This month’s Come, Follow Me lessons cover such topics as exclusive priesthood authority, patriarchal gender roles, personal revelation, and Christian fundamentalism within Mormonism.
Author: The Grand Scoobah
The Offensive History and Why People “Lose Faith”
Church history is an oft-cited reason for why people leave the faith, but is that really the whole story? Why do some people leave and others stay among those who are most knowledgeable about Mormon history? What are acceptable reasons to leave or to stay?
Eight Observations About John Gee’s Attack on the JSPP
BYU religion professor, John Gee, has published a scholastically deficient polemic against the Joseph Smith Papers Project. Here are eight observations of where it falls short.
A Critical Look at “Come, Follow Me” | February 2021
A continuation of my critical responses to the 2021 Come, Follow Me curriculum covering the Doctrine and Covenants. Topics include the 116-page manuscript and Priesthood Restoration.
The 2021 “Come, Follow the Prophet” Curriculum
The New Year brings a new Come, Follow Me curriculum for members of all ages in the LDS church, this time focused on the Doctrine and Covenants and the story of the Restoration. Here are my initial reactions to January’s lessons.
The Requisite Indoctrination of Queerphobia at BYU
The LDS church claims they now oppose conversion therapy, but courses at BYU still teach conversion therapy principles, including that LGBTQ+ members will be “cured” through Celestial Conversion Therapy.
The 267 Hidden Brides of Wilford Woodruff
The temple endowment has long been a tool that indoctrinates members to accept a hierarchy that exalts men by subjugating women. Perhaps then it is unsurprising to see the earliest uses of the proxy endowment ritual for the dead being used to do the same to deceased women.
The Satanic Panic and the Pace Memorandum
In the early 1990s, Elder Glenn L. Pace conducted an extension investigation into Satanic ritual abuse among the ranks of its members. What does this story teach us about modern Mormon culture, especially in regards to conspiracy thinking?
The Phantom Distinction Between Happiness and Joy
Happiness and joy aren’t different emotions that are exclusively available to select people. There isn’t some hierarchy where some people are truly joyful whereas others are merely happy.