Best of LDS Blogs
Mormons and Racism: Are Mormons Racist?
A few days ago I posted this article to address a few of the hot topics currently being discussed, in the news and online, about Mormon beliefs and practices. And this week, once again, based on a number of news reports circulating on the Internet, I feel the need to discuss the question: Are...
Mormon Blogging and the Good Ole Boys’ Club
Mormon Life says: What do you think: Does Mormon blogging sometimes inadvertently reinforces patriarchy?
In September 2006 NPR ran a story on a study of numbers of women in academia (or lack thereof), particularly science. Maria Zuber, commenting on the study, made good points that I think are also...
One of the best articles I have ever read debunking the supposed Mormon conspiracy
Take a gander at this great, concise article by Nate Oman.
Here are the key graphs:
"In 1902, Utah elected Reed Smoot to be its U.S. senator...."
Thinking about Mormonism and “critical thinking”
I read the news today, oh boy. The New York Times has a little series on Mormonism, tidbits from five writers, “What is it about Mormonism?” It presents, for the most part, highly caricatured pieces of polemic. (Maffly-Kipp and Reiss hold their own, however.) Elsewhere, Tricia Erickson recently...
“Spoiling the Egyptians”: On Non-LDS Source Usage
Mormon Life says: What do you think: Is it okay to quote non-LDS sources in lessons/ talks/ church?
I once made the silly mistake of suggesting that members of the Church might beneficially learn from non-LDS sources, or more specifically, that non-LDS sources might have messages for people in the...
Perfect People Not Allowed
Mormon Life says: I imagine we've all felt like this at some point, if not every day!
A few weeks before Christmas I drove past a cozy-looking Protestant church in my neighborhood. I noticed a colorful banner staked into the ground — “Perfect people not allowed!” it read — and I felt...
Our right to intellectual property through contract
Mormon Life says: This goes along nicely with yesterday's SOPA and PIPA protests.
The United States Constitution states that Congress shall have the power to “promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive...
Why do Mormons seem so happy? (part 3 — more responses)
Once again, we have a few more responses that we’d already received to Len’s question before it ever posted here. Thanks to those who have contributed their own thoughts and experiences. Our first response today comes from Koreen, who is not a Mormon herself, but has many family members who are....
The University of Utah Institute of Religion
Mormon Life says: Are all institutes equal? What was your experience like?
The Institutes of Religion were and are an outreach by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to LDS college students. To a lesser extent this was and perhaps is true for faculty too. When...
LDS bloggers tackle New Year's resolutions
I love reading all the New Year’s resolutions, which range from spiritual to whimsical, as I traverse the blogosphere. They motivate me to try to do better, to be better. Let some of these likewise inspire you. Spiritual: Let President Thomas S. Monson guide your goals as spotlighted by these...
Why do Mormons seem so happy?
We received the following question from Len a couple of weeks ago: I’m Jewish, and I know this might seem like a weird question, but I can’t stop thinking about it: Why do all of the Mormons that I know seem so happy? So genuinely, positively happy? Why do their personal lives seem so...
A little known story about George Albert Smith
Mormon Life says: Yuck. I'm happy things have changed since then.
So we all get a lesson next Sunday from the new Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith manual, and I suspect that many wards, like mine, used the first Sunday for a...
Taking the Book of Mormon Seriously as History
While we often focus on the spiritual messages of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon itself is not written as a mere collection of sermons or prophetic teachings. In order to take it seriously on its own terms, we need to pay closer attention to the Book of Mormon as historiography–”an account...
Why I Love Visiting Teaching
Mormon Life says: I love the message this author ended up teaching.
I admit I’m a fan of Visiting Teaching. I’ve been doing it all my life. My mom was the Eternal RS President and with me as her underage companion, she assigned us to visit people who didn’t really...
Keep Perspective
I joined the Church as a 19y0 college student with all the passion and idealism of youth. I would surely keep every commandment perfectly. I would do anything, go anywhere, for The Church of Jesus Christ, even if that meant serving a mission in the most remote corner of the earth or having 17...
