More Islands and Atolls
Don’t Say His Name @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- President Nelson made a statement about the killing of George Floyd and subsequent...
Difficulties with Cross-cultural Communication @ Segullah
- I am uncomfortable. My news feed is filled with intense language and startling images of...
More on Utilitarianism @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Following up on a previous post, let’s look at utilitarianism in the Book of Mormon. It...
To Learn and Then Act is Christ’s Way @ Segullah
- I sit and dance with the cursor— two words forward, one delete back, in rhythm with the...
Another Update on the River of Laman @ Mormanity
- Warren Aston, whose personal explorations in the Arabian Peninsula have done so much to...
Henry Eyring Sr., Church Magazines, and the Wrong Meeting: “Everyone was Very Nice to Me” @ Ben Spackman
- I’ve written a bit about Henry Eyring before (here in connection with General...
Fear and Trembling and Sickness Unto 47 Million Deaths: Basic Math and the Pandemic Panic @ Mormanity
- A well-educated friend with a graduate degree from an outstanding university sent me this...
Book of Mormon Reminder: Resist Voices That Stir Hate and Violence @ Mormanity
- 1. The Book of Mormon's Warnings Against Manipulative Power Seekers Who Stir Us to...
Come Follow Me: Mosiah 29, Alma 1-4 @ Ben Spackman
- Today we move into the Book of Alma. The stories of Alma Sr. and Alma Jr. are a major...
Come Follow Me: Mosiah 25-27, Alma 36 @ Ben Spackman
- This lesson has us jump to Alma’s retelling of his experience being unconscious for...
The Ties That Bind @ Segullah
- A few years ago I became laser-focused on learning about sound and its connection to...
Maintaining Work-Family Boundaries during COVID-19 @ Segullah
- The first part of quarantine felt like an adventure. I had a lot of adrenaline concerning...
Remembering Pvt. Amos Franklin Terry Jr. on Memorial Day 2020 @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The beginnings of Memorial Day are a bit confused. Apparently, the May holiday began as...
Whose on the Lord’s Side, Who? @ Segullah
- Mind.blown. I recently sat down to watch Mrs. America, the new mini-series starring Cate...
BoM Gospel Doctrine Lesson 19: Mosiah 18-24 @ Ben Spackman
- Latter-day Saints have a thing about Doctrine, with a capital D. We try to define it, we...
Back to Church Wishlist @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- The Church released guidelines a couple of days ago for how returning to church meetings...
Change in interest in church during the pandemic part III: Comparison between churches @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- How has interest in different churches changed during the coronavirus pandemic? This is a...
Change in interest in church during the pandemic part II: Members vs. non-members @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I posted a few days ago about change in interest in church (in the LDS Church in...
How do YOU do home church during COVID? @ Segullah
- In a recent Christian Science Monitor article called “Virtual Sunday School: Where...
Faith and Fear in the Midst of Snitching: A Firsthand Account @ Mormanity
- While the tragedy of the Corona virus pandemic has brought out many examples of good as...
A Real Miracle Drug? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- For many years now I’ve been doing an experiment with a drug that seems to have an...
Change in interest in church during the pandemic @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I’ve seen the possibility floated in a number of places (e.g., in this W&T...
Come Follow Me: Mosiah 12-17 @ Ben Spackman
- I want to plug Book of Mormon Central for collating published scholarship on lessons-...
Book Review: A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother @ Segullah
- A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother is the most recent book from writers McArthur Krishna...
Opening the Economy, Utilitarianism, Abortion, and Our Pressing Ethical Project @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- One of the best books I’ve read in recent years is, surprisingly, a textbook: The...
Interpreting Scripture, History, Science, and Creation: A Free Course by Me! @ Ben Spackman
- Edit: I’ve added this syllabus to the main menu at left, and simplified the url for...
Literal Interpretation of the Scriptures: Why We Need MORE @ Ben Spackman
- Melvin Cook, famous chemist and ardent LDS young-earth creationist, thought scripture...
The Philosophies of Men, Mingled with Monopoly @ Ben Spackman
- Something insidious infects our children from the moment they’re born. It’s...
Home. I Get To Be At Home. @ Segullah
- Early last March, I boarded a plane to visit my mother in New York. As I live in...
Teaching Genesis at Institute @ Ben Spackman
- I’ve taught a class just on the book of Genesis a few times, in a few places. We...
Priests, Babylonians, and Seven 24-hour Days of Creation @ Ben Spackman
- Even though it comes first in the Bible, Genesis 1 represents the youngest of three...
“The Chicken Sacrifices Are Working!” A Novel Approach for Coping with COVID-19 @ Mormanity
- Sacrificial victims in Hong Kong, a low-COVID-19 city.“It’s not any lockdown that's...
Segullah Podcast- Words Fall In- with Rosalyn Eves @ Segullah
- When Rosalyn Eves is not teaching University English, being a Mom and wife, and engaging...
A Bump in the Road for the Shanghai Temple @ Mormanity
- Unfortunate news just reported in The Salt Lake Tribune indicates that plans for a...
Donald Trump, MD @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- There is nothing Donald Trump likes more than being in front of television cameras,...
Science-based vs. Faith-based Policies for Coping with the Corona Virus @ Mormanity
- Are we using faith or science to cope?Though I am open about my faith and often welcome...
Explanation of the Church’s New Logo @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Although President Nelson discussed the Church’s new logo when he introduced it in...
Conference Review, April 2020 @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Best story: It was very simple, but I enjoyed President Eyring’s story about...
Keep Preparing: Food Storage May Become Especially Important @ Mormanity
- There are many reasons to be optimistic about overcoming the pandemic before us and...
Sometimes Treading Water Is a Victory @ Segullah
- I already wrestle with anxiety, and COVID-19 has provided a number of opportunities for...
Easter and the Corona Virus: Rays of Hope in a Time of Darkness @ Mormanity
- Good Friday was a time of much reflection on the state of the world and our country,...
Saying Alleluia in Coronavirus Time @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- When I was a kid, I came across a phrase in a novel that rather haunted me: “even at...
A Temple-Announcing Spree @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- President Nelson announced eight new temples in General Conference on Sunday. This keeps...
Marriage Should Not be Like a Tandem Bike @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- The thing about sitting on the back seat of a tandem bicycle is that it is objectively...
God Bless China and the New Shanghai Temple @ Mormanity
- Update, April 29, 2020: Plans for a temple in Shanghai have hit an unfortunate snag, as...
Love the New Symbol of the Church! @ Mormanity
- President Russell M. Nelson introduced members tonight to a beautiful new symbol...
What to Do with the Money? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- We live in strange times. Here we were, cruising along, living under the delusion that...
Coping with the Corona Virus: A New Report on Glucosamine and Other Nutriceuticals, and an Update on Masks @ Mormanity
- I irritated some readers (as I often do) in February when I shared some thoughts from...
The Last Plane to Shanghai @ Mormanity
- On Friday at midnight in China, a ban on foreigners entering China went into effect. What...
The Great War Against the Virus: Maybe It's Time We Give Peace a Chance @ Mormanity
- I was saddened to hear the views online of some of the college students partying in...
Last Nurse Standing and the Coronapocalypse @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- These are odd times. But sometimes crises have their lighter side. My daughter is a...
President Nelson Gives a Message of Hope at This Troubled Time @ Mormanity
- As so many people struggle and worry with the craziness and uncertainty of COVID-19 and...
Streamlining Temple Ordinances @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I’ve been thinking about temple ordinances and wondering if we couldn’t streamline...
COVID-19 Repsonse: Church Gatherings Suspended for Now, Worldwide @ Mormanity
- Today the Church announces that Church gatherings are temporarily suspended worldwide....
Skip Church if You Are Ill and Other Tips for Coping with COVID-19 and the Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) @ Mormanity
- In my previous posts warning about the need to prepare for the Corona virus, my greatest...
The Power of Trust @ Mormanity
- What a blessing it is to have friends who are truly honest and trustworthy! Can you...
Requesting Review from Medical Experts: Can Glucosamine Help Reduce COVID-19 Mortality? @ Mormanity
- Update: 4/2/2020: An important new study explains why glucosamine may be an effective aid...
URLs for My Mormon Studies Articles and Essays @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I decided it might be useful for me, if not for others, to have the URLs to all my Mormon...
I Hope You've Gotten the Message About the Corona Virus Threat @ Mormanity
- Don't treat the SARS-COV-2 virus lightly. It's surprising to me to see how many people in...
A Church Prepared for Crisis: The Timeliness of the Church's Emphasis on Home-Centered Worship @ Mormanity
- When the Church announced in 2018 that it was shifting to less Sunday time in Church...
Donald or Jesus? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- In a revelation given to Joseph Smith on August 6, 1833, we find the following: “When...
How to Win an Argument with God: A Lesson Sponsored by the Corona Virus @ Mormanity
- Ever since I participated in debate competitions in high school and maybe before, I have...
(Deja) View on the Corona Virus @ Mormanity
- Please keep China in your prayers. The unprecedented efforts to contain the Corona virus...
Superbowl Culture Shock @ Mormanity
- Since leaving for China over 8 years ago, I occasionally experience some culture shock...
What Vietnam Just Taught Me About Responding to Epidemics (Wuhan Coronavirus) @ Mormanity
- In China and many parts of the world, the price of face masks has jumped significantly. I...
Power and Corruption @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Corruption is in the news almost constantly these days. Of course, we’re all aware of...
How Can a Latter-day Saint Vote Republican in Trump’s America? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging. Life’s been busy, and I’ve been working...
Statistics, Misconceptions, and the Imperatives of Millennialism @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The Deseret News ran an article this week about the American Family Survey, an annual...
The Antiquated Second Amendment @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- One of the most confusing, misunderstood, and misapplied pieces of the Constitution is...
Some Thoughts on the Mueller Report @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- It took me a while, but as of Friday I can say—unlike most Americans and unlike 99...
The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- One of the interesting aspects of my job is that I am the primary proofreader for Royal...
Romanticized Notions @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- One morning in the spring of 2005, when I was a senior editor at the Ensign, the new...
Mitt and Me @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Last week we were in San Diego for a little vacation. On Sunday (June 2), we attended...
De Facto Infallibility and the Difficulty of Deciphering Spiritual Manifestations @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The reversal of the POX has highlighted a growing problem for the Church. Church leaders...
A Parable @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- A distinguished professor has a son who gets accepted to a prestigious university on the...
Dwelling in Righteousness with No Poor among Us @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- So, I led a discussion on Sunday using the questions I listed in the last post as a...
One Heart and One Mind @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The ward I work with on the high council is having ward conference in a couple of weeks,...
Misinformation and Fearmongering @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Because the Democrats are proposing to actually do something about global warming, health...
Excerpts from Bruder: The Perplexingly Spiritual Life and Not Entirely Unexpected Death of a Mormon Missionary @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- As I mentioned in my last post, BCC Press has recently released a rather unusual mission...
Mission Memoir, Ultimate Tourney, and Other Random Stuff @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- It’s been a while since I posted anything. I’ll explain that in a minute, but first a...
Pyrric Victories @ Mormon Metaphysics
- JSTOR on Pyrric victories and the origin of the term.
Jerusalem’s Economy in Second Temple Period @ Mormon Metaphysics
- I’ve always had the assumption that the Jerusalem region was fairly poor — perhaps...
Chris on Religious Evolution @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Chris Goble has an interesting Twitter thread on the emergence of monotheism in axial...
Getting the Blog Back Together @ Mormon Metaphysics
- I’ve been posting regularly at Times and Seasons and plan on continuing with that....
To the People Defending the Church’s Decision to Ditch the “Mormon” Nickname @ Peculiar People
- First, I want you to know that I respect your decision to call yourself something other...
The Women Who Enable Abusive Men @ Peculiar People
- After the Kavanaugh hearing last Thursday, an image went viral that depicted a row of...
Joseph, Potiphar’s Wife, and the Truth about False Allegations @ Peculiar People
- In response to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh,...
Robert Kirby and Edgy Mormon Men @ Peculiar People
- Like many progressive Mormons, I’ve enjoyed Robert Kirby’s self-deprecating...
To the Men Who Grabbed McKenna Denson and Dragged her away from the Pulpit @ Peculiar People
- To the men who grabbed McKenna Denson without her consent and dragged her away from the...
Why Would a Feminist Keep her Father’s Name? @ Peculiar People
- Back in April I wrote about my experience with software systems and institutions...
Mormon: The New Shibboleth @ Peculiar People
- Here’s hoping Lindsey releases a new, revised video: I’m a member of Church...
Sorry to Bother You: The (Human) Body as Technology @ Peculiar People
- This review contains major spoilers for Boots Riley’s 2018 film Sorry to Bother You....
Do Married Mormon Men Understand Consent? @ Peculiar People
- Image obtained through creative commons. I was 28 years old when I got married...
Making Ministering Holy @ Peculiar People
- My priesthood lesson prompt was very open-ended: “ministering.” My mind leapt to the...
What Will Combined MP Quorums Mean? @ Small and Simple
- In a shocking announcement during the Priesthood Session of the 2018 March/April General...
How Can Anyone Remain a Mormon in the Face of All the “Facts”? @ Small and Simple
- One of the things that you will see sometimes in anti-Mormon forums is what appears to be...
About That Taylor Christensen Video @ Small and Simple
- There is a video making the Mormon facebook circuit by Taylor Christensen. He starts...
The New York Times Thomas Monson Obituary and Fake News @ Small and Simple
- The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently died, and the...
Perfect College Football Playoff System: 2017 Version @ Small and Simple
- Several years ago I published to the world the perfect college football playoff system. ...
Moderate Worship Losing Ground @ Mormon Metaphysics
- While it’s not really new news, Sociological Science had an interesting story on how...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Divine Hiddenness Argument @ Small and Simple
- The fourth week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion focuses on the...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: Friendly Disagreement, Testimonial Knowledge, and the Importance of Fellowship @ Small and Simple
- The third week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion addresses...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Conflict Between Science and Religion @ Small and Simple
- In the second week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion, professor...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Mind and The Religious Experience @ Small and Simple
- I am taking an online course through Coursera on Philosophy, Science and Religion. In...
Testimony and the Spiritual Experience @ Small and Simple
- I was raised in the religious tradition of my parents, which happens to be The Church of...
Bows, Arrows & the Book of Mormon @ Mormon Metaphysics
- This is just a “holder” post for a discussion I was having over whether...
Salvation in Mormonism @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Robert at Scriptural Mormonism does a good job discussing the place of grace in “old...
Terryl Givens on Mormons at the Forefront @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Terryl Givens has up an essay at First Things called “Mormons at the Forefront.”...
God and Evolutionary Psychology @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Evolutionary psychology suggests God makes more sense than not. I’m not sure he sees...
PEL on Scientism @ Mormon Metaphysics
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“…[scientism] is contributing to a growing trend on the left, quite as ferocious...
