This TED talk by Pope Francis is a delight (particularly for those of us who speak Italian).

He talks of how each of us is precious and necessary. He calls for us to care for others over “things.” And he asks us to be tender with one another, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Tenderness is strength (La tenerezza e la fortezza), Pope Francis assures us.

This builds on the conversation Mauro Properzi had with Laura Hales, posted to this blog in April.

The restored gospel is required for salvation (aligned with God’s intent, or “true”), but that does not mean that there isn’t great richness to be found as we embrace our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

As promised, I’ve put the full text of Reluctant Polygamist up on reluctantpolygamist.com.

Not only is the text there, but I’ve added the google translate widget, so the entire thing can be read in any of 110 languages. Adding fun to function, most of the pages have a “Listen to Page” button so you can have the text read to you by a resonant UK male voice, courtesy of the Responsive Voice widget.

One of the pages I assembled was a mapping between the blog posts I’ve put up here at Millennial Star and the chapters in the book. It is now trivially simple to compare my original posts and my final text.

There’s a survey for that!

Each month, Reluctant Polygamist will run a survey sampling readers. Since the website has only just launched, the Millennial Star audience is invited to participate in the May survey. Reluctant Polygamist: May 2017 Survey. When the results are in (end of May or when the survey reaches the maximum number of respondents) I’ll report on the answers here. Continue reading →

This is a guest post by Michael Worley.

This post is written cautiously, as both family members of those who experience same-gender attraction and those who experience same-sex attraction should receive Christlike love from church members, irrespective of any choice they make. A recent church video emphasizes this point.

But loving one another does not require we treat their points of view as admirable. Of special concern for LDS members is when groups either (1) promote views contrary to the teachings of Christ as taught by his prophets, apostles, and other leaders or (2) advance their views by supporting efforts that contradict church teachings, while refusing to support efforts that affirm church teachings.

Suppose you were addicted to pornography, tempted to the speed limit on the freeway, or having trouble reading the Book of Mormon every day—but realized that all three of these things had been spoken of as important in general conference, to one degree or another. If you wished to improve in these areas, you would not turn to those who claimed that pornography was morally acceptable, who posted routinely on social media how to speed without getting caught, or who disputed the prophets who testify of the Book of Mormon.

One somewhat prominent group, “Mama Dragons,” holds itself out as a support group for LDS family members of those who experience same-sex attraction. The remainder of this post addresses the question of whether they are a trustworthy source for members of the church to turn to, based on the principles mentioned above. This is so those looking for good sources on the LDS church’s stance on same-sex attraction and gender identity can know what this group believes. While those who leave the LDS Faith or choose to question the teachings of the church have every right to express their views, Millennial Star has every right to collect their views for reference.

Continue reading →

I have had a glorious Easter season.

I was blessed by the opportunity to participate in several choirs. This year, as we sang of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, I was particularly moved. The songs were pure doctrine, sweet testimony, and sheer beauty.

Christ is risen, our Savior and King. He will redeem all from death and will redeem all from hell who cast themselves upon His mercy.

I pray that your Easter season has included the beauty of the sacred, as you reflected on the despair we feel when we lose loved ones, the sublime peace of those who hope in Christ, the tragedy of the doubting Thomas, and the loving mercy of our God.

As we leave the sacred space of Easter and return to the profane world, may the peace of God remain in our hearts.

It is daunting presuming to review the work of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, a Harvard professor, and, perhaps most enduringly, the one who wrote:

“Well-behaved women seldom make history…”

In A House Full of Females, Professor Ulrich for the first time puts forward a scholarly book that addresses Mormon history.

I first heard of this years ago, when a friend with a sister in Professor Ulrich’s Boston congregation told me Professor Ulrich was writing “the definitive” book about Joseph Smith. As I had by that time completed my Faithful Joseph series of blog posts, I reached out to Professor Ulrich.

I wrote: “My friend’s sister, your friend, mentioned you have just submitted the manuscript for a book on Joseph Smith and polygamy, the definitive book, she asserted. I don’t know much more than an assertion that there was a lot less sex than most people assume and that none of the children are Joseph’s.”

Professor Ulrich graciously replied, but informed me someone must have misunderstood:

“I do think it significant that there were so few births to plural wives before Joseph’s death, but my book does not offer any new information on Joseph, Eliza, or John C. Bennett.” Continue reading →