Tuesday’s rehearsal passed like the previous Thursday’s, with no particularly special attention from Walter. I was getting desperate and felt like I had to do something. Read the rest of the story »
Let the Healing Begin
I saw a movie yesterday. No, it wasn’t September Dawn. It was a little indie film by film maker Brian Patrick called Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I wasn’t prepared for the emotion it evoked in me. I wasn’t prepared for the rage. I wasn’t prepared…
New Joseph Smith Manual
A new Melchizedek Priesthood/Relief Society lesson manual is available on lds.org: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. I skimmed through it and didn’t find anything unusual. For example, it only mentions the 1838 account of the first vision and avoids discussion of Joseph’s polygamous marriages. It’s more of…
Children — not possessions, not position, not prestige — are our greatest status symbols
OK, I know I probably shouldn’t be posting my own personal complaint about the talk that has already been deconstructed all over the Bloggernacle. But all this debate over career vs. getting your whites whiter than white seems to have missed what (to me) was the most disturbing thing in…
Ward boundaries & choice
Every week my Catholic grandmother drives 20 miles to the next county in order to go to Saturday mass with her sister. Both are elderly widows, and the routine has been ongoing for over twenty years. I think their little tradition is really sweet, and it means a lot to…
A question of morality…
As if our usual three-hour services weren’t sufficient, after dinner on Sunday Rex, Joy, and I had a youth fireside to attend at the bishop’s house. Logically Rex shouldn’t have been required to attend since he was eighteen and hence no longer in the youth program, but Mom insisted that…
The Home Economics of Testosterone
On occasion of ECS’s post on Feminist Mormon Housewives about the benefits of home economics, I remembered how my father had taught my brother and me how to maintain our wardrobes. My father was a career soldier. Of course, every soldier has to be able to maintain his gear in…
Who knew the spirit is so smart?
I caught this Daily Herald summary of General Conference and one point stood out to me: Apparently Richard G. Scott is of the opinion that the “spirit” can reveal “absolute truths.” Here’s the quote from the news report: Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discussed…
absolute obedience – it’s Satan’s plan with prettier packaging
Robert Kirby, everyone’s favorite Jack-Mormon writer for the SLTrib, wrote an intriguing column this morning. This got me to thinking about the claims of obedience to the prophet and I had to respond (I post under the name SofP). Here’s my response:
Gay Marriage, Stronger Families
A friend mentioned to me recently that he is no longer cruising since he can admit to himself that he is gay. I am sharing that because my friend’s case illustrates the benefits of a rational and open approach to sexuality.