Monthly Archives: October 2007

BYU Hiring Ancient Scrip Prof

Posted on October 30, 2007 by smallaxe

BYU is looking to hire a professor of ancient scripture in their department of Religious Education. For the entire posting go here. Here is an excerpt from the listing. Below it are some thoughts.

Posted in BYU | 18 Comments

If All is Sacred

Posted on October 24, 2007 by smallaxe

If all is sacred, is nothing sacred? This is related to a previous discussion here at FPR. The categories of “sacred” and “profane” have a long history in the study of religion. And attempts to collapse the sacred and profane … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Speculation | 4 Comments

Five Recommended books for Understanding the Old Testament

Posted on October 24, 2007 by nitsav

Five or so… First, a good Bible or two, meant for understanding and personal study. Given only one choice, I’d recommend the Jewish Study Bible. The JPS translation is dynamic (thought-for-thought),the commentary is useful, and the essays included in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | 15 Comments

Offenders for a Word

Posted on October 23, 2007 by nitsav

The classic Daniel Peterson/Stephen Ricks historical defense of LDS doctrine, Offenders for a Word, has been put up on the FARMS website, along with a slew of other volumes.

Posted in Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine | 11 Comments

Curses!

Posted on October 17, 2007 by lxxluthor

A discussion I had recently with a friend of mine reminded me of one of my other favorite soap boxes that I haven’t stood on in this forum before. No, it has nothing to do with swearing (in a traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine, LDS Church History, Marginalia, Personal Issues, Speculation | 10 Comments

LDS at SBL: Roll call

Posted on October 17, 2007 by nitsav

The annual Society of Biblical Literature conference will be held next month in San Diego, in combination with the American Academy of Religion or AAR. ( The American School of Oriental Research or ASOR used to hold theirs concurrently as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | 11 Comments

Have We Been Praying to Her All Along?

Posted on October 16, 2007 by smallaxe

Submitted from an anonymous reader:  If “the song of the righteous is a prayer” (D&C 25:12), does singing “O My Father” constitute praying to Heavenly Mother? It does, after all, contain the line “Father, Mother, may I meet you / … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Speculation | 10 Comments

Conference Announcement at Prinecton

Posted on October 10, 2007 by TT

“Mormonism and American Politics” Princeton University, November 9-10. Mitt Romney’s run for the White House raises perennial questions about the place of religion in the public square and offers scholars an interesting occasion to reconsider the contested intersection of religion … Continue reading →

Posted in Mormon Studies | 3 Comments

Jesus Christ: Inspiration and/or Aspiration

Posted on October 8, 2007 by smallaxe

Are we morally creative agents? A distinction that I’ve given some thought to lately is that between “Inspiration” and “Aspiration”. This isn’t to say that there necessarily has to be some deep divide between these two concepts, but it can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine | 11 Comments

Holiness and Housework: The Sacred and the Mundane

Posted on October 8, 2007 by TT

One of the most influential theories for explaining religion over the last 50 years has been that religion is a system which divided people, places, and things into essentially two categories: the sacred and the profane. This view, popularized by … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Leadership | 15 Comments