Is is cheap sensationalism to post the usual from nutty protesters? Well, I posted positive inauguration stuff on my other blogs. 😉
Moral Foundations: Why we may not see eye to eye with the faithful
During my most recent tour around the interwebs, I found an interesting idea that Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia, has been working on. The idea is a new way of looking at the foundations of morality than the old economic idea of humans being rationally…
A Convert’s Conscience
Although he appears to be a star professor at BYU, I have only become aware of Robert Millet’s efforts during the last two years. As a convert, I have to admit that his approach to investigators distresses me somewhat. I know that Millet means well when he suggests to side…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Back to Prop. 8 Edition!
It seems like it’s been days since we talked about Proposition 8 here at MSP. Yet there’s been some new discussions of it all over Outer Blogness this past week, and I’m here to gather them up for you! First, Jonathan Blake posts this interesting video which discusses whether the…
On civility and scoundrels
I want my commenters to be uncivil. There is no virtue in politeness when confronted with ignorance, dishonesty, and delusion. I want them to charge in to the heart of the issue and shred the frauds, without hesitation and without faltering over manners. These demands for a false front of…
On the church’s uniqueness
…Sometimes, these blog entries just take too much time to set up…anyway, I was reading Mormon Matters and getting into the discussion there, and Bruce had said something that I found intriguing: …John Dehlin suggested that it was a mistake for modern Mormons to down play what he calls “19th…
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…
In addition to touring the temple…
I heard this story on Friday on NPR. I support the Utah LDS church’s movement towards openness and honesty. I admit, this effort seems a little like a drop in the ocean. Yet I have to acknowledge the attempt. One of the comments Quentin Cook made was that they were…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Religion, Politics, and Life Edition!
First, an announcement about the tech problems in Outer Blogness: As you may know, I’ve been maintaining a list of all exmo/post-mo blogs I can find (whether they have any mo-related content or not), and keeping them in a convenient, regularly updated list. A few months ago, the part of…
Ever feel like you’re being talked to behind your back..?
Of course one can always adopt a personal creed and receive some of the benefits, but the full benefits are impossible for most people (maybe even all people?) to have without believing the truth claims as part of a community.It’s possible for a rejectionist community to crop up that exists…