Friday morning I gathered my things and Elder Beaverton helped me carry them to the other side of town to the mission office. Elder Beaverton didn’t have to move his own things this time — he just had to gather up his new companion, Elder Wilson, and bring him back…
Mormon Pollster Gary Lawrence: We Want Negative Buzz
Catch Gary’s latest YouTube clip:
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Religious Diversity Edition!
Religions are so different, yet so full of parallels! Andrew has found his mirror image in the world of Scientology! And speaking of another defector from Scientology, Jim Downey observes: he was willing to go along with their bullshit requirements and commands, including watching his own family suffer from “disconnection,”…
A great missionary memoir in the New York Times Modern Love Column!
All I Wanted Was a Hug. The story explores the crazy rules of homo-vs-hetero public displays of affection among missionaries — and it was written by one of the stars of the last Sunstone Symposium! check it out!
Deseret News = Propaganda Arm of the LDS Church?
A colleague sent me a link to this discussion on KCPW. It’s worth the 20 minutes it takes to listen to it. The focus is on the response to Dallin Oaks’s talk in the Utah media. As the author of several publications on media coverage of the LDS, I didn’t…
3-2-1 Countdown for Equality: No Bittersweet Victories
Progressives are closer than ever to a victory on health care reform. As 2009 comes to a close, we’ve also moved forward on other issues. But what’s looming up ahead could be a disappointment. On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009- less than a week away- there will be critical votes on…
The Horrors of Anti-Mormon Persecution
Probably in a weak effort to defend the clearly ridiculous statements of Dallin Oaks that have led to a well-deserved uproar over the last week, the LDS Church linked to this report from The Heritage Foundation: The Price of Prop 8. While I don’t mean to make light of the…
Even if the church is perfect, the people aren’t
Elder Beaverton and I didn’t say anything as we walked northeast along the side of the Jardin Public. When we got to the corner, I suggested that we turn northwest and continue going around the park. I knew that the girls were still inside. I couldn’t help but feel like…
Are you a Mormon?
We recently discussed the various names we use to refer to ourselves (liberal Mormon, NOM, post-Mormon, ex-Mormon, etc.) depending on how we each perceive our relationship with Mormonism. I’m interested in much more direct question, which I’m never quite sure how to answer. Are you a Mormon? It seems like…