If someone were to create a documentary on a Mormon History topic, what would you like to learn most about? Here is a list of 20 topics, what would be your top 5? (If you have something not listed, feel free to add to the list?
Mormon Doctrine: Cremation
I took a break from my series on the book Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie, but I think it’s time to revisit the book. Under the heading Cremation (it is the same in the 1958 and 1979 editions), Elder McConkie writes: Continue Reading »
The Statistics of Gun Control
Last week, Stephen Marsh at Wheat and Tares posted about how arguments about Guns and Gays are similar. Steve specifically said “people post disputed statistics for the harm caused by the parties they wish to regulate or deny. In both cases, those opposing regulation point to contrary statistics showing how good either guns or gay marriage really are and how they are essential constitutional rights.” In the comments, I rhetorically asked about the National Rifle Association. ”Why do they continue to obstruct criminal/terrorist investigations? It seems that they want violence so that they can justify the use of guns! They continue to obstruct the Boston Marathon Bomb investigation.” Specifically, this MSNBC article shows that gun control advocates have been asking to add a material called taggant to gun powder for more than 40 years so that investigators would be able to trace gun powder to a specific manufacturer. This information would help them identify who might have bought the gun powder and hopefully find the culprits faster. Continue Reading »
Jeffersonian Religion
I just watched a documentary called Jefferson’s Secret Bible. (You can download it for free on iTunes or watch it at the Smithsonian website.) The documentary discusses the restoration and some of the theology behind Thomas Jefferson’s rewriting on the Bible. In his day, Jefferson was called an atheist by his detractors; he wasn’t really an atheist, he was more of a Deist, defined in the documentary as someone who believes in God, but believes God is not involved in the daily affairs of men. Continue Reading »
Taxes, Spending, and Corn
I was late to church because I was finishing up on filing my taxes. This is the time of year when we get to look and see how much we’re sending to the government, and while many of us enjoy the tax refund, we neglect to see how much we’re sending to the government. Tea Party types have been keen on cutting government spending of all types, but one of the most popular forms of government spending involves farm subsidies. Americans claim that we like free-market solutions, but that doesn’t seem to apply to food. The U.S. Government subsidizes farmers immensely. Continue Reading »
Mormons are “Marginal Christians”
Dr. Todd Johnson of the Gordon-Conwell Seminary
Just prior to General Conference, Utah Valley University hosted a Mormon Studies Conference titled “The Expanding Canon”. I wish I could have attended more of the sessions, but enjoyed the sessions I attended. I was surprised that the LDS Instituted of Religion hosted one of the sessions. I attended Institute when I was in college, and I don’t ever remember being addressed by any non-Mormon scholars. The session at the Institute of Religion was titled “Global Mormonism & Global Christianity” and consisted of a panel of mostly LDS scholars, but the first speaker was Dr. Todd M. Johnson of the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Johnson is co-editor of the Atlas of Global Christianity published in 2010. In the book, Mormons were classified as “Marginal Christians” based on the following criteria. Continue Reading »
Sister Zone Leaders
Well, that’s not exactly the right term, but for those who have served LDS missions previously, that’s what the new announcement from the LDS Newsroom amounts to. The term “Zone Leader” is out, and the new term “Mission Leadership Council” is in, and it will include sister missionaries. It wasn’t announced in General Conference, but was merely a press release. Neither was it announced that a woman prayed in General Conference for the first time, but it was announced on Feminist Mormon Housewives, By Common Consent, and Wheat and Tares.
The new Mission Leadership Council will consist of both men (elders) and women (sisters). Continue Reading »
