Is Early Morning Seminary worth it? This is a question I ask myself every year. At the kickoff for seminary, the seminary director explains each year that the reason we do Early Morning Seminary is to teach the kids they can do hard things. That’s the same reason we were told we do manufactured Trek reenactments, too. But is doing hard things a good justification in and of itself to do something? I have seen fairly severe impacts to my kids as they’ve gone through 4 years of seminary. The sleep deprivation at a crucial growing period when they are supposed to be achieving grades that enable them to get a good college education seems like a high price to pay for daily religious education from amateur volunteers. [Read more…]
Early Morning Seminary and Sleep Deprivation
August 15, 2016 by
Stop Skipping the Establishment Clause
July 11, 2016 by
For as much as we love religious freedom (BYU just finished its annual two-day conference on the topic), Mormons don’t pay much attention to the Establishment Clause. Which, if you think about it, is astounding. What else is Mormonism, if not the greatest Establishment Clause failure of the 19th Century?
Today’s guest post is from Carolyn Homer. Carolyn Homer is an attorney and religion constitutional law enthusiast in California. She has represented the Anti-Defamation League and other religious organizations as amici before the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently in Zubik v. Burwell, which concerned religious exemptions to the Affordable Care Act. [Read more…]
If Jane Austen Wrote the Book of Mormon
May 24, 2016 by
Where are our marriage prospects in this godforsaken wilderness?
I was considering a post on the Book of Mormon & the Bechdel test when it occurred to me that Gospel Doctrine class is kind of like a book club.[1] Which got me thinking how much better, and perhaps with more vocal women in it (as well as a few more humorously identified human foibles), the Book of Mormon would be if Jane Austen had written it. [Read more…]
No Man is “Trash”
May 4, 2016 by
Angry? You bet. Tyler Glenn’s latest song and video boil with rage. Glenn, a gay man and former missionary, was embraced by the church for his advocacy in building the inclusivity bridge. That is, until the LDS church’s November 5th policy change regarding homosexuals—a change that codified those in same-gender marriages as apostates, required their excommunication, and forbade the baptism of their children under certain conditions. The policy change hit him hard, like a gut punch, he says. Feeling himself betrayed, denigrated, and literally dismissed over his sexual orientation, Glenn took a hard look at less-visited areas of Mormonism and decided he could no longer believe. The release of “Trash” depicts a stunning reversal of attitude toward his faith heritage. [Read more…]
Ski Lessons with E. Stevenson #ldsconf
April 2, 2016 by
Dude, Where’s My Car Keys?
Elder Stevenson starts his talk by sharing a rather banal incident of getting back to the car after a day of skiing to find the keys to the car missing. He then describes his hypothermia-induced hallucination about the priesthood keys. Well, not exactly. Actually, at first I thought this was going to be another story about finding lost keys. I mean, that’s practically a rite of passage for Mormons in our spiritual journey. Who among us has not had an experience when we lost our keys, we prayed, and then we found our keys? It’s practically like shave and a haircut. [1] [Read more…]
Mormon Deepities
February 20, 2016 by
What is a deepity?
Something that sounds profound but intellectually hollow.
Usually has the following characteristics. 1. True but trivial 2. False but logically ill informed. 3. Usually a use-mention error or (UME) To the extent that it’s true, it doesn’t matter. To the extent that it matters, it isn’t true.
What is a UME? Confusing the word used to describe a thing, with the thing itself.
Daniel Dennett, the prominent atheist author who coined the term “deepity” in 2009, argues that theology is full of deepities. To which I say, I know you are, but what am I? [Read more…]
The Book of Mormon and the Bechdel Test
January 24, 2016 by
Speak up, but don’t talk too much.
When I was in 5th grade, our class was going to put on a classroom play: an abbreviated version of A Christmas Carol. When I looked at the script, there was only one female part, that of Fezziwig’s wife, and she only had two brainless lines. I figured that must mean all the parts were open, so I decided to audition for the part of Scrooge, which had a meaty fifty lines, plenty of scene-chewing grumpiness, and even a crying scene. I borrowed my grandfather’s hat and shirt, and I explained to the teacher that since none of the girl parts were remotely interesting in this play, casting should be open to all comers for all parts. She agreed with me, and I got the part! [1]
The Bechdel test [2] is used to identify gender bias in movies and literature, but it applies to any narrative story. [Read more…]
To Be Perfectly Honest . . .
November 3, 2015 by
Honesty is cool.
In Gospel Doctrine this week, the class discussion revolved around how we can be more honest, and the subtle forms of dishonesty that creep into our lives. According to one study [1], 10% of communication in marriage is dishonest. Another study showed that 38% of interactions between college students were deceptive [2]. And as we all know, 83% of statistics are made up [3]. Why do people lie? Does everyone do it? How can we be more honest?
“It’s not a lie if you believe it!” George Costanza [4]
Trek, Mobs, and Spiritual Escalation
June 23, 2015 by
The version of this post I originally drafted in my head was going to be easy: I’d describe a trek activity (mob attack—more on that in a minute) that, in spite of its being clearly inappropriate, seems to be gaining currency. Then I’d have a poll, asking you what you thought about it, with lighthearted, smart-alecky answers. The end.
The post would have been good for a couple laughs and, hopefully, an icebreaker if you were on a trek committee and somebody suggested said mob attack. [Read more…]
Pioneer Day Tips for Mormon Muggles & Mudbloods
June 1, 2015 by
Attention muggles:
We recognize that you don’t have amazing magical families like so many of us do, but we are still glad you are here at Hogwarts [1]. Some of you have demonstrated real promise on your Newts and Owls despite your lack of inherited magical blood! [Read more…]
The Spiritual Mission of the University
May 5, 2015 by
Two weeks ago, graduating BYU students and their families listened to a commencement address delivered by Professor Robert George of Princeton.
The Jesuit motto: For the greater glory of God.
In his address, Prof. George talks about the unique role that religious universities play in the world of academia; he also warned against giving up on that mission in slavish imitation of the best of secular institutions.
He’s absolutely right on the first point: religious universities have an essential role to play in the world of education and the world of scholarship. But he’s absolutely wrong in his diagnosis of following secular norms, and I want to push back against his view (which has, unfortunately, been adopted absent any nuance he may have painted with by others). [Read more…]
“Wholesome” Recreational Activities
January 7, 2015 by
Good clean family fun. Until grandpa’s ruthlessness emerged.
Nearly from its inception, the Proclamation to the World has been a controversial document as people have different ideas about how to have a successful marriage and family when God only approves of one way [1]. At the heart of this controversy: so-called wholesome recreational activities. Just what is a wholesome recreational activity? [Read more…]
The love of many shall wax cold – Libertarianism and apocalypse
November 24, 2014 by
Dissolution seems to be our most recent zeitgeist. With the recent referendums in Spain and the UK, the strife in Ukraine, and the increasingly schismatic politics in the US, it seems that long-held social ties and traditions hold less value than in the past. We seem more and more capable of drifting away from one another.
I have a tendency to see the rise of modern conservative libertarianism as concurrent with this trend. [Read more…]
Late Church Is the Honest-to-Goodness Worst Thing On Earth
September 26, 2014 by
We share a building with like 19 other wards, so every third year we have church meetings that don’t kick off until 1pm. It’s the worst thing in the world, by several yardsticks. 
Saturday is supposed to be a special day–it’s the day we get ready for Sunday! Not with late church, though. Because with late church and our own mortal weaknesses, we put off shining our shoes and washing our hair and all that stuff until Sunday morning, because Jiminy Cricket there is literally nothing else to do for like 5 hours and if I couldn’t kill an hour with making the kids take showers and stuff, I don’t honestly know what I’d do. [Read more…]
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