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About: shenpa warrior
Website: http://shenpawarrior.wordpress.com
Profile: Shenpa Warrior is a psychology grad student & neophyte college instructor. He served a mission in Japan, and is currently the "Ward Employment Specialist."
Posts by shenpa warrior:
Author Archive
Zen at Church: The Plan of Happiness… or Suffering?
January 25, 2012
Why is there so much suffering–particularly among the “faithful”–in this “Plan of Happiness?”
Lawnmower God Helped Me Find My Wallet
January 3, 2012
What causes one to attribute small events (like scoring a goal) to God or a higher power? What is the function of that belief?
The Best & Worst of Personal Revelation
August 30, 2011
For every “I knew then that I should marry him, and we’ve had a great marriage” there is a “I married him because the Spirit told me to, but we have nothing in common and argue all the time.” Personal revelation can take many forms. For example: WORST: “I was prompted to buy the VW [...]
Do bishops need to be recovering addicts?
July 19, 2011
Or rather, do therapists who work with veterans need military experience? Just over 6000 soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Around 6,500 veterans commit suicide every year. There is also a shortage of mental health services for these veterans. Many therapists have not had military experience, losing valuable street cred with [...]
What is the difference between a “good feeling” and the experience of “the Holy Ghost?”
June 15, 2011
What is the difference between a positive emotional experience, and “feeling the Spirit?” I have had many positive emotional experiences in both religious and secular contexts… I have also had a handful of experiences with religion that were qualitatively different from that. A few have felt like what I can only imagine must be similar [...]
cult
June 8, 2011
This is not a neutral word. What use does it serve? Here are some definitions: a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. (There you have it, “cult” is everywhere, in every religion.) an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a [...]
offended
May 18, 2011
No matter how this word is used, it ascribes blame. I was offended = It was the other person’s fault. I chose to be offended = It was my fault. I did not mean to offend = It is your fault if you were. I propose that we BANISH this word from our vocabulary. In [...]
Should K-12 teachers make six-figure salaries?
May 4, 2011
A recent NY Times article suggested that K-12 teachers should start out at 65k/year, making up to 150k. Many people agree that teachers don’t make enough for what they do, but I don’t think we should raise their salaries out of “fairness” or pity. We should raise their salaries out of concern for our children. [...]
So what ARE we supposed to eat???
April 20, 2011
A friend of mine has been on the Paleo Diet for a while: Eat like a cave-person and lose weight. Another friend recommended The China Study to me: Don’t eat animal proteins and you won’t get cancer. A magazine my wife gets pushes the Eat-Clean diet: Don’t eat anything with more than three ingredients, and [...]
Best and Worst: GenCon
April 6, 2011
In the name of dissonance and ambiguity, remember to include a worst AND a best memory in your comments! Here are two each of mine: Worst: The debate about conference-as-scripture vs. conference-as-not-necessarily-scripture. Which is it? Either/or? Both/and? Part of this confusion I think comes from blanket (general?!) statements as people describe conference as “the words [...]
Can Revelation Correct Error in Doctrine?
March 23, 2011
Two assumptions that I’m assuming believing members will agree on: Church leaders are fallible on an individual level. Sometimes church leaders teach or opine but it is just their opinion. My questions, which are similar (and thus suffering from multicollinearity, just like the assumptions above): Do the “majority of the Twelve” or whatever standard by [...]
How do BYU athletes get caught?
March 2, 2011
It *seems* like athletes at BYU have a target on their backs for honor code violations. How are they getting caught? Is it unfounded to assume that there is a lot more going on among athletes at BYU than gets reported? If that is the case, why do certain athletes like basketball player Brandon Davies [...]
LIES! ALL LIES… and your children
February 23, 2011
Is it okay to lie to your kids? Does honesty always trump all other considerations? What situations make lying for the Lord your family okay? On Monday evening my young son (usually a great sleeper) had a difficult time staying in bed. On top of feeling lonely after his aunt went home earlier in the [...]
“I’d rather you be dead than leave the church”
February 16, 2011
I have heard the same thing about divorce from clients – “I’d rather my spouse be dead than going through a divorce.” Strong language. What would drive people to say something like this? Much has been done at Mormon Stories (and elsewhere) on one spouse leaving the church or just experiencing a change in beliefs [...]
Why haven’t you seen a marriage counselor?
February 2, 2011
For my pre-dissertation research (not a thesis but a research project to somehow prove that the dissertation process isn’t going to be a disaster), I am conducting an outcome study on a psychoeducational group for couples, based on the book “Hold Me Tight.” Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, which the book is based on, has been [...]
What’s on your shelf?
January 12, 2011
Over the course of the Internet/book/school/TV hiatus last week, I was forced to do other things… like clean! Both bathrooms (with bleach!), the garage (the 2010 Catrike fits next to the 1999 Rav now), and my bookshelves now look pretty nice. The main bookshelf in the living room was built by my father a few [...]
unplug from all your distractions
January 5, 2011
From January 2nd to January 9th, I will not be using the computer, watching TV or movies, or reading books. The new Kindle will be put away (sob). That contraption is my morning Mormon coffee. No checking facebook while I’m brushing my teeth. No revising my syllabus at 3 am. At first I thought doing [...]
2010 – A Year in Divorce Research
December 29, 2010
Wrapping up the year, let’s review some divorce studies! Yippee! Risk of Stroke – Canadian children of divorce may have a higher risk for stroke in their lifetime. All kinds of things can be risk factors for strokes though. Parents of Children with Autism – In the past research has suggested that children with autism [...]
Losing my religion Wrestling with God
December 22, 2010
In the two-story church building in Yamaguchi Japan (it’s seriously in the middle of a rice paddy), I picked up the Teachings of Harold B. Lee and read this quote: “Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day [...]