Author: Gordon Smith

“Moulding Surprise” was a stomach-churning concoction of pasta, ketchup, shredded cheese, vinegar, and spices.

Last week I had dinner with three other people at a law professors’ conference in Washington DC. Two of the other people are Mormons. The third is a friend and former colleague, the daughter of two avowed atheists.

I had a revelation in Gospel Doctrine class yesterday.

This afternoon, we had a family from our ward over for dinner. The missionaries were here, too.

I have a friend who is thinking about joining the Church, but he does not have a testimony of the prophet.

Nightline‘s first segment tonight focused on gay Mormons.

My wife and I read The Da Vinci Code two years ago. Describing the book on T&S, I used "clumsy," "tedious," and "implausible" in one sentence. When I saw that the film was getting panned by the critics, I was not very excited about seeing it, but Friday is "date day" for my wife and…

How do we know that Jael, Heber’s wife, was very righteous?

As a new member and as a missionary, I usually sat near the back of the chapel.

I love the book of Fourth Nephi in the Book of Mormon, especially this verse: “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.”

Are we losing the battle for Sundays?

Over on Conglomerate, Elizabeth Brown links to an article about the “Scum of the Earth Church” as an example of niche marketing.

Ok, here’s the last session for this General Conference. It’s been fun.

Welcome to the second day of General Conference. President Hinckley, President Faust, and Elders Oaks, Ballard, Wirthlin, Scott, Holland, and Uchtdorf have yet to address a general session this year, so there is a lot to look forward to today.

I am not sure how an open thread on Priesthood Session will work, but let’s give it a try. I hope someone will provide summaries of the talks to provide a basis for the conversation.

Ready for Round Two? Here is the open thread for the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference.

This is an open thread for discussions of the Saturday morning session of General Conference.

Over the past few years, we have been watching General Conference at home. I know this is old hat in Utah and some other regions, but it’s a relatively recent innovation in the nether regions, enabled by the internet, satellite television, or certain cable providers. For families with children, General Conference in the home is…

Imagine an LDS woman, 18 years old, who has lived her entire life far from the centers of Mormonism. Next fall, she plans to attend BYU. What will she experience?

I just checked, and my last post on T&S was in January. Although I have never experienced a period of prolonged inactivity in my Church life, this posting drought has caused me on more than one occasion to reflect on the state of mind of “believing inactives.”

The confirmation hearings for Judge Samuel Alito begin today.

I am not Gordon Smith. My name is Doug. My father is Gordon. This is the story of why I am using his name.

Last night, two Mormon missionaries were shot in Virginia. Morgan Winslow Young of Bountiful, Utah and Joshua Heidbrink of Greeley, Colorado were shot, and Elder Young died.

My mother was born to a Norwegian Lutheran, who feared for her infant children, lest they die prior to receiving the ordinance of baptism. I never knew my grandmother, but according to my mother, her fear was genuine.

Start from the premise that we all want the world to be a better place. We want equity, justice, prosperity, security, etc. for everyone. Should we pursue those goals through our purchasing decisions?

When I first learned that Joseph Smith had written more than one version of the First Vision, I understood completely. Like Jim, I have “any number of versions” of my conversion story.

In its latest issue, Time magazine “assembled some of the smartest people we know to identify the trends that are most likely to affect our future.”

This season The University of Notre Dame has been airing a student recruiting advertisement called “Candle”.

A long time ago, when I was a practicing lawyer, I concocted a scheme with another Mormon lawyer to raise an investment fund targeted at companies that cater to vices. Alcohol, tobacco, p0rn, etc.

Last year, on November 2, I was still undecided about whether to cast a vote for George Bush.