I just listened to a recent episode of the Mormon FAIR-Cast podcast. As the host and his guest talked about some of the issues they’ve had with the Church throughout their lives and the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law, the host mentioned a great nonmember-oriented fireside that he had helped put on when he was a bishop. Here’s an excerpt that has been slightly edited for readability (it starts at about 53:38 in the audio link above):
Author Archives: mormono
How to Read the New Testament in 30 Days
[post_intro]By PGH[/post_intro]
I had a goal to read the New Testament through from beginning to end during the month of January, and I did it. Here’s the one month/30-day reading schedule I used. Continue reading
All of the October 2013 General Conference Talks Sorted by Number of Facebook Likes
[post_intro]By PGH[/post_intro]
Earlier today I was wondering what the most popular talks from the October 2013 General Conference were, so I put together this table that sorts them according to number of Facebook likes they have gotten. Continue reading
A Brief Guide to the 4 Different Herods in the New Testament (Plus Pontius Pilate)
I’ve read through the New Testament from beginning to end a handful of times before and am doing it again right now. I’ve always been aware that the various Herods (who I kept confusing with each other) and Pilate obviously held positions of power during their time and Jesus’s time, but I didn’t know what exactly their roles were. Well, I did some research, and now I know.
Taking Upon Ourselves the Responsibility of Friendliness
It’s not uncommon for us to ask visitors to stand up and introduce themselves in second or third hour of our church meetings. We say hi, smile at them, and maybe shake their hands when they sit back down if we’re sitting nearby.
And then we never talk to them again. Continue reading
Do We Need a Book of Mormon in Modern English?
The Lord has said “that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language” [via]. We usually think of this promise in the context of missionary work; that is, that every person will hear the gospel preached in his or her native language. As a native English speaker, that box was checked for me a long time ago, right? But here’s the problem: I don’t speak, think in, or very well relate to the archaic and cumbersome language that comprises the Book of Mormon. That is not my “own language.”
A Call to End Mormonspeak
Mormonspeak is a handy catch-all word for the unique vocabulary and phraseology that we have in the LDS Church. It is not inherently bad, but much of it confuses or alienates people unfamiliar with our faith and obscures more relatable and understandable meanings for those of us who are longtime Church members. Most Mormonspeak falls into three categories: jargon, stock phrases, and antiquated language.