Mormon Topics – The Grumpy Mormon

Theophany Miscellany

In his closing remarks for the October 2019 general conference, church President Nelson suggested that we prepare for the spring session “by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price.” This is the best known account of the experience of the young Joseph and one that we should all be familiar with. There are also several other accounts that are similarly valuable.

Distinguishing Doctrine and Practice

It is my experience, both personal and observed, that we can create our own faith crisis by putting our faith in the wrong things. Some things must be unchanging, true, and good. Other may not be. Our faith is constructed from childhood with simplistic stories, but that which we can understand as a child is often much different than reality.

Faith Crossing – Part Two

In part one I describe a tension between the church and those in faith crisis and post-deconstruction stages. Assuming that we want to retain these people, the question is:

How can the church, as an institution, help people through a faith crisis or reconstruction?

I have a few ideas.

Wrong Question

We are still behaving as though “Which church is true?” is the question most people are asking.
But it no longer speaks to the questions young adults (in this culture, at least) are actually asking.

Seems Like Revelation

This is a topic that I have wanted to address for a long time. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often speak of inspiration, revelation, or feeling. Of these, “revelation” carries the most weight. But, there are often unintended consequences.

Weeping Souls

As a child I remember listening to a particular sermon about the evils of depression, a tool of Satan, evil ingratitude. I don’t know why it struck me so strongly, maybe because I recognized a dark sadness within myself that convicted me.

The New Mormons – Part Two

Part One

In the spirit of the ever-popular Top Ten List of ________, I will start with some brief statements describing the results of the New Mormon Survey. You can then decide if you want to read more.

The New Mormons – Part One

This is a preamble to part two, an article on “The Next Mormons” by Jana Reiss.

The essentials of the Good News are that Christ was born into mortality, lived an exemplary life, and liberated all nature through His atonement, death, and resurrection. The Christian church, speaking generally, takes the Gospel message and asks the corporate question: Okay, now what?

Saints, Vol 1 – A Hidden Message

I just finished the first volume of a new history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Saints. In many ways it is remarkable.

Hi-ho, Home Teaching is Dead

To me home teaching has always been a classic example of tension between the ideal and practical. Continue reading “Hi-ho, Home Teaching is Dead”