This past year I read (or returned to) a handful of both fiction and nonfiction portraits of poverty. Part of the motivation for this reading was the significance of economic inequality as a contemporary political issue (see #feelthebern), but the primary motivation was religious. I have found it very hard to read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Doctrine and Covenants and ignore the claims these texts make about God’s desire that the poor receive attention. This desire... Read more
When the topic of ordaining Mormon women comes up, one of the most common responses from top Church leadership as well as more orthodox members is that Mormon women are, in an overwhelming majority, against being ordained. Personally, I’ve heard a number of reasons for being against ordination, ranging from pseudo-science theories about female vs. male brains (theories about the brain that have been debunked), to insulting complaints that men would slack off if they weren’t the only people ordained, to the... Read more
Here are five thought-provoking perspectives on Mormonism that I’m glad to have read in the recently released Book of Mormons [full disclosure: my essay is in the book as well, so this borders on shameless self-promotion, but I really am glad to have read the many insightful essays]. The diversity and depth of Mormon experience captured in this volume are a timely corrective to recent black-and-white portrayals in media and in online discussions. Available for a steal at 50% off if you use... Read more
After so many shootings this year, it just feels like nothing is ever going to change. But after the San Bernardino shooting, there was a decent amount of backlash against the many politicians who responded to the news with a very bland, “thoughts and prayers” tweet. Tweeting “thoughts and prayers” is right up there with American politicians’ favorite past time of making excuses for why we can’t have any sensible firearm legislation. here’s a template tweet for all politicians to... Read more
So there’s a new Batman vs Superman trailer (thanks to Jimmy Kimmel) and it’s kind of got my head in a tizzy. I think there’s still plenty to be excited about, mainly how great Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman looks. Mostly his awesome suit, really. There are three things about this trailer, however, that have me feeling down. 1) It’s very clear that there is a ton of boring-looking CGI action in this movie. Stuff exploding to an obnoxious degree etc.... Read more
For years, the Westboro Baptist Church have been synonymous with bigotry. I learned this when they protested at my high school in 2004 over a production of The Laramie Project (documented by my embarrassing teenager blog). A large counter protest was organized, and an event originally sparked with hate turned into a largely positive, jovial affair. The Phelps clan were woefully outnumbered, and they left rather quickly, while the crowd left behind cheered and laughed and prayed together. As an eighteen... Read more
While advocating for Donald Trump’s insistence that Muslim’s deserve less rights than other religious Americans, Katrina Pierson (who serves as The Donald’s new national spokeswoman, mind you) cited previous treatment of the Mormons as precedent for restricting religious rights. “This is no different than a Christian church, it’s not different than a Mormon church,” Pierson told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly on Wednesday, according to The Salt Lake Tribune’s Thomas Burr. Pierson then went on to explain that in the past the Department... Read more
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there’s a new Star Wars coming out next month. Remember Star Wars? It was a 1977 low-budget film from the chronically anti-social merchandising kingpin George Lucas that shamelessly ripped of Kurosawa and Frank Herbert. Believe it or not, the film was followed by not just one but two sequels in the ‘80s, and then an entire prequel trilogy in the early ‘00s. Now Disney owns the property and is planning on... Read more
Famous atheist and washed up 1950s stand-up comic impersonator Bill Maher went on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night, and it was a gleefully awkward experience for everyone. You see, Maher is pretty bad at articulating his atheism without sounding like an ass (important side note: this is not a symptom of atheism. There are plenty of atheists who represent their beliefs well and plenty of religious folks who don’t) and Colbert is a famously devout Catholic who people actually... Read more
We Mormons aren’t no. 1 at everything, but in at least one way we rise above the rest: That’s right. Mormons win at being highly involved in their religious community. This chart, which is a visualization of data from the the Pew Research Center’s recent “Religious Landscape Study” via Pew’s Fact Tank, shows that: Among Mormons, 67% have a high level of engagement, while a comparable share of Jehovah’s Witnesses (64%) are highly involved. Indeed, these two groups have the highest level... Read more
Peculiar People
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