Obama vs. McCain 2008: Round 5: Freedom

This is the fifth of a weekly series of public forums on TMB. Watch for a new round every Monday. The schedule and comment policy are available here.
In keeping with Independence Day, the topic for this week’s forum is Freedom.
There are several potential topics that I’ve intended to be covered here:

Pew Forum Question Does Violence to Mormon Belief

A recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study, in which over 35,000 Americans were interviewed, had an interesting result. According to this Time article, the Pew Forum study found that
70% of respondents agreed with the statement “Many religions can lead to eternal life.” Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical [...]

Mormons for McCain — Where Are You?

Lately I’ve been trying to locate any kind of organized effort for Mormons for McCain.
I haven’t had much luck.
Using a Google Search of “Mormons for McCain,” all that came up were some older articles that talked about some Mormons who were rooting for McCain when Romney was still in the race. (And now hopefully this [...]

Obama vs. McCain 2008: Round 4: Iraq

This is the fourth of a weekly series of public forums on TMB. Watch for a new round every Monday (used to be every Wednesday). The schedule and important comment rules regarding these forums are available here.
I’ll leave this forum very open-ended.
Iraq. McCain. Obama.
Discuss.
Email a friend

Happiness, Gay Marriage, and Eternal Marriage

In light of the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court on gay marriage, I’ve been thinking a lot about politics and religion and where the two – for me, anyway – should meet. I’ve struggled for a long time wondering whether legislating against gay marriage was the most “Christian” thing to do, or if [...]

Obama vs. McCain 2008: Round 3: Bipartisanship and National Unity

This is the third of a weekly series of public forums on TMB. Watch for a new round every Monday (used to be every Wednesday). The schedule and important comment rules regarding these forums are available here.
Both McCain and Obama are touting themselves as able to unite Americans of varying political parties and ideologies.
What do [...]

Ovation Inflation: How Unique to Mormons?

Everyone is worried about the economy, including the inflation of the U.S. dollar.
But I wish to express my concerns about a different kind of inflation: ovation inflation.
Years ago I came to the term “ovation inflation” independently, but after I googled the term about a month ago, I realized, once again, that I am not as [...]

Obama vs. McCain 2008: Round 2: VP?

This is the second of a weekly series of public forums on TMB. Watch for a new round every Monday (used to be every Wednesday). The schedule and important comment rules regarding these forums are available here.
The big question right now regarding the presidential election concerns the vice-presidency. Obviously, the dominant issue is the Obama-Clinton [...]

June 8, 1978: Revelation on the Priesthood: 30 Years Later

Last Sunday (June 8, 2008), a member of my ward, Whitney, gave an excellent talk in sacrament meeting in commemoration of the 30 year anniversary of the revelation on the priesthood (the formal announcement of). With Whitney’s permission, I am including a written version of his talk here. It is an excellent talk, which speaks [...]

BYU, “Safe Walk,” and Rape Prevention: A Flawed Strategy

I recently began volunteering for a rape crisis team in the Provo/Orem area. My training experience, which I recently completed, helped me to realize (even more than I had before) that many in the BYU community unintentionally create a false sense of security concerning rape prevention.
The vast majority of rapes — in Utah County and [...]

Obama vs. McCain 2008: Round 1: Character

This is the first of a weekly series of public forums on TMB. Watch for a new round every Monday (used to be every Wednesday). The schedule is available here.

Finally! The primary season has wrapped up. With Obama’s clinch in the delegate count and news that Clinton will formally concede this Saturday, it is time [...]

Trevor’s Film Recommendations: The First Mini-Canon: French Language (Part 1)

Dennis suggested that I post a few recommendations for films that readers of the blog might find fruitful. I hope that others here will find this helpful or at least of interest. I often post different lists (my own favorites as well as those of critics I admire and loathe) on my blog Toward [...]