Appreciation for Uchtdorf
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 18. Feb, 2012 | No Comments Yet
In the LDS Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting held earlier this month, a statement made by President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency drew a lot of attention in my religious circles. Thank God for men like him who remind us that our whole faith tradition is based on questioning, and that the scriptures and history are replete with examples of people who only got answers and growth because they refused to be content with what was already known.
Women’s Roles and the New Testament
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 06. Dec, 2011 | No Comments Yet
The following is taken verbatim from Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman. Dr. Ehrman is a renowned New Testament scholar who has written multiple New York Times bestselling books on the topic. In this particular segment, Ehrman is discussing how the social context (in this case, the role of women in early Christian cultures) influenced the scribes who were copying the New Testament manuscripts.
Terryl Givens on Mormon Universalism
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 03. Dec, 2011 | No Comments Yet
The following is a partial transcript I made of an excellent Mormon Stories podcast interview with Terryl Givens, one of the most intellectually interesting and thoughtful Mormons I know of. His strong literary background and thoughtful nature provide him a unique perspective and ability to express himself. Givens lays out the case for Mormon universalism, or how a minority religion often viewed as exclusionist and triumphalist actually contains the elements for salvation for the entirety of the human race as opposed to just God’s favored people.
Dismantling the Rose
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 21. Nov, 2011 | 1 Comment
I’ve heard an analogy that compares people’s personal religious beliefs to a beautiful rose. Some people’s intellectual curiosity drives them to dismantle the rose in order to see how it’s put together. Petal by petal they gently pull it apart to learn how the individual parts work or to examine its raw biology under a microscope.
Killing in the Name of
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 20. Nov, 2011 | 1 Comment
Call me a skeptic when it comes to scriptural accounts of divinely authorized killing. Is it merely due to the fact that my modern, bleeding-heart sensibilities that have concluded that life is invaluable?
Brigham Young the Feminist
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 10. Nov, 2011 | No Comments Yet
Did you know that Brigham Young was a feminist? Ok, he probably wasn’t really, at least not by today’s standards. But I ran across a very interesting statement he made.
A Bible! A Bible! We Have Got a Bible
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 08. Nov, 2011 | No Comments Yet
It’s not rare to encounter people who struggle with the Mormon concept of an open scriptural canon. What is it about the Book of Mormon that conflicts with common Christian beliefs about the authority of the Bible, and where do these beliefs come from?
Mormon Prayer Taboo
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 02. Nov, 2011 | No Comments Yet
For those who witness Mormon prayers, it’s easy to catch many language patterns and conventions. Even more specifically, you can find oddly worded phrases or curious word usages that are commonplace.
Greg Prince on Trying to Bring People Back to Church
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 06. Oct, 2011 | No Comments Yet
The following is the second half of my partial transcript of the Greg Prince interview. Here, the question posed to him is if he can make the case to those who have deliberately left church activity and persuade them to return to participation. Greg Prince gives an interesting answer that would be useful for anyone seeking to do the same in their own congregation.
Greg Prince on Dealing with Tough Religious Issues and Appreciating Other Faiths
Posted by Trevor in Religion on 06. Oct, 2011 | 1 Comment
The following is a partial transcript of a Mormon Stories podcast interview with Greg Prince, whom I find absolutely fascinating. At this point in the conference, the interviewer, in front of an audience very well educated in all the most problematic areas of the history of the LDS Church, poses what is unarguably a very difficult question: Can he explain how he maintains his faith despite being extremely familiar with all the issues that often cause others to struggle in their own faith? Greg Prince gives about as good an answer as I’ve ever heard to such a question.
