I’m sorry if the title doesn’t sound too enticing, but the thing that stood out in this week’s batch of posts was the web of discussion in blogspace, where topics started on one blog were continued on another and/or people have started new discussions on things we’ve been talking about here! For example, Holly decided ...
Leave it to atheists to consider the pets post-rapture. Apparently a group of atheists have put together a service for “heaven-bound” Christians to care for their “Eternal Earth-Bound Pets” should the rapture occur. Maybe we should contact the owners of the domain to see if they have made any money on their rapture pet insurance. ...
I’m certain that this has been discussed over and over in numerous ways and in numerous formats on the internet…but…what do you think your identity is relating to Mormonism and what do you think that identity signifies? For example, we each know that there’s Further Light and Knowledge (FLAK), and New Order Mormonism (NOM), and ...
In this post, I wrote that I was really happy for the older relative of mine who wanted to work in the temple. And in the comments to this post, Jonathan compared baptism for the dead to flag desecration, which I agree with. I think his comparison has merit. Views: 784 ...
While I was spending a week basking in the sunny Sunstone Symposium — far from the Internet — life went on as usual here in Outer Blogness. So I have two weeks worth of fun stuff for you today! First off, there have been a number of beautiful images posted this past fortnight. Views: 1404 ...
There were tons of amazing presentations at the Sunstone Symposium, but I think my favorite was Holly‘s analysis of Johnny Lingo. This one was controversial enough to have gotten covered by the Salt Lake Tribune in addition to inspiring many blog reactions: Journy Gal’s title alone (A Man’s Right to Determine a Woman’s Worth) sums ...
I’m often torn when I think about religion. As aerin noted last week, sometimes religion does seem to be authentically helpful for some people. But then there are people like the Copelands, of Texas, who preach the “prosperity gospel,” which is basically fraud (promising something you don’t deliver to get someone’s money). Here’s where my ...
I have mixed feelings. The LDS church has published an updated edition of Gospel Principles (already available for purchase). Sunday school teachers use this manual to teach new church members and anyone thinking about becoming a member. For the next two years, the church will also use this manual to teach the other adult members ...
A close relative of mine wrote me the other day about the various things she’s doing in her life. She is gardening and hanging out with the great grandchildren who live near her. Then she mentioned that she’s excited to try and work at the LDS temple near her home. Honestly? I’m really happy for ...
Apologies to those outside the U.S., but it seems like the health care debate has heated things up to to point where Outer Blogness has practically forgotten to talk about religion. While Holly is telling Senators about God’s will, Curtis lays out the case for health care reform, and Djinn (who explains how your health ...
A while back, I heard a rather innocuous story about honesty at stake conference (ok, so it’s not as prestigious as general conference…). I didn’t care much about the choice of story he used, since it seemed trite (it was some Chinese feel-good fable), but as I read a passage in the scriptures today (and ...
What is the probability of any one exclusive religion being the correct one (“exclusive” means: claims to be the only true one)? This question popped into my head the other day and made me think that you could theoretically calculate that probability using the following formula: n-(n-1)/(n+1) or 1/(n+1) Where “n” is the total number ...
What’s an interesting interview question to ask a bunch of Mormons? Here’s the background: As you know, I’m going to the Sunstone Symposium next week, and — since my panel topic is “Bridging Stereotypes through Blogging” — I thought it might be fun to bring some of my Mormon conference experiences to the atheist community. ...
Here’s something I didn’t know: [ liberté, egalité, trivialité ] also has an Overheard in SLC blog, with a special edition on the polygamist rally. This fascinating window on a different culture let to a detailed explanation of the rules of the polygamist pouf. Apparently, hairspray (lots of it) is A-OK, but perming and dying ...