I noticed this recent post over at TPM and it got me to thinking about Facebook and what we do here. Like our friend Micah over at Life After Mormonism, I’ve been playing around with Facebook ads, trying to get a feel for how much bang they deliver for the…
Why Would Heavenly Father Do That?
This now-infamous question (slightly paraphrased) posed by President Boyd K. Packer at this past October Conference will, I think, reverberate in the minds of many church members for years to come and not just with respect to sexual orientation. I cant help thinking that Elder Packer may for many members…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Honor Edition!
Naturally, the buzz this past week was about the big news that a BYU basketball player had sex with his girlfriend — if you can believe it! This led to lots of very amusing discussion about control and the BYU honor code, musings on parenting, and the obvious observation that…
Revisiting Dallin Oaks’ “Principles to Govern Possible Public Statement on Legislation Affecting Rights of Homosexuals”
The Church’s logic behind its policy concerning antidiscrimination laws for gays, as well as its steadfast opposition toward same-sex marriage, was spelled out in Dallin’s Oaks’ 1984 confidential memorandum “Principles to Govern Possible Public Statement on Legislation Affecting Rights of Homosexuals.” This document I believe got leaked a few years…
the necessity of religion?
I’ve read a number of articles and book chapters over the last month or so that have started to change the way I think about religion. After leaving Mormonism and becoming a secular humanist and atheist, I thought the superiority of my new views would be self-evident to anyone who…
BYU Honor Code open thread
No links. Just a rant. And then the floor is yours, commenters. Anything goes, but reminiscence and nostalgia related to good times at BYU are highly encouraged. 😉 But before that party gets started, let me just say … My sense is that Brandon Davies has been offered up as…
A real modern-day prophet?!?
Apparently Warren Jeffs is back in the sadle… He is now warning President Obama and other politicians that they must let him go and free his people, OR ELSE!!! (free from government oversight doesn’t carry the same gravitas as free “from slavery)The “else”? Ambiguous references to “great destruction in Illinois”…
Forever vs. Family; Rules vs. Relationships
By way of introduction, I am a gay Mormon, who also happens to be (currently) married and a father. I started the coming out process last fall, and my wife and I are currently in the process of separating with plans to eventually divorce. Even before recently coming to terms…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Interfaith Dialog Edition!
To recap recent discussions, ProfXM says: To me it seems like it might be a good idea, but it also requires that religions not be exclusive, which, of course, many are. So, rather than being a good idea, it seems more like a futile idea. And I say that as…
Does this make sense to anyone else?
We recently had some visitors to our university from Eboo Patel’s InterFaith Youth Core. They are trying to encourage interfaith dialogue, of course, since that is what their movement is about. One of the handouts they gave us was this guest post from The Washington Post’s “On Faith” site called:Why…