One of the staunchest defenders of abortion rights was killed Sunday, May 31st, as he walked into his Lutheran Church. George Tiller, long villified by anti-abortionists for performing late term abortions (one of very few doctors who would do so in the US), was shot and killed. This was the…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Back again edition!
This has been an exciting week! Loads of fascinating discussion on religion! Three of our regular readers have told the stories of how leaving Mormonism meant being true to themselves: Kullervo has always been a Pagan, Jonathan’s inner infidel overcame his Mormon side, and Mormon Andrew had an atheist hiding…
Irreligious Discrimination: The Only Kind Still Acceptable Today
So I have a conservative, very religious uncle who forwards me emails about every 3 to 4 weeks that are disturbing (I have yet to agree with a single one). Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I email back. This time I figured I’d post it here: FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY…
New York Marriage Equality: Astroturfing – Courtesy of the Same Ten (Mormon) People
In her report on the New York “pro-marriage” rally, Mormon blogger (and Digital Network Army director) Angela Rockwood (aka Beetle Blogger) suggests that if you are a New Yorker, you’ll want to know about these sites: New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms New Yorkers Family Research Foundation For once, I agree…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: History and Research Edition!
Chris Smith reminds us that the due date is fast approaching for presenter proposals at this year’s SLC Sunstone Symposium! The theme this year is Zion’s Sisterhood: Celebrating Mormon Women’s Contributions to Church and Culture. I’m dying to go myself — since for once I’ll actually be in the U.S….
And now for some real family history!
That’s right, you no longer have to settle for silly second and third-hand stories about the Aurora Branch. Now it’s time to hear about it from the horse’s mouth! What do you remember about those days? Climbing the stairs to the second floor of the Odd Fellows Hall where the…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: The Dead and the Living Edition!
The buzz this week was all about how President Obama’s dead mom has been let out of spirit prison (or something like that). I ought to be dutifully rounding up every single post on the subject, but — no offense — everybody said exactly the same things they say every…
The LDS Church, Proposition 8, and the Federal Law of Charities
Brian Galle*: In the days before and after the passage of California’s “Proposition 8,” a ballot initiative barring legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the state, it was widely reported that the LDS Church, together with other religious organizations, played a significant role in supporting the initiative. National attention peaked…
It’s Time to Play: Anti-Mormon… Or Not?
Here’s my crazy theory about the problem with Mormon Literature: It’s not that most Mormons want to read something “clean” and uplifting. It’s that the folks who want only clean and uplifting reading are so worried about the possibility of reading or supporting something potentially “anti-Mormon” that they’ll avoid LDS-interest…
Why do we act?
When we were members of the church, we knew very acutely how many rules and laws and words of wisdom and commandments we had to follow. Why did we keep up with it then…and why do we do what we do now? What motivates us to act? For the past…