Posted on November 10, 2009 by Joe O.
This site has been quiet for some time and it makes me wonder if we’ve stopped “thinking in a marrow bone.” I haven’t stopped thinking, but I’m not sure if I’m doing much thinking that’s worth anything. So instead, I’d like to issue a challenge and have you do the thinking for me: someone help [...]
Filed under: Mormon Doctrine, Science | Tagged: "survival of the fittest", age of earth, carbon dating, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, creation, creationism, death, eternal matter, evolution, Garden of Eden, intelligent design, LDS, LDS Church, Mormons, natural selection, Resurrection, Science and Religion, Two Great Commandments | 29 Comments »
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 July 20, 2009 by Dennis
In many respects, Catholics and Mormons have similar views on abortion. In general, both churches are pro-life, although individual Mormons are probably more likely than Catholics, at least in the U.S., to be pro-life. Plus a larger number of U.S. Catholics are more likely to emphasize (Democratic) legislation and interventions to reduce abortion, rather than [...]
Filed under: Comparative Religion | Tagged: abortion, Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, automatic excommunication, Catholic, Catholic abortion position, Catholics, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, excommunication, incest, LDS, LDS Church, Mormon abortion position, Mormon Church, Mormons, Pope Benedict XVI, pregnant 9-year old, pro-choice, pro-life, rape, Vatican | 15 Comments »
Posted on July 11, 2009 by Joe O.
My five-year-old daughter came home from Primary one Sunday and told us all about her lesson the Word of Wisdom. Her teachers had creatively made pictures of things that were “bad” so the children could throw them away. They threw away images of cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and coffee – all the things that are restricted [...]
Filed under: Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine, Scripture | Tagged: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Latter-day Saints, LDS, LDS Church, LDS Primary, Mormon health, Mormons, Word of Wisdom | 5 Comments »
Posted on June 27, 2009 by Dennis
There is currently a petition to the First Presidency to apologize on behalf of the Church for “official statements, rhetoric, policy and practice” that “have been injurious to gays and lesbians and their families and friends.”
First, I should say that in many ways I respect this petition. There clearly is a self-conscious attempt to address [...]
Filed under: Politics, Relationships | Tagged: accusation, apology, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First Presidency, gay marriage, gays, homosexuality, LDS, LDS Church, LDSApology.org, lesbians, Mormons, petition, Prop 8, reconciliation, Reconciliation Petition Request to the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, same-sex marriage | 45 Comments »
Posted on May 24, 2009 by Dennis
Imagine inviting all of your friends over for your birthday party.
And by friends, I mean just about everyone you knew in high school, your college friends, people from your ward(s), people from work, relatives, ex-boyfriends/girlfriends. In other words, this is a BIG party.
Filed under: Relationships | Tagged: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Facebook, Facebook friends, individualism, Jesus Christ, LDS, LDS Church, missionary work, Mormon Church, Mormons, relationalism, technology, Thomas S. Monson | 23 Comments »
Posted on November 23, 2008 by Dennis
This is the first 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.
Living forever hasn’t always been a pleasant thought for me.
I still remember when the notion of living forever first dawned on me. I was probably [...]
Filed under: Religious Experience, Theology | Tagged: death, eternal life, existence, existentialism, Heavenly Father, immortality, Latter-day Saints, LDS Church, metaphysics, Mormons, mortality, plan of salvation, pre-mortal existence, Theology, time | 11 Comments »
Posted on November 7, 2008 by Dan
I hear the word “objective” used fairly often. I’ve heard it at home, at the university, at work, and even at church on occasion. One thing I think we fail to appreciate is that this word can have several different meanings and that some of these meanings may convey more philosophical baggage than we [...]
Filed under: Philosophy, Science | Tagged: foreknowledge of God, God, Kant, Latter-day Saints, LDS Church, Mormons, noumena, objective, phenomena, philosophy of science, Plato, revelation, Richard Rorty, Science, Science and Religion, Thomas Kuhn, truth | 5 Comments »
Posted on November 5, 2008 by Dennis
Like most things in life, this election is bittersweet.
I’m happy Obama won.
I’m sad that so many of my friends and family members are, well, not so happy.
I’m happy that so many people across this country have brighter hopes for America and for the future.
I’m sad for those who think that the end is near.
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: civil rights, Dell "Superdell" Schanze, Democratic Party, filibuster-proof, gay marriage, Jason Chaffetz, Latter-day Saints, LDS, LDS Church, McCain, Mormons, Obama, Politics, Proposition 8, Republican Party, Sarah Palin, SNL, Ted Stevens, Tina Fey, Utah County Democrats, Utah politics, Yes on Prop 8 | 35 Comments »
Posted on October 30, 2008 by Dennis
Hey Cuz!
You don’t know me, but I think we’re fifth cousins or something like that. We’re both descendants from Parley P. Pratt — 2 greats for you, 3 for me. We have lots in common: we’re both active Latter-day Saints, we’ve both graduated from BYU, and we’re both not afraid to change our minds about [...]
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: A message from Mitt Romney, abortion, Brigham Young University, Democratic Party, Democrats, Don Jarvis, Donald K. Jarvis, ethics reform, GOP, jihadists, Latter-day Saints, LDS, LDS Church, Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, Mormons, Parley P. Pratt, public education, Republican Party, Republicans, sanctity of life, Steve Clark, terrorism, traditional marriage, Utah County Democrats, Utah Democrats, Utah politics | 19 Comments »
Posted on October 27, 2008 by Dennis
We have finally reached the end of our weekly forum on the presidential election. We have had many great discussions on a range of topics, such as character, Iraq, the economy, abortion, relationship with LDS Church, health care, faith and family values, terrorism and diplomacy, education, and political corruption. Click here to see the [...]
Filed under: Obama vs. McCain | Tagged: McCain, Politics, Obama, LDS, LDS Church, Latter-day Saints, Mormon | 46 Comments »
Posted on October 20, 2008 by Dennis
This is the twenty-first of a weekly series of public forums on TMB.
Arguably, one of the most important and consequential factors of a U.S. president is not simply what the president does, but what he/she symbolizes.
What might be the national or international consequences of what a McCain or Obama presidency would symbolize? Feel free to [...]
Filed under: Obama vs. McCain | Tagged: McCain, Mormons, Politics, Obama, LDS Church, Latter-day Saints, symbolism of president | 11 Comments »
Posted on October 5, 2008 by Dennis
I thought I’d take a minute and discuss what I consider to be the highlights of this weekend’s semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Filed under: Mormon Doctrine | Tagged: "I stand at the door and knock", "lift where you stand", "no poor among them", "one heart and one mind", "poisoned by degrees", "yoke is easy", 178th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Je, Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Alexander Pope, As You Like It, charity, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, courage, D. Todd Christofferson, Dallin H. Oaks, David A. Bednar, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elaine S. Dalton, Faith, Far West Missouri, General Conference, Gerald Klause, gospel teaching, gratitude, Great Apostasy, Henry B. Eyring, Henry David Thoreau, here and now, hope, Independence Missouri, Jesus Christ, Kansas City, L. Tom Perry, Lawrence E. Corbridge, LDS, LDS Church, Lehonti, meaning in suffering, meaningful prayer, meekness, Mormons, mouths of babes, Parley P. Pratt, Philadelphia, Poverty, priesthood callings, Quentin L. Cook, Restoration, Restored Gospel, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Empire, Rome, sacrament, sacrament meeting, scriptures, Shakespeare, suffering, temple worship, temples, The Morning Breaks, Thomas S. Monson, unity, virtue, Walden Pond, Wendell Berry, William D. Oswald, Zion | 4 Comments »
Posted on August 23, 2008 by Dennis
I just left the following comment on the McCain vs. Obama VP forum. I’d like to hear what you think about it, but I’ve closed comments on this post and am encouraging you to leave comments on the original VP post instead.
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Joe Biden, LDS, LDS Church, McCain, Mitt Romney, Mormons, Obama, Politics, Tim Pawlenty, Utah politics, VP | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 14, 2008 by Dennis
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 [...]
Filed under: Mormon Culture, Music, Theatre | Tagged: BYU, BYU Mens' Chorus, fine arts, H.M.S. Pinafore, Hale Center Theatre, Hillary Hahn, LDS Church, Mormon Culture, Mormons, ovation inflation, standing ovations, Temple Square, Theatre, Utah Symphony | 18 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 9, 2008 by Dennis
Last night, my wife Candice wrote a letter to the Deseret Morning News. I’ll repeat the text of the submitted letter here:
I would not expect Deseret Morning News, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to display sexually offensive advertising images on its online articles. I recently saw an ad for “Macy’s [...]
Filed under: Mormon Culture | Tagged: advertising, censorship, Deseret Morning News, LDS Church, Macy's, Mormon Culture, Mormons, panties, sexuality, W. Craig Zwick, women | 4 Comments »
Posted on April 7, 2008 by Candice
I just sent this letter to the editor. We’ll wait and see if they publish it.
I would not expect Deseret Morning News, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to display sexually offensive advertising images on its online articles. I recently saw an ad for “Macy’s Free Ultimates Panty” (whatever that is) [...]
Filed under: Mormon Culture | Tagged: advertising, Deseret Morning News, LDS Church, Mormon Culture, Mormons, panties, W. Craig Zwick, women | 6 Comments »