In this time of confusion being sown by many in LDS related discourse, I thought that perhaps I would take a page from Adam S. Miller and give you this “urgent paraphrase” of a classic talk given in the April 1969 General Conference by Ezra Taft Benson, titled “To the Humble Followers of Christ.” I…
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The Church’s Abortion Position is Not Nuanced Arising from the current debate on abortion in the United States, it is not uncommon to hear from some quarters that the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on abortion is more nuanced and liberal than many of the members of the Church would…
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I recently exchanged some correspondence with a good man regarding the law of chastity, and felt like some of what I said may be of interest more generally. The context of the discussion was related to whether or not same gender dating was harmless exploration and discovery or a violation of the law of chastity. …
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A certain man went down to visit his parents, and upon knocking on their door he received no answer. He sat down on the steps leading to the porch and pulled a pocket knife out of his jacket. A car pulled into the driveway as he was opening the blade. His mother approached after parking…
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It seems that the excitement of General Conference started a bit early this year. The Deseret News and the Church Newsroom had articles this morning talking about changes to policies related to discipline of people engaged in same sex marriages and the legal children of such individuals. Despite a lack of specifics regarding what the…
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Mosiah 9 is the first chapter recounting the story of Zeniff and his people, who went up from the land of Zarahemla to recapture or obtain the land of Nephi from the Lamanites. In it, we read that Zeniff was part of an earlier expedition formed for that same purpose, but whose strategy was more…
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During the Savior’s mortal ministry, a Pharisee (who was also a lawyer) posed a question to Him, seeking to catch Him or trick Him. We find this exchange in Matthew 22:34-40: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” The law, as this lawyer knew, had many commandments. A prominent Jewish philosopher, Maimonides, cataloged…
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I came across this excerpt today from a talk by Rulon S. Wells in October 1922, a former authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which I found profound and I am placing this here without comment: “Education means development and growth. We are the children of God, and have inherited from him…
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Not all homicides are the same, and the laws of our country recognize this simple fact. While different states differ in some particulars, generally murder is the intentional killing of another person, while manslaughter involves the reckless killing of another. Often state codes will include a category of negligent homicide in various situations as well. …
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“Sometimes we hear someone refer to a division in the Church. In reality, the Church is not divided. It simply means that there are some who, for the time being at least, are members of the Church but not in harmony with it. These people have a temporary membership and influence in the Church; but…
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