Tag religion

Equal Before the Law

In Sunday school today we were talking, among other things, about the freedom of conscience that was protected under Nephite law. The teacher (I can’t remember his name since it was our first week in a new ward) made the…

Government and Religion

I was reading Doctrine and Covenants section 134 today. I have read it before on various occasions, but my perspective on government has sharpened considerably since the last time I read it and it struck a chord with me as…

Religious Obedience

I was listening to a talk today in sacrament meeting where the speaker was putting great emphasis on the fact that the leaders of the LDS church seek for members to obey their leaders out of understanding rather than blindly…

More Than Enough

In 2006 I wrote a post asking What kind of God do you worship? I was reminded of that post as I thought of my personal answer to the question this evening. I was watching The Testaments: Of One Fold…

“We Talk of Christ”

Earlier this week I came across Christ.org and I really enjoyed reading what kinds of things had been written there. I plan to follow the discussion there to see if it continues to be enlightening. I also hope that it…

Wired for Authoritarianism

I have to say that, like Obi wan, I am deeply concerned about our shift towards a more authoritarian society. I also agree that the positions publicly identified as conservative are tending towards greater social authoritarianism although I'm not sure they are becoming more authoritarian economically. On the other hand, the positions publicly identified as liberal have always been likely to take an authoritarian stance economically while remaining libertarian in the social arena.

Six Months to Digest

For the first time in years I got to sit through an entire general session of conference with almost no interruption. It was exciting to actually be able to listen to each speaker rather than simply catching bits and pieces…

Old Goals, New Goals

I have made a goal ever six months for the last couple of years to review every talk from general conference before the next general conference. I have to make the goal anew each conference because each time I fail…

Stability Amid Change

I remember when Elder Neal A. Maxwell died followed closely by the death of Elder David B. Haight. I thought at the time that the church had enjoyed what seemed to be an unusually long period of stability among the…

Case for Absitnence

I was surprised as I read this Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by Caitlin Flanagan. I doubt it was her intent, but I found a very strong argument in favor of abstinence as the preferred attitude toward extra-marital…