One Way to Read It

There are a lot of Mormons out there who make me sad . But there's wheat among the tares. Jonna, a convert from Finland, is coming out with a new album that looks great. See her website . I also watched an interview with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the broadway musical "The Book of Mormon." At first this made me nervous, I thought it was more negative propaganda against the church. But they say it's more of a celebration of Mormonism. And I'm happy that they approach my religion with the same skepticism and mockery as they would any other. That's fair.

The creators of South Park play a vital function in our society, of questioning established institutions, and challenging the status quo. Thankfully they have decided to dedicate much of their time on the Mormons. Mormons have continuously been strengthened in their faith by critics, who, thinking they have found a hole in our doctrine, have stuck their finger in, only to unleash a geyser of new information that supports and substantiates the story of Joseph Smith. T he South Park episode "All About the Mormons" ( Season 7 Episode 12 ) oversimplifies Joseph Smith, which can be forgiven, because it is a cartoon. Nevertheless, the idea that Joseph was well-received by an easily-duped public distorts history, for people in the 1800s were just as skeptical of Joseph then as they are now (if for different reasons), and rather than a receiving a sunny welcome, Joseph was persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and murdered. The fatal weak point in South Park's criticism, shared by m...

It is sad when people murder. We must mourn with those who mourn. The pastor who planned on burning Qurans (Korans) today should be ignored. First, unless he steals the Qurans, he has to purchase them. This means that the pastor is supporting Quran printers, which is a good thing. Also, burning books? Really? He is definitely making a statement, but he communicates no intelligence. I would ask you to take some time to read the Quran today. Reach out to the Muslims in your community, and let them know you bear no ill will toward them or their religion. And one word on "the 1st 9/11." Some anti-Mo's made a movie a few years ago calling the Mountain Meadows Massacre the 1st 9/11. Apparently some of the documentation of the massacre that makes Mormons look really bad, was forged by the notorious Mark Hoffman. I'm not sure on the precise nature of the documents, but I imagine this, like most other horror stories about Mormons, has been exaggerated. Not that the ...

I have made fun of Glenn Beck before . But I actually agree with some of the things he believes in, which is why he bothers me even more. Murray Rothbard explained the problem nicely: While [his] own intense emotion might seem a valid basis for [his] own political philosophy, this can scarcely serve to convince anyone else. By ultimately taking [himself] outside the realm of rational discourse, [Beck] thereby insure[s] the lack of general success of [his] own cherished doctrine. Beck's passionate antics give the impression that Mormons and Libertarians are also irrational. If you want to learn about Mormons, go here . For Libertarianism, I recommend Ron Paul and Rothbard (also available as a free podcast).

Mormon church allows Utah homosexuals some rights , not marriage . Perv seminary teacher guilty of bad poetry— Lyrics to the song Michael Pratt wrote and sang to the alleged victim: You are the sunlight, I am the moon Joined by the gods of fortune Spin the wheel see what we'll be You are the one who sees me The one who believes in all I can be Not just for now, but for eternity And all the things I believe are here right now And if you'll open up your heart, he'll show you how We both know that I just won't ever deserve the girl I'm with Sometimes it makes me sick of who I can be You are the sunlight, I am the moon Joined by the gods of fortune Spin the wheel see what we'll be Other news: Marine thinks Greek Orthodox Priest is a terrorist , hits him in the head with a tire iron. Oops. Chicago comes down hard on crime by arresting middle-schoolers for assault and battery with food. Food fights are now a crime . “They were handcuffed, slammed in a wago...

I listened to This American Life Yesterday, and the host, Ira Glass, said (paraphrased) "My evangelical friends have told me that no matter what good I do in this life, no matter how just or kind I am, that I, and my entire race, will burn in hell for eternity." Because he's a Jew. I'm glad to belong to a church that takes a more kindly view of Jews: " But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me , in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads...

But it's a Christ I've heard many people testify of, and fervently worship. A political group called "The Family" is "the oldest Christian conservative organization in Washington and it goes back seventy years. And the founder believed that god gave him a new revelation saying that Christianity had gotten it wrong for two thousand years and that what most people think of as Christianity, as being about, you know, helping the weak and the poor and the meek and the down and out, he believes god came to him one night in April in 1935 and said what Christianity should really be about is building more power for the already powerful. " -from Crooks and Liars Though this is an extreme, I seem to constantly battle this idea among Mormons that poor people are lazy and get what they deserve, and that we shouldn't help them, and that capitalism is equivalent to the gospel. These sound ideas of respected business and hard-work are nothing more than the resurrection ...

If this doesn't worry you, remember that when the government usurps power during a time of war, it rarely gives it back, and that this 'war on terror' will never end. Twenty, fifty, or a hundred years from now, this very well may be used against citizens, not just 'terrorists'. Also, habeas corpus, or the right to your body, is what Joseph Smith repeatedly used to get out of jail. Without this right, there might not have been a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. This right gave Joseph Smith the liberty he needed to do the work he was called to do. We should have voted Ron Paul.

A Proclamation on the Economy The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints T HE EXPERIENCE OF MANKIND has shown that the people of communities and nations among whom wealth is the most equally distributed, enjoy the largest degree of liberty, are the least exposed to tyranny and oppression and suffer the least from luxurious habits which beget vice. Under such a system, carefully maintained there could be no great aggregations of either real or personal property in the hands of a few; especially so while the laws, forbidding the taking of usury or interest for money or property loaned, continued in force. O NE OF THE GREAT EVILS with which our own nation is menaced at the present time is the wonderful growth of wealth in the hands of a comparatively few individuals. The very liberties for which our fathers contended so steadfastly and courageously, and which they bequeathed to us as a priceless legacy, are endangered ...

BYU's newspaper ran this: A couple of the Brethren look like they're in on the joke.

Glenn Beck has started a movement to help Americans get back to the feeling of unity and charity we felt the day after 9/11. I think the program is a good start. However, I like to do a little thinking before I jump on a band-wagon. And there is no earthly organization that I endorse 100%. My over-arching thought: To hope that Americans feel the way that we did after 9/11 is to hope that America gets attacked again, for "except [God] doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him." Truly, prosperity is our greatest trial. As Brigham put it: " The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. " Here are my initial thoughts in bold . All other words and quotes are from Beck's website. 9 Principles : 1. America Is Good. [ Only when we do good. We are not Go...

I wrote previously that Twilight is porn . I may be wrong. Caitlin Flanagan wrote in the Atlantic Monthly that Twilight helps adolescent girls come to terms with sex. So it is about sex, and erotica, and foreplay, but perhaps in just the right dose, and in the right format, for the teenage mind. Perhaps it is just as useful as the awkward old puberty primer What Is Happening To My Body? And perhaps it is even more needed in the Mormon society, where in some homes it is taboo to even talk about sex, so that teenage pregnancy, prostitution, pornography, and marital sex are all lumped together, to the point where a girl may even feel ashamed on her wedding night. A society where even an innocent book about sex could be decried as pornography.

The same month that Big Love shows a temple ceremony , this Harvard student defends the LDS faith. Hurray. Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo . 20 minutes

If you haven't received an email about this yet, Big Love, a series about Mormon polygamists, has an ad in the TV Guide that includes pictures of temple clothes. Mormons are freaking out. The Church issued a response. Here's excerpts: "Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply gen...

A nearly complete mammoth skeleton was found in L.A. What the heck?

The Church has said "This image, taken from a daguerreotype, belongs to the Community of Christ. On the basis of available evidence it is not possible to confirm that the image is in fact, of Joseph Smith ." I like it. I think the lips in this picture match that of other portraits of the prophet. And in this picture he looks more like pictures we have of Hyrum. And the young Joseph F. Smith, Hyrum's son. There's also an urban legend of a Joseph Smith photo in Brazil .

This month's Ensign magazine correlates exactly with what's going on today. It's as if the leaders of the church are inspired or something. Elder Romney's (not Mitt) talk correlates more closely to my opinion of the Stimulus Package than any other earwash opinion I've heard yet. (Open his talk by clicking on the link to understand the next reference) Firstly, I don't believe the seagull story. It's a good parable, with truthful application, but I don't believe it really happened. Who pays that much attention to gulls? But the interpretation of the loss of independence is true: " Our efforts [helping the poor] must always be directed toward making able-bodied people self-reliant. " Which is " tied very closely to freedom itself ." Republicans currently wag their tongues at spending. Spending, spending, spending is the new catchphrase of the Republican Party. The problem is not that we spend money, but how we spend money. Poor...

"You may ask me, "How is it a mathematical fact that Stephenie Meyer is worse than Satan?" Well, let's put it this way. Based on what we know about Satan, he deceived one third of the hosts of heaven in the pre-existence, leaving two-thirds to come to earth. Of those two-thirds remaining, Stephenie Meyer has deceived over half (because there are more women than men on the planet). Over one half of the residents of this planet is over one half of two thirds of the hosts of heaven, which is more than a third of the hosts of heaven. Ergo, Stephenie Meyer is worse than Satan." Thanks Josh

Crystal made some good points about the survey: I responded: I kind of want to home school my kids too. And I'll probably make them sack lunches. But when I went to school, I often got there before I had time to eat breakfast at home, so I would buy a cookie and a soda for breakfast, and then eat the gross school lunch. That's two terrible meals a day. I was first raised by a single mom who worked, and then by a dad and step-mom who both worked, who all had no time to make lunches. Cows evolved to eat grass. They have four stomachs to digest the incredibly hard-to-digest stuff. Feeding them corn makes them gain weight more quickly, but also makes their meat have more fat, makes them ill, fosters an acidic environment in their stomachs that allows for the growth of E. Coli O157:H7, and makes their beef unhealthy to eat because of the higher fat content and the lack of vitamins (B-12, omega 3's) that cows traditionally absorbed from grass. Cows are not omnivores, they ...