This summer, when I posted on X about my lifelong conviction that the god of Mormonism is a moral monster, someone told me, very helpfully and completely accurately, that I would love God’s Monsters by Esther Hamori. God’s Monsters is the first work of religious scholarship that has made me…
Category: God himself
Missionary Chat: Omniscience vs. endowments
Today’s missionary chat is based on a question my wife raised that I always found interesting: If God is omniscient, then why do Mormons have endowments done? Â Wouldn’t God know who to let into the Celestial Kingdom without evidence of having an endowment done? Â Here’s the chat: Angie: hi! Bob…
Missionary Chat: Polygamist God
In my ongoing pursuit to learn what “on the ground” Mormons believe, here’s another Missionary Chat. Â This one on God the Father and his wife/wives. Ken: Hello. Marcel: welcome back (creepy that they know it’s me again) Bob (me): Hi. I have a question for the two of you. Marcel:…
Missionary Chat: Gods & Planets
I’m kind of enjoying chatting with the missionaries online. Â Since it’s on my own terms, it’s kind of nice. Â Here’s my discussion from this week: Joey: Hello. Sean: Hello! Bob (me): Hi. I have a question for the two of you. Sean: Ok. Bob: Do you, personally, believe that, after…
Once You Figure Out God Is a Jerk
So, I heard some years ago that religious people tend to be happier and healthier. It didn’t especially jive with my experience, but hey, it’s what the scientific data say, right? Here’s an interesting piece from the NY Times, corroborating and explaining some of the benefits of “religious attendance” [or]…