“The truest poetry is the most feigning.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
LDS Newsroom
- Church Working With Oklahoma Officials to Provide Support in Wake of Tornadoes May 21, 2013
- Funeral Services for Frances J. Monson Announced May 20, 2013
- Frances J. Monson, Wife of President Thomas S. Monson, Passes Away May 17, 2013
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks Honored for Championing Religious Freedom May 16, 2013
- Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right| 15 May 2013 May 15, 2013
- Rendering of Meridian Idaho Mormon Temple Now Public May 15, 2013
- Mormon Delegation Encourages Religious Dialogue at International Conference May 14, 2013
- Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites |14 May 2013 May 14, 2013
- Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites | May 9 May 9, 2013
- Church Donates More Than 1 Million Pounds of Food to Top Hunger-Relief Organization May 9, 2013
Blog Archives
A Branch Dies on Easter
I’m posting the following from Ray with his permission. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
437 Children Taken from Cohab Parents
By now you’ll have heard about the Mormon splinter sect in Texas that was accused of a forced, under-age marriage and how, in consequence, the state of Texas raided and took away all 416 437 kids. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
No End to Race If You Could Hie to Kolob
This conference I didn’t much like the choir’s new tune for If You Could Hie to Kolob so I thought over the words instead. “There is no end to race” got my attention. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Church Pranks
Cub Scout Pack meeting on April Fools day means we leaders will be having a little fun. All in good taste of course. The fake dog-doo will be moderate and restrained. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
God as a Character in His Own Play
C.S. Lewis compared Christ’s birth to Shakespeare writing himself into one of his plays. He was attempting to explain the traditional Christian doctrine of the Incarnation. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Why Seek Ye the Living Among the Dead?
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The God We Hold Hostage
The Garden of Eden story doesn’t have a point. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Woefully Arrayed
From the archives Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
116 Lost Pages and the Nature of the Atonement
The last two Sundays, elders’ quorum has been about Joseph Smith and Martin Harris losing the 116 pages. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Missionary Loves His Twins, and Other Sunday Incidents
On the sweetness of Mormon life Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Christ is Lord; Audits are Inspired
On the sweetness of Mormon life– Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Contra Dance (on the sweetness of Mormon life)
You remember that PBS special, where Givens kept talking about Mormons and dancing? The dancing bits got to my wife and me. We felt we were missing out on some good fun and our heritage. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Death before Dishonor: States of Grace review Part III
A Spartan mother would reputedly tell her son to come back from battle with his shield or on it. If he came back with it, the shield meant he hadn’t fled from the enemy. Shields were too heavy to scamper with. If he came back on it, the shield was his stretcher or his hearse. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Estupid Rules! States of Grace review part II (spoilers)
My Spaniard mission president was a puritan. “Obedezco pero no cumplo” wasn’t in his playbook. So my mission was pretty strict. Some of us missionaries objected–we were being forced to pay attention to the letter of the law instead of the spirit, the rules were mostly pointless anyway, sometimes they got in the way of doing good, etc. He broke out into English to make fun of us one time. “Estupid rules! Estupid rules!” He got us to laugh, which I guess was the point. Does States of Grace take sides between my mission president and his missionaries? We... Read more »
William F. Buckley dies
Bill Buckley died this morning. Farewell, happy warrior. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
States of Grace review (spoilers).
We finally watched States of Grace (God’s Army II). Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormons and the Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
Pew has a new, comprehensive survey of American religion. Its gotten attention around the blogosphere (e.g..) and, I believe, has been linked on the side bar. At the suggestion of a reader, here’s your chance to comment or to highlight any details you think will be of interest. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Demographic Winter Bleg
I’m looking for more information about the people associated with the Demographic Winter film. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Why Did God Give Contradictory Commandments?
The temple treats the Garden story as a universal story. Whatever the reason for that, you can make a good case that in some sense each of us has been in the Garden and fallen. In fact, as we’ve discussed here before, making the Garden story a universal story can make sense of the contradictory commandments God gave Adam and Eve. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »
Lincoln and the Will of God
The State of New Mexico officially recognizes Lincoln today. Our recognition doesn’t elevate him but it does elevate us. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Pagan Mormonism
Someone pseudonymmed Spengler wrote an anti-Mormon column too trifling to bother with until I was reminded that some people believe anything they read about Mormons. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Sustaining the Brethren
On the sweetness of Mormon life. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Praising Righteous Gentiles
Now would be a good time to publicly recognize the folks at Evangelicals for Mitt, Jay Sekulow, Hugh Hewitt, John Schroeder at the Article VI blog, Kathryn Lopez, Glendon, and many, many others who went very far towards damping sectarian strife and saving Mormons from lapsing into a kind of counter-prejudice against evangelicals and Catholics. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Mormons the most pro-life
Matt Evans has linked to a Life News report on exit polls showing that of all the Super Tuesday voters, Utah GOP voters were the most pro-life. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Romney’s Out
Multiple sources report that Romney is getting out of the race today at CPAC. Pre-released announcement here: This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters… many of you right here in this room… have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country. I... Read more »
The Perpetual Education Fund
Several of the saints at church Sunday said they’d donated to the Perpetual Education Fund in memory of President Hinckley. It put us in mind to do the same. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Madonna Moms and Book of Mormon Stories
Ensign art shows are themselves a kind of art. The whole is greater than the parts. The Ensign ran art shows in the last two Ensigns and this is my idiosyncratic critique.* Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
35 Years of the Mandatory Abortion License
35 years ago today the Supreme Court found a constitutional right to abortion, inagurating perhaps the most liberal abortion license in the West. 45 million have been aborted since. The number aborted each year has declined roughly since 1990 but around 1.2 million are still aborted each year. Roughly 10-15% of those aborted were past their first trimester. We’ve had a lot to say about abortion over the years. I’ve put together the links here. Talk is nothing in the presence of these dead, but it’s all we’ve got. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
If You Don’t Like Mormons, Mitt Flip-Flops
A Vanderbilt study suggests voters who are bigoted against Mormons are more likely to believe that Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »
Conferences and Events
- American Society of Church History Annual Meeting
- American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting
- Communal Studies Association Annual Meeting
- Society for the Scientific Study of Religion/Religious Research Association
- Western History Association Annual Conference
- Utah State Historical Society Annual Meeting
- Center for Studies on New Religions
- Mormon History Association
- European Mormon Studies Association Conference
- Sunstone Symposium