Flunking Sainthood

Will the LDS Church condemn the right wing’s Capitol violence?
The problem is that if/when the Church issues a statement condemning the violence and reminding members of President Oaks’s wise counsel about accepting the results of elections, it will do little than reinforce people’s existing ideas.

At the Capitol, we saw the best and the worst of US Mormonism

Brian McLaren says there’s a good reason your beliefs stopped working

Hollywood loves the Mormon afterlife
Stories like ‘Soul,’ ‘Coco’ and ‘The Good Place’ depict core Mormon ideas that are alive in the popular imagination about the afterlife—and the “before life.”

Why I stopped tithing to the LDS Church
At tithing settlement this year, I declared myself a full tithe-payer and explained why none of that money has gone to the LDS Church.

Gen Z is lukewarm about religion, but open to relationships, study shows
(RNS) — Religious affiliation among Gen Z Americans continues its steady decline, but affiliation isn’t everything.

‘Lo, a virgin shall conceive’ … or not, depending on the translation
(RNS) — Had Isaiah wanted to say ‘virgin’ or predict a miraculous birth, he would have used different Hebrew words, say biblical scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler.

Doomscrolling much? It’s probably bad for your soul
(RNS) — Pushing back the screen to create tangible things in the real world is more important now than ever.

The weary world rejoices
(RNS) — As we wait for Christmas and for a vaccine, I’m reminded that the most beautiful birth in history happened in a place literally mired in crap.

Mormon apostle calls masks “a sign of Christlike love.” Some church members are pushing back
(RNS) — “Covid-19 is serious,” said a Mormon apostle. The backlash from anti-maskers isn’t pretty.

I am appalled by America
(RNS) — Our Covid death toll is like having 9/11 repeated on a loop every single day, except this time we don’t need foreign terrorists to murder Americans. We’re doing a damned efficient job at that ourselves. What has happened to our country?

How do Mormons deal with conflict and faith crises? Avoidance doesn’t work, expert says
Step One, says Chad Ford, is to let go of the fear of conflict, and recognize that conflict itself is not sinful. But for Mormons steeped in both niceness and hierarchical leadership structures, that may be hard to achieve.

Thanksgiving has always been about grief. Pass the mashed potatoes.
(RNS) — Marking both grief and gratitude isn’t antithetical to the Thanksgiving holiday; in fact, it’s baked into its very history.

Mormon prophet says to ‘flood social media’ with gratitude this Thanksgiving week
(RNS) — “Counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems,” LDS President Nelson said.

Mormon apostle’s comments on racism fall short
Dallin Oaks recently said that “of course” Black Lives Matter. But Adam Harris and Carlene Fraser-Harris take issue with his underlying message.
