Mormon Doctrine
When “Forever Families” Weren’t
I’ve heard about the Law of Adoption as an LDS theological point of the past, but never really understood it very well. I enjoyed reading Brian Hales discussion of the concept in his book, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Volume 3. (This is a follow up post on the book; I previously discussed Hales position that there is no […]
No Spirit Birth
It’s been a while since I read Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Volume 3 by Brian Hales. I read volume 3 first because (1) it was the shortest (a mere 281 pages compared to the other volumes), and (2) Brian Hales recommended we read it first since it was the first time anyone had tried to tackle the […]
Does D&C 132 support Polyandry?
This past week, we’ve discussed polyandry–the idea that a woman can have multiple husbands. (Polygyny is the concept where a husband can have multiple wives. Polygamy encompasses both polygyny and polyandry.) The reason this came up was due to a presentation I attended at the Mormon History Association meetings. Many people have charged that Josephine’s mother […]
Canaanite Dieties
It’s Easter time again (next Sunday is Easter if you weren’t paying attention.) Easter is that one holiday that Mormons observe, but don’t really celebrate. With Easter comes the story of the Passover. (This is one of those strange years in which Easter occurs a month BEFORE Passover.) In the past, I’ve blogged about various […]
Sealed Servant?
This past weekend, I had occasion to attend an unusual sealing ceremony. One of my wife’s co-workers is in her 70s. Her husband passed away last year. Yesterday she was sealed to her dead husband. Her son served as proxy for her deceased husband. (Incidentally, she has been married and divorced to 2 other men […]
The Mormon Church & Blacks
February is Black History Month. I recently finished Matthew Harris & Newel Bringhurst’s most recent book, The Mormon Church & Blacks: A Documentary History. The black priesthood ban has been a pet topic of mine; I have written nearly 60 posts on the topic over the past 8 years.
The Idolatry of Following the Brethren
I sometimes feel LDS church members are guilty of idolatry. Perhaps it is not completely the members fault; We have been told so much to “follow the brethren” that we have built them up as idols, and fail to “study it out in our minds, and ask God if it be right.” Early church leaders […]
Blacks and Gays
I am still appalled by the new church policy banning baptisms for children of gays and polygamists until age 18. A distant relative of mine was just released as stake president, and I told him that I feel this new church policy has set the church back 100 years. That was an understatement; it’s more […]
Suffer little children, and forbid them not
Matthew 19:13-14 13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. History is repeating itself. The LDS Church surreptitiously released some changes to […]
Mormon Heretic 