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.
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Voting for Satan
Usually FAIR refrains from giving anti-Mormon critics free publicity, but Florida televangelist Bill Keller is so over-the-top that I can’t resist sharing his latest web site:
Last May Keller made headlines claiming, “If you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!” The web site is his follow-up to that statement. (It even lists a “Judas Gallery” of Christians who have sold out to endorse Romney.)
Rarely is anti-Mormonism this much fun, outside of the likes of Ed Decker and Loftes Tryk.
I am a Democrat
Recently a question reached me as to how any Mormon could be a Democrat. Here is my reply to that question. -GMK
I have been a liberal, labor Democrat my entire life. I come from a long line of Democrats, and before that socialists (my grandfathers and grandmothers). I will attempt to answer your question, which has been posed to me quite often. [Read more…] about I am a Democrat
President’s Message: The Mormon Problem with Honesty
In the various articles, blogs, and comments related to Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, the Mormon honesty problem has come up. “Why didn’t Mitt Romney talk about what Mormons really believe?” asked one writer. “Mormons feel it is okay to lie about their beliefs,” stated a radio caller.
So do Mormons lie about their beliefs?
[Read more…] about President’s Message: The Mormon Problem with Honesty
Westboro Baptist Church to protest at President Hinckley’s funeral
Over on Times and Seasons, Kaimi Wenger blogs about the inimitable Pastor Fred Phelps and his congregants who believe “God hates fags” (their phrase), and who plan to add to their list of funeral protests that of Gordon B. Hinckley.
(Warning: Some of links above may contain offensive content. Which is sort of the point.)
Pride and a Haughty Spirit
This past weekend I was, for the umpteenth time, reading the writings of a certain LDS apostate held in high regard by many who make criticism of the Church their avocation. I don’t want to name this apostate; indeed, his name is not important. Instead, I want to review my thoughts on one particular aspect of his writings. It is these thoughts that others may find of value. (Or not; I hold no illusions that my writings are of any intrinsic value, other than when they provide a springboard for introspection within others.)
Navigating the Straits of Polygamy
The Church has a problem.
We are caught between the Scylla of our long history of practicing — and strongly defending — plural marriage, and the Charybdis of having given up that practice and now having to disassociate ourselves from modern polygamous groups.
From the standpoint of defending the Church, how should we navigate that strait? [Read more…] about Navigating the Straits of Polygamy
Gordon B. Hinckley, 1910–2008
I’m certain this is not the first place people turn for news, but in case you missed it, President Hinckley passed away Sunday, January 27.
Here are some links to early news reports:
http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=42aeb7e1-2f99-492c-926d-c6d2d26cdc1a
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=aedea6c9-7797-40e8-a1e5-1e7a54050390
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8095453
EDIT:
Here’s the official announcement from the Church:
Discussing Mormonism with Anne
Jan Brown, a freelance writer, apologist, and ministry consultant, wrote an interesting article at Christianity Today. The article is not that bad, from an Evangelical Christian’s perspective. There are, however, a few things that just jumped out at me as I was reading through the piece.
And we multiplied exceedingly
This Jarom 1:8 phrase is used throughout the Book of Mormon and appears to borrow its language from the Abrahamic covenant in Gen 17:2 and elsewhere. It appears to be an apt description of the early Utah Saints, who saw themselves as modern heirs of the covenant. Mormon women welcomed many more children into their homes than their national counterparts, a phenomenon I attribute largely to polygamy.
As a disclaimer, I realize that this blog entry is not in good taste, especially from a feminist perspective. Some of the quantitative analysis that follows will no doubt feed into Mormon stereotypes that we like to keep our women barefoot and pregnant.
