The Media isn’t Biased *snicker*

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When Stearns denies caving to pressure, he’s also complicating a common narrative among (often conservative Christian) anti-LGBT activists: that those in the “mainstream” who endorse equality rights are giving in to those who are trying to “force” a pro-LGBT agenda on the American public. It’s a false narrative, but as even traditionally red states find their same sex marriage bans overturned in federal courts, it’s picking up traction again by those who feel threatened when two people love each other without their approval. (from here)

 

Okay, granted, it’s from the Wire.

Though my own feelings on this issue are complex and not at all obvious, even I know that making gay marriage law is part of a pro-LGBT agenda (she honestly thinks it isn’t? Or is it that she thinks making laws is not force? I’m really unclear here) and that her explanation for why there is some opposition probably isn’t totally accurate. Ah, the liberal media!

Discuss.

God Created Man in His Own Image

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Adam_and_Eve002So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)

Steven Peck (aka StevenP from BCC) is a BYU biology professor that has written about religion and evolution. One of his articles (based on the views of Henri Bergson) on his website (split into three parts: part 1, part 2, I couldn’t find part 3) was about how the process of evolution often causes certain forms of life to arise just by virtue of the fact that the evolutionary process must solve certain problems.

For example, the eye has evolved in relatively the same manner multiple times on entirely independent lines of organisms. And it is not mere coincidence that fish and whales get confused a lot. Despite being completely different species all together, the similar forces of evolution forced them to look quite similar.

Is it possible that there is some similar type of what we might call ‘directed evolution’ going on with humans? Here, the evidence is thin at best, but let’s play around and have a little fun with hypotheses: Continue reading →

John Dehlin’s Comprehensive List of Reasons He Doesn’t Believe in the LDS Church

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John Dehlin“Doubt those who encourage you to doubt your doubts” — John Dehlin on his Facebook page, attacking President Uchtdorf’s talk. Mar 25, 2014

John Dehlin recently put together a comprehensive list of what he sees as all the issues with the LDS Church. He of course titled it “A Comprehensive List of Reasons Why People Leave or Stop Believing in the LDS Church” so as to position it as a helpful attempt to teach the Church how to stop people from leaving. However, as I read through the list, it’s not really clear to me how this document could ever be helpful in that regard since it makes no helpful suggestions at all and simply reads like an anti-Mormon tract.

Consistent with my policy of not advancing anti-Mormon tracts – intended or otherwise – like this, I am not going to be linking with it. Normally I make an exception for John because I at least believe he is well intended in what I see as a desire to reduce pain in the church through reduced ‘exclusion.’ (I am intentionally using that term the way John uses it – which really means fewer people feeling uncomfortable and therefore making their own adult choice to no longer participate with the LDS church.) But I’m still not really in favor of collecting every potential faith-breaking issue all in one place like this. I do, after all, still believe in the importance of belief itself when it comes to religion.

Does John Encourage Disbelieving the LDS Church?

I know John claims he is not trying to get people to disbelieve. I think this is true in limited a sense. If you really want to believe, I have no doubt John will not push you personally towards disbelief. And I think John doesn’t really see belief as in-and-of-itself some sort of evil. Continue reading →

Of Sine and Cosine

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We’ve all been buzzing about the Ordain Women plan to wear purple and attempt to attend the Priesthood Session of the April 2014 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordain Woman (OW) is a movement created by DC-based human rights lawer, Kate Kelly, to request that LDS women be formally ordained to the priesthood in the LDS Church. OW builds on a history of several decades where individuals, predominantly women, have petitioned the LDS Church for priesthood ordination for women. Past protests involved tactics such as groups of individuals showing up to General Conferences of the Church and prominently voting to oppose the standing leaders of the Church, praying to Mother in Heaven, presenting bouquets of white roses at Church headquarters, taking out full-page ads in the local papers, and participating in candle-light vigils. Continue reading →