Thanks for you nominations. A few of us had spotty internet this past week (which is why the previous post didn’t get updated), but we have now updated nominations one final time. We will start voting next week, but please send out a call to other blogs to make sure they are represented.
As you can see, we are short on nominations for Most memorable comment, Most Missed Personality, and Best contribution to the Bloggernacle in 2013. Feel free to continue nominations for another week! Here are the nominations so far, and you can check out the links so you can be an informed voter. If you have a link to add, please let us know, and put it in brackets to avoid our spam catcher. And don’t forget that Main Street Plaza is getting ready to host their awards too. Of course, let us know what we messed up on for nominations too.
Here are our 2013 Wheaties categories:
Best big blog:
Best group blog:
- Wheat & Tares
- Juvenile Instructor
- Faith Promoting Rumor
- Zelophehad’s Daughters
- Doves and Serpents
- Exponent II
- Peculiar People
- With Real Intent
- Worlds Without End
- Main Street Plaza
- Rational Faiths
- Mormon Mentality
- Times and Seasons
- Modern Mormon Men
- Segullah
- No More Strangers
- Millenial Star
Best humorous blog:
Best podcast:
- Mormon Matters
- Mormon Stories
- Mormon Expression
- FMH Podcast
- Mormon Expositor
- The Cultural Hall
- Engaging Gospel Doctrine
Best apologetic blog:
Best new blog (first published in 2013):
Best solo blog:
- Agitating Faithfully
- Nickel on the Nacle
- Mormon History Guy (Russell Stevenson)
- Gaily Mormon
- Keepapitchinin (Ardis Pashall)
Best new blogger:
- Mike C, Zelophehad’s Daughters
- Melody, Exponent
- Nate, Wheat and Tares
- Hedgehog, Wheat and Tares
Best blog layout/graphics:
Best overall blogger:
- Winterbuzz, Feminist Mormon Housewives
- April, Exponent
- Rebecca J., By Common Consent
- Heather, Doves & Serpents
- Angela C/Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares and By Common Consent
Best commenter:
- April, Exponent
- Melody, Rational Faiths
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares
Most memorable comment:
Funniest thread:
- Expert Textperts: “The Ordain Women October 5th Action as told in GIFS”
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares: ”Mormon Jargon“
Best post title:
- Ziff, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Which is it? Did Jesus say so or are you going to use your Jedi mind tricks?”
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”So What Kind of Underwear Are You Wearing?“
- Tracy M, By Common Consent: ”Date Me, NOT My Uterus“
- Angela C, By Common Consent: ”If Modest is Hottest, It’s Not Modest“
- Madelyn, Expert Textperts: “Modest is Hottest: A Latter-day Oxymoron”
- EOR, Rational Faiths: “Welcome home, Proxy Carmichael”
Best humorous post:
- Brent, Doves & Serpents: ”Modesty for Men“
- Mike C., Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Gospel Math“
- Shawn Tucker, Modern Mormon Men: ”I’m Joni Hilton’s Computer, and I’d Just Like to Say I’m Sorry“
- Mormon Tabernacle Enquirer: “GREAT AND SPACIOUS BLOGGING” SITE ALLOWS LDS LIBERALS, CONSERVATIVES CHANCE TO MOCK, POINT FINGERS AT “MOST MORMONS”
- Mormon Tabernacle Enquirer: ”CHURCH UPDATES PAINTINGS FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY“
- Melyngoch, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Lynnette”
- Brett and Casey, By Common Consent: “Authoritative Predictions for 2013″
- Jacob, By Common Consent: “The Word of Internet Wisdom”
- Lynnette, Zelphehad’s Daughers: “A Mormon Story”
- The Bouncer, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “The Bouncer in Wonderland”
- Mike C., Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Area Mormon Called to Serve as a Facebook Member”
- Joanna, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “Now that it’s legal! . . . Wedding Tips for our LGBT Friends”
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares: ”Mormon Jargon“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Young Women – Please Help My Sons Stay Clean & Pure“
- Thomas Hatton, Rational Faiths: ”Absurd Moments in Mormon Art Part 1 The Anti-Fashion-Christ“
- Scott B., By Common Consent: ”CTR: Crap That’s Real“
- Thomas Hatton, Rational Faiths: ”Mormons and Mullets“
- Brett Hurst, Expert Textperts: ”The Transition of Terror: A Lovecraftian Personal Essay”
- Julie M. Smith’s, Times & Seasons: “What the Smith Boys Said This Year”
Best satirical post:
- “Lucy H. Westmoor, PhD”, Captain Mormon: ”An Old LDS Woman Talks to Young Single Adult Brothers About Intimacy“
- Melyngoch, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Hi! I’m super righteous, and I’m against women’s ordination”
- Bro. Jake, Wheat & Tares: ”Brother Jake: Mormons are Not Sexist“
- Jeff Swift, Rational Faiths: ”An Open Letter to Mormon Women: A Modesty Proposal“
- Casey, Expert Textperts: “Bacon and the Future of Traditional Dinner“
- By Common Consent (deleted): ”A YSA Bishop Talks to the Sisters about the “I” Word”
- Mormon Momma: “A Mormon Mother of Daughters talks to a YSA Bishop about Intimacy“
Best historical post:
- Allan Davis, Expert Texperts: “Playing Lamanite and Saving Whiteness: Embodying Racial Projects in the Mormon Miracle Pageant”
- wvs, BCC: Sunday Evenings with the D&C Section 132
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Blacks and the Priesthood Revisited“
- Leah Marie, Rational Faiths: ”If the Sisters Should Have Faith to Heal“
- Russell Stevenson, Rational Faiths: ”Black Mormon, the Story of Elijah Ables“
- Morgan Deane, Warfare and the Book of Mormon: “The Butchers Apostle: Context for the Anti-War Quotes of J Reuben Clark”
- Christopher Jones, “Breaking Brigham: Methamphetamine and Mormon Tea”
Best post series:
- Brent, Doves & Serpents: Mormon in the Cheap Seats
- Kimberly, Feminist Mormon Housewives: Connecting with Heavenly Mother
- Elisothel, Feminist Mormon Housewives: Fembryology
- wvs, By Common Consent: Sunday Evenings with the D&C Section 132.
- Allan Davis, Expert Texperts: Playing Lamanite and Saving Whiteness: Embodying Racial Projects in the Mormon Miracle Pageant
- wheatmeister, Wheat & Tares, weekend polls
- Doves & Serpents, Ride to Church
- Rational Faiths: Heavenly Mother
- Heather, Doves & Serpents: Equality Is Not a Feeling
- Galdralag, Zelophehad’s Daughters: Top Ten Reasons I’m Grateful for my Mission
- Mike C, Zelophehad’s Daughters: Making Space for Myself as an Uncorrelated Mormon
- Juvenile Instructor: “Mormons and Natives”
- Doves & Serpents: Psaltery & Lyre
Best poetry post:
- Brad, By Common Consent: ”Governor Grinch“
- Melody Newey, Rational Faiths: “Dear Mother, I Am Here“
- Doves & Serpents: Psaltery & Lyre
Best apologetic post:
- Mike Barker, Rational Faiths: ”A Survery and Critique of the Different Resurrection Hypothesis“
- Morgan Deane, Warfare and the Book of Mormon “Henry V, Hummers, and the Book of Mormon”
- One Who is Watching: “The Secret Return of Elijah the Tishbite“
Best spiritual post:
- Elisothel, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “What’s it Really Like to Have a Vision?”
- Kristine Haglund, By Common Consent: “Bound Hand and Foot with Graveclothes“
- The Tabernacles: “Beyond a Shadow of Doubt: The Curse of Confirmation Bias“
Best doctrinal post:
- Beatrice, Zelophehad’s Daughter: “On Stewardship and Revelation”
- Julie M. Smith, Times and Seasons: “Strands of Priesthood”
- Erin, Doves & Serpents: “The Pharisee Within”
- Deborah, Exp0nent: “Un-SexyModest: Or, What A Pope Can Teach Us About Modesty”
- Ifrit, Feminist Mormon Housewives, “No Offense“
- Rebecca J, By Common Consent, “Teaching Lessons on the Priesthood to Young Feminists“
- Angela C, By Common Consent: ”Elder Bednar Talks about S-E-X“
- mmiles, By Common Consent: ”The Implications of Encouraging Early Marriage in a Global Church“
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares: ”Mormon Maori Prophecies and Apostasy“
- Jacob, By Common Consent: ”Missionaries and Exorcism“
- Nate, Wheat & Tares: ”The Problem with Sex is Sacred“
- April, Exponent: ”Ordination is the Answer to Correlation“
- Mike Barker, No More Strangers: “Perspectives on Mormon Doctrine and LGBT Mormons”
- Elisothel – FMH – Celebrating Women- A Mother’s Day Talk
Best post on church policy:
- Ziff, Zelophehad’s Daughters: ”Who Wrote the Proclamation on the Family?”
- Winterbuzz, Feminist Mormon Housewives: ”Family: Isn’t It About Time?“
- BHodges, By Common Consent: “Top 3 Scriptural Justifications for Cultural Lag!”
- Tracy M, By Common Consent: “On Education and Being a Woman”
- Craig H., Times and Seasons: “How Things That Were Never Going to Change Have Sometimes Changed Anyway”
- Ben Huff, Times and Seasons: “An Information-Rich Gospel: Correlation and the Growth and Maturation of the Church”
- Kam, Doves & Serpents: “This Must Stop: A Call to End Sexually Invasive Interviews Between Priesthood Leaders and Minors in the LDS Church”
- Angela C, By Common Consent: ”Female Garments: The Underwear Business“
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares: ”Does the Church Over-Subsidize BYU?“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Pulling the Race Band-Aid Off“
Best personal post:
- Kristine Haglund, By Common Consent: ”Why I’d Like to Hear a Woman Pray in General Conference“
- Lynnette, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Writing my Own Story“
- Heather, Doves & Serpents: ”Motherhood is Not the Essence of my Personhood“
- Jacob, By Common Consent, “Men, Sex and Modesty“
- Tracy M, By Common Consent: ”Date Me, Not My Uterus“
- Angela C, By Common Consent, “BYU Honor Code and Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment“
- Douglas, Rational Faiths: ”So . . . When You Gonna Have Kids?“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Sexual Assault in Mormon Patriarchy“
- Madelyn, Expert Textperts: “Modest is Hottest: A Latter-day Oxymoron”
- Jeremy Timothy, Rational Faiths: ”The Tortured Soul“
- Emmett Rabs, Rational Faith: ”Into the Fire“
- Bonnie Atkinson, Real Intent: “Why I think we’re having the wrong conversation“
- mrayens, Exponent: “A God Like Me”
- Lynnette, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Memories of an Education Week Fanatic”
- Ardis Parshall, Keepapitchin: “50 Handkerchiefs”
- Orwell, Mormon Mentality: “Dear President Dalton – I have a daughter…”
- Mike C, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “I hope they call you on a (feminist) mission”
- Rebecca J, By Common Consent: “My Primary Story”
- Thunderchicken, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “A Short History of My Breasts”
- Nathaniel Givens, Times and Seasons: “The Abyss of Nothing and Everything”
- fMhLisa, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “When you ask for bread and receive a stone. Forgiving Our Leaders and Finding Ourselves”
- Pandora, Zelophehad’s Daughters: “Welcome to the Temple”
- Michael Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Wing Tipped Shoes“
- Viliami Pauni, Rational Faiths: “One Tongan’s Journey with Church History“
Best faith crisis post:
- Russell Stevenson, Mormon History Guy: ”Faith Crises: A Believer’s Guide“
- Michael Barker, Rational Faiths: “25 Things You’re Doing Wrong”
- The Tabernacles: “Beyond a Shadow of Doubt: The Curse of Confirmation Bias“
Best current events post:
- Erin, Doves & Serpents: “A Letter from the Past for Today”
- Russell Stevenson, Rational Faiths: ”Housewife Danites: Denver Snuffer and the Suburban Underground“
- Heidi Doggett, Rational Faiths: “Parallel” Conference Sessions? Fox News, A Press Release, and a Dictionary“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: “The Dead vs. the Living“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”New Years Resolutions for the LDS Church – Top Twenty Something Changes“
- Kevin Barney, By Common Consent: ”No Longer Stooopid“
- Guy Templeton, Wheat & Tares: ”New Temple Movies“
- Jeff Spector, Wheat & Tares: ”The Latest Mormon Murder Trial: The MacNeill Murder“
- Mormon Heretic, Wheat & Tares: ”Mandela Praised; Brigham Thrown Under the Bus“
- Jerilyn Pool, Rational Faiths: ”Wrong Message – A Response to: FYI (if you’re a teenage girl)“
- Michael Barker, Rational Faiths: ”When the Option Becomes the Expectation“
- Viliami Pauni, Rational Faiths: ”Race and the Priesthood“
- Expert Textperts: “The Ordain Women October 5th Action as told in GIFS”
- Shenpa Warrior, Wheat & Tares: “Woman in Swimsuit + Hostelitely Sexist Man = Immodesty“
- Rah, Feminist Mormon Housewives: “Sorry Jessica Rey. That Bikini Neural Imaging Study says almost exactly the Opposite of What you Thought it meant”
Best Commentary/Response to the Race and the Priesthood release:
- Corbin Volluz, Rational Faiths: ”Why No Apology for the Priesthood Ban?“
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Changing the Word of God“
Best book/article review:
- Angela C, By Common Consent: “Mormon Marriage Equality” (Book: Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In”)
- Edward Jones, Rational Faiths: “Satan’s Plan 2.0: Deseret Book Edition” (Book: Wendy Watson Nelson’s “Not Even Once Club”)
- Stephen Carter, Wheat & Tares: ”How to Stop Writing Like a Mormon Using This One Weird Trick” (Book: Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game”)
- Hawkgrrrl, Wheat & Tares: ”Advice to Mormons from a Non-Mormon” (Chrisy Ross’s “To Mormons, With Love”)
- Mormon Heretic, Wheat & Tares: ”Why Snuffer Got Exe’d” (Book: Denver Snuffer’s “Passing the Heavenly Gift”)
- Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Fine Tuning the Message” (Book: Gospel Principles Manual)
- Michael Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Joseph smith’s Polygamy, Volume 1: History – A Book Review”
Best contribution to the Bloggernacle in 2013:
Best contribution to interfaith dialogue:
- Jana Riess: The Twible
- Fire Tag’s regular posts at Wheat & Tares
Best Mormon Facebook community or discussion forum:
- FMH FB Group
- StayLDS.com/forum
- exMormon reddit
- Mormon Hub (FB Group)
- New Order Mormon (NOM)
Best Mormon Activism:
- Ordain Women
- Women Asking to Attend Priesthood Session; Session Being Broadcast Live for First Time Ever
- Beardliness is Next to Godliness
- Second Annual Pants to Church
- “The Not Even Once Club,” aka Satan’s Plan in children’s book form (The multi-blog efforts to point out the doctrinal problems posed by this book)
- The Tracy McKay FMH Scholarship for Single Mormon Mothers
- Family First Weddings – attempt to change the one year waiting period for temple sealings
- Sick RMs – providing better support and understanding for missionaries who become seriously ill while serving
- Let Women Pray
- Mormon Women Bare
- Mormon Feminist
- I am a Mormon Feminist
Write-in category:
- Ziff, Zelophehad’s Daughters: Commissioner of the Bloggernacle
- Mike C, Zelophehad’s Daughters: Best first sentence of a blog post: “The idea for this blog post came to me, as many of my best ideas do, while I was thinking about sex in church.”
And here are the categories for the Tarefic Awards!
Worst Mormon Internet Drama:
- Cynthia L, By Common Consent: ”Tareific Scandal Rocks Bloggernacle” (the accidental awarding of BCC over FMH and the ensuing tongue-in-cheek meme war. Steve Evans responds. FMH fires back. Oh, that all internet dramas were equally entertaining to the audience as to the combatants!)
- Daniel Peterson’s ongoing drama over Mormon liberals, John Dehlin, and his totally unrelated career change
- The Tom Phillips October Surprise that didn’t happen
- Denver Snuffer’s Excommunication
- Anything involving an “Open Letter”
Biggest Soapbox Commenter:
- Donnette Moore (aka Elizabeth Johnston) and various sock puppets on Let Women Pray and other Mormon Feminist sites. She was outed after having several conversations with herself about the topic.
- Will at Wheat & Tares
Most missed personality on the Bloggernacle:
- Fire Tag, Wheat & Tares
Worst Mormon Activism:
- Sheri Dew’s book on Women & the Priesthood right after women were denied entrance to the Priesthood Session
- Facebook event: “Support our Priesthood Holders” in response to Ordain Women
- D Kelly Ogden, Meridian Magazine: Women and the presthood
- Maurine Proctor, Meridian Magazine: An Open Letter to Kate Kelly and Those Pressing for Ordination
Worst Comments:
- Clayton Clark: “Excommunicate all of them. Sometimes you need to shoot a hostage. You fight against God you will surly [sic] receive your reward.” (from the I Am LDS thread where they shared an article about the church announcing it would deny entrance to the priesthood session for Ordain Women.)
- Jettboy, on gay marriage: “Hopefully Utah Mormons, if no one else, will become far less tolerant of gays and those who support them in the Church. They got their secular “freedom,” and can now lay in the bed they made. You call yourself gay? You have no business coming to church unless you repent and reject that you are one. Then you need to prove it by getting married and staying that way. Mormon gays and supporters think its going to be easier now. Nope. Its going to become much harder. You used to be a nuisance. Now you are a mortal enemy.”
Write-in category:
- Highest percentage of comments deleted by mods: Millenial Star
- Grumpiest libertarian: Millenial Star
- Grumpiest libertarian: Dan Peterson
- Worst Post/Youtube video about Modesty: Jessica Rey
- Worst Blog for teaching modesty and Chastity” Pink Umbrella Princess
If you think of another category we haven’t listed, feel free to nominate! Also, please spread the word! Some blogs didn’t know about the nominations until it was too late. Voting will start next Monday!
Hey guys… these two post need to switch places:
Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Pulling the Race Band-Aid Off“
Paul Barker, Rational Faiths: ”Changing the Word of God“
Pulling the Race Band-Aid off needs to go to: Best Commentary/Response to the Race and the Priesthood release
and Changing the Word of God needs to go to: Best post on church policy
ALSO I would love to nominate Brent Beal For Best Response to the Race and the Priesthood release:
[http://www.dovesandserpents.org/wp/2013/12/race-priesthood/]
I nominate RockStarr Ministries for best Mormon Activism.
I’d like to nominate the Exponent Relief Society lesson plan series-
I liked/nominate the “Drowning in Modesty” title from the BCC post by Angela C.
I mean no disrespect, but I hope y’all have the traffic to justify the number of things being nominated! Some of these categories might get a winner with only 20 votes or less.
Best Current Events: Leah Marie, Rational Faiths, “Why I’ll be Wearing Pants to Church on December 15th” http://rationalfaiths.com/wearingpantstochurch/
Best Faith Crisis Post: Leah Marie, Rational Faiths, “I’m a Mormon, Yes I Am” http://rationalfaiths.com/im-a-mormon-yes-i-am/
Best Post Title: Leah Marie, Rational Faiths, “The Fantastic Elder Silver Fox” http://rationalfaiths.com/the-fantastic-elder-silver-fox-part-1/
Best Church Policy Post: Leah Marie and William, Rational Faiths, “The Problem with the Layman Confessor” http://rationalfaiths.com/the-problem-with-the-layman-confessor/
Best current events post: George Handley’s “An Appeal to Those Concerned But Not Yet Alarmed by Climate Change” on LDS Earth Stewardship: https://ldsearthstewardship.org/2013/08/an-appeal-to-those-concerned-but-not-yet-alarmed-about-climate-change/ (and cross-posted at Patheos Home Waters: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/homewaters/2013/08/an-appeal-to-those-concerned-but-not-yet-alarmed-by-climate-change.html)
Best personal post: George Handley’s “There are Many Gifts” at Patheos Home Waters: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/homewaters/2013/10/there-are-many-gifts.html
While we’re at it, Best Individual Blog: Patheos Home Waters: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/homewaters/
And another for best personal post (am I allowed to do two?): Rachel Whipple’s “Bittersweet Thanksgiving” at Times and Seasons: http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2013/11/bittersweet-thanksgiving/
Best book review: Rachael’s review of Women and the Priesthood over at JI.
http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/a-review-of-sheri-dews-women-and-the-priesthood/
Best post on church policy:
MormonMentality’s Newly Housewife’s FAQ on Temple Cancellations/Clearances.
http://www.mormonmentality.org/2013/06/18/faq-temple-cancellationclearance.htm
JI is late to the party, but I’ll try to add a few off the top of my head that warrant inclusion. I’m biased, but I’d still argue we’ve had the best historical content in the ‘nacle since 2007, and this last year was no exception:
For best Book Review, the phenomenal roundtable on John Turner’s Brigham Young biography: http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/brigham-young-pioneer-prophet-a-round-table They contents are exhaustive in approaches and rigorous in examination, and are everything you need in a book review.
For best history post, I nominate two in tandum, both by David G on Mormonism & Native issues: http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/larry-echo-hawk-and-lamanite-identities http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/elder-george-p-lee-and-the-reception-history-of-3-nephi-2122-23 These are the work of a historical blogger at his best, adding sophisticated background to relevant issues.
Also for best historical post, I nominate a nother tandum, both by Kris Wright: http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/on-sacred-space-carpets-and-embodied-belief and http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/food-as-relic-sacrament-bread-as-material-culture These posts are not only historically sound and theoretically smart, but moving—a rare but important facet for historical writing. I can’t think of someone who writes better work on Mormonism and gender at work today.
I’m not sure where to put these, so I’ll nominate them for the Church Policy category: another tandum, both written by JJohnson, that gave much-needed context to the praying-women-in-GC moment: http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/women-praying-in-general-conference-and-grassroots-efforts and http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/we-shall-now-call-on-some-of-our-sisters-lds-women-and-general-conference-participation
And one more for best historical post: AndreaRM’s post on Mormonism, gender, and named buildings at BYU-I http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/eliza-r-snow-as-dorm-mother-and-concert-master-memorializing-mormon-women-through-campus-spaces A fantastic look at how a fresh glance on things we take for granted reveals a lot about our culture and gendered assumptions. Which, I think, is a key role for a scholar/historian.
Finally, I’m thrilled someone nominated the “Natives” month from JI for best series. It truly was phenomenal, and nearly every post in that series deserves recognition for “Best Historical Post.” That was the best themed month of several, including our other fantastic series on things like politics and image.
Shoot, could someone with authority edit my comment and take out the brackets surrounding links, which I naively thought wouldn’t mess up the links?
Also, I apparently have a horrible memory. The Turner roundtable was from 2012, as was David G.’s post on Larry Echohawk. I’ll try to come up with other nominations to replace them.