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: Continue Reading »
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 marriage really are and how they are essential constitutional rights.” In the comments, I rhetorically asked about the National Rifle Association. “Why do they continue to obstruct criminal/terrorist investigations? It seems that they want violence so that they can justify the use of guns! They continue to obstruct the Boston Marathon Bomb investigation.” Specifically, this MSNBC article shows that gun control advocates have been asking to add a material called taggant to gun powder for more than 40 years so that investigators would be able to trace gun powder to a specific manufacturer. This information would help them identify who might have bought the gun powder and hopefully find the culprits faster. Continue Reading »
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 an atheist, he was more of a Deist, defined in the documentary as someone who believes in God, but believes God is not involved in the daily affairs of men. Continue Reading »
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 Party types have been keen on cutting government spending of all types, but one of the most popular forms of government spending involves farm subsidies. Americans claim that we like free-market solutions, but that doesn’t seem to apply to food. The U.S. Government subsidizes farmers immensely. Continue Reading »
Mormons are “Marginal Christians”
Dr. Todd Johnson of the Gordon-Conwell Seminary
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, and I don’t ever remember being addressed by any non-Mormon scholars. The session at the Institute of Religion was titled “Global Mormonism & Global Christianity” and consisted of a panel of mostly LDS scholars, but the first speaker was Dr. Todd M. Johnson of the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Johnson is co-editor of the Atlas of Global Christianity published in 2010. In the book, Mormons were classified as “Marginal Christians” based on the following criteria. Continue Reading »
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 was merely a press release. Neither was it announced that a woman prayed in General Conference for the first time, but it was announced on Feminist Mormon Housewives, By Common Consent, and Wheat and Tares.
The new Mission Leadership Council will consist of both men (elders) and women (sisters). Continue Reading »
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 same time she missed him immensely. Today was Easter Sunday. I sat behind her and her mother (I’ll call her Mary), as they struggled through their first church service since Gene died. Your first church service following the death of a loved one is always difficult, and music can make one more emotional. The opening song was “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” At first I started to belt out the hymn, but suddenly tears formed in my eyes. I couldn’t sing anymore. I noticed that this brand new widow was crying too, and it touched me deeply. As we stood for the congregational hymn “I Believe in Christ”, once again I could not sing. I looked up at the ceiling and tried to utilize gravity to keep the tears from my eyes. Tears flowed anyway. Mary sat and cried quietly during the song. My heart went out to her. As I thought about her loss, I recalled my own loss 15 years ago.
Mormon Doctrine: Priestesses
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ann M. Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, speaks at the 182nd General Conference, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012. Dibb is LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson’s daughter. Mormon women routinely speak at these conferences. In April, LDS women are scheduled to offer prayers as well, an apparent first in the faith’s history.
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 a coincidence, or evidence of activism working?
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 and Deletions | 1979 version – Catholicism |
| See Church of the Devil | See Church of the Devil | [There is no entry] |
Church of the Devil? Seriously? Do you think this is one of the 1000 errors cited by Mark E. Peterson?
Now, let’s compare the 2 versions for Church of the Devil. Continue Reading »
Mormon Heretic 