Outcome: Kiewit got “jimmered” by the D.C. Circuit in an opinion authored by the Hon. Thomas B. Griffith this past fall.  In relevant part:

To state the obvious, no one thought that Judd and Bond were literally challenging their supervisor to a boxing match. Once we acknowledge that the employees were speaking in metaphor, the NLRB’s interpretation is not unreasonable. It is not at all uncommon to speak of verbal sparring, knock-down arguments, shots below the belt, taking the gloves off, or to use other pugilistic argot without meaning actual fisticuffs. What these words stand for, of course, is a matter of context. Compare, e.g., [Link] (last visited July 6, 2011) (the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin literally dropping gloves to fight the Rangers’ Brandon Dubinsky), with [Link] (last visited July 6, 2011) (describing Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin as promising that the “gloves are coming off” in the 2008 election), and Jonathan Weisman, Obama’s Gloves Are Off — And May Need to Stay Off, WASH. POST, Apr. 23, 2008, at A1.  Indeed, such metaphors are part and parcel of competitive spirit. See [Link] (describing college basketball phenom Jimmer Fredette as “destroy[ing]” an opponent with his combination of longrange proficiency and acrobatic drives).

~ Kiewit Power Constructors Co. v. NLRB, 10th Cir., pg. 10 (Aug. 3, 2011)

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Friends,

Many of you have recognized the new LDS.org website.  Some of you have recognized that with the new site also came changes to chapter headings and footnotes in the scriptures.  Not nearly as significant in number as the changes that were made in the 1981 edition of the LDS scriptures, but equally confirming on the messages being conveyed.  Here are a list of the changes that I’m aware of, along with some thoughts and two very compelling short videos below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts as you prayerfully review the changes asking “what would the Lord have me understand about these recent changes?”

1. 1 Nephi 12:23- The footnotes for “dark” have been removed (Jacob 3:3 and Alma 3:7 (6-19)) and replaced with 2 Nephi 26:33
2. 2 Nephi 5- the words in the chapter heading “the Lamanites are cursed, receive a skin of blackness” were changed to “the Lamanites are cut off from the presence of the Lord, are cursed…”
3. 2 Nephi 5:21- The footnotes for “curse” (2 Nephi 1:17 and Alma 3:6 (6-19)) were removed and replaced with “TG Curse”.
4. 2 Nephi 5:21- The word “blackness” has a new footnote which is 2 Ne. 26:33.
5. Alma 3:6- The footnotes for “curse” have been changed from 1 Ne. 2:23 and 2 Ne. 5:21(21-24) to 2 Nephi 5:21; 26:33.
6. Mormon 5- the words in the chapter heading “The Lamanites shall be a dark, filthy and loathsome people” have been replaced by “Because of their unbelief, the Lamanites will be scattered, and the Spirit will cease to strive with them.”
7. Mormon 5:15- The footnotes for “become” no longer reference 1 Ne. 2:23 and Alma 3:19(16-19) but are replaced by 2 Nephi 26:33.
8. Moses 7:8,22- The words “blackness” and “black” both get new footnotes which lead to 2 Nephi 26:33.

From prayerfully studying the scriptures laid out in the Blacks in the Scriptures DVD series and the talk on “How To Reach African Americans” we understand that a curse is a separation from God because of sin, including the loss of the spirit, a diming of the light of Christ within, a separation from His path and ways thereof (see 1 Nephi 2:23 then follow footnote for curse to Job 24:13)

We also understand that the skin being spoken of in reference to “black” or “white” is referring to the state of the spirit and not a literal or physical skin color change.  There are some that are still in the process of gaining a testimony of these gospel principals.  I think that these recent changes should aid in this process.  Notice that the changes in the chapter headings of 2 Nephi 5 and Mormon 5 get the reader so much closer to understanding the “curse”  as a “separation” than does the earlier language.

Secondly, notice all of the redirecting, in addition to new footnotes pointing us to 2 Nephi 26:33.  This is significant because as we’ve studied all of the scriptures laid out in the attached scripture reference guide for “black” and “white”, by the time we get to 2 Nephi 26:33, we understand that Joseph Smith could have easily translated the word “black” as “wicked” meaning the spiritually dark, as well as the word “white” as “righteous”, referring to the state of the spiritually pure and clean.  Well I say he could have easily translated it as such and he actually did.  See Alma 11:44.  You’d think you’re reading the exact same passage, but this time you see the wicked and the righteous, in place of black and white.

So I sincerely hope that this is helpful and that you’ll pass this onto others and engage in productive conversations about these new changes from the Church.

And now for the video.  Now the Lord has told us over and over again that He is no respecter of persons.  He teaches us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that He doesn’t look on the outward appearance as does man.  We see many times in the Book of Mormon where the Nephites, Lamanites and Amlicites had to do specific things to themselves just to be able to distinguish themselves from each other.  They would not have had to do this if there were an actual skin color change.  (See Alma 3:4-6).  We also see in the Book of Mormon times when the Nephites passed themselves off as Lamanites just by telling them that they were Lamanites.  (See Alma 55:1-15) This also could not have happened if there were a literal skin color change.  By the way, anyone ever seen anyone’s skin color change after a baptism?  So this video is riveting.  It starts slow, so please be patient and know that it gets really gripping.  After viewing it, ask yourself if a loving Father in heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ, would create these dynamics seen in these children in a matter of minutes and hours.  I think the scriptural truths will resonate as you view these and confirm the understanding set forth with the newest changes to the scriptures from the Church.

A Class Divided (1 of 4)

A Class Divided (2 of 4)

Day two of the experiment saw those who thought they were better, find out that they were worse and that those with different color eyes were better.  I was amazed at how quickly the high self worth of that group plummeted.  The lower sense of self worth caused them to not apply themselves, believe in themselves or approach their work with undivided thought, instead, partly thinking about their second class status.  Even couched in kind tones, today we find many in the church who utilize labels of separation like your people, our people etc.  We are one.

For those unfamiliar with Facing East, it is the story of a Mormon couple who is grappling with the suicide of their gay son. It was written by Carol Lynn Pearson, a Mormon playwright and whose husband (and the father of her four children) left her to confront and explore his own homosexuality.  He returned to live with her 6 years later after being diagnosed with AIDS, with Sister Pearson caring for him in the months preceding his death.  She authored a book about the experience, Goodbye, I Love You, and has sought through her works to encourage understanding among gay members and their families (including the recent No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones). Of her effort, she’s said “I love the Mormon community … and I have a unique opportunity to build bridges.”

This sponsored performance follows other notable developments within the Church this past year, including the Church endorsing a gay rights initiative in Salt Lake City and prominent efforts by the Oakland Stake in California to reach out to gay members and heal the rifts that developed in the wake of Prop 8.  I personally find these attempts at bridge-building very gratifying and am certain that they will help to soften hard edges and result in greater understanding. I’m curious, however, what others make of these efforts, and whether they believe these occurrences are simply anomalies or are the sort of thing we are likely to see more of in the coming years.

First thing this morning, however, we received a congratulatory gift we hadn’t anticipated. Women housed in the Alexandria Detention Center had sent us a hand-crocheted blanket, cap and set of booties. (In Packer yellow-and-green for my Cheese-head wife no less).

Both modern and ancient scripture admonish us to serve the “least” of those among us, noting that doing so is akin to serving Christ himself. My wife and I found ourselves touched that, at such a sacred and spiritual time for our family as the birth of our new son, we had been remembered by some gracious women who, by some standard, might consider to be the “least” of those in our society today. Humbled by the act, we resolved to reach back out in some way to those women at the Alexandria Detention Center. Small acts of love are truly contagious.

When the Miami-area sports station host interviewing Boozer called Utah  “gorgeous” but “a horrible place to live, horrible,” Boozer said:

“Nah, it’s not that bad. You know, I’m raising my kids out there. It’s pretty nice.  We have a good time out there with our basketball team, successful of course. That’s the frontcourt of it, the most important thing of it. And it’s a great place to raise your kids. And it is beautiful.”

The host kept at it though, asking: “But those Mormon people are crazy, aren’t they? I mean, the Mor…” At which point Boozer, cut in saying:  “Nah, they’re not bad at all. They’re not bad at all. Yeah. Not bad at all.”

Here’s hoping Utah is able to keep him (and draft a decent center)… or next season could be a painful one for Jazz fans.

Ralph is a long-time professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Calvin and the Foundations of Modern Politics, as well as of numerous edited volumes, articles and chapters.  His forthcoming book, The Responsibility of Reason (Rowman & Littlefield),  addresses the meaning and limits of reason through a triangulation involving de Tocqueville, Heidegger and Strauss.   Ralph has also translated three books (including one with his son Nathaniel) and numerous chapters and articles from French, and has organized and directed more than a dozen scholarly conferences and colloquia concerning philosophical and religious dimensions of public issues. He holds degrees from BYU and from Harvard University.

Ralph is also the founder and president of the John Adams Center for The Study of Faith, Philosophy and Public Affairs, which aims to resist the  narrowing of the notion of “reason” to the blind expansion of certain purported “rights” and instead encourage the exploration of the philosophical and religious dimensions of public issues so as to enrich individual understanding and public debate.  Just this past weekend, the John Adams Center sponsored an academic symposium in Duck Beach, North Carolina on “Mormons and the Public Square.”

As if this was not enough, Ralph recently helped to found the online journal SquareTwo, which focuses on LDS thought concerning the important issues of the world today.  SquareTwo is meant as a forum on current issues for those building upon “square one,” the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To top it off, Ralph is also no stranger to the blogosphere, serving as a contributing editor to the Postmodern Conservative blog hosted by First Things.

Ralph and his wife Julie are parents of five children and eight grandchildren. When he is not “actively engaged” in his various pursuits, Ralph calls Provo home.