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Recent Posts
D&C 7: John the Immortal
The heading for this section explains that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery asked if John the Beloved had died or had been permitted to live until the Second Coming. It further explains that the verses to follow are a translation of a record...(12 Dec)
Book Review: “Faith and Intellect: The Lives and Contributions of Latter-day Saint Thinkers”
Title: “Faith and Intellect: The Lives and Contributions of Latter-day Saint Thinkers” Author: Leonard Arrington, Edited by: Gary Bergera Published by: Signature Books, 2019Genre: Biography Pages: 179 Binding: Paper ...(10 Dec)
Why it is important to remember that y'all is cultural in the South and ...
sinisterporpoise@yahoo.com(5 Dec)
Four More Years of Trump
We will have Trump for four more years.And we may get worse after that.I don't want to be a pessimist... but I just think that is where we are at the moment.Many Americans simply have no interest in being good, doing right... they just want to WIN...(5 Dec)
OH MORMON CHURCH - ExMormon Song Parody ala O Christmas Tree
It's been almost a year since I last posted on this blog, but yesterday, I was listening to Christmas music and a lot of "alternative lyrics" started running through my head - and, of course, when I say "alternative lyrics," they usually involve...(5 Dec)
Plot Holes in the Mormon Cosmological Narrative
I have long maintained that the Plan of Salvation is a mess of contradictions and slapdash compensations for its own weaknesses, but I don't believe I've ever tried to lay it out in detail. Contained within our Heavenly Father's road map to...(2 Dec)
D&C 6: Oliver!
In this section, God provides Joseph Smith with revelation specifically for Oliver Cowdery, although I'm not sure why this has to happen considering that this chapter mentions repeatedly that Oliver can receive revelation from God himself and has...(29 Nov)
Grateful
I am also grateful for my kids, chocolate, bubble blowing, massages, music, swimming pools, roller skates, kissing, old movies, new movies, any movies, sushi, narwhals, coffee, books, heavy blankets, incense, silence, double rainbows, red...(29 Nov)
12 Days of Gratitude: Day Twelve - Love
Love is everything. And, ultimately, Love is all there is. It is the heartbeat, the rhythm, the equation, the dance. Love is the beauty, the power, the balm, the light, the joy, the laughter, the celebration of Life. Love is… Love IS....(28 Nov)
12 Days of Gratitude: Day Eleven - My Soul
How profoundly and ass-kickingly wondrous is the experience of being so much more than… this? More than a body. More than thought. More than feeling. More than addiction. More than perception. More than dreams and illusions. Life has,...(27 Nov)
Review: Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room
Title: Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room Author: Rod Decker Published by: Signature Books, 2019, 404 pages, Paper binding ISBN: 978-1560852728, Price: 24.95
Candidates debate during the 2019 Salt Lake City mayoral race. One is Mormon...(26 Nov)
How to prove evolution is false in five easy steps
sinisterporpoise@yahoo.com(26 Nov)
And of course nonbinary people are upset with Contrapoints again
sinisterporpoise@yahoo.com(22 Nov)
Server maintenance
I am in the process of upgrading the server for this site and its sister sites (MAA Books, Outer Blogness, and ExMormon). There will probably be some downtime(12 Nov)
A Stingy God
by Johnny Townsend On the surface, Mormons are generous. They give a full ten percent of their income to their church. They donate countless hours every week to various “callings,” as Sunday School teachers, Nursery leaders, temple workers, and...(29 Oct)
Mormons follow a different Christ than traditional Christians
The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak as been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in...(25 Oct)
Coming Out Atheist
I read a good article written by someone who grew up without faith in an area where that was fairly normal. It was not until she was older that she realized it is not the experience of most folks. She addresses "when" to announce one is...(24 Oct)
Uber Diaries: Respect the Grind
(Note: This is a story I wrote for an upcoming book. This one didn't make the final cut, but I still like it.)Pickup: Sentinel HotelThe passenger is average height, but an athletic build. He gets into the van with a duffel bag I assume is luggage. I...(23 Oct)
There Will Be No Conversion Therapy in Zion
The incomparable Buzz and Ginny SchilatyIn 2007, at the age of 23, my parents became the 5th and 6th people I told that I was attracted to men. They were immediately loving and kind. During our initial conversation my mom asked if I thought it was a...(21 Oct)
Ad Astra: A movie review
It's been a while since I opened blogger for any reason other than deleting spam comments, but I've just come out of Ad Astra and I need to talk about it. No... I need to write about it.I blame grad school and film class for this.I love a good...(7 Oct)
The Place Where I Found the Courage to Be Me
Last year after giving a presentation at BYU on the LGBTQ & SSA student experience at BYU, a professor came up to me and asked what it was that made me love Tucson so much. I said, “Tucson is beautiful. It’s basically surrounded by national...(25 Sep)
Doesn't Look Like Anything To Me
The first season of Westworld is so brilliant. Anthony Hopkins, in particular, is utterly amazing.If you haven't seen it, part of the story focuses on robots... or hosts as they are called. But they do not know they are robots. Whenever they...(22 Sep)
The Greatest Law is Love
Just over a year ago I participated on an LGBT themed panel at the BYU Religious Freedom Review. During the session a man asked the panel a question that was a bit triggering for me (it was actually more of a long comment than a question). My friend...(18 Sep)
Magic Glasses and a Bunny Suit (saying no to perfection and yes to vulnerability)
by Emily Waite Growing up in the Mormon church, the voice that narrated my life up until now was screaming of perfection. For as we know, though we will never reach it in this life, perfection is the goal – always. After leaving the church I had...(13 Sep)
I Want to Know What Love Is
I'm not sure when I first heard the song.*It came out the year I left on my Mormon mission for France - 1984. (The lead photo was taken a few months before I left.) I was pretty sequestered in the first city I served in - Brest, at the tip of...(26 Aug)
A Review of Jonathan Stapley’s The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology
Stapley, Jonathan A. The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2018. 188 pp. ISBN 9780190844431.
Best Mormon History Book of 2018
Jonathan A. Stapley’s The Power of Godliness: Mormon...(12 Aug)
Marketing Yourself While Maintaining Authenticity
I had an interesting realization while on a brunch date with my oldest daughter, Emily (15). Over some delicious Indian food, we talked about our purpose, what feels meaningful, and what we enjoy working on.And some questions she asked brought up...(1 Jun)
Raising Entrepreneurs
It’s exciting to see my kids learning important life skills at a much younger age than I did, and actually earning money with these skills!I suppose when I was around 14 years old, I did start doing random work for people, including typing...(1 Jun)
7 Things to Do in Luang Prabang, Laos
After a full and beautiful two weeks of running our At Home in the World Retreats in Bali with the Kaponay Family, we decided to renew our visa by taking a quick 2-week trip to Luang Prabang, Laos.Why Laos? Because:We had never been here beforeIt...(13 May)
Warren vs. Sanders from a purely political strategy perspective.
I keep reading the claim that we have to support Bernie because he's the only one who can beat Trump in 2020. But is that really true?First of all, if Trump actually makes it to November 2020 (without being impeached and convicted),...(22 Apr)
The Dream That Changed My Life … 25 Years Later
The events of this past week in Paris brought up many memories of when I was a missionary there. They also reminded of a special anniversary. Thirty-four years ago today, I had a dream that would, 25 years later, play a key role in dramatically...(19 Apr)
Top five wrongest parts of the creation story in Genesis
I should not have to enumerate this. It should be obvious to the most casual reader of the beginning of the Bible that the creation story is a bunch of guesses by some ancient people -- and they got it wrong pretty much from top to bottom.Which is...(14 Apr)
Mormon Thought Experiment
This post is in response to a YouTube video posted by the LDS church found here.If prophets are such a key part of LDS theology, the current day prophet is set up as God's mouthpiece on the earth today for the whole earth. The presumption is that...(11 Apr)
Mormons and Facebook for Dummies
Apparently there is some confusion out there surrounding posts or friends disappearing on Facebook recently. Here's the thing, it is not Facebook's fault. If you experience missing posts or conversations not making sense because people seem to be...(11 Apr)
Zig for Great Justice*
This is not I, but it might just as well be.I've worked all the hours I can work for a time, and am on vacation as a result. It seems to me that I would learn more if I worked more twelve-hour shifts and fewer twenty-eight hour ones, but scheduling...(20 Mar)
Moving...
This blog has moved. If you want to know where, hit me up on Facebook. New comments are no longer allowed here. If there's something you wish to comment on from this blog, feel free to do so on the official Overeducated Housewife...(21 Feb)
Suicide brings out the assholes in people...
A couple of days ago, I came across an article in the Army Times about the tragic death of a soldier. 21 year old Private Aaron Mitchell had come home to Nebraska from South Korea after his husband, 21 year old Rich Rosa, committed suicide....(17 Feb)
R.I.P. Valerie
The case of Valerie Reyes, the 24-year-old woman from New Rochelle, New York, whose body was recently discovered in Greenwich, Connecticut, bound at the hands and feet and stuffed inside a suitcase, has me more than a little creeped out. ...(10 Feb)
Pyrric Victories
JSTOR on Pyrric victories and the origin of the term.
(8 Feb)
Jerusalem’s Economy in Second Temple Period
I’ve always had the assumption that the Jerusalem region was fairly poor — perhaps because of the traditional portrayal of Jesus as at best a poor day worker. I’ve been reading Goodman’s Judaism in the Roman World via Scribd and it gives a...(8 Feb)
Chris on Religious Evolution
Chris Goble has an interesting Twitter thread on the emergence of monotheism in axial period Israel as tied to religious evolution and contemporary quasi-religious ethical movements. I’ll quote it by putting it in a more easy to read format....(7 Feb)
Back to the World of the Living for Now
I love this picture so much that I use it at any time that it is even marginally applicable.Readers shall be spared all the gruesome details, but I've been quite ill for the past few days. I'm returning to the world of the living, though I can...(4 Feb)
Politics And Religion
Previously: Mormons Should Stop Identifying As RepublicansA friend of mine recently left this comment after I posted a sassy meme on Facebook:"I love you and your theological writings, Rock -but try to stay away from any of your political...(20 Jan)
Recent Comments
Mark D Thomas @ Worlds Without End
Thank you for this fine review. I look forward to reading the book.
Wally @ Worlds Without End
Sounds like it supports the historical reality that we will always have to drag conservatives (and m...
chanson @ Main Street Plaza
@Suzanne — That’s a good point. I think it really is about being trained to see right/g...
Suzanne Neilsen @ Main Street Plaza
I guess some people think FDR is the same as Hitler and Stalin, since they clearly can’t diffe...
Junia @ Main Street Plaza
Johnny,
Do you really think that Trump is unique among politicians in his horredness? Do you really ...
Rick @ Main Street Plaza
Homosexuals who practice are in danger of judgement, same as the practitioner of sex before marriage...
Rick @ Main Street Plaza
You cited your opinion, which you’re entitled to, however you are not citing facts. Trying to ...
Mark Daniel Cross @ Main Street Plaza
Brilliant insight Jerry. Spot on.
Megan @ Main Street Plaza
Part of the issue with the Church and Joseph Bishop is that he told his victim in the leaked audio ...
Megan @ Main Street Plaza
This is the most backward and terrible advice. Ladies, it is OKAY to initiate conversation and push ...
Christopher Smith @ Worlds Without End
So glad you liked it, Ardis! Thank you for your kind words!
Ardis @ Worlds Without End
This is one of the most enjoyable reviews I’ve read for this book — enthusiastic appreciation of...
Christopher Smith @ Worlds Without End
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for reading my long-winded thoughts!
Fascinated @ Worlds Without End
This is a wonderful and detailed review! It looks like an exceptional book. Thank you for bringing ...
Ryan @ Main Street Plaza
I’m actually the individual in the ad.
At the time, I had just returned from serving a missio...
This puzzles me.
Judaism was created & in both its ancient & modern form exists for precisel...
I hit on this problem a long time ago, when I was a teenager. (It took some years to do a lot of rea...
Andrew Hamilton @ Worlds Without End
Clair – Thanks for your links! And thanks for your presentation!
Clair Barrus @ Worlds Without End
Thanks for the review Andrew. Here’s a bit more about my presentation.
Session: The Beatles, ...
chanson @ Main Street Plaza
Yeah, same. It was certainly never presented to me as a decision I would need to make.
Mel Johnson @ Worlds Without End
Every historian of 19th century greater Dixie history in southern Utah and beyond its borders needs ...
Romney came down to speak in St. George a few months back. On the comments of the news story coverin...
Matt Harris @ Worlds Without End
Andrew:
Thanks for your generous review. I’m glad you found the book helpful. Brother Benson...
Great essay. This is exactly the reasoning that took me out of the church. Once I knew a loving god ...
I have thought about this recently in the context of why Mormon men give up on the faith than Mormon...
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I actually went to the Unitarian Church for 5 years after I...
Hi John, I was sorry to read that after you left LDS you tried Christianity and for some reason it a...
Love seeing your art!
O ya I love the hand as well I think it’s very cool to see the contrast of the warmth of the skin ...
John I think you are amazing!!!! Thanks for all you do, I just love Mormon expression and think the ...
I hope you see this – that the energy leads you back here if you haven’t already figured...
Brandon Pearce @ Pearce On Earth - Traveling Family. Entrepreneurship. Homeschool.
Wonderful! Let us know where you end up! We’ve been working with SMA Home Solutions, but there...
Hi there- we are in the process of purchasing a home in San Miguel. Can you share the name of your ...
Thanks so much for sharing what you have.It’s almost a revelation to me that I could perhaps s...
Dhammika Alawatte / Maddumage @ Pearce On Earth - Traveling Family. Entrepreneurship. Homeschool.
This Wonderful family on Travel takes us to those untapped territories & opened their wisdom &am...
Just want to let you know I found this very informative as I’m moving to the UAE for a year. I...
Brandon Pearce @ Pearce On Earth - Traveling Family. Entrepreneurship. Homeschool.
Yes, there were a few couples there together. I think it’s a fine thing to experience together...
Very enlightening thoughts! Thanks for sharing Brandon. I am looking forward to share and discuss y...
Hi Lenny, how was your experience at the retreat? I am thinking of going next month but I am very co...
Viviane Bernardin @ Pearce On Earth - Traveling Family. Entrepreneurship. Homeschool.
Hi Brandon,Interesting and balanced view on your experience. First time I heard of Ayahuasca. Have y...
Auto-ethnography Everything – Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] end result is, following concepts and formats from ifixit, a guide to fixing the possibly ...
Cyclingdiva @ ReubensCube
Do you know, and can you pls share with me. what type of dang cables did you use? I’m working ...
Jenny Pulinec @ ReubensCube
I also am in the same boat love the citrus splash…had it here in Ontario,Canada …but now...
Earl @ ReubensCube
Just came across your post. Looks great! I have used Drylock in the past also. Great stuff, just a b...
Citrus Blast @ ReubensCube
Rueben,
Did Crest discontinue this flavor? Like you, this is the only toothpaste I have been using ...
Gail @ ReubensCube
I love the Citrus Crest! I’m in search of it now so I can stock up. Thank goodness I have a co...
james Barends @ ReubensCube
Code requires the drum trap be air tight, not just water tight. What you have done is OK for a shor...
bejah @ ReubensCube
You’re crazy. Why in the world would you say that? college is the best thing that could happen...
Terry @ ReubensCube
Mint makes me cough and or sneeze. Allergy maybe?? I NEED my citrus toothpaste fix! We have a runni...
Lorne @ ReubensCube
Same thing here in Canada. I also hate the taste of mint and was angered that I can no longer find i...
CathyL2 @ ReubensCube
You mention this is water tight ~ but is it airtight? Sewer gasses are considerably smaller than wat...
Running Compositions | Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] Composed Composing Data […]
Composed Composing Data | Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] with a running app from a smartphone. It represents what was composed while the runner was...
John Draper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
Hello,
My name is John Draper. You don’t know me from Adam. What led me to you is I’m a...
Hamizan @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
“multimodal” is one of those ridiculous weaesl words that plagues education curriculums....
PS I have a new name for the new writing: dgitial illiteracies. Or how about cave-man pictorial...
Congrats on a great time for your race. Good luck with your Marathon training. I start mine next wee...
The Pitch & The Pace | Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] I plan to have complimentary visuals to go along with my podcast that is also spatially o...
Explaining How There Came to Be Beer Stats | Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] contemporary communication, I have some additional insights to my most recent analytical r...
The Second is First: reading response seven in Parts | Edie-Marie Roper @ Edith-Marie Roper | *Under Construction*
[…] following applies these concepts to my multimodal post about my GPS watch and running [&#...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
“Also the words did not just appear in the translators”
The actual accounts of the trans...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
“Also the words did not just appear in the translators”
The actual accounts of the trans...
Fatboy @ LDS Revelations
I think there is a very important understanding missing here. When Joseph Smith translated the Book ...
Fatboy @ LDS Revelations
I think there is a very important understanding missing here. When Joseph Smith translated the Book ...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
This just arouses my curiosity and desire to learn more of both books. I’m sure they support each ...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
This just arouses my curiosity and desire to learn more of both books. I’m sure they support each ...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
Who inspired who? In 1823 Ethan Smith in Vermont knows nothing of Joseph Smith and the claims of ang...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
Who inspired who? In 1823 Ethan Smith in Vermont knows nothing of Joseph Smith and the claims of ang...
Melisa @ LDS Revelations
Hi There,
We’re trying to spread the word about LDS LGBT Suicide and Homelessness Awareness D...
Melisa @ LDS Revelations
Hi There,
We’re trying to spread the word about LDS LGBT Suicide and Homelessness Awareness D...
David @ LDS Revelations
Now it gets a bit more interesting. Joseph first reported to his family about the gold plates in 18...
David @ LDS Revelations
Now it gets a bit more interesting. Joseph first reported to his family about the gold plates in 18...
David @ LDS Revelations
Very amusing. This just arouses my curiosity and desire to learn more of both books. I’m sur...
David @ LDS Revelations
Very amusing. This just arouses my curiosity and desire to learn more of both books. I’m sur...
Heber Frank @ LDS Revelations
If a woman married in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage loses her husband she MUST have t...
Heber Frank @ LDS Revelations
If a woman married in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage loses her husband she MUST have t...
john @ LDS Revelations
I made a business deal with some Mormons ONCE, they screwed me over. The Mormons are the last peopl...
john @ LDS Revelations
I made a business deal with some Mormons ONCE, they screwed me over. The Mormons are the last peopl...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
What LDS defenders need to look for in the BoM is the early American anachronisms (18-19th century)t...
LDSRevelations @ LDS Revelations
What LDS defenders need to look for in the BoM is the early American anachronisms (18-19th century)t...
Discussing the Name of God With a Jehovah’s Witness Elder 5/29/13 | The Edge @ Evidence Ministries
[…] We concluded our study and I gave him his copy of my study. I purposefully didn’t want t...
What Do I Do With The Dudes At My Door? 2013 | The Edge @ Evidence Ministries
[…] will meet in CBC Central (the old sanctuary) from 9:00 AM -12:oo PM. Visit our web site ca...
Keith @ Evidence Ministries
Jeff,
In all of my my 17+ years of missionary service to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, I ha...
Jeff @ Evidence Ministries
Did a video on this in response at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RquN0RP-3CA&feature=plcp
Melody @ Evidence Ministries
I would be willing to die before I would vote for a Mormon.
Gift of Love | Mormon Coffee @ Evidence Ministries
[…] precious, healing words of hope with a ten-foot pole.But Becky Walker won’t give up. In ...
Issues with Tissues: What exactly is an Anti-Mormon Kleenex? | The Edge @ Evidence Ministries
[…] Sixth, the LDS Church does indeed attack the religion of others. Read this article for quo...
Issues with Tissues: What exactly is an Anti-Mormon Kleenex? | The Edge @ Evidence Ministries
[…] The second lady in Aaron’s video is my wife Becky. She wrote an article to the Mormon wo...
Miranda @ Evidence Ministries
That was very sly to put your card in a package of tissues, wrap with fabric ribbon to look like a g...
Parker Dahl @ Evidence Ministries
This made no sense to me.. I get a bad feeling when I read article from this website.
Hello —
I was raised Jewish, am now a “frequent attender” at Brooklyn Monthly Meet...
Sigmund Russell @ Mind on Fire | Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions.
You might be interested in a new website – atheistprinciples.tripod.com (see also the linked f...
John,
I stumbled on your anniversary/invite from stake pres post when I was trying to find NB stake...
Hey John!
It’s Dana Huber from WFC. I couldn’t find you on Facebook when I looked; do yo...
Jennifer Dobner @ Mind on Fire | Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions.
Hey John – Laura Compton sent me your way. I’m an Associated Press reporter in Salt Lake...
Hi there. Nice writing, mate. Might just add you to my rss-reader 🙂
I was wondering what that pho...
Hello, ex-Mormons!
My name is Rae and I’m a fellow ex-Mormon. I love, love, LOVE coming across...
John W. Morehead @ Mind on Fire | Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions.
John, I found you through the article “Saving the Dead” you did for the Nov. 2006 issue ...
surcey: I’m glad you enjoy our site just as much as mommy blogs 🙂 I’ve a special plac...
Hi xJane,
I just wanted to say I am a liberal Christian (best term I can come up with so far), and I...