Even More Islands and Atolls

Love One Another @ Exponent
  -   Recently an anonymous letter was sent out to the Autumn Ridge Ward in...

What Good Is a Prophet? @ Exponent
  -   “Claiming to speak for God is a tricky business — especially when God changes...

What Could I Have Done Differently With My Life if I Wasn’t Raised LDS? @ Exponent
  -   This is Dr. Angela Dunn (not me), state epidemiologist in Utah during the current...

Visio Divina at Allegheny Pilgrims @ Exponent
  -   On September 12, I gave the keynote during the virtual Allegheny Pilgrims retreat and...

Book Review: Miracles Among the Rubble @ Exponent
  -  Miracles among the Rubble is sincerely unlike any book I have ever read. Written and...

Guest Post: Things I Wish I Knew As A Single Latter Day Saint @ Exponent
  -   By: Ramona Morris I never wanted to get married. I never wanted to get married. I...

Goblins and Jesus @ Exponent
  -   My kids explore Goblin Valley, Utah After over an hour’s drive from the already...

An [almost perfect] Imperfect Roundness @ Exponent
  -  I have been hungry for this book for as long as I’ve known Melody Newey Johnson. We...

A Blessing On Your House @ Exponent
  -   “My dream Farm house” by Bindaas Madhavihttps://flic.kr/p/5CZGfN...

Personal Revelation and My Future Self @ Exponent
  -   One of the things I love about the church is its emphasis on personal revelation. The...

What Went Down When “the System of Astronomy Was Unfolded”? @ Sit At Cit
  -  What exactly unfolded when "the system of astronomy was unfolded" in 1835?

Review: Producing Ancient Scripture @ Worlds Without End
  -   I’ve been intrigued with what seem to be esoteric[1] influences flowing into...

Place, and Giving the Gift of Attention @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   I wrote this late last year, shortly after moving to New York City, and for some reason...

Crystal, Glass, and Diamond Worlds of Fire @ Sit At Cit
  -  In 2019, we learned there are billions of crystal, planet-sized spheres in the...

Parallels Between Typography and Conversational Design, feat. Robert Bringhurst @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   I’m reading Robert Bringhurst’s The Elements of Typographic Style....

Resistance and the Smartphone @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   In the latest, tenth-anniversary edition of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to...

From my mission. @ Ethesis
  -   Thanks to President & Sister Siddoway and the A.P.'s who put this together originally,...

Kolob: The Father of Everything @ Sit At Cit
  -  The etymology of the name of Kolob could imply the star's guts are scattered throughout...

Brigham, Temples, and $100 Billion @ Sit At Cit
  -  Yeah, the Church has a lot of money, but that's OK.

Kolob: The Fartherest Star Ever Discovered @ Sit At Cit
  -  In 1835, Joseph Smith said the first star in the universe was also the farthest one away,...

Adam Clarke’s Commentary and the Book of Mormon @ Worlds Without End
  -   In his most recent podcast episode, Radio Free Mormon spent an hour and a half exploring...

Why I Started Microblogging @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   So, I’ve started to microblog. I was inspired by Alan Jacobs’ recent...

Reflections on Conversational Design (2) @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   Spoken sentences and words are the heart and soul of a voice experience. It’s in...

Reflections on Conversational Design (1) @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   What is a voice user interface? And what artifacts allow designers to express their...

Kranzberg’s Laws @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   In October, 1985, Melvin Kranzberg (an eminent historian of technology) gave an address...

Kolob Might Be Dead @ Sit At Cit
  -  How the star Kolob may have died billions of years ago to make life as we know it...

“Writing Mormon History” is an emotional roller coaster ride @ Worlds Without End
  -   A review of Joseph W. Geisner, ed., Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books...

The Greatest of All the Stars @ Sit At Cit
  -  Joseph Smith taught that the first star was also the greatest star--and he might have...

The First Creation @ Sit At Cit
  -  In 1842 Joseph Smith taught that the first thing created in the universe was a star....

Stars are Creators @ Sit At Cit
  -  The most beautiful symbol for Christ in the universe is a star.

3rd Father’s Day Without Dad @ Mormon Heretic
  -  This is my 3rd Father’s Day since my dad passed away. It feels a little weird...

Review: The Writings of Oliver H. Olney: April 1842 to February 1843 – Nauvoo, Illinois @ Worlds Without End
  -   The Writings of Oliver H. Olney: April 1842 to February 1843 – Nauvoo,...

A Timeless God @ Sit At Cit
  -  A lot of things make a lot more sense when we think of God as a Being who is not bound by...

Book Review: Mercy without End: Toward a More Inclusive Church @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: Mercy without End: Toward a More Inclusive Church, by: Lavina Fielding...

Book Review: Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon by...

Book Review: Kingdom of Nauvoo @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American...

Mormon Political Trilogy: A Brief Book Review @ Worlds Without End
  -   Utah, the Murder Hornet, err, Beehive State! It was not a planned, coordinated...

A Reign of Dangerous Lunacy @ kiwimormon
  -  In 2016, when Donald Trump was elected to be President of the United States, I was...

REVIEW: Pacific Apostle: The 1920-21 Diary of David O. McKay in the Latter-day Saint Island Missions @ Worlds Without End
  -   Pacific Apostle: The 1920-21 Diary of David O. McKay in the Latter-day Saint Island...

UX as creative tension @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   Last week, I wrote about Matt Damon Smith’s definition of user experience, which...

the interface makes the experience @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   For the past several years, whenever the “UX vs UI” debate has come up...

Book Review: “Please, Please Call Me to the Bishopric!” @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: Please, Please Call Me to the Bishopric! BY Jett AtwoodPublished: 2019,...

“Helvetica” @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   I watched the Helvetica documentary this evening, all about–you guessed...

Hoarding the Sacrifices of Ordinary People: A Question of Ethics @ kiwimormon
  -  “There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and...

A Year After a Church Discipline and I’m Still Mormon! @ kiwimormon
  -  I would be remiss if I didn’t give a  huge shout-out to President Russell Nelson who...

A post about charity vs. poverty zoo visits @ Ethesis
  -  https://wheatandtares.org/2019/11/21/charity-or-holiday-entertainment/ It is better than...

Please ignore this post if you are here for actual content. @ Ethesis
  -  Please ignore this post if you are here for the older content. The last substantive...

Please ignore this post if you are here for the older content. @ Ethesis
  -   Please ignore this post if you are here for the older content. The last substantive...

A Brief Tribute to Clark Goble @ LDS Science Review
  -  I was saddened to hear of the passing of Clark Goble a week ago. I started this blog in...

Marketing sample @ Ethesis
  -  Please ignore this post if you are here for the older content. The last substantive...

Coda on my law practice @ Ethesis
  -  When I retired, I still had three appeals pending. The last of them just had an opinion...

Five Days after the Christchurch Shootings: Subversive Compassion @ kiwimormon
  -  As I read the international response to the Christchurch mosque shootings,  I find some...

Matriarchy and Patriarchy at Baptism @ Mormon Heretic
  -  My brother called me up a few days ago and asked me if I would serve as a witness to his...

From Christchurch: A Critique and a Lament @ kiwimormon
  -  After gathering in our five sons from their schools where they had been in lockdown for...

A change of pace @ Ethesis
  -  I think I have said what I have to say about grief, recovery and finding life again. So,...

On hope @ Ethesis
  -   Borrowed from Tatiana Boshenka Thought 1: This post reminds me of what Vaclav Havel...

Grief, recovery and changes @ Ethesis
  -  One thing that happened, each time a child died, a coping mechanism that I was using...

Father Forgive them…Not in Original Bible? @ Mormon Heretic
  -  My wife gathered the family together to go over the 1st lesson of the new Home Study...

An Open Letter to the Christchurch Stake on the Day of My Church Discipline @ kiwimormon
  -  Dear Sisters and Brothers of Christchurch Stake, I recall several years ago talking with...

Why not just resign? @ kiwimormon
  -  Before I address the concerns of the many, many people who have reached out to me since...

When the LDS Church Disciplines a Woman @ kiwimormon
  -  Whatever you may think about the soteriology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

Mixed Feelings About 2-hour Block/Pageants @ Mormon Heretic
  -  I am probably in the minority. I think I’m going to miss weekly Sunday School....

Information Terrorism as a Tool of the Far Right @ LDS Science Review
  -  This article from Wired is worth a read. It shows how the Kavanaugh hearing fit right in...

In the Wake of General Conference: Let’s Talk About Spiritual Abuse @ kiwimormon
  -  Zina Huntington (1821-1901) was a young woman in her prime when she married Henry...

Is the Church Running Scared? (Plus Elizabeth Smart Notes) @ Mormon Heretic
  -  The LDS Church has been subject to increasing leaks and protests lately.  MormonLeaks...

When Church Leaders are More Important than Church Children @ kiwimormon
  -  “Some churches, sects, cults or religious movements are basically collective egoic...

Please Give Me Advice for a Calling I Don’t Want @ Mormon Heretic
  -  After a few pleasantries, including how busy my life is, here’s the gist of a...

Things That Make You Go Hmmm… @ Mormon Heretic
  -  Fair warning:  this post is a downer.  But first let me say how blessed I am.  I was...

Backpacking shoes @ Ethesis
  -  I've found that I can't use zero drop (causes me knee problems, probably because of tight...

Elder Oaks: Be One, Unless You’re Gay @ Mormon Heretic
  -  I attended the “Be One” celebration last night at the Conference Center.  It...

Far as the Curse was Found, Farther than We Think @ LDS Science Review
  -  My ancestry is thoroughly European and Mormon. The ancestors of three of my grandparents...

Would You Buy A Product That Tells You It Doesn't Work? Of Course You Would! @ LDS Science Review
  -  Whenever I go to a drug store, I feel a renewed sense of amazement. Consider the...

The Creationification of America @ LDS Science Review
  -  In this strange era of 'fake news,' where truth is discounted as lies, and lies are...

Selling off a now extra tent. @ Ethesis
  -  Same tent I have listed at Gear Trade, discounted since if I sell direct it will have...

Mules: On Confusing Outcomes with Inputs @ LDS Science Review
  -  While surfing the Internet I came across a new scientific article describing progress in...

A Couple of Interesting Sacrament Meetings @ Mormon Heretic
  -  I’ve attended a couple of interesting Sacrament Meetings the past 2 weeks.  In...

We All Fall @ LDS Science Review
  -  We each had our own fall.The first, almost immediate condition the fall introduced was a...

How the Creation Accounts Differ @ LDS Science Review
  -  One of the first questions in Lesson 3 (The Creation) of the Sunday school Old Testament...

Conspiracy Theories are Sweatpants of the Mind @ LDS Science Review
  -  There's a classic scene in Seinfeld where Jerry admonishes George for wearing...

Remember Planet Nibiru? It's (Not) Back! @ LDS Science Review
  -  Some people never learn. The Washington Post reports that a poor NASA scientist is having...

Why It's Hard for Me to Get On Board with the Pro-Life Movement @ LDS Science Review
  -  Few topics in politics get as heated as abortion, and the Church is pretty clear about...

On Temples (a religious post) @ Ethesis
  -  I wrote this: https://wheatandtares.org/2017/09/07/asking-about-the-temple/ It follows...

Losing a Lost Tribe @ Mormon Heretic
  -  The 2nd post ever on this blog was Why are the 12 Tribes of Israel important? ...

President Erying, His Father, and the Letter @ LDS Science Review
  -  In two different General Conference addresses, President Henry B. Eyring has briefly...

Donald Trump is Nothing If Not Meticulous About Facts @ LDS Science Review
  -  At yesterday's press conference, when asked why he didn't condemn the hate groups...

On Paris and Tribal Politics @ LDS Science Review
  -  I don't have much to say about President Trump's announcement today that the U.S. will...

FIRM: The Misleading of Latter-day Saints by Latter-day Saints @ LDS Science Review
  -  Last week, while on vacation, my attention was called to an article in the Salt Lake...

Lesson in church today @ Ethesis
  -   -Women need to be faithful to themselves.:how do they do that?:how do...

Bible Lessons @ Ethesis
  -   May you be like Ruth and like Esther, Marry someone of a different race, All will...

Mitt Romney Supports A Carbon Tax / Dividend @ LDS Science Review
  -  Earlier this month, Mitt Romney posted the following message on Twitter:Thought-provoking...

The day my dad got arrested @ Ethesis
  -  In the hospital. While donating blood. There was a police officer bleeding out, and...

BYU and the Reconstruction of the Legend of the First Vision @ LDS Science Review
  -  Last year Richard Bushman generated a bit of a stir when he said,I think that for the...

Day 1: Official Propaganda Begins @ LDS Science Review
  -  On the first day of his presidency, Donald Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, called a...

Obama Did a Really Crappy Job.... @ LDS Science Review
  -  ...of taking away our guns....of setting up death panels....of instituting Sharia...

Joseph Fielding Smith and the Milk Mystery @ LDS Science Review
  -  I have a collection of draft posts in various phases of completion, most of which will...

Shaping History: Joseph Fielding Smith Milks a Cow @ LDS Science Review
  -  I have a collection of draft posts in various phases of completion, most of which will...

Glenn Beck is Sorry for Paving the Way for Trump @ LDS Science Review
  -  In case you missed it, after years of stoking the paranoia of the right about Barack...

My Post-Election Takeaway @ LDS Science Review
  -  Like just over half of Americans, I am quite distressed and disturbed by the election of...

The Church Has No Official Position on Evolution - New Era @ LDS Science Review
  -  The Church's October 2016 issue of the New Era magazine says the following about...

Joseph Fielding Smith: Time Will Level All Things @ LDS Science Review
  -  In the October 1952 General Conference, Joseph Fielding Smith, then President of the...

@ Ethesis
  -   Most organizations face a dilemma. On the one hand, too much factionalism and...

@ Ethesis
  -   Getting Involved Wondering how to get involved? These resources can help you and your...

At the last day the King shall come ... @ Ethesis
  -   This moment does not define the refugees, but our response will help define...

Lesson 12, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson @ Ethesis
  -   Chapter 12: “Seek the Spirit in All You Do” Teachings of Presidents of the Church:...

Working on a rough draft @ Ethesis
  -   Changes. Introduction There have been four changes in the Church in the last fifty...

Lesson Eight -- Overcoming the Walls of our Minds. @ Ethesis
  -   “The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to bring about love, unity,...

Memory, Simplification and Lies @ Ethesis
  -  I realized recently that by the standards of some people who insist that all...

Rough Draft Interview of Jerilyn Hassell Pool @ Ethesis
  -   Welcome to the interview series Ms. Jerilyn Hassell Pool. You are famous in some...

Finding Faith in Jesus Christ -- January 10th lesson @ Ethesis
  -  When you think about how Howard W. Hunter lost his job about seven months after getting...

On the passing of my father-in-law @ Ethesis
  -   In the end it comes to three things. Did we accept that we needed a Savior? Did we...