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Archive for September, 2011

Evergreen International 2011 Conference Twofer

09.29.2011 · Posted in Affirmation, Evergreen, LGBT

Seth Bracken posted a pair of reports to QSaltLake.com that I’m gonna simply link and excerpt here. Evergreen Conference Attracts Hundreds Jared, 17, sat through the sessions of the conference flanked by his parents on either side, in hopes to overcome his ‘temptations,’ serve a mission, marry a woman and enjoy a typical Mormon’s life, ...

Sunday in Outer Blogness: Beliefs and Actions Edition!

09.25.2011 · Posted in Sunday in Outer Blogness

This past week has seen a lot of discussion about capital punishment (and other pro-life questions). Interestingly economic discussions also seem guided by religious ideology. And don’t forget the military. Is it even possible to talk about politics without taking about religion? In this week’s religious journeys, Eliza is at the point where she’s simply ...

Flirt to deconvert: Therese Doucet’s “A Lost Argument”

09.24.2011 · Posted in Uncategorized

Marguerite has a problem. She loves the structure and purpose that Mormonism provides, and — like every good BYU co-ed — she’s dying to land a man. Unfortunately, instead of being a perky blonde out of a shampoo commercial, she’s a shy, nerdy bookworm — and hence practically invisible to BYU guys. When she spends ...

So you’re a… umm… ok

09.21.2011 · Posted in And I'm a Mormon, Public Relations, YouTube

One viewer’s reaction to an “I’m a Mormon”/Mormon.org video*: Folks be gettin’ annoyed by LDS-sponsored YouTube ads. Mormon YouTube ads engage with social media to advertise their religion, an online version of the door-to-door campaigns conducted by the Jehovah’s witnesses. The only difference is that you can no longer shut the door if you don’t ...

The Church’s “Political Neutrality”

09.21.2011 · Posted in Politics, Proposition 8

As we enter a new election cycle, here’s a link to the Church’s statement about the Church itself being “neutral” to matters of “party politics,” even as it encourages its membership to be responsible civic citizens and voters. The caveats are that the Church does: Request candidates for office — “not to imply that their ...

Troy Williams @ Sunstone 2011: Thoughts on the Sacred and Profane

Troy tried to buck me up after my latest mini-meltdown over l’affaire Lyman and it reminded me that I need to remember to catch Tabloid (91% “Fresh”!) at my earliest convenience. Here’s Troy riffin’ at Sunstone (go show their Youtube channel some love) on his role in the Errol Morris documentary and his thoughts on ...

If you can’t sell stuff on a bus…

09.13.2011 · Posted in Mission, Mission Field

Then why should missionaries be able to proselytize on a bus?  Makes sense to me.  Apparently it makes sense to Stagecoach bus lines in Lancaster England as well (hat tip to Peggy Fletcher Stack at the SLTrib for posting about this). There are some choice quotes from the article.  For instance, the guy interviewed for the ...

Link bomb #11

09.07.2011 · Posted in SHAFT Link Bomb

Originally published at the USU SHAFT site. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman details the Republican war against science. Several groups, notably the National Academy of Sciences, are encouraging scientists to be more vocal politically and even run for office. Scientists have a lot to contribute to our political discourse, especially where it concerns issues ...