Over at BCC Taryn has an interesting post on the Book of Mormon and socialism. Her basic claim is that the Book of Mormon endorses socialism. At one level, I think that she is absolutely correct, on another level I think that the claim is vacuous.
Endowment Effects, Women, and the Priesthood
“If you gave women the Priesthood and then took it away, would they be less happy than if they’d never gotten it to begin with?”
“But for that, Walt. But for that…”
I always find it interesting to hear what people think of as being central and peripheral to Mormon experience. Take sex for example.
Quote—Preside—Unquote
In the comments to Julie’s dialogue with Randy B. on the meaning of “preside” in Mormon discourse, she issued (and re-issued!) a challenge to any interested reader: find a statement from a 20th-century Church leader showing that our concept of presiding has teeth. Never one to pass up a challenge—particularly one that will allow me to both avoid unpacking my suitcases and escape the frustrations of potty-training my son, at least for a few minutes—I spent some time with my LDS Library 2006 CD-ROM this morning.
Making Money off the Mormons: Sacrament Butt-pads
When I was a senior in college, I worked at Seagull Book and Tape, an LDS book and trinket store across the street from the LA Temple. (The pay was lousy, but working with books was fun. So it turned out to be a decent job.) I was amazed by all the stuff that Mormons buy just because it has some sort of Mormon reference or connection.
Domesticating Peepstones
I like Michael’s post about seer stones.
Sunday School Lesson #28
Lesson 28: 1 Kings 17-19
Changing Times, Passing Seasons
Two long-time members of Times and Seasons, Kristine Haglund Harris and Melissa Proctor, have decided that their season with this blog has come to an end, and that it’s time for them to move on. This is our farewell to them.
Just Pretend It Already Has 26 Comments . . .
. . . because this may be the longest post you’ll read this year. (I want a Niblet!!) Randy wanted me (and Nate) to explore the issue of presiding a little more on the temple thread, but some yahoo cut off comments, so Randy emailed me.
On the Possibility of Inter-Ideological Group Blogging
From its inception, Times and Seasons has been a forum for relatively diverse political, theological, and applied approaches to Mormonism.
Scriptures as Seer Stones
To me, the most interesting thing about the seer stone that Joseph used when translating the BoM is not that he used it but that it is really just a rock. From what I understand, if you or I were to pick it up, we couldn’t tell it apart from any other smooth rock of similar color.
McBride, Michael
We are happy to welcome Michael McBride as a guest-blogger. Mike studies happiness, religion, and the politics of development at UC-Irvine.
There is beauty all around
whether or not there is love at home.
Book Reviews: Juvenile Non-Fiction
If you are an adult, inevitability comes in the form of death and taxes. If you are a child, it comes as the middle school research project.
A face
Sacrament meeting in a small ward, in a large coastal city.
Fireworks
It was a long, hot day filled with furniture assembly and nagging ideological frustrations.
Book Review: A Rascal by Nature, A Christian by Yearning: A Mormon Autobiography
A Rascal By Nature, A Christian by Yearning: A Mormon Autobiography by Levi Peterson.
Sunday School Lesson #27
Lesson 27: 1 Kings 12-14; 2 Chronicles 17, 20
Book Review: An Advocate for Women: The Public Life of Emmeline B. Wells
An Advocate for Women: The Public Life of Emmeline B. Wells by Carol Cornwall Madsen
Primary Lesson Supplements 26-28
Book Review: Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-day Saints in Modern America
Today I abandon my personal policy of only writing book reviews that are, on balance, positive.
Sunday School Lesson #26
Lesson 26: 1 Kings 3; 5-11
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.