Originally posted at exmormon.reddit.com. Much of the faithful bloggernacle is currently talking about Dr. Grant Hardy’sUnderstanding the Book of Mormon, published by Oxford Press. I was intrigued by the premise when it first came out a few months ago, but have been quite reticent about posting anything about it to…
Category: Testimony
Symbolic beliefs can counter cognitive dissonance, but at a cost
Why are Ex-Mormons So Angry (and other questions)? Part II
This is the second part of what has turned out to be a surprisingly lengthy two-part series on the perception of ex-Mormons as being angry and causes and reasons for anger that may exist, originally posted at Irresistible (Dis)Grace here and here. Please read part I (if you haven’t already)…
Why are Ex-Mormons So Angry (and other questions)? Part I
A while back on reddit, aMormon stumbled into the popular (and still growing) ex-Mormon reddit to ask the ex-Mormon denizens a few questions. Many of the questions were quite patronizing (despite the poster’s stated desire to “support whatever [our] beliefs [were] in a non-patronizing way”), and the proceeding conversation was…
Valerie Hudson Explains Polygamy, An Exception to the Law
Since it is too hot here in the Southeast to do much of anything, I was piddling around on the WEB and came across this article in the Deseret News about the recent Fairs conference. Valerie Hudson, a BYU political science professor, presented, according to the article, her interpretation of…
My Happy Mormon Life
A few days ago a friend of mine gave me a copy of a thesis she had directed for a young woman pursuing an MFA in non-fiction writing. My friend mentioned this student months ago, telling me that she was a Mormon writing about her life as a Mormon. She…
missionary mauled, but saved through god’s will
In case you didn’t see it, a Mormon missionary was mauled in Guatemala by a couple of lions. However, as you read the article, it makes it sound as though: (1) Paul Oakey wasn’t doing anything wrong when he was attacked by the lions and (2) he was saved through…
What is Respectful Proselytizing?
In some countries, proselytizing a religion other than the religion of that land is illegal. Many countries in the Arab world prohibit the proselytizing of any religion but Islam (and whether being an Iranian Christian is really all that difficult, I wouldn’t know). Nepal is considering adding proselytizing to its…
Only for American Mormons, July 2011
For years our family has received theLiahona instead of theEnsign. I used to work for Distribution Services which is where I discovered that theEnsign magazine is only published for English-speaking American/Canadian Latter-day Saints. While I knew that theLiahona served non-English LDS around the world, I discovered that an English version…
LDS Message for Pride 2011
This post was written by MoHoHawaii. Timed for the annual gay pride celebrations, the LDS Church’s official magazine, the Ensign, has an anti-gay manifesto in its current issue. The article is written by Elder Bruce D. Porter a General Authority who was formerly a political science professor at BYU. The…
Preparing the Way for Change
The other day, I was having a discussion with a new straight friend, Darren. He is an active Mormon, a husband and father, who within the past year has discovered that two of his closest friends in the world, other members of the Church whom he has known for years,…