Tag Archives: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In 1981, LDS prophet Kimball resigned in the ‘Mormon manner’

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI surprised a lot of people, and for good reason — it had been almost 600 years since the last pope resigned. In … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Aging, Death, Edward L. Kimball, Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS prophet, Lengthen Your Stride, Old age, Papacy, Pope Benedict XVI, President Spencer W. Kimball, Resignation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 26 Comments

Adam & Steve play underscores changing LDS views on gays, gay marriage

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Doug Gibson

I had the opportunity to read the script of ”Adam & Steve and the Empty Sea,” a two-character play that is playing at the Wagner Center in Salt Lake City. I hope to see the play. It involves longtime best … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Adam & Steve and the Empty Sea, Bigotry, Civil rights, Gay marriage, Gay rights, Matthew Greene, Modernity, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 21 Comments

‘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

The three most significant changes within the LDS Church

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Doug Gibson

It was a big year for Mormonism; it started with Mitt Romney moving away from the pack toward getting the GOP nomination for U.S. president and ended with some women wearing pants to Sunday church services to draw attention to … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Brigham Young, Gay rights, LDS scholarship, Lowering of Missionary ages, Parley P. Pratt, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Younf adults and LDS Church activity | 29 Comments

Article works to get rid of the Heavenly Mother myths

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) Meridian Magazine, a Mormon magazine, (its website is http://ldsmag.com) has published an excellent article by Warren Aston, titled “The Other Half of Heaven: Debunking Myths About Heavenly Mother.” … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged BYU Studies, Erastus Snow, Heavenly Mother, LDS theology, Meridian Magazine, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Warren Aston | 6 Comments

‘Latter-day Responsibility’ focuses on the obligations of agency

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) A year ago, Connor Boyack, a Lehi political activist, published “Latter-day Liberty,” an interesting book that maintains that libertarian political ideals are compatible with Mormon doctrine. (It’s reviewed here) Boyack, … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged " "Latter Day Responsibility, Agency, Connor Boyack, Latter Day Liberty, Libertarianism, Mormon doctrine, Satan, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, War in Heaven | 8 Comments

Recognizing ignorant theology

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this link, click here.) When I was at BYU, and was in a mandated religion class, we had a teacher, somewhere between 60 and 160, (I’ve long forgotten his name) who liked … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged "Inappropriate intellectualism", Ignorant theology, LDS Church history, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 27 Comments

Romney’s grace after defeat may mitigate pain for many LDS supporters

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) Mitt Romney’s concession speech (here) was gracious, generous and conciliatory. It even impressed MSNBC talker Chris Matthews, who has spent the better part of a year accusing the … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged 2012 presidential race, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Mormons, President Barack Obama, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Mormon Moment | 28 Comments

LDS Church making further movements toward respect for gays, lesbians

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) In our ward on Sunday, there were specific, assigned meetings with priesthood groups and the Relief Society. Our bishop led the meeting with the Melchizedek Priesthood. The meeting, … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Bigotry, Compassion, LDS church policy, Marriage, Same-sex attraction, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tolerance | 20 Comments

Eternal progression after death is fun speculation for Mormons

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Doug Gibson

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here) A key difference between Latter-day Saints and many other Christian churches is that Mormons believe that there are various post-judgment kingdoms in the outskirts of heaven. There’s the … Read More