Posted on October 4, 2009 by Dennis
I always feel spiritually rejuvenated after General Conference, and this conference was no exception. Here are some of the dominant themes and highlights I noticed, along with some of my own thoughts:
1. Fresh ways of looking at the “fundamentals”
I sometimes grow tired of the way the “fundamentals” in the Church are sometimes talked about by [...]
Filed under: Mormon Doctrine, Scripture | Tagged: Africa, Atonement of Jesus Christ, Book of Mormon, Boyd K. Packer, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, conversion, Dale G. Renlund, Dallin H. Oaks, David A. Bednar, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Gospel of Jesus Christ, heart transplant, Henry B. Eyring, Holy Ghost, Jeffrey R. Holland, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Joseph W. Sitati, LDS, LDS Church, Michael T. Ringwood, mighty change of heart, Mormon Church, Mormons, Neil L. Andersen, Richard G. Scott, Richard L. Bushman, Robert D. Hales, Rough Stone Rollling, South Korea, testimony, Thomas S. Monson, Two Great Commandments, Vicki Matsumori, Yoon Hwan Choi | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 2, 2009 by Joe O.
I’m not usually a literalist about the scriptures, but I’m a little baffled by a verse I read today and the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 137. This section is the account of a vision Joseph Smith had of the celestial kingdom. He names Adam and Abraham, as well as his parents, as inhabitants, likely those [...]
Filed under: Scripture, Theology | Tagged: Alvin Smith, Celestial Kingdom, Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants 137, Folk Theologies, Gospel of Jesus Christ, interpretation of scripture, Joseph Smith, Latter-day Saints, LDS, life after death, mass confusion, Mormon Church, Mormons, Resurrection, Scripture, scriptures, Temple work, temples, Theology, unanswered questions, work for the dead | 14 Comments »
Posted on December 27, 2008 by Dennis
This is the second of a series of short posts entitled “Meditations on Time.” In this series I will explore some of my thoughts and experiences concerning time and the gospel.
In my previous post, I talked about my childhood fear of living forever. As a young boy, I thought that living forever would be boring [...]
Filed under: Literature, Relationships, Religious Experience | Tagged: A Christmas Carol, alienation, Atonement, Charles Dickens, Christmas, consumerism, Cratchitt, death, Ebenezer Scrooge, eternal life, existentialism, Fezziwig, Ghost of Christmas Future, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Irvin Yalom, Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints, LDS, materialism, Mormons, oncology, time, Tiny Tim | 3 Comments »
Posted on September 24, 2008 by Joe O.
Whenever I hear people talk about the kingdom of God, it seems like it’s always referred to in the future tense. Lately, I’ve begun to wonder if the kingdom of God isn’t already all around us.
Filed under: Mormon Doctrine, Relationships, Theology | Tagged: baptism, Book of Mormon, children of God, Christ's visit to America, Doctrine of Christ, Gift of the Holy Ghost, God, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, LDS, Love, Mormon theology, Mormons, Scripture, sons of God, Theology, Two Great Commandments | 10 Comments »
Posted on June 29, 2008 by Dennis
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 [...]
Filed under: Comparative Religion, Mormon Doctrine | Tagged: agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, Catholics, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, eternal life, Evangelicals, femininity, Gender, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ, Jews, Latter-day Saints, LDS, masculinity, missionary work, Mormons, Muslims, one true faith, Pew Forum, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Priesthood Authority, Protestants, religious pluralism, religious tolerance, Rodney Stark, Sandra Bem, Scripture, Theology, three degrees of glory, tolerance | 19 Comments »
Posted on June 10, 2008 by Dennis
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 [...]
Filed under: History, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine | Tagged: anti-slavery, Brigham Young, Bruce R. McConkie, Cain, Chicago, compassion, curse of Cain, Darius Gray, Deseret, Elijah Abel, endowment, First Presidency, George Q. Cannon, Gordon B. Hinckley, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jeffrey R. Holland, Jesus Christ, Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, LDS Church, long promised day, love thy neighbor as thyself, Margaret Young, Melchizedek Priesthood, Mormon Doctrine, Mormons, neutrals in the war in heaven, Orson Hyde, pre-existence, Priesthood, Quorum of the Twelve, Race, Racism, Restoration, revelation, revelation on the priesthood, slavery, Spencer W. Kimball, Temple, Walker Lewis, Zebedee Coltrin | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 18, 2008 by Dennis
As I’ve been reading the first third of the Book of Mormon, I’ve been thinking about the “laborer in Zion.”
Filed under: Politics, Scripture | Tagged: blue-collar workers, Book of Mormon, consecration, economics, families, Gospel of Jesus Christ, government, laborer in Zion, Michelle Obama, Mormons, Obama, Politics, sacrifice, scriptures, work | 41 Comments »
Posted on April 17, 2008 by Dennis
In the spirit of my wanting more posts that comment on specific scriptural passages, I am providing this commentary on Abraham 2:16. I wrote the following as a brief paper for a Pearl of Great Price course that I took as an undergraduate at BYU:
After He rescued Abraham from the murderous priest of Elkenah, Jehovah [...]
Filed under: Scripture | Tagged: Abraham, Atonement, Canaan, Eternity, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Haran, intelligences, Jehovah, Jershon, Jesus Christ, John Greenleaf Whittier, Kolob, Pearl of Great Price, Rock of Heaven, salvation, Scripture, stars | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 19, 2008 by Dennis
This morning Barack Obama gave an excellent speech on racial issues in America. The full text is available here, from the New York Times. The full speech can be viewed on MSNBC.
Nobody has spoken this openly about racial problems in America. A truly heroic — and presidential — effort by Obama.
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Gordon B. Hinckley, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Obama, poiltics, Race, Racism | 5 Comments »
Posted on March 2, 2008 by Dennis
On March 27 (3-5 p.m.) at the University of Utah, I am giving a presentation at the Society of Mormon Philosophy and Theology, entitled “Toward a Latter-day Saint Theology of Possibilities.” Information about the conference can be found here.
In this presentation I will talk about how “folk beliefs” are unavoidable among Latter-day Saints. Because we [...]
Filed under: Folk Theologies | Tagged: Folk Theologies, Gender, God, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, LDS, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon theology, Mormons, Politics, Pre-Mortal Life, Priesthood Authority, Word of Wisdom | 39 Comments »
