Mormon Heretic

Top 5 Mormon History topics

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:

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Mormons are “Marginal Christians”

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, […]

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 […]

Easter Mourning

A 73 year old man with arthritis, failing kidneys, and other health problems died last Tuesday. I didn’t know him very well (I’ll call him Gene), but I knew his daughter. During the funeral yesterday, his daughter recounted his life and said she was glad that he had left his bodily prison, but at the […]

Mormon Doctrine: Priestesses

There has been a  lot of buzz in the bloggernacle lately.  A Facebook group was created in February called Let Women Pray in General Conference.  To the surprise of many, Salt Lake Tribune’s Peggy Fletcher Stack is reporting that women are scheduled to pray in General Conference for the first time next month.  Is this […]

Mormon Doctrine: Catholicism

I wanted to continue my series on the book Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie.  With the election of Pope Francis this week, I thought that would be an interesting place to go.  Elder McConkie didn’t have much good to say about Catholicism.  Let’s compare the 2 revisions for Catholicism 1958 version – Catholicism Additions […]