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Archive for the ‘Christianity’ Category

The Virgin Birth

11.03.2010 · Posted in Authority, Bible, Christianity, Mormon Doctrine

My parents had a copy of Mormon Doctrine when I was growing up. I don’t remember reading it, although I may have cracked it open to write a talk or two. Despite my years of early morning seminary, I don’t remember hearing about whether or not Mary was technically a virgin. Views: 1250 ...

Taking the Bible Literally

04.20.2010 · Posted in Bible, Christianity, Judaism

Some years ago, a co-worker expressed her frustration to me. I don’t know how we got on the topic, but she said she just wanted someone to tell her exactly what was in the bible and what it meant. I didn’t make a comment about this, as I wasn’t actively religious. I just remember thinking ...

Oldies but Goodies: Testimony of a Dissident

A while back another blogger asked me to submit an essay about my Mormon experience. Probably, for good reasons he changed his mind and never published it. Since it is already written and might shed some light on my argument at Times and Seasons, I might as well publish it myself. It might help some ...

Your Sunday School Lesson: The First Vision

According to the philosopher Mircea Eliade, of whose work I learned at BYU, every community, tribe, or nation requires an origin myth. The account of a community’s or practice’s origin has far reaching consequences because it implies how they relate to the cosmos, which is necessary for human beings to imbue their world with shared ...

Overlapping Cultural Mormon Perspectives

12.10.2008 · Posted in Christianity, civil discourse, Community

Faithful Mormons often imagine that those commenting on Mormonism from outside their circle form one monolithic block of “antis”. Mormon culture encourages this view, so people are often surprised when they read the discussion on the Internet and find that the people who disbelieve Mormonism occasionally agree with the Mormons more than they agree with ...

Taking the Long Term View on Marriage Equality

Intellectually, one can only sustain the orthodox position against marriage equality if one assumes that gays are not fully human or somehow defective. Unfortunately, biology contradicts that notion. The Church is correct in asserting the freedom for the organization and its members. However, our liberty ends where it begins to take away the liberty of ...

Charitable Giving

06.25.2008 · Posted in Appearances, Christianity, Community, Culture

One of the things I find I disagree with some active LDS about is the extent of formal LDS charitable giving and service related activities. One of the arguments that I’ve read in various places on the internets is that the Utah LDS church DOES have a strong record of charitable giving. See the comments ...

God Is Dead: Happy Easter!

03.22.2008 · Posted in Atheism, Christianity, Death, Jesus Christ, Philosophy

To Lutherans Good Friday is the most important day of the year. I always regretted that Mormons do not properly celebrate Easter. Thank heavens for Johann Sebastian Bach whose Passions relate God’s suffering like no other. Good Friday is the day that God died and if there is a redeeming feature in Christianity, it has ...

Romney Roundup

12.07.2007 · Posted in Christianity, Politics

As expected, thoughts on Romney’s speech are all over the blogosphere: On the Bloggernacle: Times & Seasons provides a list of articles and Nine Moons some commentary. Andrew’s Miracle Drug is skeptical about Romney’s exclusion of skeptics while A Bird’s Eye View sees the speech as pluralistic. My favorites are the feminist Mormon housewives — ...