More Islands and Atolls
Elder Kopischke: Prayer Alone Cannot Address Many Mental Health Needs @ Segullah
- When General Conference weekend is approaching, some members will make lighthearted...
Institutional Bullying and the Question of Religious Exemption from Vaccine Mandates @ Mormanity
- I received a call this week from a father with two children facing intimidation and...
A Heretic Reviews General Conference, October 2021 @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Best musical numbers: “Come, Ye Children of the Lord”, Saturday morning;...
Fall 2021 Journal Editorial and Table of Contents @ Segullah
- I spent several months this year recovering from a fire that sent smoke billowing through...
An Interview with Louise and Tom Plummer @ Segullah
- From the Archives (January 11, 2011): SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I emailed Louise Plummer to see...
2021 Fall Poetry @ Segullah
- phototropism peat moss swells with water ready for new life seeds are placed,...
Book Review: Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves @ Segullah
- Beyond the Mapped Stars(Knopf, 2021), by emerita Segullah staffer Rosalyn Collings Eves,...
What fraction of temples are announced in General Conference? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Given the general failure of my Conference prediction posts, I’ll understand if you...
Rebecca Klundt’s Artist’s Statement @ Segullah
- I am a native of Salt Lake City where I live with my husband Kevin. In 2012 I went back...
Artist Rebecca Klundt: From Bits to Beauty @ Segullah
- We at Segullah are thrilled to highlight in this 2021 Autumn Journal the creative genius...
Safe Space @ Segullah
- What is revealed by us when in our safe spaces? What makes a place safe? What do we say...
Earthquakes in scripture @ Josiah Reckons
- The sky was a weird greyish colour, because of the dust blowing over from the Sahara. I...
“Temple patrons and workers are ASKED to wear face masks” @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I was happy to see the First Presidency’s letter this week where they asked temple...
Zeal Without Data: Blaming the Church for Utah's Allegedly Low Vaccination Rates @ Mormanity
- Romans 10:2 speaks of those who "have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."...
When You Can’t Trust Your Fellow Latter-day Saints @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- My relationship with the Church has been complicated for a long time now. I’ve...
Ages of the Patriarchs @ Josiah Reckons
- Why so old?
When Someone Is Drowning: Help, Hinder, or Walk by? @ Segullah
- When I am having problems managing my emotions, I sometimes cause a bit of a scene....
How could the Church take unrighteous dominion seriously? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I was in a ward once where the Gospel Doctrine teacher loved to quote from the end of...
@ Segullah
- It’s been 4 weeks since I fell off an e-bike and broke my wrist. I believe the...
Medical Tyranny? When Your Government Tells You to Abandon Freedom and Personal Choice, It's Time to Speak Out @ Mormanity
- Victory BoydThe mainstream media has largely ignored a chilling story about disrespecting...
How often do BYU student speakers at commencement suggest they’re straight? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Like many other people, I was dismayed to read Elder Holland’s recent speech at BYU...
A Google Earth View of a Candidate for Bountiful, Khor Kharfot on Wadi Sayq @ Mormanity
- Here is a beautiful view from Google Earth of a leading candidate for the Book of Mormon...
Because I’ve Been Infected Much @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- We here at ZD have learned that the following hymn has been submitted to the Church by a...
James E. Talmage, the Articles of Faith, and Progression between Kingdoms: New Light @ Ben Spackman
- A young and pugnacious James E. Talmage, per the picture in the BYU Geology Dept.
The...
Did the First Presidency letter increase masking at church? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Like many other people, I was very happy to see the First Presidency’s message last...
How to Talk to Concerned Church Members Who Are "COVID Policy Doubters" (CPDs) @ Mormanity
- Some Latter-day Saints, probably only a minority, were frustrated with a recent request...
How to Pick BYU Religion Classes and Enjoy Them: A Guide for Seniors in Seminary @ Ben Spackman
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I have both taken and taught courses in BYU’s College of Religious...
Ten More Changes the Church Could Make and Un-make before Next Conference @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- The Church has announced that the Saturday night session of General Conference will be...
A Sacrament Meeting Worth Shouting About @ Mormanity
- Sunday turned out to be one of the most exciting sacrament meetings I can recall. It was...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Fasting without Asking @ Josiah Reckons
- I used to think fasting with a purpose meant the focus of fasting was asking God to do...
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
- Reconstructed red brick store in Nauvoo, 1980 by the Community of Christ (former RLDS...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Run and not be Weary? @ Josiah Reckons
- Among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the phrase “run...
The only True and Living Church @ Josiah Reckons
- In D&C 1, the section prefacing the Doctrine and Covenants, it talks of “the...
Christmas Mother Decorations @ Josiah Reckons
- What do Christmas trees mean to you?
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...
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...
