The ordinances of the Mormon Church are steeped in symbolism. Baptism – the burial and resurrection. The Lord’s supper – His flesh and blood. The holy endowment – the atonement of Christ. Another ordinance, now rare, but initiated by Jesus, also bears obvious symbols. However, it is the product of the ordinance that escapes the cursory analysis and paints the symbolism with vivid and stirring color. (more…)

I’ve been reading Oppenheimer’s Atom and Void lately. In the work, he raises the question of exactly how much scientific discovery can or ought to affect our worldview. While his motives will always be a controversial issue, I think his ideas are, in themselves, quite intriguing, and they’ve got me thinking about standards of truth other than revelation. I’d like to explore the issue here, give an example, and ask a question. Sorry if it starts and ends as a musing. (more…)

The well known Mormon proscriptions against alcohol, tobacco and coffee, classified under the “Word of Wisdom” appellation, have not always figured prominently in Mormon practice. Brigham Young’s 1851 April Conference address underscores this antecedent to our modern zeal. (more…)

In the recent bloggernacle discussions on evolution, I have noticed several individual’s attempts to rationalize the belief in a young earth (~6,000 years) with the ubiquitous and universal evidence for an earth that is billions of years old. In 1904, James E. Talmage, later of the twelve, wrote an article entitled Prophecy As the Forerunner of Science for the official publication of the Church (Improvement Era, vol. 7 pg. 481-488). In this article, Talmage compares the revelations of Joseph Smith to the latest scientific theories of the day and quells some of the more irrational ideas still advanced in creation debates today. (more…)