Two disclaimers: I am not at all party inclined, so if any examples seem unbalanced to you, perhaps the unbalance is with you? No, really, I tried to take examples of both political parties’ representatives follies for the most egregious examples of how insistence on ideological purity combined with political expediency lead to disaster. Second; [...] Read More →
Archive for the ‘intelligence’ Category
Confessions of An Elitist
On October - 13 - 2010
LDS Public Affairs Chief Michael Otterson Characterizes Pew Religious Knowledge Survey As Long On Superficiality And Short On Spirituality
On September - 29 - 2010
Michael Otterson, chief of the Public Affairs Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has posted a response to the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey conducted from May 19th through June 6th, 2010 by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. His essay, which reflects only his personal point of view, is published in his regular On Faith column in the Washington Post. Otterson suggests that religious knowledge is not the same as religious experience. He states that, for example, knowing that Genesis is the first book of the Bible or that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem has nothing to do with the quality of one’s religious experience. He cited a scripture from 2 Tim. 3:7 which states, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”, as support for his position. In the final analysis, Otterson concludes that the Pew study was about superficial knowledge and not about religiosity or spirituality. One can have... Read the rest of this entry »
A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
On February - 15 - 2010
“I think, therefore I am,” right? Well, think again. Questioning the deeper mysteries of mind and consciousness. Not trying to answer questions as much as ask the right questions about mind and matter. Read More →
consciousness, God, intelligence, Jehovah, Jesus, lds, LDS Church, mind, mormon, Mormonism, Philosophy, Religion, Theology, Word
The Nature of Truth
On April - 9 - 2009
Pondering the gospel is like holding up a diamond to a bright light. Every time you examine it from a new angle, you get to experience a new sparkle. So, this morning I got to thinking about Truth. Truth ought to be one of the most valuable and most-sought-after principles in existence (the only two other principles which, in my opinion, stand on par are Charity–the pure love of Christ, and Agency, and the only one which exceeds them all is the principle of Atonement). Why Truth? Our understanding or interpretation of it colors every single aspect of our lives, and our take on it colors every single choice we make. And that’s a sobering thought because we can control choice, but we can’t control consequence. So, it stands to reason that the clearer the view of Truth we have, the better the odds of a happy and successful life: Truth leads to Choice leads to Consequence. From the Doctrine & Covenants Section 93: 24 And atruth is bknowledge of... Read the rest of this entry »