More Islands and Atolls

Witness to Sexual Harassment @ Segullah
  -  Photo by SupportPDX on CC While I was in graduate school, I encountered several tense...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 37: Isaiah 22, 24-26, 28-30. @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  First, to continue from last week, is Isaiah’s love of wordplay and pun, which...

Autumnal Equinox @ Segullah
  -  It was early in the morning when I crested the hill on my way down into the valley. The...

Book of Mormon Stories that Get a Chuckle Out of Me @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  I suspect I’m not alone in generally thinking the Book of Mormon isn’t...

Let’s Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Children @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  The folks at the Exponent have launched an action to request that Church leaders make a...

Two Words that Finally Helped Me Grasp the Genius of the New Ministering Program @ Mormanity
  -  I have to admit that I was a little puzzled by the new ministering program in the Church,...

Robert Kirby and Edgy Mormon Men @ Peculiar People
  -  Like many progressive Mormons, I’ve enjoyed Robert Kirby’s self-deprecating...

September Editorial and Table of Contents @ Segullah
  -  Table of Contents: Editorial: School girl with glasses circa 1920’s “There are...

The Wondrous Journey of Claire Åkebrand’s “What was Left of the Stars” @ Segullah
  -  “What was Left of the Stars” by Claire Åkebrand Claire Åkebrand’s...

Interview with Poet Rachel Hunt Steenblik by Sandra Jergensen @ Segullah
  -  Rachel Hunt Steenblik photo by Keri Michelle Photography   Tell us a bit about...

Sundays Away @ Segullah
  -  When I Was a Child Growing up, I went to church weekly except during bouts of strep...

Cane Testimony: Jacob 4:5-8 @ Segullah
  -  abstract artwork by Aimee Bonham by Heather L. Harris Bergevin As I have many sisters,...

The New Team of Co-Editors-in-Chief: Linda Hoffman Kimball and Sherilyn Olsen Interview Each Other @ Segullah
  -  Linda Hoffman Kimball Sherilyn Olsen         Linda Hoffman...

Featured Artist Aimee Bonham – Artist’s Statement @ Segullah
  -  Aimee Bonham, fine artist           www.aimeebonham.com   Aimee...

“I Dreamed I Wrote Five Poems” by Rachel Hunt Steenblik @ Segullah
  -  Lavender Fionne by artist Aimee Bonham I. I searched for my Mother, the way a baby...

More Conference Predictions @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  Given my remarkable success at predicting things that would happen in April General...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 36: Isaiah 1-6 @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  Normally I’d begin with a link to my podcast and transcript… except it...

Preparing for Disruption in Sacrament Meetings @ Mormanity
  -  In my past post, "My Take on the Joseph L. Bishop Scandal, and Steps We Can Take to...

Is there room for wonder in the Church? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  Earlier this year, I blogged about the Pew Religious Landscape Study and looked at some...

Gearing Up For Isaiah @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  Yes, everyone’s favorite book is upon us. I’m not sure there’s any...

Mary at the Tomb: How We Can Easily Misjudge Evidence of a Miracle @ Mormanity
  -  Last month I had the pleasure of speaking at the FAIRMormon Conference in Provo, where I...

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...

Genesis and Evolution: A BYU Guest Lecture @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  BYU’s Late Summer Honors offered a course recently called, “What Does it Mean...

Update on "Healthy" Alcohol Consumption: Massive New Study Reveals the Optimum Daily Dose is ZERO @ Mormanity
  -  My previous post discussed the $100 million government study on "moderate" alcohol...

The Word of Wisdom is Coming Back into Style: Conspiring Men and the Myth of Healthy Alcohol Consumption @ Mormanity
  -  Did you catch the recent reports in the New York Times of a major National Institutes of...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 35: Amos and Joel @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  I really like Amos; so much, in fact, that I’m ignoring Joel completely today. I...

The Least Religious Book on Ministering that Church Leaders and Members Ought to Read: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss @ Mormanity
  -  Some time ago in a complex corporate setting, I made the CEO of a large company quite...

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  By now, Rudy Giuliani’s infamous declaration to NBC’s Chuck Todd (“Truth isn’t...

When Good Spiritual Practice Goes Bad: Prayer, Rumination, and Revelations of Damnation @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  CW: brief mention of self-injury I still have vivid memories of a particular day in...

Mormon: The New Shibboleth @ Peculiar People
  -  Here’s hoping Lindsey releases a new, revised video: I’m a member of Church...

Mormon Edits @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  Joseph Smith taught that Mormon means more good. Taking this meaning, then, I’m...

The Beauty of Chance Encounters @ Mormanity
  -  From several years ago, a photo of my wife and Iat Mount Lao near Qingdao, China, by a...

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....

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine lesson 34: Hosea @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  First off, my podcast and transcript on Hosea are here. The manual suggests primary focus...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 33: Jonah and Micah @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  Jonah Jonah is four short chapters. I’ve done a lot with Jonah in the...

Raymond Brown on Understanding and Teaching Complicated Historical Issues @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  Raymond E. Brown SS, was a Catholic priest and Bible scholar, known for his Introduction...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 32- Job @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  Today we come to another little-read and little-known jewel of the Old Testament. It...

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 31- Proverbs and Ecclesiastes @ Benjamin the Scribe
  -  First, it looks like I didn’t do a podcast for Lesson 31 OR 32 in 2010, so no link...

Do Married Mormon Men Understand Consent? @ Peculiar People
  -    Image obtained through creative commons. I was 28 years old when I got married...

Modesty and Locus of Control @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  The discussion over at the Exponent about the Utah woman who had her bishop and stake...

Coincidence or Miracle? @ Mormanity
  -  On my recent trip to several parts of the United States, I was in the Chicago airport for...

Thinking DIfferently About Same-sex Attraction: A Valuable Presentation from Jeff Robinson @ Mormanity
  -  One of the highlights of this week's 2018 FairMormon Conference for me was the...

Enjoying the 2018 FairMormon Conference and Speaking Tomorrow on the "Arise from the Dust" Them in the Book of Mormone @ Mormanity
  -  I'm attending the 2018 FairMormon Conference at the Utah Valley Convention Center today....

$2,200 for a Screwdriver, and the Military Didn’t Buy It @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Well, it has been an interesting summer, to say the least. On Memorial Day, I was playing...

How to Support Same-Sex Marriage Without Throwing Single Straight People Under the Bus @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  When it comes to the topic of gay Mormons, I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen...

When Lehi Left Jerusalem: 605 B.C.? A Plausible Hypothesis from Jeff Chadwick @ Mormanity
  -  A frequent question and criticism of the Book of Mormon involves Nephi's statement at the...

"Artifact or Artifice?" Orson Scott Card's Brilliant 1993 Essay Still Rings True @ Mormanity
  -  Twenty-five years ago a famous name among fiction writers, Orson Scott Card, gave a...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 8 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Competition Restrained by a Higher Good (Part 2)Who Really Believes in Unfettered...

Coach Lindsay's Power Secret for Success in Tennis and in Life! @ Mormanity
  -  Roger Federer, courtesy of Wikipedia.Tonight I'll confess to having watched some...

Misdiagnosis! @ Mormanity
  -  A few days ago a grieving mom in Shanghai, a good friend of ours, shared some tragic news...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 8 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Competition Restrained By a Higher Good (Part 1)The fundamental question of management...

Praise for Jared W. Ludlow’s New Book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective @ Mormanity
  -  Jared W. Ludlow’s new book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective...

Joseph Smith's Universe and Some Ruminations on Chinese Sci-Fi @ Mormanity
  -  One of my favorite projects recently was preparing an unusual article for The Interpreter...

On Not Being God’s Victim (or, Nephi is Still Responsible for Killing Laban)   @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  An unsettling tendency among religious people, especially those with a strong belief in...

Now Let Us Rejoice in the Hymnbook Revisions @ Zelophehad's Daughters
  -  The Church has announced that the hymnbook and children’s songbook are both going...

Touched by the Worldwide Youth Devotional with President Nelson and His Wife @ Mormanity
  -  Although it's been several years since I qualified as a youth in the Church, I was still...

Out of the Best Books: Donald Parry's Valuable Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon @ Mormanity
  -  If you don't have this book already, I recommend that you download (for free!) one of the...

Remembering June 9, 1978 @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  In honor of the fortieth anniversary of the announcement of the revelation that ended one...

The Oldest Hebrew Inscription and the Psalms in the Book of Mormon @ Mormanity
  -  Tiny silver amulets engraved with Hebrewfrom the era of King Josiah, found at Ketef...

The High Suicide Rate in the Mountain States: Possible Effect of Altitude @ Mormanity
  -  The relatively higher suicide rates in Utah and other Mountain States has often been...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 7 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  A Nation of Owners (Part 2)The Federal ModelEach responsible citizen in the United States...

Democracy in the Ancient Americas? Maybe Not So Ridiculous After All @ Mormanity
  -  The Book of Mormon has often been criticized for its introduction of a form of democracy...

Engines of Beauty @ Mormanity
  -  "Mandarin Fish," the winning work from a recent art contest, shown above (courtesy of...

Making Ministering Holy @ Peculiar People
  -  My priesthood lesson prompt was very open-ended: “ministering.” My mind leapt to the...

Elder Gong in Shanghai @ Mormanity
  -  Shanghai was blessed to be visited by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a newly called Apostle of The...

Intriguing Comments on Brian Stubbs' Work on Possible Old World Connections to Uto-Aztecan Languages @ Mormanity
  -  After I published "The Next Big Thing in LDS Apologetics: Strong Semitic and Egyptian...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 7 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  A Nation of Owners (Part 1)Employees are being paid to produce, not to make themselves...

Some Tips on Writing Fake Mormon Newsroom Stories @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  This morning my son emailed me a link to the now infamous fake news story about President...

New Document Discovered from a Book of Mormon Witness @ Mormanity
  -  From the Juvenile Instructor blog, we have an important new finding regarding a Book of...

A Pie-in-the-Sky Blueprint for a New Political Party @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  If I had the time and money (hence, pie in the sky), I would love to start a new...

No, I Did Not Keep My “Maiden” Name @ Peculiar People
  -      Recently my alma mater, Brigham Young, mailed a request for donations. To...

Explicit and Implicit Doctrines in the Book of Mormon @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  There are doctrines in the Book of Mormon that are taught explicitly, and there are...

The Alternative to Alternative Facts @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  The alternative to alternative facts is, of course, real facts. So, in the interest of...

Another First: An Apostle in an Interracial Marriage @ Peculiar People
  -  There’s no denying the historic nature of Saturday’s sustaining vote for two...

What Will Combined MP Quorums Mean? @ Small and Simple
  -  In a shocking announcement during the Priesthood Session of the 2018 March/April General...

Why I’ll No Longer Go to Priesthood Interviews Alone @ Peculiar People
  -  The more stories break about women who’ve been abused or sexually harassed by...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 6 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  A Nation of Wage Earners (Part 2)The Individual versus the Human ResourceThe fundamental...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 6 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  A Nation of Wage Earners (Part 1)Sure, cried the tenant men, but it’s our land. We...

The Cost of a Kidney Stone @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  If you have never had a kidney stone, count yourself blessed. I had one in 1999 after...

Dealing with Difficult Questions @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Sorry I haven’t posted anything for a while. I’ve been busy going over page proofs...

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 Day I Interviewed Elder Russell M. Nelson @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  One day when I was working as a senior editor at Church magazines, I had the opportunity...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 5 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Of Course the Rich Are Getting Richer (Part 2)The Irrelevance of Right and LeftNeither...

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...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 5 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Of Course the Rich Are Getting Richer (Part 1)Often there is one pay system for...

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...

Clarifying the Principle of Confession @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  The LDS practice of male Church leaders holding interviews with youth has been in the...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 4 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  When Speed Looks Like Growth (Part 2)The Technological TrapEver-increasing productivity...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 4 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  When Speed Looks Like Growth (Part 1)Nothing in the modern workplace, and very little in...

Book Review: An American Sickness @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  If there is one book you should read in the coming months, it is Elisabeth Rosenthal’s...

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...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 3 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Not EverythingThat Grows Is Good (Part 2)Our Outrageous Demand for ProfitsIt is important...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 3 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Not EverythingThat Grows Is GoodGrowth of healthy organisms is a natural phenomenon, but...

Economic Insanity: Chapter 2 @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
  -  Consumerism: A Perfect CircleThat’s Empty in the Middle[Note: This chapter seems a bit...

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
  -   “…[scientism] is contributing to a growing trend on the left, quite as ferocious...

Stats on LDS Retention @ Mormon Metaphysics
  -  Just a short post as I’m planning a longer post on this topic at T&S next week. A...

Blogging at T&S @ Mormon Metaphysics
  -  Just a note I’m blogging at Times and Seasons for the next while. I’ll still post...

Mormon Millennials Becoming More Republican @ Mormon Metaphysics
  -  Somehow I missed that UVU (just a few blocks from work) was having a religious liberty...

Gallup on Number of Mormons @ Mormon Metaphysics
  -  I’d missed this when it came out. Gallup does regular interviews and keeps track of the...