Early in my adult life, after a difficult Mormon childhood spent in a part-member home in Salt Lake City, I converted to Anglican Christianity. My religious understanding and my relationship with God were damaged by my social experience as an involuntarily apostate adolescent, and God’s chosen vehicle to start me healing seems to have been an administrator at All Souls, an Episcopal church on Foothill Boulevard. And so, when I finished college and left Utah, I left the Mormon church as well. (more…)

Two themes have interacted in my mind lately.  First, Joseph Smith appears to have had little respect for civil marriage per se, which he viewed as a corruption of “celestial marriage,” a divine original instituted in the Garden of Eden.  (more…)

BYU Studies 45/3 (2006) just arrived in the mail yesterday. It has a lot of interesting stuff in it and is well worth a look. I note in particular the following: (more…)

Most years on New Year’s Eve we attend a little party given by one or another of our Church friends. But this year, given that it is falling on the Sabbath, there are no parties. (more…)

25.xii.06, Vienna, Austria

A couple of summers ago I spent some time in Jerusalem. One Friday morning I decided to explore Hezekiah’s tunnel, a rock-hewn shaft built by the Old Testament king Hezekiah to bring water into the city during the Assyrian siege. At a pool at the mouth of the tunnel, two elderly Jewish gentlemen were cheerfully performing mikvot — ritual Jewish washings. It was the morning before the Sabbath, and these two men were cleaning themselves physically and spiritually with the holy waters of the Gihon spring. (more…)

Salt Lake City Aug 2006

As Latter-day Saints many of us feel confident in our belief in God and our understanding of his attributes. We are often quite adamant, truthfully so, that we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, the Eternal Son of God. These two figures justly receive the majority of our devotions. The Godhead, though, contains another entity, what other Christians call the Holy Spirit and we prefer in its older English translation–the “Holy Ghost.”

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Herzlich Willkommen, lieber Bruder.

In January 2005 someone posed the following question to me:

How come the Book of Mormon, which traces its genesis before the Exile, mentions “Satan” and possessions by demons, and the like? The concept of a single malelovent being, Satan in Christianity, Islam and Judaism, was a post-Exilic concept, according to scholars such as Elaine Pagels and the like, and so were possessions by demons. Is there any evidence of belief in a single malevolent being and possession by demons, consistent with the Book of Mormon text, before the Exile? (more…)

A final HT message for the year. Bloggernacle, I hope you had a great Christmas! (more…)

I went with my children into downtown Boston tonight, to look at the lights and the store window displays (which were lame–bring back Filene’s!!)  The streets were nearly empty, just us and a few happy Chinese- and Hindi-speaking families and the occasional Beacon Hill Brahmins out for a post-parandial stroll.  And the homeless people.

I was worried that my sheltered, suburb-raised children would be upset by seeing the homeless men’s obvious suffering–I dug through my pockets looking for change in case it seemed right to answer a plea for money.  But they were quiet–no one even asked for change.  Many of them were asleep, or chemically oblivious to their surroundings.  After seeing a couple of the men sleeping, Louisa started keeping a lookout.  Whenever she saw someone sitting or lying on the sidewalk ahead, she’d turn and shush us–”shhhhh!!  He might be sleeping.”  And she’d tiptoe past, looking carefully at each one, whispering “Merry Christmas” to the ones who looked back, trying not to wake the others.

Lullaby, lullaby…

Sadly I had nothing meaningful to add about the Christmas season that hasn’t already been said by others. So, instead I read through UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2007 (PDF Available here) and wanted to share my thoughts, and see what others may have to add. (more…)

One year during the depths of the Depression in the 1930s, a farm family in southern Idaho announced to their three children, two boys and a girl, that there was no extra money for anything special for Christmas that year. They had food for the table, and so were better off than many, and that would simply have to do. There may have been a homemade gift or two, but certainly nothing bought from a store. The children steeled themselves for a Christmas that would be less than what they had known in past years of their young lives. (more…)

After you’ve stuffed yourself with Christmas dinner, you can further speed grandma’s afternoon slumber by telling her that your dinner represented something called “commensality” — the social context of eating and drinking. Yes, yawn! But bear with me. (more…)

I know I’m several months over a year behind here, but I finally watched Richard Dutcher’s States of Grace and loved it. Modern Mormon storytelling doesn’t get much better. It has a nice Christmas theme too, so if you haven’t seen it, try and pick it up over the holidays.

Last year I wrote of an experience that I will always remember during this season. It involves a French Christmas hymn, Cantique de Noël. The English rendition, Oh, Holy Night, is beautiful, but the French is inextricably tied to my sacred celebration. (more…)

We know the story well. In the summer of 1828, Martin Harris, dealing with the anger of his wife Lucy at his mortgaging their farm to publish a work translated by a visionary son of tenant farmers, pleaded with Joseph Smith to have some evidence that the translation was no fraud. Against his better judgment Smith relented because Harris held the purse strings and had proved loyal. Lucy Harris reportedly destroyed the pages, though Smith and others were worried that she would attempt to publish them as a test of the reproducibility of his translation. These pages were not retranslated, and the project continued. Beyond the occasional snide comments from Mormon critics and the rare dreams of document collectors and forgers, these lost pages have not amounted to much in the ultimate scheme of things. The book was published, the church founded, and now millions of Mormons venerate the Prophet and his scripture.

What is often poorly appreciated is the emotional context of this tragedy for Smith.

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“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:4-7, NRSV)

We are all familiar with the famous good shepherd, who leaves the ninety-nine to find the lost one, who is the keeper of the gate, who lays down his life for the sheep. This brief essay is about the good shepherd’s younger brother, the bad shepherd. We all know him well, although he usually goes by another name. (more…)

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BYU religion professor Alonzo Gaskill’s book, The Savior and the Serpent (Deseret Book: 2005), has as its central aim to “liken the story unto ourselves.” This is a welcome addition to Mormon thought on the Fall; readers will have to decide whether it is one they find compelling.

Professor Gaskill answered some of my questions. (more…)

This is the question my oldest son (”Boba”) asked me yesterday. I had been teasing him that he was only getting an apple and an orange for Christmas and reminded him that some people — poor people without any food! — would be happy to get just that. (You see, the little blighter knows he’s getting some good kit — the coolest r/c car I’ve ever seen, for one — and I just wanted to deflate his certainty.)

Then he dropped the question. Until yesterday I thought Santa-haters were freaks who had had bad childhoods. Now I have decided that Santa must die. I told Boba I would answer his question today. Today he finds out that the reason why Santa only gives presents to people with money is because Santa = mum, dad, and grandpa.

Recently, Science News published a story on the scientific study of psychopathy (which I encourage everyone to read). Psychopaths, which may account for 1% of the population, lack a conscience and the capability to experience empathy, guilt, or loyalty. Obviously when such pathology is coupled with a sadistic streak, the result is disastrous. (more…)

After complaints from the Wiesenthal Center, the name of Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi war crimes hunter, has been removed from the church’s “genealogical database.” Since the church agreed in 1995 not to posthumously baptise Holocaust victims, the issue of Jews in the database has been a sensitive subject. Church spokesman Bruce Olsen stated that Wiesenthal’s name was immediately removed from the genealogical index and that no proxy baptism had been performed for him. (more…)

Cambridge First Ward, ca 2003

We live in a city where knowledge is an industry. We are surrounded by universities, programs, companies, politicians, consortiums, and foundations that place knowledge at an amazing premium. Many of us participate in these organizations where we acquire, study, decipher, digest, and transfer knowledge. The rest of us have to hear about them as if we live in the outer darkness of ignorance.

Independent of this, all of us are touched by knowledge and its possession on a regular basis.

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Some of you may be familiar with the work of gst, a regular commenter here and throughout the Bloggernacle. As an early Christmas present, our researchers have compiled some of gst’s greatest comments over the year(s).

And people say that we permabloggers don’t care about the commenters. (more…)

Several years ago while I was still living at home my sister was able to come and stay at our parent’s house for the whole winter break. This sister has what may be called an unhealthy affinity for flame, and that year she finally convinced my mom to let her do something that I’m certain she had dreamed of for years. My mom finally agreed to let her burn the Christmas tree. (more…)

What does it really mean when Mormons say they “feel the Spirit”? According to this thread, “feeling the Spirit” equates to positive emotional reactions to bad art. If this is true then the Spirit is particularly adept at pulling heart strings. Let’s call this “feeling the Spirit” via a lump in the throat. (more…)

I’m spending the weekend on a content and authorship analysis of the Ensign, trying to look at trends by comparing every fifth (maybe seventh) year of the magazine’s publication. I’m still in the first part of the coding, going through the issues from this past year. While it wasn’t originally part of the data set I’m collecting and I haven’t yet looked at any patterns in the numbers I’m getting, I’ve developed the subjective impression that women’s articles of any substantial length are almost certain to include with inset sub-articles which consists of a GA statement about the article’s topic. These are separate insets, mind you; they aren’t quotes contained in the articles. (more…)

This morning my Relief Society president and I bought goodies to fill Christmas baskets for many in need in our ward. At her suggestion, we also bought for some of those who particularly generously serve other ward members all year long. My husband and I have usually given a homemade thank you gift to the bishop at Christmas, but my RS president really has the right idea. We don’t say enough thank yous to the workhorses of the ward. So, along with my wish for the merriest of Christmases to you all, I send the suggestion you or your wards might say a special thanks to the givers this week.

The winners from the last round are: 1. Steve Young, 15. Gentiles = Non-Members, 3. CTR Rings, 4. Pioneer Day, 5. Missions, 11. Scripture Marking, 7. Home Teaching, and 8. Trunk or Treat. Poor Minerva.

Today’s battles will be between: (more…)

At Daley Center Plaza here in Chicago they have an annual Christmas-time market called Christkindlmarket. They have been doing this for about ten years now, and I go several times a year for lunch (I usually get a brat with kraut, German fried potatoes, and some strudel). It is really very quaint and a fun place to visit at holiday time. (more…)

One of the joys of being a part of a marriage, or family is ease with which I am able to take joy in the happiness of my loved ones. It is a pleasure for me to work for something that makes my family comfortable. Frequently the work and sacrifices family members make for each other are seen as tokens of affection. The classic O. Henry story of the young couple exchanging gifts obtained through personal sacrifice is an excellent example of this sacrifice-equals-love mentality.

This past October conference Elder Christofferson spoke at the Priesthood session and told a story, which impressed my husband enough for him to tell it to me when he came home: (more…)