As a kid, most of the General Conference talks didnt make much of an impression on me. I was sitting in the pews listening, but I was also a kid with a short attention span. Beyond feeling a sense of reverence for the guys on the screen, most of the…
Category: Testimony
Symbolic beliefs can counter cognitive dissonance, but at a cost
An example of Book of Mormon evidences and the scientific method
One of the goals of science is not to prove theories right, but to prove them wrong. When this happens, a theory must be changed or thrown away. It is important to report the results even if the outcome proved the theory wrong. If someone does not want everyone to…
Personal Apostasy Research from LDS.org
Below I have compiled a list of references, along with samples (some very lengthy…OK, this entire post is VERY long – that’s why I have highlighted the good stuff) from those references, of talks and lessons that refer to personal apostasy from the LDS.org website. My primary purpose in collecting…
The Emotional Apostate: The Case for Leaving to Sin and Offense.
Within the ex-Mormon community…or at least, the ex-Mormon community as it thrives online, on websites, blogs throughout Outer Blogness, forums, etc., there seems to be this common exit narrative. (Daymon Smith has a post deconstructing the synthesis of this new identity, but I couldn’t decipher his blog post well enough…
Shout It to the Universe
I spent years worrying about what people would think if I finished and published my memoir, Hippie Boy: A Girls Story. I didnt want to hurt anyone, particularly my mom, a devout Mormon who credits the LDS Church with saving her life. And yet it was her obsession and absolute…
Boyd-Speak: Where I’m At and Why I Bother
Invictus Pilgrim formerly blogged at invictuspilgrim.blogspot.com. For personal reasons, he has taken that blog private and has started at new blog at mohosapiens.blogspot.com. The following was his initial post on his new blog. A little over 15 months ago, I was prompted (not in the Mormon sense, but in the…
Those BYU Volunteers
Since McKay Coppins reported about the Romney campaign’s efforts to energize the South Carolina primaries with volunteers from out of state Mormon colleges, which has been linked by Profxm, I thought that a quick note to put the event into context might be in order. Every campaign is trying to…
Sister Wife: the Pop Song
Can’t believe someone didn’t think of it sooner: a pop song about rivalry between sister wives. Here’s the direct link.
If World’s Doomed, I’m Grateful to Have a Mormon Mother
We were poor when I was growing up. So poor that we depended on free lunches at school, WIC food vouchers from the government, and occasional trips to the Church welfare office to eat. But our daily struggle to survive didnt keep my mom from stockpiling food in preparation for…
The Other Great Commandment: Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself
I found this open letter on Facebook. It is a courageous and inspiring effort to protect our gay children and neighbors in the BYU community. Since it is doubtful that the Daily Universe will publish it, I am taking the liberty to disseminate it on Main Street Plaza. It might…