Pictured: Brian C. Hales, a rank amateur who doesn’t know the first thing about Joseph Smith’s plural marriage. Jeremy Runnells, author of the popular anti-Mormon tract “Letter to a CES Director,” is upset. He’s upset that Brian Hales, one of the foremost authorities on Joseph Smith’s plural marriage, would dare challenge him and his accusations … Read more
[Cross posted from the FairMormon Blog.] An anonymous author* writing at the MorningStar Post blog “had an awful time putting [a] story together” on “the number of Latter Day Saints [sic] that are actually considered active,” and that Mormons are, per the title of the post, allegedly “leaving their religion in record numbers around the world.” (Link) … Read more
Elder Boyd K. Packer (b. 1924). Elder Boyd K. Packer gave an address (“The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect”) at a CES symposium in 1981 where he said, “Some things that are true are not very useful.” This soundbite has been gleefully reproduced by anti-Mormons as evidence that Elder Packer was promoting … Read more
Nauvoo’s East Grove. I visited this site in July 2013 as part of a church history study program. It wasn’t very windy when I visited, but it was very hot! I am currently reading Alex Beam’s new book American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church. Although I have … Read more
Today in sacrament meeting one of the speakers gave a talk on the subject of “truth and tolerance.” After quoting parts of Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ sermon on the same subject, the speaker, following Elder Oaks’ cue, condemned moral relativism and stressed the importance of obeying God’s commandments. During the speaker’s talk I was reminded … Read more
Whom do men say that I am? In an excellent discussion on the New Historicism, Rick Duerden says the following in a section he titles “Histories R Us.” This combination of language and history complicates our notions of history just as it complicates our notions of language. Thus, because language is not a simple and … Read more
The Provo Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Notice the representation of the primeval waters, a very fitting temple motif.) Tonight I was set apart as a veil worker at the Provo Temple. I am both humbled and excited by this opportunity to serve in the temple, and can only hope … Read more
Richard Lyman Bushman (b. 1931). Craig A. Evans is an evangelical New Testament scholar whose book Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels I received as a Christmas gift. In his book, Evans stresses the importance of using rational argument to sustain Christian faith, particularly Christian faith in the historical authenticity of the New … Read more
Look, we can’t kid ourselves or others by pretending this never happened. It happened, but there’s no reason to freak out about it. The early Mormon practice of plural marriage is one of the most controversial legacies of Mormonism. Understandably, many people, including members of the Church, are often troubled by what they hear are … Read more
Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer “The wanderer over a sea of fog” (1818), by Caspar David Friedrich. I had a chance once to view a large selection of similar Romantic landscape paintings in the Belvedere in Vienna. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for Romanticism. One of my favorite books of all time … Read more
If you are now or have ever gone through a crisis of faith, I would recommend these three recent sermons by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and D. Todd Christofferson. Come, Join with Us You can read the address online here. Lord, I Believe You can read the address online here. … Read more