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Mormon Inquiry

Between being out of town and the Fourth, it’s been a slow couple of weeks here. Let’s get July started with an Orson Scott Card column at the Mormon Times, “Mormon ‘Tribe’ Feels Like Home.” OSC reflects on the fact that Utah seems like home to some Mormons who weren’t born there and don’t live…

At Mormon Matters, a post reflecting on the positive and negative aspects of serving a two-year LDS proselyting mission. Young men who follow the standards of the LDS Church are very strongly encouraged to serve. Young women are, at present, neither encouraged nor discouraged from serving; many do in fact volunteer. Young men are eligible…

At the Salt Lake Tribune, “Petition urges LDS Church to soften stance on gays,” reporting efforts of a collection of LDS and ex-LDS to lobby the LDS Church by delivering a petition reproving its stand on Prop 8. According to the article, “The committee plans to deliver the petition to top LDS leaders Nov. 4,…

That question has been getting more consideration recently, with the general consensus being, “No, at least not yet.” By Common Consent is posting an academic piece by scholar Walter E. A. van Beek that helps understand the question. He uses the examples of Islam and Roman Catholicism to highlight diversity within the religion as a…

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Bart Ehrman, including his latest, Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don’t Know About Them). I only had time to read the first couple of chapters carefully (the publisher didn’t send a review copy), so I’ll only make a few remarks.

In 1911, when “heresy” wasn’t such a dated term, as related at Mormon Organon. The whole episode (in which several BYU profs of that era came under suspicion for teaching the sort of things that are supposed to be taught at universities) sort of shows how heresy got such a bad name. Five out of…

That’s the headline in a longish Time story on Mormons, “The Church and Gay Marriage: Are Mormons Misunderstood?” It’s a fairly balanced story, although the author still manages to impute “seamless unity” to the Mormon community while, at the same time, quoting two Mormons (a gay activist and the editor of an independent Mormon periodical)…

In the small world of Mormon Studies and online blogging, the term “inoculation” refers to teaching mainstream Latter-day Saints enough accurate LDS history that they won’t contract a terminal case of apostasy when they encounter publications or talks that use select historical events and interpretations to present an anti-LDS message. [And, speaking broadly, that also…

A reminder from Morehead’s Musings that the CESNUR Conference is being held in Salt Lake City June 11-13 (Thursday through Saturday). CESNUR stands for the Center for Studies on New Religions. It is an academic organization that promotes the objective and informed study of new religious movements. Indirectly, it helps any interested reader figure out…

At By Common Consent, an interview with Michael Otterson, the head of media relations for the LDS Church. Not an easy job. Here are a few quotes from the online interview.
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