by Thinker of Thoughts | Dec 23, 2013 | Economics, Literature
Atlas Shrugged is a much maligned book that is usually most deeply criticized by those people who have not actually read it. Regardless of your perspective on the concept of altruism and selfishness – the speech by Francisco d’Anconia on money is well...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Dec 20, 2013 | Mormonism
[toc] A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the exchange of letters between LDS sociologist Dr. Lowry Nelson and the First Presidency of the LDS Church on the issue of racism surrounding the ban on blacks receiving the priesthood. As far as I know, that was the first...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Dec 14, 2013 | Mormonism
There are few argument made for blacks receiving the priesthood which could not also be made for women receiving it. Given the recently released Gospel Topic essay on Race and the Priesthood, would it be unthinkable that a similar essay addressing issues of gender may...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Dec 13, 2013 | Mormonism
[toc]In the Lord of the Ring saga at the end of the second age of Middle Earth there is a battle fought between an alliance of Men and Elves against the forces of Sauron on the plains of Dagorlad. (Geek alert: This is the battle depicted in the opening prologue of the...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 30, 2013 | Mormonism
[toc] [Note: A follow-up article covering the Cuba Report of Heber Meeks is now available] As a practicing Mormon – what happens if, through careful study and introspection, you come to the determination that your conscience and convictions are diametrically...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 26, 2013 | Mormonism
“I wouldn’t leave the church – Even if it was false. It does too much good!” I heard this from several people during my transition. Many people in the LDS church do not feel that it is worthwhile to investigate any problems with the church...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 25, 2013 | Mormonism, Spirituality
[toc]I have struggled for some time to express my feelings and motivations about why I speak out about issues with Mormon Church History. This is as close as I can come for now: The Parable of the Counterfeit Coin Imagine that you were a prisoner serving a life...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 22, 2013 | Mormonism, Spirituality
In the Spring 2015 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Deiter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency gave a remarkable talk on the subject of Grace and Salvation. This talk was surprising to some because it appeared to...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 20, 2013 | Parenting
Is it good to start with the assumption that your child will not understand anything but spanking? People will sometimes provide a story about some terrible criminal who was never spanked. Anecdotes do not prove a general rule. In those stories there is no evidence...
by Thinker of Thoughts | Nov 19, 2013 | Mormonism
In his 1955 address “Profile of a Prophet” LDS Apostle Hugh B. Brown states, about Joseph Smith’s First Vision, “When Joseph came out of the woods, he had at least four fundamental truths, and he announced them to the world: first, that the...
