Category Archives: Religion
To Whom Does this Church Belong?
Almost 20 years ago I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I served in various callings in the local ward. When the bishop would ask my opinion on what should be done regarding some issue in the ward, I would provide my thoughts, then always close with “…but it’s your ward, bishop.” My thought, of course,… Read More »
Hubris and the Straw Man
I checked into Facebook earlier today and in my timeline was a link to an article in the December Ensign. (The Ensign is a monthly magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) The article, entitled “The Answer to All the Hard Questions,” was shared by John Dehlin, a vocal and prominent… Read More »
Temple Garments, Explained
Those who know me understand that I have an odd hobby that I engage in from time to time—apologetics. (Or, more descriptively, defense of the faith.) One facet of that is that I often attend the LDS church’s General Conference, every April and October, to see what those who are most overtly vocal against our… Read More »
Excommunication
It was late. I pulled up in front of my home, exhausted from the events of the evening. I was drained, both physically and emotionally. I summoned what little strength I had left, picked up my scriptures, climbed out of the car, and walked toward the front door. As I walked into the house, I… Read More »
BYU Liberality and the Pain of Being Gay and Mormon
I’ve never been a BYU student. At one time I went to the school now known as BYU Idaho, but that doesn’t mean I was a BYU student. On many fronts, at the time, we viewed BYU as our competitor, not as another manifestation of our alma mater. Even so, I was interested this week… Read More »
Poignant Bumper Sticker Memes
I enjoyed general conference earlier this month, and in fact wrote a good deal about it and the goings-on by other groups at conference time. One of those groups is Ordain Women, which sponsored an event designed to heighten awareness of those who would like to see women be ordained to the priesthood.
Worthwhile Causes and Double Standards
This past weekend I spent what I considered an enjoyable time at general conference. As I noted in an earlier post, there were two major events planned in conjunction with the conference—one by Ordain Women and the other by American Atheists. In observing the Ordain Women event and considering the way that their efforts have… Read More »