understanding

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.

Not the program you might think. Rather, the kind of program some people had in mind for Salman Rushdie when he pointed out the contradictions of “The Satanic Verses”. Or, perhaps that should be pogrom, since there are death penalties involved. Certainly, Mark Steyn is one who has had his proverbial skin in the game, [...]

Unable to sleep a few nights ago, I sought mind-deadening through cable TV. I chanced upon a movie I thought would do the job — a murder mystery set in a mountain abbey in 14th Century Italy. I didn’t get what I expected. Instead, the movie, The Name of the Rose, starring Sean Connery and [...]

When prophets talk what they say falls into one of six categories. This essay is about how to determine which category their words fit into and how to have a better understanding and application of the speech of prophets, ancient and modern.  It presents six categories and five tools. The six categories are: 1) Specific [...]

“There is but one Lord of the Ring, and he does not share power!” — Gandalf to Saruman. Hawkgrrrl recently summarized Jonathan Haidt’s thesis, expressed in The Righteous Mind, of how people develop pronounced liberal or conservative tendencies as a combination of both genetics and experience (see here). I also wrote about Haidt’s ideas about how [...]

General Authorities tend to have themes. Some are shared between them, but others come to define specific authorities.

One of the striking things about the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon is that it appears that both Nephi and Lemuel claimed them for support. As you read through 2 Nephi chapters 17 and 18 you are hitting a favored text of those who claimed that Jerusalem had nothing to fear. When Nephi [...]

As an American living in Asia, I often encounter cultural disconnects.  A peer or friend will make a comment that is so obviously based on assumptions or values I don’t share that I realize that my own values and assumptions must sound equally foreign to them. A few months ago, one of my co-workers in [...]

With the increased scrutiny of the church in the media recently, a new fear-promoting rumour has apparently begun to circulate.  From a memo the church has released: “The following statements are being attributed to Elder David A. Bednar about what he purportedly said would happen if Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination: · That persecution [...]

Today’s guest post is from Bloggernacle favorite EmJen who adapted an online quiz for a Mormon audience.  I thought it would be interesting to see what forms of worship speak most to us, the Wheat & Tares audience, individually and collectively.  Also, as you consider the results, are these typical for Mormons?  Are there some [...]

I still contend I was not being insensitive — just naive. I arrived on the East Coast in 1973 — freshly out of grad school — having been selected for the one job at John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab I’d wanted more than any other I’d even considered applying for. After my church had canonized [...]

The philosopher Goethe once said that we should every day see something beautiful when he said that: “Every day look at a beautiful picture, read a beautiful poem, listen to some beautiful music, and if possible, say some reasonable thing.” This year I have taken up that challenge and I am attempting every day to [...]

George Albert Smith was the eighth president of the LDS Church.  He suffered from  lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disease) and was disabled for a period of about two years (bedridden from 1909 to 1912). The short summary of his life is: George Albert Smith was born on April 4, 1870, in Salt Lake City. His [...]

There have been many analogies to illustrate the different types of Mormons:  Iron Rod vs. Liahona Mormons, Adam types vs. Eve types, TBMs vs. Liberal or Cafeteria Mormons.  All of these analogies are trying to illustrate that there are very vocal, orthodox, unquestioning members, and there are also members who are unorthodox in how they view things, ask [...]

Now that the “Mormon in Americas” survey has been published (You can read the whole survey results here), the boobirds and naysayers are reacting. The survey results are quite clear in that they represent 1000 people who self-identify as “Mormon.” The Pew Research Center used a group of Mormon scholars to assist them in their [...]

There is a common concern among those who have experienced doubts in the church as to how much they should disclose about their doubts, to whom, and what the consequences of that disclosure might be.  A recent internet discussion involving someone whose temple recommend was withheld for sharing her struggles and doubts with a well-meaning [...]

I’ve written a fair amount on understanding General Authorities.  With this post I will address a few lessons almost all of them have learned: Don’t inhale. You know less than you think you do. Capture.

Many people complain that they are not being heard.  Yes, there is an issue with people not listening.  Even more, there is also a matter of people not paying the price to be heard.