More Islands and Atolls
Hurt People Hurt People @ Segullah
- Sometime in the late 1990s, I was helping organize a Relief Society birthday dinner....
When Selfishness Masquerades as Freedom @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Sometime in the past 40 years or so, the Republican Party became myopically focused...
A Mormon Swear Word @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- What might a Mormon swear word look like? I’m not talking about softened versions...
The Chosen: Act Now to See the Season Two Finale Within 24 Hours @ Mormanity
- My life has been uplifted and touched deeply by the brilliant series, The Chosen, on the...
Gospel Topics Essay Redirects @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- The Church recently took down its Gospel Topics essay titled “Becoming Like...
“I’d like to build a happy home like yours!” @ Segullah
- My friend does not often post on Facebook, but about a month ago, I saw the announcement:...
Post Pandemic Temple Worship @ Segullah
- Friends, I returned to the temple this past week for the first time in over a year. I...
Embracing C3ns0rsh1p: A Survival Guide with Helpful Input From China @ Mormanity
- I marvel at the shock and outrage of some conservative voices as their posts, tweets, and...
2021 Summer Journal Editorial and Table of Contents @ Segullah
- From the Editor There is a place in every library I’ve frequented that feels like home...
2021 Summer Journal Poetry @ Segullah
- Three Poems Angel Dust There are always horses running through my...
Curating Literature and Art in Segullah’s Courtyard @ Segullah
- Curating Literature and Art in Segullah’s Courtyard: A Critical Introduction I was...
Assemblage Artist Page Turner: “I speak in ‘stuff!'” @ Segullah
- Introduction by Linda Hoffman Kimball, Segullah Art Director: It was my great delight to...
General Conference Was Different in the 1960s (even setting aside the talks) @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I recently flipped through reports of General Conference from the 1960s (to get lists of...
Heck Is Other People @ Segullah
- I have started to rejoin society now that cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to...
General Conference Talks by Speaker Position Since 1960 @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- How many women will speak in General Conference now that the Church has announced that...
BillionGraves: A Remarkable Tool for Finding Graves of Your Ancestors @ Mormanity
- With the need to return to Utah for a while, my wife and I decided to drive instead of...
General Conference, Now 20% Shorter! @ Zelophehad's Daughters
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The Church announced yesterday that, starting with October Conference this year, the...
Fifteen Men, Fifteen Churches @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- It seems to me that President Nelson’s willingness to push his gospel hobbies...
Reading the Scriptures Jesus Read: An Old Testament Intro for HS Students who didn’t Get It @ Ben Spackman
- Having messed up the audio recording of this fireside the first time, I repeated it over...
A Plea for Toleration and Kindness for Those Who Don't Wear Masks @ Mormanity
- As some units of the Church return to more normalcy, including in-person meetings where...
Developing Faith as the Pandemic Wanes @ Segullah
- This past Sunday, I went to church for the first time in 15 months. I was eager to...
Right? Perfect! @ Segullah
- Have you noticed our current need for validation in our speech? Like what I just did...
Four Reasons Church Members Feel Compelled to Attribute Motives to People Who Leave @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- There’s a whole genre of blog posts and articles out there in Mormon land that...
Fasting without Asking @ Josiah Reckons
- I used to think fasting with a purpose meant the focus of fasting was asking God to do...
Quotes of Current Church President in Conference, April 2011 vs. April 2021 @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Since President Nelson assumed office, I’ve read a number of discussions of how he...
Don’t call us (and we won’t call you either) @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- If you follow Mormon news at all, you probably saw that the Church has reversed course on...
Apple Itunes Features the Witnesses Movie Trailer on the Front Page of their Movie Trailer Site @ Mormanity
- I just heard that the trailer for the new Witnesses film about the Three Witnesses is...
May 4th is Not Just Star Wars Day… @ Ben Spackman
- Few Mormons, I think, know that May 4 is a significant day in LDS liturgical history....
Witnesses, the Dramatic Movie About Some of the Book of Mormon Witnesses, Premiers on June 2 @ Mormanity
- The powerful drama about the Three Witnesses of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon has...
What age would each Q15 member need to reach to become Church President? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Note: In the original version of this post, I had Elders Gong and Soares out of order at...
Tales from the Archives: Neal A. Maxwell and the Creationist Filmstrip @ Ben Spackman
- A brief and incomplete story, illustrating Elder Maxwell’s language fun… even...
Trying to Take the Shine off Shinehah: Vogel's Response to a Commonly Cited Evidence for Book of Abraham Authenticity @ Mormanity
- This morning I was reading from what may be the premier work of Latter-day Saint...
New Scholarship on the Influence of the Small Plates on Mormon's Writings @ Mormanity
- One of the things that fascinates me in my role as a co-editor for the Interpreter...
Rehearsing Doubt @ Josiah Reckons
- One way of both protecting ourselves and others may be to prepare for these doubt by...
Recorded Devotional for Seminary Seniors who Didn’t Get the Old Testament @ Ben Spackman
- UPDATE: Had technical problems with the recording; no audio got recorded at all. So,...
Nutrition and COVID: We Need More Science to Follow @ Mormanity
- While there has been a lot of good news for the country in recent weeks, with millions...
Thoughts on a Pandemic Year @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- It has certainly been a year to remember. I have to go back a few months before the...
Tales from the Archive: Henry Eyring Teaches the First Presidency about Carbon-14 Dating @ Ben Spackman
- Henry Eyring Sr. taught chemistry at the University of Utah, but also served on the...
Geocentric Astronomy in the Book of Abraham? Dan Vogel's Refutation of LDS Scholars @ Mormanity
- Circumpolar star trails in a long-exposure photo of several hours, showing that...
A Highlight from Dan Vogel's Book: A Clever Explanation for the Most Obvious Evidence of Scribes Using an Existing Translation in Making the Book of Abraham Manuscripts @ Mormanity
- In my previous posts reviewing Dan Vogel's recent Book of Abraham Apologetics (Salt Lake...
Missing Some of the Most Important Questions, Documents, and Evidences: Part 3 of My Review of Dan Vogel's Book @ Mormanity
- In Part 1 and Part 2 of my review on Dan Vogel's newly published Book of Abraham...
Many Hits But Plenty of Misses in Vogel's Book: Part 2 of My Review of Book of Abraham Apologetics @ Mormanity
- I'm nearly finished with Dan Vogel's book, Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and...
The Valediction of Moses: A 2,700-Year-Old Biblical Document Long Said to Be a Forgery Gains New Respect @ Mormanity
- A version of the book of Deuteronomy, long said to be forgery, has just been declared...
Tales from the Archive: Apostasy at the Logan Institute @ Ben Spackman
- In 1950, a number of LDS teachers at the Logan Institute and BYU signed a letter to...
What is an eye single to the glory of God? @ Josiah Reckons
- An eye that is single indicates generosity
What's New at BYU Studies? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The quick answer is, “A lot.” The longer answer is, of course, what you’re...
Just Started Dan Vogel's New Book: Already Chagrined by the Treatment of Champollion @ Mormanity
- I just began reading the latest book on the Book of Abraham, Dan Vogel's Book of Abraham...
Science as a Legitimate Contributor to our Knowledge of Creation and Earth History @ Ben Spackman
- As noted in a prior post, Orson F. Whitney authored the 1909 First Presidency statement...
D&C 20:1, Plain Reading, and Literal Reading; or, Chexegesis Before You Wrexegesis @ Ben Spackman
- The line “check yourself before you wreck yourself” is from a rap song and...
A Gift from Biblical Reproductions: Alma the Son of Judah on a Bar Kochba Letter @ Mormanity
- There's an interesting business, Biblical Reproductions, selling authorized reproductions...
A quick note on the blog, Amazon, and compliance @ Ben Spackman
- I’ve been writing online for about 17 years, and now with my own site, I get the...
Dark Waters, Endocrine Disruptors, and Self-Regulating Corporations @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- During the pandemic, since we don’t eat out at restaurants or go to movie...
What I’m Doing Here, and What I Hope Others Will Do @ Ben Spackman
- I am not an “evolution apologist.” Although I suspect I have more scientific...
Why Does the Book of Mormon Say the Nephites "Had Come Down to Believe in Their [the Gaddianton Robbers'] Works"? @ Mormanity
- No, I'm not saying anything in this post about secret combinations and how to identify...
Finding Reliable Sources of Information @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The following is a priesthood lesson I presented on January 10, the Sunday after...
Sharper than a two-edged sword @ Josiah Reckons
- Four years ago, when Sunday school last covered D&C, I puzzled over the phrase...
The Fox at My Door @ Mormanity
- Tuesday night as I was turning off the lights and preparing to sleep, I stood next to...
The Future of the GOP and the Decisions Facing LDS Republicans @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The Republican Party is at a difficult crossroads, especially after the...
More on the Book of Abraham Manuscripts: What Spelling Errors Teach Us @ Mormanity
- I received a kind email from Kyler Rasmussen in response to arguments I have made about...
The field is white @ Josiah Reckons
- When you grow up in rural Waikato, New Zealand, the fields aren’t white around the time...
A Gift From an Early "Anti-Mormon" Attack on the Book of Abraham: Clear Evidence About the Source of Joseph's Translation @ Mormanity
- In several posts over the years here at Mormanity and on my website, I've noted that the...
Run and not be Weary? @ Josiah Reckons
- Among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the phrase “run...
Understanding the God of the Old Testament: An Evangelical Scholar Explains the Meaning of "God Is Love" @ Mormanity
- Evangelical Bible scholar Ben Witherington has written a deeply interesting essay on the...
The only True and Living Church @ Josiah Reckons
- In D&C 1, the section prefacing the Doctrine and Covenants, it talks of “the...
More on the Limits of "Endless" and "Eternal" in the Book of Mormon: Awaking from "Endless Sleep" and the "Eternal Band of Death" @ Mormanity
- In a recent previous post, "'From Whence They Can No More Return': What Lehi Teaches Us...
Janus Parallelism in Alma 32 and 33? @ Mormanity
- Alma uses the verb "spring" in an interesting way in his sermon to the Zoramites in Alma...
Christmas Mother Decorations @ Josiah Reckons
- What do Christmas trees mean to you?
The Jewish Copper Plates of Cochin, India and a Hint of an Ancient Jewish Tradition of Writing on Metal Plates @ Mormanity
- A recent post here critiqued an attempt to explain the origins of the book of Ether based...
Most correct book on Earth @ Josiah Reckons
- In 1841, Joseph Smith told the council of the twelve “that the Book of Mormon was the...
Three short memories of gifts and service @ Josiah Reckons
- “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under...
Religious Liberty: Have We Forgotten the Pain of the Hutterites? @ Mormanity
- College students these days learn what a wise leader President Woodrow Wilson was, a good...
The Perfect Virus @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- If the Chinese had indeed attempted to design a virus that would disrupt American...
The Human Brain and Rational Thought @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Lately, I have been living a dual existence. By day, I am the editorial director at...
The Republican (and LDS) Fascination with Authoritarianism @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I’ve been wondering lately about the obvious fascination both Republicans and...
What Does It Mean to Be Conservative in Today’s Republican Party? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I’m going to quote three “conservatives” in this column. I want you to know this up...
The Gaping Hole in the Church’s Official Policy on Abortion @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Several years ago, my high priests group had a lesson on a topic I can’t now recall....
An Open Letter to My Republican Friends @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The election that is just over four months away is certainly the most important election...
More on Utilitarianism @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Following up on a previous post, let’s look at utilitarianism in the Book of Mormon. It...
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...
A Real Miracle Drug? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- For many years now I’ve been doing an experiment with a drug that seems to have an...
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...
Donald Trump, MD @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- There is nothing Donald Trump likes more than being in front of television cameras,...
What to Do with the Money? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- We live in strange times. Here we were, cruising along, living under the delusion that...
Last Nurse Standing and the Coronapocalypse @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- These are odd times. But sometimes crises have their lighter side. My daughter is a...
Streamlining Temple Ordinances @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- I’ve been thinking about temple ordinances and wondering if we couldn’t streamline...
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...
Donald or Jesus? @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- In a revelation given to Joseph Smith on August 6, 1833, we find the following: “When...
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...
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 humor...
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 that...
Mormon: The New Shibboleth @ Peculiar People
- Here’s hoping Lindsey releases a new, revised video: I’m a member of Church of Jesus...
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 – an...
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...
