith? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
City of Man, City of God
I want to spend my life in orchards and alfalfas. Walk-up brownstones and saunters to the subway do nothing for me. I don’t dream of Malayo-afghan fusion food. I dream of Blandings. Of Penhurst. “The traffic of the world gives way to silence and peace.” Etc. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Spiritual Aluminum Foil
It is said that the devil can’t know our thoughts. I don’t have a testimony of this, but I have no reason to think it isn’t true. For one, I’ve noticed that I sometimes get temptations at crazily ineffective moments. I’ll be staring into space at the train station, musing on the Battle of Chickamauga, say, and being moved thereby– maybe there’s a hint of a tear in the corner of my eye–and I’ll get a brief impulse that says, Life isn’t worth it, throw yourself in front of the train. What? No. Anyway, a couple of days ago... Read more »
Dreaming Dreams
Two posts over on the Star (one on dowsing and divination as spiritual gifts and spiritual dangers, the other on Daniel’s dream), and an email my wife sent me reminding me of an important dream I had a couple of months ago, all came to my attention today. There seemed to be a theme. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
On the Seventh Day, Interest Rested
In the Law given in the days of Moses, the Lord commanded the keeping of a Sabbath day, a Sabbath month, and a Sabbath year. The Law is fulfilled, but we are still to keep the Sabbath day. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Written on the Heart
Jonathan Max Wilson has broached one of my favorite topics: memorizing poetry. He then connects it to one of my pet frustrations–the inability of memorized scriptures to stick in the mind–and to Lewis Carroll and Fahrenheit 451 and, gosh, lots of things. You’ll have to see for yourself. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Learning by doing: how our colleges are teaching the Sexual Revolution
As a way of putting off doing my reviews of God on the Quad and I am Charlotte Simmons, I’ll just link to this post over on the Star, accusing most universities of abdicating their role in loco parentis and advocating sending your kids to BYU. Sentiments with which I mostly agree. Steve Evans and other non-petulant unwhiners will be happy to note that I’ve disabled the comments. I’ve finally found a socially approved outlet for my censorship penchant. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Welcome, Best of the Webbers
If you’re following Best of the Web’s link to the baptismal kerfuffle, welcome to the Bloggernacle (the Mormon blogosphere)! Stay as long as you want. Even if you’re a haughty, French-looking individual who served in Vietnam. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Everlasting Man
Chesterton’s Everlasting Man famously played a role in C.S. Lewis’ conversion. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Conferences and Events
- LDS Semi-Annual General Conference
- Book of Mormon Lands Conference
- BYU Religious Education Student Symposium
- Reid L. Nielson: "The Latter-day Saints and the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair"
- Joseph and Marilyn Bentley: "Mormons and the Holy Land"
- Armand L. Mauss: "The Intellectual Journey of a Mormon Academic"
- Mormon Theology Seminar
- American Society of Church History Annual Meeting
- American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting
- Communal Studies Association Annual Meeting