I finished Denver Snuffer’s book a few weeks ago, and I really enjoyed the book. Snuffer gives some original readings of both LDS Church history and scripture. I did a partial review of his book a few weeks ago when I talked about Snuffer’s position on polygamy (Snuffer believes that God permitted, rather than commanded polygamy, and that Church leaders misunderstood D&C 132 which is really 4 revelations.) If you haven’t heard of Denver Snuffer or his book Passing the Heavenly Gift, you should be aware that this book got him excommunicated. I have stated in the past that I strongly disagree with the LDS Church’s decision to excommunicate Mr. Snuffer. Now that I have completed the book, I would like to talk about where I believe the Church takes issue with Snuffer’s book. Continue Reading »
Single Party Domination
Whenever one party dominates a region, it seems that corruption is the result. Detroit has been in the news recently as the democratic mayor was Kwame Kilpatrick was jailed for 28 years for corruption. The city is now in bankruptcy. Republican-dominated Utah has seen its own share of corruption. First there was the 2002 Olympic bribery scandal, (in which Mitt Romney came to save the day.) Now recently-elected John Swallow has finally resigned following charges of violating campaign finance disclosure laws, as well as trying to bribe senator Harry Reid (though the Federal government is refusing to press charges.)
The fact is that corruption is prevalent in both parties, and seems more rampant where one party controls politics. Just as we worry about democratic-dominated places like New York, California, and Massachusetts, it seems that republican-dominated places like Utah and Texas have those same problems. I find myself chafing against any majority. When I lived in New England, I tended to favor republicans because the the majority democrats. Now that I live in Utah, I tend to favor democrats in republican-dominated Utah. I think it is important not to be dominated by one party. What say you?
Mormon Movies
Mormon Cinema has had a much lower profile lately. However, there are 2 movies out now, and I wanted to see what everyone thought about these two movies: Ender’s Game and The Saratov Approach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V84ZyMsQ1Pc
The Saratov Approach is based on a true story. Two Mormon missionaries were kidnapped in Russia.
Ender’s Game on the other hand, has nothing to do with Mormons. It is based on a book written by Orson Scott Card, (a Mormon) and is science fiction. I was surprised to hear that Harrison Ford plays a prominent role. All I’ve heard is that some are boycotting the movie because of Scott’s stance against gay marriage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP0cUBi4hwE
I haven’t seen either yet. Do you have any recommendations?
Todd Christensen Passes Away
I was sad to learn that Todd Christensen, a former BYU and Oakland Raider, passed away from liver disease. I was lucky to meet him a few times, and I remember seeing him around town.
Christensen was a devout Mormon who didn’t drink, and family members believe his liver problems began 25 years ago after a “botched” gall bladder operation, his son told The AP.
For more information, see more at ESPN.
Evangelical Wants to Keep Mormon Moment Alive
2012 brought a lot of interest in the LDS Church due to Mitt Romney’s campaign for President of the United States. Now that the election is over, many feel the Mormon Moment is over. Christianity Today’s Ed Stetzer put out an article this week advocating that evangelicals “not let the Mormon moment pass completely.” I have to say, I was a bit surprised, and somewhat pleased, to hear an evangelical want to keep the Mormon Moment alive. (I would have thought they wanted Mormons to fade away.) Here are some other points Stetzer made. Continue Reading »
Mormons Being Proselytized
Kody and his 4 wives from left to right: Meri, Robyn, Jeanine, Christine
Mormons are know for proselytizing other faiths, rather than being the subject of being proselyted. I hadn’t considered why Protestants get upset at Mormon missionaries, or even why Mormons get so upset when evangelicals try to proselyte during General Conference weekend. I also didn’t considered Mormons proselyting or getting upset as being a double standard.
Women Addicted to Porn too
Over the weekend, Christianity Today (CT) put out an article stating that women “make up an estimated one in three visitors to adult entertainment websites.” This means that a 2007 study by “Nielsen/NetRatings found that approximately 13 million American women click on pornographic sites each month.” It’s not just a man’s problem anymore. CT interviewed 3 women who were addicted to porn as early as 9 years of age. Rachel said
Senator Lee and D&C 121
Senator Mike Lee – (R) Utah
I was at the temple recently, and was surprised to be there when Utah Senator Mike Lee entered the temple. LDS temples are open only to members that meet certain worthiness criteria. Senator Lee has joined forces with Senator Ted Cruz (of Texas) in shutting down the government, and trying to cause the government to go into default. Since Senator Lee is obviously a devout Mormon, I thought it might be interesting to see how his recent actions stack up against D&C 121.
Are These Mascots Offensive?
Clockwise: NFL’s Washington Redskins, NCAA Utah Runnin’ Utes, MLB Atlanta Braves, NCAA Florida State Seminoles
Usually when I talk about racism, I talk about the past policy to deny black Mormons the priesthood and temple ordinances. However, there are other types of racism, and Native American racism is in the news. Many people consider that the name NFL’s Washington Redskins is a racial slur. President Obama weighed in on the issue and said “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team, even if they’ve had a storied history, that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it.” Hall of Fame players (who played for Washington) Darrell Green and Art Monk think the name should be changed. A friend of mine from the DC area has wanted to get the name changed for years, feeling it is racially insensitive at best. Yet owner Daniel Snyder grew up as a fan of the team. Back in May, he told USA Today “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER – you can use caps.” Continue Reading »
Snuffer’s Take on Polygamy
Denver Snuffer has generated a bit of controversy on the bloggernacle lately, though I suspect your average member has never heard of him. My post Is Excommunication Useful? got over 300 comments, and Tim Malone’s Q&A about Snuffer also got over 300 comments. One Who is Watching noted “an obscene amount of traffic to my site” when he advertised that he was going to do a review of Snuffer’s book Passing the Heavenly Gift, the book that got Snuffer excommunicated. Well, the Watcher is dragging out his review, though he did post bullet points to 25 things he found wrong with the book. He is creating a PDF, and I’m sure it won’t be short nor concise–Watcher never is.
Mormon Heretic 