Mormon Culture
Parenting Taboos – Part 2
I wrote a TED Talk transcript of Parenting Taboos previously. Parents Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman (I guess she didn’t take his last name–maybe that’s another taboo) gave an interesting TED Talk (episode 3 available on Netflix.) In part 1, they gave 2 parenting taboos. Taboo #1: You can’t say you didn’t fall in love […]
MHA 2015 in Review
The Annual Mormon History Association meetings came to Provo last night. Last year it was in San Antonio, and next year it will be at Snowbird Resort in Utah. Sometimes I like it better when it’s out of town, because I can attend all the sessions. When I’m home, there’s just too much going on, […]
Masonic Ceremony
I recently watched an interesting documentary, Secrets of the Freemasons. Many of the early U.S. revolutionaries were freemasons; many masons helped plan the Boston Tea Party, although the Tea Party had non-masonic members as well. (Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, in addition to George Washington were masons.) Masons were influential in the founding of […]
Several Thoughts on Mother’s Day
I’ve been having a lot of thoughts about Mothers Day, not all of them related. Let’s start on a positive note. My Mom My mom is the best ever. She is one of the most patient people I know. While I have lots of acquaintances, I’ve never really been very good at making friends. Throughout […]
Can BYU afford to avoid Sunday play?
It has been more than 30 years since BYU won a National Championship in football. Things have changed quite a bit since 1984. Many of the larger schools were upset that the undefeated BYU team (who played in the Western Athletic Conference-WAC) played a 6-6 Michigan team in its final game, and changes soon followed. […]
Utah’s model of Anti-Discrimination and Religious Rights
A recent law passed in Indiana has put the state in an unusual spotlight. Proponents claim that their law uses essentially the same language as the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that passed with near unanimous support. However, one thing Indiana has done that the federal statute did not is expand the reach of the religious […]
D&C 132 and Other Men’s Wives
One of the things I love about blogging is that it helps me learn, and better articulate my positions. I’m not sure why polygamy is such a hot topic lately, but it is. I enjoyed Kristine A’s post at Wheat and Tares this week: Joseph Smith’s Multiple Wives and Why I Care A Lot. It […]
Congo Q&A with Margaret Young
February is Black History Month. Margaret Young, who teaches writing at BYU, has been heavily involved in writing LDS black history. She has helped write the play, I Am Jane, a story about early black Mormon Jane Manning James, and has produced 2 films about black Mormons. Her first film came out in 2008 and […]
How do we Agitate Faithfully?
In the previous post on my blog Dehlin and Bennett Put on Notice, I was surprised that the discussion of April Young Bennett’s resignation of the board of Ordain Women, instead of John Dehlin’s pending excommunication. (Incidentally, Dr. Nancy Ross of Dixie State University in St. George, Utah and Jessica Finnigan at King’s College London […]
Mormon Heretic 