Mormon Bloggers

A few weeks ago I went with my Brother and we watched Christopher Nolan’s most recent film “Inception.”  If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry, I’m not of a mind to give away spoilers, nor am I going to wax poetic over the special effects, writing, acting etc., etc., this is the business of film critics who have already spilled about as much digital ink as can be justified on the subject.  In my case, what made the movie truly interesting was the way in which it explored the nature of reality and asked us the age-old question “what is real?” Surely this is not a new question, even for Hollywood, the Wachowski Brothers’ “The Matrix” discussed this issue in the last decade, and it has been a working staple of science-fiction, fantasy and philosophy for the better part of a century.  Why?  As a Mormon, I might venture in part that the argument that what one sees and perceives through the senses is not the sum total of existence... Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch a CES Fireside featuring David A. Bednar as the main speaker. The discourse he gave was titled, “Things as They Really Are.” As always I believe that Elder Bednar beautifully used the proper teaching techniques to instruct us on so many levels that night. The transcripts for his talk are available at this link. Please make sure you read and study this master sermon and be taught by the spirit the fine points of doctrine that Elder Bednar shared with us. Most would probably proclaim that Elder Bednar’s talk was about becoming too involved in a virtual world through the Internet and video games. At one level that is exactly what he was speaking about. I would like to discuss another level that I perceived by hearing his teachings. I believe that Elder Bednar used this forum to teach us the different phases of the Creation in a way that I have never seen before. The doctrine of The Creation is truly an important one to study.... Read the rest of this entry »

One of the themes of my book is that people who are in the position of speaking for God are in a position of great power. They get to say what reality is not only in this life, but in the next as well. The code we use to make decisions about what is right and wrong, determines to a large degree, how we perceive the world and the others who inhabit this space with us. Our religious perspective often determines who we favor and who we reject, who we see as friend or foe, and even sometimes who we can kill with impunity. In more fundamentalist societies, the extent to which “reality” is controlled by religious doctrine can be so great that the followers have little ability to conceive anything beyond the prescriptions given them by their leader. We can see the effects of this kind of mind control in groups such as that led by Warren Jeffs and it is easy to become outraged and worried about the children who have no escape. In my story, Beth comes to realize that she has been under... Read the rest of this entry »