Yesterday the W$J ran a story on “microinequities” — “the subtle putdowns, snubs, dismissive gestures and sarcastic tones that can sap motivation.” Life is full of microinequities, and Church life is not a safe haven.
Year: 2004
Flake on the Crisis of 1905 and the Re-Orientation of Mormonism
We are soon approaching the year when we’ll celebrate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birth. As we do so, we should also reflect back on the 100th anniversary of his birth, and the legacy of that extraordinarily chaotic period. In The Politics of American Religious Identity, Kathleen Flake vividly illustrates that in 1904 and 1905, the Church was in the midst of deep and grave crisis.
More Bloggernacle Watching: Mormon Wasp Discusses the Strengthening Church Members Committee
Recent news reports indicate that former CES instructor Grant Palmer will be facing church discipline. Any time that church discipline comes into the news, the conversation inevitably turns to the secretive Strengthening Church Members Committee which is said to maintain files on church members suspected of intellectual improprities. In a recent and lengthy blog post, the Mormon Wasp collects and discusses information and statements about the Committee (including official church statements). Mormon Wasp’s post is very informative for anyone interested in reading on this topic.
Hatch-ing a New Plan
John Hatch is leaving Sunstone to go to school. Over at BCC, he has a lengthy and interesting further discussion of his own life and faith. It’s a powerful, personal statement that makes fascinating reading (and if you want controversy, well, it has parts that may be likely to offend almost everyone in one way or another). To borrow a line, go read the whole thing.
Swords and Clubs
Drawing on some existing discussion, Jeff Lindsay suggests that the “swords” of the Book of Mormon may have actually been spiked wooden war clubs. This idea seems problematic for several reasons:
Mormon Masculinity
An exercise in historical imagination, if you please: you’re sitting in the tabernacle on a hot Sunday afternoon, Brother Brigham at the pulpit.
The Spiritual Benefits of Cluelessness
So I often hear from my “intellectual” Mormon friends how they feel this crushing weight of isolation and judgemental pressure from their fellow Saints. I don’t really get it.
BYU’s Pursuit of Football Excellence
Since Lavell Edwards retired, BYU’s football program has entered the arms race that is major college football.
Are we killing the Zion dream softly?
My post begins with a pointed question: Are higher education and the scriptural ideal of Zion at odds? The question had never occurred to me until a few years ago while living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Stem Cells, part 1
Until recently I had the good fortune to be a member of Matt Evans’ Elder’s Quorum class. Matt asked me a question once that I couldn’t answer, and still can’t. I’m hoping T&S can help (and I hope Matt doesn’t mind!)
Times & Seasons Around the World
By adding Wilfried as a permablogger a few weeks ago, we not only gained an interesting colleague, but extended Times & Seasons beyond the borders of the United States. Over the past 24 hours, I have been tracking traffic at Times & Seasons to get a glimpse at our readership around the world. Here is what I found.
Part-Mormon couples
Married, but only one of the partners is Mormon. In the “mission field” such part-Mormon couples are numerous, probably more than in area’s where Mormons have lived for generations. Sociologists study this phenomenon among various affiliations. “Religious intermarriage”, “religious homogamy / heterogamy”, “interchurch / interfaith marriages” are some of the key words of this academic field of study.
By Study and Also by Faith
I want to ask a question within the genre of scriptural exegesis. When our church leaders commend us to seek education, they often quote
Reading to Peter
In our house, we have a box full of picture books that comes out on the first Sunday in Advent, and I’m always on the lookout for new Christmas books.
My Only Real Regret
I really only have one real complaint about the Church, and it has to do, of course, with women’s fashion.
Boundary Maintenance and the “Modest” Mormon
In her brilliant book Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition (Uillinois, 1985), Jan Shipps suggests that the Word of Wisdom replaced polygamy as “boundary maintenance� between the church and the world.
A House Of Order
My wife Angela is a veterinarian. She’s also apparently a really good Relief Society enrichment teacher (I’m not allowed to go to these things, but I have this on good authority). A few weeks ago the enrichment lesson subject was “A House of Order”, from Doctrine and Covenants 88:119: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” This scripture primarily refers to the temple, of course, but it’s also often used to reinforce the need to keep our own homes and lives neat and orderly. Angela’s take was that this is an incomplete interpretation. God’s house may be ordered, but it isn’t neat.
Fa La La La La
It’s shockingly easy to make confessions on the internet, and I can’t resist making one of my own:
Introducing Glen Henshaw
For the next two weeks, Times and Seasons will be delighted to play host to the rigorous questions and thoughtful musings of one Carl Glen Henshaw, an old friend and a bona fide science geek.
“Preach My Gospel”– The New Missionary Guide
The new missionary manual is out and available for browsing.
“Old Nick”
I was just reading a new blog for Mormon teens called “The Greenies,” and LJ used “Old Nick” as an alternative appellation for Satan.
It’s Coming on Christmas, They’re Cutting Down Trees
I have decided to forgo the Christmas tree ritual this year. For the first time in my life I won’t have a sweet scented evergreen in my front room during the holidays.
BYU and “Destructive” Entertainment
The utterly fascinating comments about rock concerts confirm one of my theories about BYU and Provo. I want to pass it by T&S readers for critique, criticism, comment. My theory is
A Balanced Life is the Devil’s Workshop
Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, currently President of Caltech, abhors the balanced life. He thinks it is destroying America.
Rock Concerts at BYU
Has anyone ever attended a rock concert at BYU? You may have noticed that they dried up in the mid-1980s, and I am trying to figure out why. In the 1970s artists such as Elton John, America,
One of the Dumber Theories of Mormon Temple Building (and Silly Mormon Movies)
The not-surprising Evangelical backlash against Rev. Muow’s we-have-sinned-against-the-Mormons comments in the tabranacle has produced one of the least plausible interpretations of Mormon action that I have read in some time.
Christmas Letters
Aaargh–’tis the season for those yuletide roundups of the activities of everyone’s perfect families and overachieving children. A couple of years ago, I decided to fight back with this parody, which I mailed on April Fools’ Day:
Town and Gown
I told Gordon that I’ve been doing some writing about the relationship between Provo and BYU, and if you don’t mind I’d like to enlist the assistance of T&S in helping me solve a few riddles. For those who have never lived in Provo, please pardon the indulgence.
The End of English
The demographics of Church growth suggest that our days as a lilly-white, Moutain-West denomination are limited, if they are not in fact already finished.
Faith, Doubt, Tennyson
I was just reading over Logan’s (re)post at BCC, and I recalled a familiar line about faith and doubt, from Tennyson’s In Memoriam.