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Shenpa Warrior discusses evil from a psychological view In the 5th installment of the Psychology of Religion series.
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- But what have you done?Stephen
- The Statistics of Gun ControlMormon Heretic
- Jeffersonian ReligionMormon Heretic
- Choose Higher GroundBonnie
- Taxes, Spending, and CornMormon Heretic
- Brad Wilcox, ContinuousBonnie
- Hold Your PeaceBonnie
- Homosexuality, Feminism, and the IntelligentsiaBonnie
- Family is the Plan of SalvationBonnie
- Sex as a SacramentBonnie
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
‘What Salt Tastes Like’: An LDS Psychology of Spiritual Feelings
February 27, 2013
In a futile attempt to answer President Packer, this post will address the feeling of the Spirit via psychology and affective neuroscience.
An Open Letter to Current Active Mormons
February 20, 2013
Dear Epistemologically Certain Emotionally/Developmentally Arrested TBM (ECEDATBM): Please sign an agreement now, that you won’t be a tool when you leave the church.
“Believe” –> You Keep Using That Word. I Do Not Think it Means What You Think it Means
February 13, 2013
To many, “do you believe in the gospel?” means “do you cognitively accept this set of propositions to be a map of reality?”
Are You a Monotheist, or a Fetishistic Henotheist?
February 6, 2013
Welcome back to class! How might Mormonism be viewed through Fowler’s descriptions of poly-, heno-, and monotheism. Or, why we’re probably all idolatrous.
What the Heck is Religion, if not Reality?
January 30, 2013
Dawkins: delusion. Freud: illusion. James: intuition. Jung: incontrovertible experience of an intensely personal, reciprocal relationship with an extramundane authority.
Zen@Church: How We Make It Worse
February 8, 2012
In our best attempts to be happy, we often make things worse for ourselves.
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 [...]