Exploring the important religious questions from a Mormon (LDS) perspective. Focus on ancient history, early Christianity, and Mormon doctrine/practice.

A friend of mine recently converted to Buddhism or at least embraced Zen teachings and asked for my opinion on some of the issues.  I am nowhere near being an expert but I have had a decent amount of exposure living among Cambodians for two years, getting an Asian Studies minor, and eating a lot of Chinese food.  So I speak primarily from my personal experiences.  My response over multiple exchanges:

I have a lot of respect for Buddhism. There is something quite beautiful about the mediation, concentration, and unity with the natural world found in Zen Buddhism. The traditional teachings of Buddhism are quite simple and beautiful, i.e. the 8 fold path, and when practiced are conducive to a harmonious society.

The Cambodians I worked with were Theravada Buddhists and for the lay people it was more a matter of culture than religion. A lay practitioner likely didn’t know the Continue reading →

Somebody loved me and gave me the Planet Earth series for Christmas. I am completely mesmerized every time I watch it. The beauty, diversity, and richness of this world as captured in this film is completely staggering.

What does this have to do with the Mormon Endowment ceremony as presented in LDS temples? The presentation includes a portrayal of the creation of this earth. In the temples of the pioneers the setting was set with murals paints on the walls of the creation room. Since the inception of the video presentation of the endowment the creation story presentation has been augmented by beautiful cinematography highlighting the beauties of this earth. Considering the endowment has been streamlined into a two-hour presentation compared to the all-day experience as Joseph Smith originally shared it, I think it could be completely appropriate to consider mentally inserting this Planet Earth series right in the middle of the story of the creation of the earth and celebrating the glory and beauty of the creation. Continue reading →

Curing Religious Illiteracy

God’s Promise to Abraham

Krista Tippet interviews Robert Millet on Speaking on Faith

Measuring Political Effectiveness

Blogs for global poverty, health, development and social entrepreneurship

I will remember him for his optimism, his constant challenge to be, to be a little better than you were before. I will remember when the doctors told him to start carrying a cane, he literally started carrying around, not using for support, his cane. I will remember his wit and ease to laughter. I will miss his matter-of-fact style of speaking at General Conferences, particularly in Priesthood session. I will remember the change in demeanor that came over those that interacted with him, including gruff reporters like Mike Wallace and Larry King. I will remember him for his great concern for the international membership of the church, he traveled far and wide to be with the Saints, he personally drew up the blueprints for smaller temples bringing the temple blessings to the isolated and distant members, he instituted the perpetual education fund to primarily support returned missionaries from poor countries. I will remember his hand gestures at the pulpit and the little wave he would give to congregations that stood longing to be in his presence a little longer. I will remember that kind pure look in his eyes, seemingly hidden behind a wrinkly face. I will remember the tenderness he showed his wife as he accompanied her to and from the stand in the Marriott Center. I will remember his forthrightness in speaking out against pornography, abuse, and the mistreatment of women. I will remember him pronouncing the word “wonderful”. I will remember the talk he gave called My Testimony. I will remember him as a leader that everyone adored and were extremely proud to be associated with. I will remember him with tenderness. I pray that I never forget the influence he has had on my life for good.

Admired by all that knew him:

NPR

Mike Wallace

I was Stumbling around the other day and came across these fantastic images from the Hubble telescope. I find it absolutely mind-boggling to look at a photograph such as the one here and ponder on the vastness of space, the apparent infinity of matter, stars, galaxies, space, and time. This picture, in particular, is breathtaking, each point of light being a galaxy made up of billions upon billions of stars. I cannot comprehend it.

This is a good launching pad to share one of my pet theories which is that the modern decrease in religiosity and faith is correlated with the rise of urbanization and the associated light pollution. Might sound strange but hear me out– Continue reading →

I previously reviewed Did God have a Wife?  by William Dever.  I finished with the statement that I would add some commentary specific to an LDS perspective, so here goes:

The concept of God having a wife:
Devers writes with a sense that revealing that God had a wife is an enormous blow to traditional Christianity (and perhaps accurately so if that means the definition of God set forth by the Creeds).  Of course the proposition that God has a wife is not at all threatening to a Mormon.  If you told a Mormon about this “new finding” the response would be something akin to “oh yeah–I already knew that.”

This understanding comes from statements made by the Prophet Joseph Smith to Eliza R. Snow who later Continue reading →

I have no other place to post my political thoughts and filled with opinions I cannot hold back. I watched the New Hampshire debates tonight, this is my take, in order of seating:

The common themes of the Republicans could be summarized as speaking about the sanctity of personal freedom and the efficiency of market mechanisms.

John McCain was flat out childish in his personal attacks on Gov. Romney. I think he came across as one who thinks through the eyes of militarism and traditional Washington politics. Overly entrenched in politician life Continue reading →

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

“A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.” Joseph Smith

Continuing along the line of “what should we be doing?” I present these two quotes in tandem for reflection, one a call to action and the other offering proper motivation.

So often, whether the topic is politics or organized religion, the sentiment is “me” and “them” (the institution). People expect Continue reading →

It is hard to ignore Evolution in discussions about religion and the origin of life/meaning of life. It has been on my mind recently as I’m in the middle of Diversity of Life and watching Planet Earth (stunningly gorgeous btw, if the LDS church wanted to expand the temple ceremony they could probably just insert the Planet Earth series in the creation story, a modern mural of art).

Watching the evolution-religion discussion is particularly interesting due to the extremely strong reactions it produces from both sides. Continue reading →

An interesting post the other day at Summa Theologica about the traditional text-centered dialogue about Mormonism as opposed to one that analyzes actual practice, ritual, and devotion in an attempt to understand a group of people.The post resonated with me because part of the reason I started this blog was because I was absolutely bored with the dialogue that so often accompanies Mormonism on the internet; Continue reading →