Mormon Culture
The Wentworth Letter
I posted my initial impressions of the Kindle over at Wheat and Tares. One of the coolest “books” I received at Amazon for free was the Wentworth Letter. For those of you who don’t know, Joseph Smith wrote a history of the church to John Wentworth, the editor of a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat in […]
Why Isn’t Sacrament Meeting More Spiritual?
I listened to an interview of Jana Reiss on Mormon Expression a few weeks ago, titled “Why Mormon Meetings are So Dull.” She discussed a book called Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea. Shae is a novelist in Massachusetts who attended 52 church services over a year. This author attended a Mormon Sacrament meeting. […]
What are we to make of Richard Dutcher?
I’ve been a big fan of Richard Dutcher over the years. I loved God’s Army, Brigham City, and States of Grace. I loved that his films took Mormonism seriously. His films were touching, thoughtful, and spiritual. I found great value in his presentations of Mormon spirituality, and dealing with life in a complex world. When […]
Trying to figure out Social Networking
Ok, I created a Facebook page a few months ago, and was amazed at the increase in page views. So, I’m now on Twitter too, and decided to update my GoodReads by adding a new page here about the books I’ve read, am reading, or want to read. So, feel free to add me as […]
Mormon Women Blessing the Sick
As a follow up to my previous article discussing female priesthood holders in Ancient Christianity, I thought it would be interesting to discuss a now discontinued practice of Mormon women anointing and blessing the sick. Did you know that Mormon women used to wash, anoint with oil, and lay hands on the sick until 1946? […]
Tom Cruise on Home Teaching
I wish I could take credit for finding this, but the credit goes to Clean Cut. My favorite part is Tom’s reaction to the question, “100% Home Teaching: is it possible?”
Fundamentalist Mormonism: More Diverse Than you Thought
Anne Wilde wrote the chapter on Fundamentalist Mormonism in Hamer/Bringhurst’s book Scattering of the Saints. I’ve always viewed Fundamentalist Mormons like an embarrassing relative, and I haven’t really wanted to learn much about them. However, Anne’s chapter was incredibly interesting, and I learned that Fundamentalist Mormonism is much more diverse than I realized.
Wheat and Tares
Wow. I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years now, and last week was the most eventful week I have ever experienced. Some of you know about it, but some of you don’t. Two big things happened last week: (1) I was an unwilling participant in a Bloggernacle scandal, and (2) tomorrow is the official launch […]
Coke, Rum Cake, and President McKay
I just started reading Greg Prince’s book, David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. It’s been a great read so far. Prince tells some interesting stories about President McKay and the Word of Wisdom.
Mormon Heretic 