Canon and Culture: The Scriptures Made Me Do It!

Last updated on: September 29, 2011 at 7:52 pm By TT

Fundamentalism is the belief that all that the scriptures and revelation say are to be taken as factually accurate. This view is clearly problematic, but I’d like to address its cousin, foundationalism. Foundationalism admits that the scriptures are not factually accurate in all things (though they may be in some), yet argues that they still give us clear moral, ethical, or doctrinal guidance. The scriptures, when properly interpreted, are the secure foundation for our doctrines about the “important” things, like... Read more

Is Mormon Theology Masturbatory?

Last updated on: September 27, 2011 at 7:34 pm By TT

Adam Miller’s recent post at Times and Seasons concerns me. The issue that Miller’s post seems to be wrestling with is why Mormon theology should be done in an academic context, rather than an institutional context. After all, no one ever asked him to do what he does, so then why does he do it? The presumption implicit in the question is that only things that the institution deigns to ask for are self-evidently necessary, so one must justify doing... Read more

Review of Paulsen and Pulido’s “A Mother There”

Last updated on: September 26, 2011 at 12:03 pm By RT

The response online to David Paulsen and Martin Pulido’s recently published article in BYU Studies (“A Mother There”: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven) about the history of LDS discourse about Heavenly Mother seems to have been overwhelmingly positive. Based on the commentary found in blogs and discussion forums, many have received their argument that 1) strict silence about Heavenly Mother was never mandated by church leadership and 2) that throughout church history discussion of her... Read more

Guest Blogger: RT

Last updated on: September 26, 2011 at 8:16 am By TT

No, not Roasted Tomatoes! We are pleased to welcome our own RT, a long time friend of the blog. RT is a life-long member of the Church, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, and has a special interest in the history of Israelite religion. We are really looking forward to his contributions! Read more

Capital Punishment and LDS Doctrinal Development

Last updated on: September 22, 2011 at 10:38 am By Bored in Vernal

This morning my facebook and twitter feeds were inundated with declarations by my Latter-day Saint friends decrying capital punishment and the execution of Troy Davis last night. “I want to take this opportunity to voice my outright and unequivocal opposition to the death penalty,” said one. “A sad day to be a Georgian,” lamented another. I wasn’t really surprised, but I am fascinated by how the tide of public support of capital punishment has ebbed among Mormons in my own... Read more

Science and Religion

Last updated on: September 21, 2011 at 7:46 am By TT

So, I recently had to do this thing where I had to talk about something that doesn’t really interest me and I don’t really know that much about. This is basically what I came up with. For me, the question of science and religion is not whether they are in fundamental conflict, or can be reconciled in some way, but rather how we come to define these two terms as distinct from one another. From the standpoint of the study... Read more

Dallin H. Oaks and Subtext

Last updated on: September 20, 2011 at 2:24 pm By Bored in Vernal

Have you ever listened to an entire talk on a subject wherein the subject was determinedly left unmentioned? I heard such a talk last Sunday night: Dallin H. Oaks’ CES devotional broadcast to single adults. The talk was titled “Truth and Tolerance,” but another, more intrepid Apostle might have named the same talk, “A Defense of the LDS Position on Gay Marriage.” While never mentioning same-sex attraction, Elder Oaks gave several references that made it clear to the discerning listener what... Read more

Women at the Resurrection

Last updated on: September 16, 2011 at 8:34 pm By TT

Famously, the Gospels recount that the first witnesses to the resurrection of Christ were his female followers. Less famously, Paul’s account of Christ’s resurrection appearances record no women among those who witnessed these events in 1 Cor 15:1-7. Why this discrepancy? There are two apologetic explanations commonly invoked: the accounts of the female witnesses were suppressed by Paul because Jews don’t trust women, and as a Jew Paul doesn’t trust women. This explanation holds that the Gospels, though written later... Read more

Mormon Women’s Texts and the New RS History, “Daughters in My Kingdom”

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 12:34 am By Bored in Vernal

The much-heralded Relief Society history Daughters in my Kingdom commissioned by General President Julie B. Beck is now available online and will soon be distributed to Relief Society sisters all over the world. My preliminary reading of the book got me thinking about religious texts for Mormon women: what they are, their effectiveness and usefulness to LDS females, and how this latest work compares with what has gone before. I’d like this to be an interactive post, as commenters may be able... Read more

On Biblical Scripture

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 7:25 pm By theyellowdart

The Problem What makes Biblical Scripture, Scripture for LDS Christians?* Historically one prominent model for the authority of Biblical Scripture in Christian history (including for some Latter-day Saint thinkers) is the Prophetic-Inspiration Model: the person who writes the text is divinely inspired by God to write the very words that are recorded. This model entails that the human being is a puppet of sorts for the divine will, a tool that can be used for the divine purpose, namely composing... Read more