Even More Islands and Atolls

Read, Read, Read @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   Reading is obviously where our scripture study must begin. We cannot study and come to...

A Review of “1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction” @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   Joseph Spencer is very good at reading. And the Church is better for it. You learn...

Love Thy Neighbor (from a distance) @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -  

Female Anointings and Women’s Prayer @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   My friend Marissa is going to Harvard Divinity School, studying the stories of holy...

Journeys, Feasts, and Predicaments @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   We all use metaphors to describe our lives, things like: “Love is a...

A Case for Reader’s Bibles–and Reader’s Books of Mormon @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   1. Back in 2008, as the Amazon Kindle e-reader was coming-of-age and people...

Teaching Sunday School How to Read Biblical Poetry @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   This past Sunday, I subbed for our Sunday School class. Much as I love teaching...

the argument became a part of the adventure @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   What happened then: they became a team, a family of two. There had been times before...

Book Review: The Ancient Order of Things: Essays on the Mormon Temple @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: The Ancient Order of Things: Essays on the Mormon TempleEditor: Christian Larsen...

Book Review: “Jan Shipps: A Social and Intellectual Portrait” @ Worlds Without End
  -   Jan Shipps: A Social and Intellectual Portrait: How a Methodist Girl from Hueytown,...

Mature Unity, and Living “As For Years” @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   When Susan and I were in graduate school, we came to appreciate the wisdom embedded in...

“Fleeing the Garden: Reading Genesis 2-3” @ Stagger Onward Rejoicing
  -   This past December, I read “Fleeing the Garden: Reading Genesis 2-3,” a...

Review of The Earth Will Appear as the Garden of Eden: Essays on Mormon Environmental History @ Worlds Without End
  -   Review of Jedediah S. Rogers and Matthew C. Godfrey, The Earth Will Appear as the...

Book Review: The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History @ Worlds Without End
  -   The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History by Darren Parry, Published by: BCC Press,...

REVIEW: Behind the Scenes Tour of the Kirtland Temple From Basement to Bell Tower @ Worlds Without End
  -   Behind the Scenes Tour of the Kirtland Temple From Basement to Bell Tower Author: Ronald...

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...

Book Review: “Faith and Intellect: The Lives and Contributions of Latter-day Saint Thinkers” @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: “Faith and Intellect: The Lives and Contributions of Latter-day Saint...

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...

Review: Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room @ Worlds Without End
  -   Title: Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room Author: Rod Decker Published by:...

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...

Book Review: Girls Who Choose God: Stories of Extraordinary Women from Church History @ Exponent
  -        Authors: McArthur Krishna & Bethany Brady Spalding, Illustrator:...

Guest Post: No Room at the Inn, No Place at the Table, Nowhere to call home @ Exponent
  -     By Melissa Malcolm King I am left with many mixed emotions following so many...

Emblems. @ Exponent
  -  photo credit – Mike Hansen “I miss it. So much” I looked at my friend. They...

Sacred Music Sunday: For All the Saints @ Exponent
  -   I love big, bold brassy hymns, and anything written by Ralph Vaughan Williams...

Guest Post: For My Mother Divine @ Exponent
  -   By Kim Layton The bonding gaze ‘tween babe and mom. “She loves me and...

Why I write. @ Exponent
  -   The 2019 post-graduate school, fall version of this photo By LMA October...

Learning and Teaching Self-Worth @ Exponent
  -   Last week, I realized that I sound like a jerk when someone asks me about my classes....

A Seat at the Table @ Exponent
  -        A photo going around the internet lately has really been on my...

Family History for People of Color @ Exponent
  -   The following guest post is by Michelle Franzoni Thorley. You can follow her...

A woman’s place is to rule @ Exponent
  -   Photo by Kobu Agency on Unsplash During my mission in Europe, we brought an...

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...

A Review of Jonathan Stapley’s The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology @ Worlds Without End
  -   Stapley, Jonathan A. The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology. New York, NY:...

NO BEATLE CUTS! @ Worlds Without End
  -   The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show At the 2019 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium Clair...

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

Review: “The Annals of the Southern Mission: A Record of the History of the Settlement of Southern Utah” @ Worlds Without End
  -   James Godson Bleak Title: The Annals of the Southern Mission: A Record of the...

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...

On the twists and tangles of church: Reflections on Kirtland @ kiwimormon
  -  A few days ago I sat in the Kirtland Temple.   It’s currently the only Mormon (or...

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...

When Modesty is a Matter of Life & Death @ Mormon Heretic
  -  I hate modesty posts.  This is my first modesty post.  I appreciate how it is a big...

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...

Why didn't anyone tell me -- about literal interpretation vs. allegory @ Ethesis
  -  Many people claim to believe "literally" in the Bible.  More or less.  They read it as...