Approaching Justice
My bishop shared this today at church. I shared it here as my Easter gift to you. Happy Easter. He is risen. Read more
My bishop shared this today at church. I shared it here as my Easter gift to you. Happy Easter. He is risen. Read more
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 ESV) “What doth... Read more
I didn’t go to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte last year However, my friend R.C. Johnson, the chair of the Natrona County Democratic Party, was there and she was even at a meeting of Mormon Democrats (see this article in the Daily Beast which features Grant Hardy). R.C. is not a Mormon, but she was fighting for me and Wyoming. Notice her LDS button! R.C. Johnson, above, from Casper, Wyo., while not a member of the LDS Church,... Read more
Every moment in life will be faced with moments that will define us. We will at some point in life ask ourselves, which road must I travel? As a son of an immigrant and a Mormon, both of those pieces of me carry their own stories of asking, “Which Road will I travel?” Alas, the road I must travel, the end I can not see. Read more
Rawls is not easy to understand. This is largely because of how Rawls presents his ideas, though this difficulty creates opportunities for debate within political philosophy. Below is a lecture by Harvard Government Professor Michael Sandel on Rawls and issues of wealth, inequality, and distributive justice. While I disagree with much of Sandel’s academic criticism of Rawls, I think that he does an excellent job in this lecture and in his recent books looking to present the concept of justice... Read more
The lifesavers for my campaign, and for me and my family during the campaign, were the county chairs of the local county Democratic parties. One such hero was Hollis Hackman, the County Chair of the Sheridan County Democratic Party. Hollis reached out to me early in the campaign. He arranged for me to participate in the Sheridan WYO Rodeo Parade. When I told him that I was struggling to raise money, he arranged to host a meet and greet fundraiser... Read more
The June 1976 Ensign magazine has long been a favorite of mine. It deals with a number of political and social issues from a variety of LDS perspectives. One brief entry has been coming to my mind lately. Wallace F. Bennett served in the United States Senate from 1951 through 1974. My uncle served on his staff for a period of time. So I am biased in my deep respect for the Bennett family. In this issue of the Ensign,... Read more
I do not go as far as the late Richard Rorty when it comes to “truth.” I do believe that their is such a thing as truth, I just find almost all claims to such truth to be utter rubbish. It is largely because of Rorty that I have come to this point. I personally think that we are rarely interested in truth. Instead, we are merely deeply committed to defended certain narratives about “truth.” Like Rorty, I feel that... Read more
This morning, I blogged about hiring of Blair Hodges as the new public communications specialist at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Today, the Maxwell Institute announced the new Mormon Studies Review: The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University is pleased to announce the inauguration of a new annual periodical that will address the needs of a growing community of scholars who contribute to the interdisciplinary field of Mormon studies. The Mormon Studies Review will... Read more
Steve Evans, the godfather of the Bloggernacle and co-founder of By Common Consent, has a brief essay on women and Mormonism at the On Faith blog at The Washington Post. I really liked this blurb from Evans: Now imagine that you are a member of the LDS church and you hear rumors that women may be offering the prayers in the most important spiritual gathering of your church. It seems both unremarkable and extraordinary; both progressive and conservative; everything... Read more
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