This post is done on behalf of Bonnie, the founder of the Real Intent.

My eyes darted across my dresser one last time as I rubbed frantically at my left wrist. Where was it?! I could not leave without it, but the clock on the wall was fairly shouting that I was going to break my word if I did not go right then. I would have to choose between wearing a watch and being on time. I set my teeth and left watchless.

We live one block from the church, but for months we’d been straggling in four different kinds of minutes-late. My children are teens who get themselves ready. I had no excuse and I knew it. I promised the Lord that I would make a priority of being on-time for the service that allows me to renew my baptismal covenant as a small way of honoring the great sacrifice it remembers.

But I couldn’t go without my watch.

I’ve worn a watch since I was a teen, and I’ve been running late since about the same time. My mother used to say that I wore a watch and never looked at it and was always late, while my younger sister never wore a watch and was always on time. It’s true. But I need a watch. I do not feel comfortable without one. Continue reading →

Connor Boyack, author of the new book “Latter-day Responsibility,” is a controversial figure among Latter-day Saints. Readers may be aware of his book “Latter-day Liberty,” which I reviewed here. Many people love him, probably more seem to dislike him. So, M* addressed some of the controversial issues in the following interview.

Please note: we will be leaving comments open. It would be appropriate to ask questions that I don’t ask in this interview. However, please note that personal insults and attacks will be deleted. It is OK to ask a (non-snarky, non-trollish) question in a respectful manner, even if the question is a difficult one. It is quite another to simply leave a personal attack.

1) Give us a brief summary of your new book and why you decided to write it.

Liberty is a fundamental and eternal principle, but it cannot exist without its counterpart: personal responsibility. In my new book, I explain in detail some of the many responsibilities we must each perform if we truly wish to defend individual liberty and live free.

As I survey the liberty movement generally, I see a profound lack of discussion and advocacy regarding this counterbalancing principle. Who in the liberty movement talks about personal responsibility? Where are our advocates, institutions, and rallies to encourage responsibility? Focusing only on freedom means that we’re fighting half of the battles, and are thus more likely to lose the war.
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Before going on, please take a gander at my review of “Latter-day Liberty,” Connor Boyack’s first book.

To sum up: Connor Boyack is a controversial Utah-based libertarian political activist. In his first book, he angers both modern-day progressives and modern-day conservatives with his libertarian philosophy, which is described in the book. I say “angers” because the responses I usually get about Boyack and his philosophy are almost always angry. Very few people seem to be willing to take on his actual arguments without resorting to personal attacks.

I am expecting a similar response to “Latter-day Responsibility,” but this book should not be controversial. Boyack’s point is that embracing liberty also means embracing personal responsibility, an obvious but sometimes forgotten element of a truly free society. Most latter-day Saints should nod in agreement with the points of this book, precisely because so many of them are made in General Conference twice a year and in countless other talks by General Authorities.

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(h/t) to Silverrain.

I thought this Plato-like discussion on Mormons and caffeine was very well done.

The highlight:

Mordecai: What does caffeine have to do with any of this? And why doesn’t the Church make it clear whether drinking caffeine breaks a rule you have to follow to be faithful?

Alan: I think it has. You don’t have to give up caffeine to be baptized or to make the covenants involved in our temple ceremonies. You do have to give up coffee and tea, at least as a general rule. But remember that fidelity isn’t just about following rules. Mormons are supposed to keep the Word of Wisdom not just to show that they’re willing to follow God’s rules, but to take care of their body and avoid addictions so that they can be more useful to God. I’m sure there are many members who can use caffeine safely, without putting either of these goals in jeopardy. I’m sure there are others who become addicted to caffeine or use it to sustain unhealthy sleep schedules–and that some of these are at a place in their life where they can’t avoid that, and drinking caffeine is the least of the evils they have to choose among. It’s not my job to judge.

I know these types of talks happen all the time, but this one just made me feel good, so I want to share it. A Catholic bishop spoke at UVU on Tuesday and said Catholics and Mormons stand “shoulder to shoulder as witnesses of Jesus Christ.”

I just love that image of Christian people standing together to proclaim the truth of the Savior.

Catholic Bishop John C. Wester also said the following:

Wester noted that before Thomas S. Monson became LDS Church president in 2008, he attended every fundraising dinner for Catholic Community Services. Monson even did so, the bishop said, the week he ascended to the helm of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The way the two churches come together, Wester said, “could be a model [for the rest of the nation] of working for the common good.”

Good stuff.