“He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention…” 3 Nephi 11:29
but…
“Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber, because of thy speech.” D&C 112:5
What have been some of the major themes of General Conference talks the last few years? We can easily rattle off a list: morality and pornography, social issues, debt, and raising the bar on missionary work, to name a few. But there is one other theme that is rarely mentioned because, often, it makes us uncomfortable.
Money. We’re being warned about our attitude toward it, and that often makes us defensive. We’re warned, but since the Church can’t simply place a limit on our assets, we may not be sure what the ideal position is. But if our leaders have seen fit to bring it up, we ought to think about it and realize we may need to make some changes. This is a sensitive subject, so let’s be clear on the purpose of this essay: not to accuse anyone of anything, but to serve as a guide for self-analysis in an area that we may often ignore exactly because it is so sensitive.
At the October 2004 General Conference, two general authorities gave consecutive talks denouncing materialism among the Latter-day Saints. (more…)
At this time of year when Latter-day Saints remember their cherished heritage of devotion and sacrifice from the pioneers, I hope we keep in mind another aspect of our cultural history: literacy.
One of my favorite books is Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves To Death (surprise!), and in chapter four he does an astounding job of describing the climate of nearly ubiquitous literacy in 19th century America. A major part of that culture was oratory, about which Postman lovingly cites anecdote after anecdote, including a paragraph that summarizes some of early America’s most popular areas for oratorical conventions, or, as Postman calls them, “conference centers.”
Gee, where in American society today do we have a Conference Center? (more…)
Once, at an Elders Quorum Presidency meeting, I shared some of the notes I had scribbled in my journal the day before after going to the temple. I had gone looking for ideas for improving our work as priesthood leaders. I came out with a treasure trove of instruction. Some of the (obviously more generic) points that came to mind are: accept and cheerfully magnify all assignments, stay involved with those to whom you minister, and bring further light and knowledge into people’s lives.
One of my counselors at the time was blown away. (more…)
I fully expected to write a review of The Dark Knight at some point, a review that weighed in on the superior acting merits of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, and especially Gary Oldman, but having just seen it with my wife for our date night, my ideas have taken a markedly different turn.
I remember when The Crow came out in 1994, its first posters carried the tagline, “Darker than the bat.” That was a badge of honor, you see. The highest compliment our popular lexicon can now bestow upon anything is that it is dark. When was the last time you saw something lauded in the media that wasn’t termed edgy?
The “bat” that The Crow was comparing itself to, of course, was Batman, and the newest installment of that series is the apotheosis of our society’s obsession with darkness. I knew that this movie would be about identity, and I wasn’t surprised to see a commentary on the nature of heroism, with its corollary of the demarcation of good and evil, develop; but I feel like I’ve been shocked out of a stupor by the “lessons” that The Dark Knight wishes to convey on those subjects.
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