Mormon Culture
Posts related to Mormon/LDS Culture
By: The Baron
Quick Quiz:
- Do you believe polygamy should be legal?
- Do you believe polygamists should be allowed to vote, own land, and hold a job?
And one last question:
3. Do you believe it is hypocritical and inconsistent to have different answers to (1) and (2)?
By: The Baron
BYU (and its affiliated schools in Idaho and Hawaii) tend to get a lot of flak from Church members--some of it justified.
Many question the need and utility for Church-sponsored universities, especially considering how much is subsidized through tithing dollars. It’s a fair question to ask what purpose BYU serves and whether it is accomplishing that purpose or not.
As a BYU graduate (2001), let’s take a brief look at some of the good and bad with BYU and other Church universities.
By: Eric Nielson
Last month we had a typical testimony meeting, but for some reason the bishopric decided to do some enforcement on 'improper' testimonies.
By: The Baron
...came from my wife, after listening to Elder Richard D. Scott's talk on Saturday.
By: The Baron
Two arguments that shouldn’t be used when discussing religion and policy…
(1) “Jesus never said anything against ______ in the Bible (or Book of Mormon).”
By: The Baron
[Yes, another post on gay marriage…if your eyes glaze over at the very mention of the subject, you’ve been fairly warned…]
MormonMatters asked in a post last month what would happen if the Church ever “allowed” gay marriage. This answer largely depends on how we define “allow”. Like most issues, gay marriage policy within the Church does not have to be an ‘all-or-nothing’ proposition—let’s look at some potential ‘middle ground’…
By: The Baron
At the recently concluded Sunstone conference, writer Holly Welker criticized the popular LDS short “Johnny Lingo” (not strictly speaking an LDS film as it has no true LDS content, but was produced by BYU in 1969)
(This post will assume readers are somewhat familiar with the content of the Johnny Lingo short—featuring Johnny, his future wife Mahana, and eight cows. Summaries of the plot can be found in the linked article above… The 2003 movie about Johnny Lingo is similar in details but not quite the same story—this article focuses on the original 1969 short)
By: The Baron
MormonMatters has a post about "Doing Right For the Wrong Reason". As a corollary, I'd like to discuss a related topic--doing the right thing for the right reason...but in the wrong way.
[One obvious problem: people disagree on what the 'right' thing is in the first place, but for today let's take the decisions made at face value...]
By: The Baron
Is it possible that Prop 8 passing was the worst thing that could have happened to the Church?
Individuals and organizations don’t always lose by being part of a losing cause, of course. Sports teams gain great motivation from being viewed as the “underdog”, often going out of their way to play the “disrespect” card before their opponent can. (“Nobody believed in us. No one believed we could do it…”)
By: The Baron
“True” and “Truth” are two of the most commonly used words within the LDS lexicon. And yet, as with most all abstract terms, they are subject to differing interpretations.
By: The Baron
Online rumors persist (probably just wishful thinking) that someday soon the Church is going to switch to a two-hour block instead of the current three.
Obviously in such a two hour arrangement the sacrament service will remain, but members seem to disagree as to whether the cut to the current three-hour block should be the Sunday School hour, or the Auxiliary Hour (Elders' Quorum/Relief Society/Young Men/Young Women/High Priests/etc...).
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each:
By: The Baron
No doubt everyone is familiar with the story in Church history about how Joseph Smith prophesied an upcoming assassination attempt on U.S. President Andrew Jackson in 1836, which was then foiled?
No? The reason you probably haven’t heard this story is because of the constant efforts of the enemies of the Church—and the anti-Mormon agenda of the media--who have conspired to keep the details of the story under wraps for decades in order to deny direct evidence of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling and ability.
Well…okay, the real reason you probably haven’t heard this story before is because I made it up.
By: The Baron
No, not "Paradox", our young and brilliant contributor, but actual paradoxes—where two contradictory ideas are entwined together within LDS policy and culture.
By: The Baron
[Previous looks at comic-book movies from a gospel perspective: Superman | Batman]
When X-Men reached theaters in 2000—followed by sequels in 2003 and 2006—it was unique among the other recent modern comic-book movie adaptations for a number of reasons:
1) X-Men was the first true ensemble comic book to make it to movie screens (assuming you don’t count Batman AND Robin) with a variety of different characters instead of one primary ‘hero’.
2) X-Men's unique approach to ‘realism’.
By: The Baron
When discussions of polygamy arise, most people seem to be clear on two things:
- Polygamy oppresses women
- Polygamy is men’s wildest dream come true.
Allow me to anoint myself the representative for all mankind (literally, ‘man’-kind), and tell you something that may shock and surprise you: men don’t want polygamy.
By: The Baron
It seems obvious it would be very difficult to be a prophet...so much so that I doubt anyone who thinks seriously about it would ever aspire to be one.
By: The Baron
Whenever our family listens to General Conference, the instant the "Amen" finishes on the closing prayer of a session, I run up and turn off the radio or TV.
Why? A simple reason--to avoid hearing the rush of Church-centric commercials that immediately follow conference session broadcasts.
By: The Baron
Creating effective social policy is always tricky, even when working from a basis of fundamental principles one believes in. Some recent news items of interest show the difficulty of figuring out what "correct" social policy or response should be in complicated situations.
By: The Baron
Last year, I discussed the idea of “reconciliation”, particularly reconciling different (and potentially contradictory) ideas. Reconciliation happens when you have (or appear to see) a gap between two ideas that you want to form a bridge between, because you feel they are both correct and valuable, and don’t want to be forced to choose one or the other.
By: The Baron
Here in the 21st century, it is interesting to note how the ever-present march of advancing modern technology has influenced the Church. In comparison to the 19th century--or even 20 years ago--technological advances have provided a wealth of changes to the Church experience.
By: The Baron
Imagine a ward in the Church with low home teaching numbers.
(Okay, that could be just about any ward, couldn't it?)
By: The Baron
Imagine two women:
By: The Baron
The Catholics have proof that men and women are different...at least in their approach to committing sin.
A survey of Catholic sins tallied from confessions revealed the differences between men and women, according to how often they committed each of the traditional "seven deadly sins".
By: The Baron
From Roger Ebert:
We have two kinds of prayer in this country, vertical and horizontal. I approve vertical prayer, which originates with the praying person and is directed straight up to heaven. It is private, as all privileged conversations should be. Horizontal prayer, on the other hand, radiates out from the praying person to all those within earshot. It translates as: "I'm going through the motions of praying to God, but actually I'm praying for your benefit. I am expressing solidarity with those who believe as I do, and issuing an implied rebuke to those who don't. I am an example of how everyone should believe and behave." I believe that Freedom of Speech covers religious expression. But it also covers dissent. Public prayer tends to discourage any differing opinions.
By: The Baron
In the 2002 movie “One Hour Photo”, Robin Williams plays a mentally unstable employee in a Walmart-ish super-store who develops photos. Throughout the film, he muses on the philosophy behind personal picture-taking, observing that pictures only provide a partial glimpse of things that really happened. People generally take pictures only of happy occasions in their lives--an outsider who looks through a family’s personal photo album might conclude they had obviously led a “joyous, leisurely existence free of tragedy,” simply because most people don’t take pictures of the unhappy stuff. (“No one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget.”)
By: The Baron
Amid much of the other recent financial struggles came the news about a $50 billion Ponzi scheme run by now-arrested investment manager Bernard Madoff.
Rather than defrauding the poor and the (supposedly) financially ignorant, this scheme targeted primarily the rich and educated—people who knew a lot about finance and investing and should have in theory ‘known better’. How had this scheme continued for so long, and involved so many rich and (supposedly) experienced financial experts? One reason is the great appeal of “The Secret”.
By: Jeremy Harrison
One of the most recognizable symbols of the LDS Church is the placement of the angel Moroni atop our modern temples. But why does Moroni frequently point in the east direction?
By: Téa
As I sorted a stack of papers this week, I found a February 2008 MLS print-out, advertising a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home, 3000 sq ft , and a 3 car garage. Because it was a short-sale, according to the agent, the listing price was only $300,000.
Fast forward to November 2008. A 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 3800 sq ft, 3 car garage home in the same neighborhood is listed at $175,000. That's what a glut of foreclosures has done to the area.
By: The Baron
There are two kinds of "false doctrine". Don’t confuse them:
1) Statements or teachings that are false.
2) Statements or teachings that are not known to be true.
By: The Baron
If there's a church out there that spends more time and effort in religious settings discussing financial matters with its membership than the LDS Church does, I'd like to see it. Debt and proper financial management (not to mention gambling) are frequent topics in General Conference and other settings.
By: The Baron
One of the constant battles of the Internet age has been between adult content and filtering software.
One idea that has been tossed around for years--and revisited this year by ICANN as part of a general domain name expansion--is the creation of an .xxx domain, specifically for sites with pornographic material. The theory is that having a 'porn domain' would make it much easier to (a) find, for those who are interested, or (b) filter out, for those who are not.
By: Téa
(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walks with me)
The only thing that I pray is that me feet don't fail me now
(Jesus Walks)
And I don't think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
(Jesus Walks with me)
I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long.
Overflowing with gospel topics, any discussion of "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West warrants more than one post. Part 1 focuses on the personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Part 2 explores what we believe about how "Jesus walks" with other people. Part 3 deals with Kanye's thoughts on religion in the music business and society at large. (Please note that these posts will not cover the initial parts of the narrative talking about crime and interacting with the police)
Kanye's lyrics touch on various different sides of our relationship with our Savior.
By: The Baron
Every ward has one. (Oftentimes, more than one...)
Charity 'black holes'.
Just like real black holes that suck in all forms of light and don't release anything out again, a "charity black hole" in the Church is a person or family that constantly consumes resources, charity, and service from other church members without ever offering anything back.
By: Starfoxy
I'm late sharing this, I know, but a few months ago I was released as the singing time leader. So there will be no more singing time posts. I was a little sad to be released, but I was getting to the point where I was ready for a change. The reason I was released was so that I could be called to teach the senior nursery with my husband.
By: Téa
It's the first time I'd ever seen the Bishop stop a meeting to clarify and correct doctrine. It was a few minutes after another first: me skipping out on a meeting to report to him what had happened.
Misguided, well-meaning, confused, there are all sorts of 'polite' words one can use in this situation. I adore my Bishop's plainspoken style--Brother B was just WRONG. But I am getting ahead of myself by about 20 minutes, so let's rewind.
By: The Baron
[Wrap up of this brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6]
Imagine this situation: You are heading back to your apartment one evening after work/school when you run into a friend from next door.
By: The Baron
There’s no question: Church members like seeing other Church members become famous.
Having famous Church members in the news in a variety of professional fields--business, sports, singing and dancing—provides a certain comfort to Latter-Day Saints who can see fellow Saints be successful on a national stage, even beyond the simple “good PR for the Church” standpoint.
By: The Baron
[Part 6 in a brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5]
“You know, if the Bible (or Book of Mormon) was a movie, it would be rated R…”
A commonly heard phrase…notwithstanding they HAVE made movies based on the Bible and the Book of Mormon and most of them were not rated R...
By: The Baron
[Part 5 in a brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4]
Editing movies for content has been a controversial idea from the beginning...
By: The Baron
[Part 4 in a brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3]
Originally, there were four ratings for movies: G, PG, R, and X.
Then came Steven Spielberg...
By: Starfoxy
I'm a tense sort of person, and I carry my stress in my shoulders. I have lots of trouble relaxing. I've often thought that it would be good for me to get a massage. Not just the sort where my husband half-heartedly rubs my shoulders for five minutes, but the sort where you lay down on a special table and get a high quality rub-down from a trained professional for a good half hour or so.
While the whole thing sounds very appealing, it also squicks me out.
By: The Baron
[Part 3 in a brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1 | Part 2]
Conventional wisdom says the US—and particularly the conservative watchdogs who discuss movie content the most— are far more tolerant of violent content than sexual content.
Before we discuss whether this should be the case or not—is one of either sex or violence worse than the other?—first let’s see if this is, in fact, true. Are movie ratings in the US more ‘lenient’ for violent content than they are for sexual content? Let’s do some research…
By: The Baron
[Part 2 in a brief series about movie content and ratings. Links to earlier posts: Part 1]
The movie rating system has taken a lot of abuse over the years, most of it deserved. However, it’s worthwhile to try to look at the current movie rating system objectively—considering both the pro’s and con’s—and see what the alternatives are, if any.
By: The Baron
[Part 1 in a brief series of posts about movie content and ratings from an LDS perspective]
Question: Why are Church members encouraged to keep standards when selecting movies to watch?
Answer: Because many movies contain profanity, sexual images or dialogue, and violence.
Question: Okay, but why avoid profanity, sex or violence (PSV) in the first place?
By: The Baron
Kaimi asks whether it's hypocritical for the Church to oppose same-sex marriage on a 'marriage = one man and one woman' basis, given its polygamous history.
Is it contradictory to oppose gay marriage while allowing (in principle) for polygamy? Not at all: polygamy does not, in fact, violate the 'marriage = one man and one woman' principle.
By: The Baron
"Milk before Meat" is how the axiom goes--see 1st Corinthians 3:2. Not so in the blogosphere, where largely we view ourselves as full-fledged carnivores looking for the juiciest steaks we can find.
Or perhaps not. It came to me one day as I was sitting in a recent Sunday School class...
There is no 'meat' in the gospel.
Or rather, rephrasing: the milk *is* the meat.
By: The Baron
On August 6th, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan--quickly followed three days later by another on Nagasaki. This bombing essentially ended World War II in the Pacific front, as Japan surrendered to the Allies immediately after.
The use of atomic bombs to end the war—causing over 200,000 deaths within the first year, and many more following due to radiation exposure—was and is, to say the least, a controversial decision. Was dropping two atomic bombs on Japan a ‘mistake’ by the US? Something that, in hindsight, was highly regrettable, and shouldn’t have happened?
By: The Baron
Recently, I received the following spam email from a local member:
I am contacting as many Mormon bloggers as I can to spread the word about my petition, “LDS Financial Disclosure.” As you know, the Church does not disclose any of its financial records. Financial disclosure is an easy way for any organization to do right by its supporters and publicly declare that it is ethically managed and putting its funds to good use. Further, this will enable the church to clear the air of any detractors and demonstrate how it is using Church funds to bless lives.
This is a oft-heard complaint, and one of the classic 'no-win' situations for the Church...
By: Stady Canton
It's 110°F right now--I'm waving farewell to spring from the Valley of the Sun.
What do I do in the summertime when most anywhere else is green? I hide out in air conditioned places, that's what I do. A friend who moved here in August discovered lots of people do the same. "There isn't anyone outside in my neighborhood," she told me. "How am I supposed to meet anyone or make friends when people are holed up in their homes?"
By: The Baron
With the recent California Supreme Court decision regarding gay marriage thrusting the issue back into the spotlight, it’s understandable that many inside and outside of the Bloggernacle are taking sides.
For the record, I don’t support legalized gay marriage, although I also don’t support many of the common arguments made against gay marriage by opponents. Those who oppose gay marriage inside and outside of the Church would be wise to recognize which arguments against legalized gay marriage are weak, irrelevant, or downright false, and not muddle their case by making things easier for the other side to refute.
Let’s look at what the arguments against gay marriage are NOT:
By: Paradox
Not to steal the Baron's thunder, but his post really got me thinking. When my response got way too long to justify putting it into a comment, I decided to make it into a post. I'm sure you understand:)
By: The Baron
The debate comes up regularly among our member friends from around the country (and the world): Is it better (by whatever definition we choose) to be a Church member in the “Mormon Corridor”--Utah, Idaho, and areas of Nevada and Arizona--or in the “mission field” (everywhere else)?
[Note: I don’t personally support the use of the phrase “mission field” to describe every other part of the world, but that’s the colloquial usage around here…]
By: The Baron
It’s been a while since we’ve used mathematics to discuss gospel subjects, so let’s introduce two common problems in computer science:
Problem 1: Imagine a lake, which due to an amazing geological miracle happens to be shaped in a perfect rectangle. On the lake are N boats, each at their own unique (X,Y) locations on the lake. The task is: Find the two boats that are closest in distance to each other.
By: The Baron
“Defending marriage” is an oft-discussed topic both in the LDS world, and elsewhere. Few General Conferences go by without the topic being raised in some form--albeit often in vague and unspecific terms.
In the US today, divorces are mounting—an estimated 10% of the US adult population is now divorced, up from 8% in 1990, and 6% in 1980--and along with them come the wide variety of serious social problems they can cause.
By: The Baron
When it comes to religious stumbling blocks--issues that believers of any religious tradition find hard to reconcile together with current teachings or policy--the 'inaction of God' is a common one. Basically, the idea that God has the omnipotent power to overcome any large or small problem we face in mortality...but chooses (for some reason) not to do so. Many people just can't accept the idea that a living God is compatible with the prevalence of evil in the world today, where God appears to remain passive.
Answers to the problem of God's inaction (meaning, of course, not answers answers, but rather alternative ideas to help reconcile the problem) generally include: free agency and a higher view of ultimate purpose of mortality (as discussed a number of times on this site and elsewhere).
I believe, paradoxically, however, the bigger stumbling block to those who doubt God's existence is not heavenly inaction, but heavenly action.
By: Stady Canton
I meant no disrespect. It was my first General Conference, my first Solemn Assembly, and to top it off I was "participating" via AM radio.
By: Eric Nielson
The First Presidency recently sent a letter to Bishops and Brach Presidents warning them about a false doctrine that has been circulating through the church.
By: The Baron
On a certain street in a certain (imaginary) town there are two houses that lie directly across from each other. Within each house lives a different LDS family, although as it happens the local ward boundaries travel down the middle of the street in front of them, thus these two families happen to belong to separate wards despite their close proximity.