Monthly Archives: January 2013

Immigration deal signals a GOP surrender on the issue

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Doug Gibson

The Republicans have surrendered on the battle over immigration reform, and that’s actually a sensible move. Ignore the boasts that the immigration deal will include tough border enforcement or that illegals who break the law will be swiftly deported (there’s … Read More

The first John D. Lee trial was waged in the court of public opinion

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) In the Winter 2013 “Journal of Mormon History,” there’s an interesting article from Robert H. Briggs, a lawyer and historian from California. “A Seething Cauldron of Controversy: The First … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Beaver, Brigham Young, First Mountain Meadows Massacre Trial, John D. Lee, John D. Lee Trial, Journal of Mormon History, Media sensation, Mountain Meadows Massacre, Public relations, Robert Baskin, Robert H. Briggs, Utah, William C. Carey | 1 Comment

‘Mission Rules’ a too-rare example of realistic fiction about the LDS missionary experience

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) There’s a scene in “The Mission Rules,” — a short fiction book comprised of the LDS missionary experiences (link) of “Elder Barker,” sent to Brazil — where he … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged "The Mission Rules" S.P. Bailey, Baptisms, Brazil, Missionary experiences, Peru, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 17 Comments

Near-death experiences get treatment from a Mormon perspective

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) I’m fascinated by the pop science/theology behind near-death experiences. I’ve read the “Life After Life” books by Raymond Moody and several similar books. It was interesting to discover … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Afterlife, Brent L. Top, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, Covenant Communications, Emanuel Swedenborg, Glimpses Beyond Death's Door, Heaven, Hell, Journal of Discourses, Journal of Near Death Studies, LDS theology, Near Death Experiences, Paradise, Raymond L. Moody, Spirit Prison, Spirit World, Wendy C. Top | 30 Comments

The Spaulding Manuscript as Jeffersonian idealism, and not a Book of Mormon template

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) Solomon Spaulding’s “Manuscript Found,” an unpublished novel by the 18th and 19th century minister, is a topic of interest to anti-Mormons. In 1834, Eber Howe, author of “Mormonism … Read More