Lesson 26: 1 Kings 3; 5-11
Month: June 2006
Priesthood and the Socialization of Males
Statistically speaking, males seem to be responsible for the great majority of human-made suffering.
Two Sundays in April
I’ve already told my story here. But that’s just what happened, and how it happened. Why it happened is a harder story to tell, especially since I don’t know (and may never know, because there may not be) an ending to it, at which point the answer will presumably be made clear. (Or not.) In meantime, however, I do have two Sabbath days to reflect upon.
Pretty Please
If any of you are familiar with the Morgan/Henefer/Coalville area of Utah and could recommend a place where two women, seven kids, and one husband along for the ride could meet up at a playground or similar, please email me.
Who took the LD out of LDS?
-or- What ever happened to the good ol’ last days? -or- Where have all the millennialists gone?
Homecoming
We sojourned in the wilderness for seven years, spending years of famine and frustration in small apartments. Our children learned to play indoors; our driving skills deteriorated. Worst of all, we neglected our food storage.
Genealogy and Genetics
BYU took advantage of me at a time in my life when I would have done almost anything for 10$.
How Seriously Should We Take Satan?
How seriously ought we to take Satan?
More on Jesus’ Genealogy
I posted previously on the women in Jesus’ genealogy but wanted to invite discussion on some other aspects of it.
Faith and Irony at Menno-Hof
A few weeks ago I visited a charming Amish and Mennonite “visitor’s center” in a nearby town. I noticed something I think Mormons can learn from.
Mormon Familial Amoralism?
In 1958 a political scientist published a book on the culture of Southern Italy that may have something to say about one of the potential pit falls of Mormonism.
Primary Lesson 25 Supplement
Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker
I’ve brought my children west from the alluvial soil of Missouri to the sandy chapparal of Southern California for a few weeks. The first-order pleasures of being home include conversation in our domestic dialect marked at every intersection by shared memory and emotional habit, and free babysitting. Among the second order pleasures, though, are the stacks of wedding announcements at the counter to be perused at lunch and the piles of old Church News issues beside the recliner.
Developing a Testimony of Modern Prophets
I have a friend who is thinking about joining the Church, but he does not have a testimony of the prophet.
The Apparent Inevitability of Literary Criticism
As readers of this blog may know, I have my problems with narrative.
History and Scripture
Spiritual capital
When Pres. Bush was re-elected in 2004, he talked about having gained “political capital.� He chose to “spend� it on Social Security reform, which didn’t work out so well for him. I want to offer a few thoughts about us gaining and using “spiritual capital.�
Official versus unofficial exclusion
Here’s a quick thought exercise: 1. How many female Melchizedek Priesthood holders are currently in your ward? 2. How many Black Melchizedek Priesthood holders are currently in your ward?
Nibley and the Scriptorians
Perhaps it is just me, but “scriptorian” seems to be an honorific that has fallen out of favor.
Quick technical note
Our spam filter has been on drugs lately. Several legit comments got held up as spam for a few hours until the admins let them out. Apologies if this was you. Hopefully, the problem won’t last. If it does, we’ll look into our options on the technical side.
A Letter to a Friend Going to the Temple for the First Time
By and large, I don’t think that we do a particularlly good job preparing members to go to the temple for the first time. As a result, I think that many members — especially converts without close family members who have been to the temple — get worried about what is going to happen, especially if they have heard any of the discussion in the bloggernacle or elsewhere about “issues” with the temple. Here is what I would write to such a person:
Authority Roulette
I’ve talked about authority a few different times, but I thought I should try writing something up as a post. So here’s a version comparing it to roulette:
Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth
A review in four parts:
Race, class, and retention
As a missionary, I was constantly admonished to ensure that our potential converts were spiritually, and not just socially converted.
Primary Lesson Supplements 20-24
I’ve been distributing weekly lesson supplements to our senior Primary teachers; I figured I might as well post them here. “Those might be of some use,” as my four-year-old would say. You can also use these ideas for FHE, Sharing Time, etc.
Growing Old
I was going to title this “growing older,” but I decided to be honest. I’ll be fifty-nine this year and, though I’m not yet decrepit, by most people’s measures I’ll officially be old next year.
Once more, with feeling
So, we’re told that motherhood is given to women, as Priesthood to men. Two motherhood-priesthood thoughts occur to me: 1. True or false: “The rights of motherhood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principle of righteousness.
Little children, salvation, and the problem of numbers
According to Mormon doctrine, children who die before the age of accountability are fast-tracked straight to the Celestial Kingdom. This idea creates all sorts of numbers problems.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem
My wife and I were in Jerusalem for a week in March. Below are some thoughts on the city, its religious heritage, and the current conflict.
Tempted to Violate the Word of Wisdom
When we think of temptations related to the Word of Wisdom, we usually think of, you know, being tempted to violate the WoW. But I can think of a few different WoW-related temptations.