Mormon Bloggers

Life after Ministry has devoted a series of articles titled Mormon Dilemmas. Currently, 153 short blog articles attempt to provide information to counter the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the Pacific Northwest, the … Continue reading →  Read More →

How to countenance a situation that can’t be countenanced? I started thinking about that again as I was reading the updated biography of Nelson Mandela by Anthony Sampson (updated by John Battersby, pub. 2011). First of all, there is the kind of racism that, while stepping on your toes, isn’t about running you completely to [...]  Read More →

100 Years of Seminary Celebration President Boyd K. Packer, modern-day apostle of Jesus Christ (Mormon leader), spoke last evening at a special broadcast to youth, teens, Mormons and friends of other faiths at what was called the “Seminary Centennial Broadcast.”  Seminary is a high-school course of religious instruction for youth, equipping them to face their daily challenges and draw nearer to Jesus Christ.  Church youth, Mormon/LDS leaders, parents and the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–the First Presidency–attended and addressed the gathering. Over 350,000 youth are participating globally in a scripture study course with their peers during their high school years.  It produces a youth fortified by the word rather than the world, and enables them to understand the divine doctrines of Christ’s gospel and atoning sacrifice and to apply them personally.  President Eyring addressed the youth, sharing the history... Read the rest of this entry »

SMITHFIELD — After dinner, three baths, four bedtime stories and a half-a-dozen goodnight kisses for 2-year-old twins Brock and Isaac and 6-year-old Ellie, Erin and Brian Thompson finally sink into the couch with weary smiles. Being parents is just what they always wanted. And they love it. “Of course we have our crazy moments,” Thompson says, “but for the most part we just try to find the good things in the day and remember that they’re only going to be little for so long.” As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Thompsons believe that maintaining a strong marriage and raising and teaching children are essential keys to happiness and their most important responsibilities on earth. In fact, 81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life,” according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life — the first survey... Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Choate-Nielsen Deseret News Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?” Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s... Read the rest of this entry »

A recent The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results. Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant. In the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true... Read the rest of this entry »

Of all the numbers in the Pew Research Center’s recently released survey of “Mormons in America,” the highest, most overwhelming numbers are these: 98 percent of respondents said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion. This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian. “Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact... Read the rest of this entry »

SMITHFIELD — After dinner, three baths, four bedtime stories and a half-a-dozen goodnight kisses for 2-year-old twins Brock and Isaac and 6-year-old Ellie, Erin and Brian Thompson finally sink into the couch with weary smiles. Being parents is just what they always wanted. And they love it. “Of course we have our crazy moments,” Thompson says, “but for the most part we just try to find the good things in the day and remember that they’re only going to be little for so long.” As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Thompsons believe that maintaining a strong marriage and raising and teaching children are essential keys to happiness and their most important responsibilities on earth. In fact, 81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life,” according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life — the first survey of Mormons about Mormons,... Read the rest of this entry »

I recently finished reading this new book by Gale Sears. It is a Historical Novel based in Hong Kong around the time of Mao ZeDong‘s death in 1976. Some of the character in the story are very real people while some are complete fiction. I rather enjoyed the plot. I found the story be quite [...]  Read More →

Dear Dr. Hendricks, I write this letter to you in the spirit of supreme annoyance sir, for your recent comments in the Religion section of the Huffington Post have driven me to take actions I find personally revolting:  Come to the defense of Mitt Romney.  You see Mr. Hendricks, unlike Governor Romney, I am both a liberal and a Democrat, who would like nothing better to see President Obama be reelected this year.  That said, Brother Romney and I have one thing in common, that I cannot, under any circumstances, overlook:  We are both committed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religion whose beliefs you have attacked in your article.  Thus your actions have put me in a most distasteful position. You open your piece with a statement that, when read in light of the article of the rest of the article, is most disingenuous.  You state “I’m pretty much a live-and-let-live guy.  In fact, I don’t believe in religious litmus tests of any kind.  Frankly I... Read the rest of this entry »

As the “Mormon moment” extends into 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life today released a groundbreaking new survey, the first ever published by a non-LDS research organization to focus exclusively on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, values, perceptions and political preferences. Entitled “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” the survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16, 2011 among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who identified themselves as Mormons. The results validate a number of long-held stereotypes (most American Mormons are white, well-educated, politically conservative and religiously observant) while providing a few interesting surprises (care for the poor and needy is high on the list of LDS priorities, while drinking coffee and watching R-rated movies aren’t as taboo among the rank and file as you might... Read the rest of this entry »

  As the “Mormon moment” extends into 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life today released a groundbreaking new survey, the first ever published by a non-LDS research organization to focus exclusively on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, values, perceptions and political preferences. Entitled “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” the survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16, 2011 among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who identified themselves as Mormons. The results validate a number of long-held stereotypes (most American Mormons are white, well-educated, politically conservative and religiously observant) while providing a few interesting surprises (care for the poor and needy is high on the list of LDS priorities, while drinking coffee and watching R-rated movies aren’t as taboo among the rank and file as you might think). “While... Read the rest of this entry »