Steven Danderson

It appears that “Finn” may become the GOP nominee for vice president of the USA.
Such a ticket, though, would lose to the Democratic nominees–big. To some Evangelicals, those “bigoted Mormons” would be the scapegoats, since they don’t see “Finn’s” anti-Mormon cracks as the reason for the lack of LDS enthusiasm. Moreover, I imagine that these and other Evangelicals would see this loss as yet another instance of being persecuted.

Unlike militant Evangelicals who claim that Latter-day Saints lie about being persecuted, I categorically affirm that Evangelicals are also victims of persecution. As Glenn Beck might put it, “Here’s how I got there:” [Read more…] about Biases everywhere….

One thing many anti-Mormons have managed to convince the general public is that Latter-day Saints allegedly think that all non-members are “anti-Mormon.” Why is this?

When we point out bad deeds from SOME non-Mormons, do we leave an impression that we condemn EVERY non-Mormon, even those who commit no such bad acts? Could this impression be why non-Mormons think we refer to them, too as “anti-Mormon,” when we are not? If so, then, of course, we must be more clear.

[Read more…] about Who are “anti-Mormons”–and who aren’t?

My friend and colleague, Greg Kearney, stated that he is a Democrat because that party is the best way to fulfill Deity’s mandate to care for the less fortunate and to work justice [See James 1:27 and other Scriptures]. Greg is right; too many of us tend to not want to “get involved”–the Kitty Genovese murder is eloquent illustration of the need to help others. The Democrats, of course, have rather detailed plans to achieve what Thomas Sowell calls, “cosmic justice.”

[Read more…] about Arguing past each other….

In my Scripture study the other day, Jesus’ statement, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” [Matthew 7:12], brought the bygone incident I describe below to mind with incredible intensity. It is a shame that so many critics of the Church seem to have purged this verse in the Sermon on the Mount from their Bibles–and this is a very sad thing. Dates and other information are obscured here, to protect the guilty and the innocent.

[Read more…] about Do unto others….

There is something about politicians specifically appealing to the bigots among society that really puts me off!

Yesterday in a speech found here, one political candidate (name omitted to protect the guilty–let’s call him Finn, after the Mark Twain character in the book Tom Sawyer) said, “You don’t like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do…. In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we’d tell ’em what to do with the pole, that’s what we’d do.” What a “defender of freedom”—except that the flag he refers to is the Confederate battle flag, which some South Carolinians want to use for official functions.

[Read more…] about Something about bigots….

For years, critics of the Church have attacked the Nephite “coinage,” mentioned in Alma 11:3-19, claiming that this in itself makes the Book of Mormon fiction [See Allen Wyatt’s blog, “Coins in the Book of Mormon.”]. Really, I don’t see what the fuss is about. [Read more…] about Nephite money and “coinage”

To many people, the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society is a “deal breaker” for Joseph Smith’s Prophetic calling. After all, wouldn’t God make sure a bank set up and run by a Prophet won’t fail? Not necessarily. God uses things (and people!) to accomplish His purposes, and, when His purposes are accomplished, those things (and people) must necessarily wane from the spotlight. When John the Baptist’s job as harbinger for the Saviour was complete, God didn’t even spare his life. Why should He then spare a bank when its job of financing the Kirtland Temple was complete? [Read more…] about The Kirtland Safety Society’s collapse is significant!