No Death Before the Fall

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126923932012-01-22T19:16:42.353-07:00No Death Before the FallThe creation was paradisiacal.   There was no mortality.<br> Death for all forms of life began when Adam fell.R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-44855582829826155512012-01-22T19:15:00.001-07:002012-01-22T19:16:42.365-07:00Julie B. Beck shares her thoughts about priesthood quorums

This week's Church News reports that according to Julie B. Beck, "What the Lord envisioned regarding quorums and Relief Society has not yet been fully utilized." The Church's Relief Society general president also said, "Many quorums and Relief Societies are at present much like sleeping giants waiting for you to breathe new life into them."Click here to read the entire article.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-79759062899508684342012-01-02T17:55:00.001-07:002012-01-02T17:56:55.680-07:00George Albert Smith (Ch.1): Living by God's Every Word

I think the following statement gives guidance to me as a blogger. It's from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, Chapter 1:"If our peculiarity went to the extent that we lived by every word that proceeds from the mouth of our Heavenly Father [see D&C 84:44], then we would indeed be a blessed people."I noticed D&C 84:44 is referenced in connection with the statement.So I

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-12665093184952549862011-12-19T22:20:00.001-07:002011-12-19T22:22:45.168-07:00A prophet only when acting as such, part 3: Official versus unofficial actions

[Note: The following is excerpted from the book Evidences and Reconciliations by John A. Widtsoe (arr. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960, 236-239). Elder Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1921 until his death in 1952. He was a distinguished university president and a world renowned scientist and scholar.]When does a prophet speak as a prophet?This is an

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-19595425633572727722011-11-17T16:57:00.001-07:002011-11-17T16:59:05.195-07:00Evolution vs The Millennium

"The secrets of evolution are death and time," said Carl Sagan, and explained, "the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeforms that were imperfectly adapted to the environment; and [aeons of] time." (Cosmos.) But death and time aren't just secrets of evolution, they are two of its essential ingredients.In the not too distant future, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will usher in the Millennium,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-37369929195453131202011-11-07T04:38:00.001-07:002011-11-07T04:40:13.777-07:00Joe Spencer speculates about Chapter 45: The Millennium

Joe Spencer claimed yesterday, in a discussion titled "RS/MP Lesson 45: The Millennium (Gospel Principles Manual)," that the previous version of Gospel Principles Chapter 45 contained a lot of speculation. Joe says:"A good bit of such speculation has been purged. Much, in my opinion, remains to be purged."Joe names six "substantial elements of the previous version of this lesson" that were purged

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-41537343129022547422011-10-29T14:07:00.014-06:002011-10-29T14:27:02.290-06:00The Millennial Renewal of Earth

Gospel Principles, Chapter 45, "The Millennium" (Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society lesson): Supplemental Readings. Click diagram to enlargeTenth Article of Faith: "We believe ... that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory."Bible Dictionary, Restitution; restoration: "These terms denote a return of something once present, but which has been taken away or lost.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-90255614600682988082011-10-01T01:20:00.001-06:002011-10-01T01:22:16.498-06:00“Lovely Picture Books for Women”: Don't miss the real gift.

When Ardis Parshall read a press release about the Church's new book Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society, she sat in her rocking chair and cried (as related here). And even though she's now done two blog posts about the book, ostensibly she still hasn't read it (as claimed here).Don't be sad, Ardis.Open your mind. Read the book. See the real gift.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-46033686626353503002011-09-23T11:00:00.002-06:002011-09-23T11:01:16.734-06:00Welcome RSC Blog

This morning I noticed a new blog in my corner of LDSBlogs.org. If the current post, "True Faith," is representative of things to come, the new blog will contribute much to our group. Browsing previous posts, I found "Rooted and Grounded in the Faith" which highlights the importance of knowing what's in the scriptures as expounded by modern apostles and prophets. What a wonderful addition to the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-73798545083560329722011-09-20T02:19:00.002-06:002011-09-20T02:21:37.786-06:00Dave Banack, LDS Seminary, and the Creation

Dave Banack's discussion "Creationism and LDS Seminary" ignores certain Creation teachings found in the Seminary Old Testament manuals. Why?Do those Creation teachings "set up LDS kids to have a bad experience when they inevitably take high school or university science courses?" What if the teacher actually used the manuals? Wouldn't some LDS seminary students think those teachings accurately

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-54475101935973167512011-08-28T13:44:00.001-06:002011-08-28T13:46:44.067-06:00George Albert Smith, the Old Testament, and the United States Constitution

The story was once told told in a blog comment of a Church leader being asked, "When are you going to do something about the Constitution?" to which came the reply, "Of which country?" This story has at least two problems. First, the Elders of Israel are supposed to help save the Constitution, not the Church (click here). Second, the reply belittles the U.S. Constitution.According to modern

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-35348374588621395552011-08-21T20:42:00.001-06:002011-08-21T20:44:24.971-06:00On the origin of physical and spiritual death

Over at LDS Science Review, Jared* asks: "What? If Adam was not real then I don't need the resurrection or forgiveness of sin? Nonsense. Death, sin, and separation from God exist independent of however we explain their origin."His point of view completely disregards LDS teachings about Creation, Fall, and Atonement being three pillars of eternity, inseparably woven together. Here are links to a

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-44114202248662967092011-08-07T09:59:00.002-06:002011-08-07T10:02:32.182-06:00A prophet only when acting as such, part 2: Proper Use of Titles

I own a copy of the Style Guide for Publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1972 (second edition 1978). Section 13 gives instructions on "Proper Use of Latter-day Saint Titles." Regarding the title "President," the Guide says:13.1 "Members of the First Presidency of the Church and President (and Acting President) of the Council of the Twelve are addressed as 'President.'

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-82361136860423505452011-08-06T15:10:00.001-06:002011-08-06T15:12:11.345-06:00Gospel Principles Ch.39, '78 and '09 compared

[Blue removed and green added in 2009. Otherwise both the same.]A Note to ParentsThis chapter includes some parts that are beyond the maturity of young children. It is best to wait until children are old enough to understand sexual relations and procreation before teaching them these parts of the chapter. Our Church leaders have told us that parents are responsible to teach their children about

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-90719952606686456672011-07-23T07:09:00.002-06:002011-07-23T07:11:27.782-06:00LDS Prophets tag-teamed at BCC about the pre-1978 priesthood restriction

Over at BCC, J. Stapley and Margaret Young are tag-teaming the Prophets about the pre-1978 priesthood restriction (click here and here).It would be difficult for a person to have followed discussions at LDSBlogs.org for any length of time without already being aware of the evidence being discussed by these two BCC bloggers. However, readers should be aware of this: J. Stapley and Margaret Young

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-84074593219113007412011-07-05T19:22:00.001-06:002011-07-05T19:23:59.558-06:00Our heavenly parents gave birth to our spirits

Yesterday, Papa D asked: "Who Gave Birth to God's Spirit Children?" The answer is that man's spirit is a child of God, born to heavenly parents. Here are a few examples of that teaching."Within every human body dwells a living spirit born to our loving, eternal heavenly parents." (M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov. 1978.)"God is not the Father of the earth as one of the worlds in space, nor of the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-5653695340181234512011-06-27T18:11:00.002-06:002011-06-27T18:13:45.915-06:00A prophet only when acting as such, part 1: A prophet like unto Moses

D&C 107:91-92. "And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses ... to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church." (As quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley in his 11th year as Church President, Ensign, Dec. 2005, 46.)Moses 1:25. "

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-39588841874331496212011-05-22T19:42:00.003-06:002011-05-22T19:50:18.609-06:00Constitution hang by a thread? LDSLiving says "myth," Latter-day Prophets say "prophecy."

The May/June 2011 issue of LDSLiving correctly identifies the white horse prophecy as a Mormon myth, a revelation that simply cannot be traced back to the Prophet Joseph Smith.Sadly, in debunking the white horse prophecy, LDSLiving wrongfully implicates "the Constitution will hang by a thread" prophecy by implying that President Joseph Fielding Smith denounced them both.According to LDSLiving,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-1680056415516015152011-05-10T21:32:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:28:02.900-06:00Tasteful Nudity (i.e., "Evil has unclothed herself")

Last week, there was a blog discussion at Times and Seasons titled "Tasteful Nudity." My post today is a followup to that exchange of opinions. Nothing in this post is intended to be a pronouncement of doctrine. Rather, it is simply a collection of some things I've learned over the years as a Church member.After the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, they knew that they were naked and they "sewed

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-54709470596717410492011-04-23T16:37:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:27:43.196-06:00Pope: Humanity isn't random product of evolution

According to recent estimates, approximately 1/3 of earth's nearly seven billion people consider themselves Christian. Of those, more than a billion are Roman Catholic. (Source for numbers here.) Speaking on the holiest night of the year for Christians, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that humanity isn't a random product of evolution. (See the KSL article here and the AP article here.)

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-34439023328986770542011-04-20T22:04:00.011-06:002011-07-26T19:27:19.957-06:00We teach our kids abstinence, not birth control

[ Update: After discussion, it seems Papa D and I have come to the conclusion that we've had a big misunderstanding here. Please read his comment below (click here) before proceeding. I extend my sincere apologies to Papa D for anything I may have done that contributed to this misunderstanding.]On his blog, "Things of My Soul," Papa D claims "We Can't Teach 'Abstinence Only'." In his article he

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-280185751822804552011-04-01T01:49:00.005-06:002011-07-26T19:27:05.706-06:00The Prophet, the Atonement, and evolution's wiggle room

The effects of the Fall are overcome by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement saves all men, Adam and Eve and all of their posterity. This view leaves a small amount of wiggle room in the search for harmony between the truths of revealed religion and the theories of organic evolution.But alas, there is no wiggle room for evolution in the April 2011 Ensign. It teaches a more complete

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-6866537974640290312011-03-21T10:36:00.006-06:002011-07-26T19:26:42.850-06:00Coffee, tea, and cola drinks

Most Mormons see caffeine as a possible reason why the Word of Wisdom forbids coffee and tea. Take note, however, that what we know about caffeine we’ve learned from science, not from God.Many Mormons view the amount of caffeine as a measure of acceptability. For example, Diet Pepsi contains less caffeine than coffee or tea and is therefore considered by some to be acceptable in moderation.Others

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-60272655892756422442011-03-19T14:20:00.002-06:002011-07-26T19:26:26.792-06:00Our Bodies Are Temples of God (1 Corinthians)

"Our Bodies Are Temples of God: One of the great blessings we received when we came to earth was a physical body. We need a physical body to become like our Heavenly Father. Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our bodies are holy." (Gospel Principles, 2009, 167.)D. Todd Christofferson: “Those who believe that our bodies are

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-13035756706653660212011-02-13T18:22:00.003-07:002011-07-26T19:26:03.907-06:00Maligning McConkie

For the last 35 years of President David O. McKay's life, Clare Middlemiss was his personal secretary. After her death it came to light that over the years she had made unauthorized copies of 130,000 pages of a wide variety of things ranging from McKay's diary and personal letters to transcripts of First Presidency meetings. She stored the copies in her garage and bequeathed them to a nephew who,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-48074315769576062672011-01-28T23:12:00.004-07:002011-07-26T19:25:47.096-06:00Who knows? Do you?

In 1890, James E. Talmage wrote: "No one realizes more fully than does the mind trained to scientific method how much we do not know." [1]More recently, Marion G. Romney echoed a similar sentiment: "All man has learned and accomplished, together with all that he will yet learn and accomplish in mortality, is as a drop in the ocean compared to the knowledge and works of God." [2]Consider the story

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-25773226743953166892010-12-25T10:43:00.002-07:002011-07-26T19:25:29.959-06:00Teaching uncorrelated lessons

I live in a quiet residential neighborhood, speed limit 25. Let's imagine that a teenage boy drives past my house every day doing at least 40. Because I want to slow him down, I plan to paint a crosswalk in front of my house with stop signs facing both directions. But even though it's the street where I live, it's not really "my street," so I'll need approval from the city.Let's now suppose the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-52259629054497269632010-12-15T16:45:00.002-07:002011-07-26T19:25:05.879-06:00Benson's conspiracy above communism is an acceptable point of view for Mormons

What the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches in general conference is an acceptable point of view for Mormons until a more recent Prophet says otherwise.Speaking as Prophet in the Oct 1988 general conference, President Ezra Taft Benson authoritatively warned:"A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-45314528508512551062010-12-01T03:35:00.006-07:002011-07-26T19:22:24.630-06:00Mormon Heretic: How is blogging exempt?

In priesthood meeting on Sunday, our high priest group studied Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk given during the April 2010 general conference. The following excerpt seems to have been written especially for bloggers:"We need to be civil in our discourse and respectful in our interactions. This is especially true when we disagree. The Savior taught us to love even our enemies. The vast majority of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-17008705889839956172010-11-26T18:32:00.003-07:002011-07-26T19:21:42.865-06:00Sheri L. Dew on criticism of Ezra Taft Benson

[Sheri L. Dew, president and CEO of Deseret Book, is author of the book, Ezra Taft Benson: A Biography, Deseret Book, 1987. The following excerpts illustrate her reaction to President Benson's critics.]1. (p.vii) I believe that you will find in this biography the story of a truly great man. Not a perfect man, nor a man who hasn't faced and even struggled with mortality's challenges. But a man of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-37543537019895585942010-11-15T05:21:00.004-07:002011-07-26T19:21:16.604-06:00To my blogging friend, Mormon Heretic

From 1960 until 1969, Ezra Taft Benson repeatedly warned the Latter-day Saints about an international communist conspiracy. This he did with the express support of Church President David O. McKay. Ezra Taft Benson's warnings about the great conspiracy continued with less enthusiasm after the death of McKay.Meanwhile, for twenty-five years from 1960 until 1985, a few of Benson's associates in

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-18856892889362021982010-10-19T21:36:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:20:51.772-06:00Orson Scott Card fabricates a First Presidency message

In his MormonTimes column this week, Orson Scott Card fabricates what he calls "the First Presidency message on the Creation." Be aware, if you read Card's article, that no First Presidency has ever issued a statement containing these words:"The scriptures tell why man was created, but they do not tell how, though the Lord has promised that he will tell that when he comes again" (click here).Not

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-10579027299450820482010-10-11T09:57:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:20:26.214-06:00Darwin and cola drinks

I drink Pepsi. I've done so for more than fifty years. Yes, I know the Church frowns on it. In my mind, I can still hear Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone's voice in the April 1975 general conference reminding us about the February 1972 Priesthood Bulletin that addresses cola drinks:Cola Drinks and the Word of Wisdom. "The Word of Wisdom, section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 89], remains

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-46938443339679118272010-10-08T14:01:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:19:59.836-06:00Over at MormonTimes, Orson Scott Card misrepresents Mormons on evolution

"We don't know the Lord's time" is Orson Scott Card's current MormonTimes contribution on the subject of Mormons and evolution (click here). Unfortunately, some of what Card attributes to the LDS Church is inaccurate and the result is a distorted view of what the Church currently teaches about evolution.INACCURACY NUMBER ONECard cites a 1931 First Presidency statement on evolution:"Here is the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-86889202604962670402010-10-03T11:08:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:19:20.953-06:00Two blogs and a biography on Benson's Fourteen Fundamentals

1. (pro, from a blog): "When something is quoted word for word by two or more speakers, then to me, it's a bit like the Lord getting on His heavenly [Public Announcement] system and saying ' Hey everyone, listen up! Did you get that?! In case not, here it is again! Take Notes! ' ” (Fourteen Fundamentals Spotlighted at Conference, by MormonSoprano.)2. (con, from a blog): "Living prophets

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-87105430258789991102010-09-08T00:50:00.005-06:002011-07-26T19:18:51.364-06:00DMI Dave, Jonah, and the Rant

DMI Dave posted an interesting comment last Sunday over at Keepapitchinin's "Rant about Scriptural Literalism." Today, I'd like to ask Dave a few questions.First, be assured that I'm ambivalent about whether the Jonah story is literal or metaphorical. What I want to know is how do past and present "senior LDS leaders" — First Presidency and Twelve — feel about it.You said: "The CES Old Testament

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-61876459538195173632010-08-26T12:44:00.002-06:002011-07-26T19:18:17.015-06:00Stars and planets in perfect order

Years ago I met a retired nuclear physicist. We became friends. Although he has since passed on, I still remember how he explained singularity as "a time just before the beginning of the big bang when the universe was compressed into an infinitely high density and an infinitely small space."In other words, he said: "in the beginning there was a singularity."I'm still trying to reconcile that with

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-65470528192135599402010-08-08T17:53:00.003-06:002011-07-26T19:17:28.599-06:00Immigration: It's about what?

Today's Deseret News features an editorial by Mark H. Willes, president and CEO of Deseret Media Companies and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times. It is a thoughtful essay about the problem of illegal immigration. The title of the article is embedded in a large graphic.Two thirds of the width and three fourths of the height of today's Deseret News front page was reserved for this editorial

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-74413459205706251352010-07-26T19:47:00.003-06:002010-10-11T17:21:02.551-06:00Ezra Taft Benson and Political Extremism (part two)

God prepares His prophets. Joseph Smith declared: "I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain;... with all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there, and thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." [1] Indeed, the life of every prophet is filled with experiences that help prepare him for his prophetic calling.So it was with Ezra

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-58422421333812468082010-07-16T19:55:00.003-06:002010-10-11T17:20:40.909-06:00Ezra Taft Benson and Political Extremism

Yesterday, Mormon Heretic posted "Defining Political Extremism" and in the comments John Willis brought up Ezra Taft Benson's 1968 politics. Well it just so happens that two weeks ago on this blog, I posted Ezra Taft Benson's 1968 talk on "The Proper Role of Government" and an anonymous visitor informed me that President Benson had changed his focus as Prophet, abandoning his politics.I'm not so

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-91823941645698361542010-07-11T19:15:00.005-06:002010-10-11T17:20:26.894-06:00Pornography vs. Modesty

People who write dictionaries do not decide what words should mean, they merely report the meanings in current use. Therefore, a survey of English dictionaries published over the years reveals the meaning of obscenity as used by English speaking people generally.An old definition from England held that obscene meant "immodest; not agreeable to chastity of mind." (Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-41776410809283396572010-07-03T05:52:00.010-06:002010-10-11T17:20:14.753-06:00A Primer on Government

This primer on government was written by a wonderful patriot and Prophet-statesman. These are the principles the USA was built on. With them in mind, the US Constitution can be understood without reverse engineering. Happy Independence Day!The Proper Role of GovernmentEzra Taft BensonGeneral Conference, October 1968My brethren and sisters: Humbly and gratefully I stand before you.I am truly

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-9417575670122353582010-06-29T22:11:00.002-06:002010-10-11T17:20:00.192-06:00The origin and destiny of our earth and sun (part three)

In part one of this series (click here), we discussed a documentary about the death of the sun (view an abbreviated version here). In part two (click here), we considered the same subject from the point of view of international best-selling science popularizer Carl Sagan. According to both sources, our sun will eventually die, leaving earth vaporized and lifeless.Today we learn that while

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-77162104577575208442010-05-21T17:54:00.002-06:002010-10-11T17:19:44.457-06:00Did David O. McKay find a thousand errors in Mormon Doctrine?

As reported by Julie M. Smith over at Times and Seasons, it has been announced by Deseret Book that McConkie's Mormon Doctrine will no longer be published. During discussions about that decision, it has been alleged on two blogs that President McKay found over a thousand errors in the book. [1] This rumor was given new life a few years ago by Greg Prince and Wm. Robert Wright who included a

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-85147677211384848552010-04-08T19:56:00.002-06:002010-10-11T17:19:27.217-06:00The origin and destiny of our earth and sun (part two)

In part one of this series, we watched a National Geographic documentary about the death of the sun. In part two, we consider the same subject from the point of view of Carl Sagan (1934-1996) who co-wrote and presented the TV series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (viewed by more than 500 million people worldwide). Carl Sagan wrote a companion book titled Cosmos in which he talks about the death of our

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-13664065358553309932010-04-06T07:14:00.013-06:002010-10-11T17:19:11.966-06:00The implications of key LDS doctrines for evolution, part II

In part one, (click here), we examined a 1988 paper by Boyd K. Packer about the evolution and the origin of man. [1] Today we look briefly at an article President Packer prepared twenty years later, in 2008, for the Church's web site about Jesus Christ (click here).In his 2008 article, President Packer talks about the origin of man's mortal body and explicitely dismisses fossil evidence for the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-27351611795431806912010-04-04T13:53:00.002-06:002010-10-11T17:18:55.418-06:00President Thomas S. Monson on Earth's Grand Designer

In the Jan. 2008 Ensign, Elder Douglas L. Callister of the Seventy teaches that "the passage of time, even long intervals of time, is not a 'cause' and provides no answers without an intelligent designer." ("Our God Truly Is God," Ensign, Jan. 2008, p.67.) Elder Callister's words "intelligent designer" refer to a Creator God and not the Intelligent Design movement led by the Discovery Institute

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-65103421592913022972010-03-30T22:08:00.004-06:002010-10-11T17:18:39.580-06:00The implications of key LDS doctrines for evolution

In 1988, Boyd K. Packer presented a paper at BYU about the evolution and the origin of man. [1] I am fully aware that this publication is not an "official declaration." I am also aware that the same is true of all material published privately by individual apostles.But such a distinction makes little or no difference to most Church members, who accept the writings of living apostles as credible

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-81127556054701319102010-03-27T22:57:00.002-06:002010-10-11T17:15:39.963-06:00Bloggernacle dodgeball

Last Sunday, I was accused of fashioning a quote from Gospel Principles that conveys meaning not found in the manual. Here's the quote:Chapter 6: "When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden,... there was no death" (p.28). "Their part in our Father's plan was to bring mortality into the world" (p.27).Chapter 38 corroborates: "Adam and Eve were married by God before there was any death in

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-12187798668772258432010-03-20T18:56:00.004-06:002010-10-11T17:15:23.489-06:00Science versus the Fall of Adam and Eve

There was a discussion earlier this week at Boap.org's Blog about Gospel Principles, Chapter 5: "The Creation."There were a variety of comments on related subjects, including the observation that "an anti-science suspicion ... still lurks in Mormonism." But Last Lemming made what was (in my opinion) the most cogent comment when he said: "I hope you noticed that the printed lesson was free of any

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-65726809824463086932010-03-05T16:45:00.003-07:002010-10-11T17:15:07.289-06:00Gospel Principles, Chapter 5: The Creation

God made this world and everything in it. I make stuff too. Using the same methods ascribed to God by LDS evolutionists, I created the building pictured below.Every day on my way to work and again on my way home from work I drive past the above location. Three years ago, it was an empty field. Using a policy of strict non-interference, I checked up on its progress twice a day for the entire

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-4775194121256847902010-02-07T13:25:00.005-07:002010-10-11T17:14:35.465-06:00Discussing the Flood in Sunday School

My experience today in Sunday School confirms the accuracy of this statement about the Flood:"What have LDS prophets and apostles taught about the Flood? To date, all seem to have accepted Noah as an historical personage [and] uniformly there seems to be a tacit assumption that [the Flood] was universal. Usually it is treated as a miracle to be accepted without further analysis." (Duane Jeffery,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-75013844991646308072010-01-30T11:17:00.004-07:002010-10-11T17:13:54.287-06:00Is religion merely the product of evolution?

Today's Deseret News carries an article (pages E1 and E3) about a new science book. Written by a New York Times science writer, the book asserts that religion is a product of evolution. Nicholas Wade titles his book "The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures." Amazon.com offers this insightful review from Publishers Weekly:"Longtime New York Times science reporter Wade deftly

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-16205214142808417622010-01-24T12:41:00.003-07:002010-10-11T17:13:34.265-06:00Julie M. Smith cringes at the Constitution being "inspired"

Over at Times and Seasons last week, Julie M. Smith said: "I cringe every time a Mormon brings up the notion that the Founding Fathers were inspired." Likewise the phrase, "the Constitution is inspired." And while she can't explain "exactly in what sense the Founders and/or the Constitution ... are/are not inspired," she says "the usual LDS reading makes my neck tense up."I have a couple of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-56883128466480430292009-12-17T03:55:00.003-07:002010-10-11T17:13:14.164-06:00The bestselling science book of all time

Who wrote and what is the title of the bestselling science book of all time?

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-50564932926008678222009-12-13T01:28:00.004-07:002010-10-11T17:12:51.270-06:00The origin and destiny of our earth and sun (part one)

National Geographic has produced a fascinating 45 minute documentary about the death of the sun. You can visit YouTube (by clicking this link) and watch the five segments there.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-88713857256362245862009-11-08T10:46:00.004-07:002010-10-11T17:12:32.774-06:00Diverse apostolic views on evolution

For more than 100 years, LDS apostles and prophets have spoken plainly against the idea that organic evolution explains the origin of man. But many LDS evolutionists feel everything said against evolution before 1970 was premature because most of the scientific evidence for evolution has come since then. [1]Clearly, those who spoke against evolution before 1970 did not then understand today's

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-2613826904987394422009-11-01T09:06:00.003-07:002010-10-11T17:12:11.145-06:00Isn't Jesus a fundamentalist Mormon creationist?

These are questions for SteveP of The Mormon Organon who said Friday that fundamentalist Mormon creationists should "form their own Church."Either God created the earth and man, or they evolved as proposed by the Big Bang theory. For me, it's one or the other. It is my belief that the book of Genesis accurately records the origin of the earth and man and that the books of Moses and Abraham, as

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-44418840931393209952009-10-12T14:10:00.003-06:002010-09-08T01:17:19.810-06:00Was Jesus an impostor?

The First Presidency's "doctrinal guidebook," True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, defines the plan of salvation as follows:"The plan of salvation is the fulness of the gospel. It includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel." [1]The plan of salvation incorporates three events: the Creation, the Fall, and the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-37949945820971029672009-09-16T16:25:00.004-06:002010-09-08T01:16:18.870-06:00Making the Bloggernacle a better place

Today, Matt W. posted Simple Rules For Using Social Media. I think his post should be required reading for all bloggernacle bloggers and commenters. I believe we can talk with one another frankly—even disagreeing with scrubbed/correlated things—and still follow the 1 Do and 3 Don't Dos listed by Matt. If we do this, the bloggernacle will be a better place.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-21542937144498209772009-09-14T02:17:00.004-06:002010-09-08T01:15:05.932-06:00Easy as 1-2-3, Mormons reject evolution

A recurring bloggernacle question is: Why do so many Mormons reject evolution? (See also here.) In my view, the answer is as easy as 1-2-3:1. From childhood, Mormons "follow the Prophet."2. The Prophet urges "make institute a priority."3. Institute's "doctrinal foundation" includes no death before the fall:"2 Nephi 2:22. ' All Things' Were Affected by the Fall of Adam."Elder Bruce R.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-16188584846760752962009-09-12T11:38:00.004-06:002009-11-01T09:18:24.918-07:00Gospel Doctrine Lesson 35 does NOT promote false doctrine

In an article posted yesterday titled "Before You Teach or Attend Gospel Doctrine 35 on the Handcart Rescue, Read This," Ardis Parshall claims a particular statement from the current Sunday School lesson manual is "false and problematic" and that it promotes "seriously false doctrine." The disputed paragraph says:" ' Three eighteen-year-old boys belonging to the relief party came to the rescue;

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-31944878966355507392009-08-18T03:08:00.004-06:002009-11-01T09:18:09.496-07:00Ardis Parshall is wrong about Joseph Fielding Smith

On her blog at Keepapitchinin, Ardis Parshall claims that publication of Joseph Fielding Smith's 1954 book, Man, His Origin and Destiny, "ignored the First Presidency's injunction to leave such matters alone."Let's be clear about this. Whatever else he may have done during six decades as an apostle, Joseph Fielding Smith did not disregard a First Presidency directive when he published Man: His

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-77201947346784890562009-08-11T19:36:00.002-06:002009-11-01T09:17:56.675-07:00Ardis Parshall is right about no death before the fall

Last week, I had an interesting encounter with Ardis Parshall on her blog Keepapitchinin. There was some disagreement but not much discussion as she responded to my comments mostly with name calling. However, there was one pair of comments that I'd like to discuss further.Gary (comment 22): "In terms of alignment with what the Church teaches, [evolution] has a problem, because all fossils are

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-18192419495051550102009-08-02T19:24:00.004-06:002009-11-01T09:17:00.799-07:00Gospel Principles (2009): "There was no death."

The Church's basic doctrine manual, Gospel Principles, reaffirms that Adam's fall brought mortality and death into the world. The 2009 edition of Gospel Principles teaches:"Jesus Christ created this world and everything in it" (p.23). "When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden,... there was no death" (p.28). "Adam and Eve were married by God before there was any death in the world" (p

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-60956368434126694362009-07-11T18:43:00.003-06:002009-11-01T09:16:23.460-07:00Going toe-to-toe with an Apostle

SteveP wants to "create a space in the church where those who look deeply enough at evolution and are concerned that there is no place for them because of the anti-evolution rhetoric that so fills our discourse" (click here).SteveP, we both know where LDS anti-evolution rhetoric currently originates, starting with Packer and Nelson of the Twelve. So here's some friendly advice born out of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-83238008877233925252009-06-18T20:45:00.002-06:002009-11-01T09:14:40.453-07:00Priesthood Ordination before 1978

I've been blogging for more than four years now. A regular topic in the bloggernacle has been the Church's previous denial of priesthood to blacks and the various teachings that were suggested over the years as reasons for that denial. A particularly sensitive aspect of this discussion was brought up last week, when Clean Cut published his belief that the priesthood denial was the "result of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-48762959592363127012009-06-03T19:51:00.003-06:002009-11-01T09:14:03.894-07:00LDS Church in Guide to the Scriptures says "the Fall brought mortality and death to the earth"

In 2002, the LDS Church published its scriptures on CD. One of the study aids found on that CD is Guide to the Scriptures which "defines selected doctrines."Defining doctrineOne of the "selected doctrines" defined in Guide to the Scriptures is based on the following verse of scripture:"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-54912103572796304012009-05-30T22:22:00.006-06:002009-09-16T10:29:17.420-06:00The earth was completely covered with water

For the benefit of my friends at BCC, what follows is not my own interpretation of anything. It is, rather, what the Church currently teaches about the worldwide Flood, as loaded to your screen just now from the Church's own web site.. Your browser does not support iframes.

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-25698703223998273912009-05-04T04:31:00.002-06:002009-09-16T10:28:48.450-06:00Humans before Adam

According to the Origins of Humankind page at PBS Evolution, modern humans first appeared about 100,000 years ago. If that is true, either Adam fell 100,000 years ago or he was not the first man.In response to this seeming contradiction, blogger and BYU evolutionist SteveP recently suggested that the words "first man" might refer to the first time a spirit child of God was placed in a physical

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-69132425679341160352009-04-02T05:35:00.005-06:002011-11-01T17:50:37.942-06:00Parents of the first man, Adam

Regarding Adam's parents (i.e. the origin of man), certain bloggers (Ray, for example, here) continue to assert that the Church's official stance is, "We don't know." These bloggers seem to believe God chooses not to reveal the origin of man to Church leaders, but that He does reveal it to experts on organic evolution.I think these bloggers have overlooked what the Church actually says:"Man, by

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-16658398884444756102009-03-02T02:06:00.001-07:002009-09-16T10:27:43.672-06:00Earth will be rolled back into the presence of God

According to a 1997 Ensign article, Brigham Young taught that "when the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven.... But when man fell, the earth fell into space, and took up its abode in this planetary system.... This is the glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return again unto the presence of

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-87067540567993294482009-03-01T00:01:00.002-07:002009-09-16T10:27:13.530-06:00Kolob is the star nearest the throne of God

Kolob appears 14 times in LDS scripture (eight here, six here) and has its own article in the Church's official Guide to the Scriptures. There are six Topical Guide entries that reference Kolob: (1) Astronomy, (2) Govern, (3) Manner, (4) Nigh, (5) Reckon/Reckoning, and (6) Throne.Kolob is found in nine triple combination index entries: (1) Astronomy, (2) Govern, Government, (3) Kolob, (4) Nigh,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-28393921361906764112009-02-15T11:53:00.007-07:002009-09-16T10:26:40.058-06:00Note to Salt Lake Tribune: Mormons do NOT "generally accept evolution"

The Salt Lake Tribune announced Friday that Latter-day Saints "generally accept evolution." Yet in the same sentence, the paper also states that the First Presidency's official statement on the subject contains "anti-evolution sentiments."In what blogger Matt B. last year called "the single most extensive canvass of American religious life ever achieved," Pew Forum discovered that "more Mormons,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-86140779668073601432009-02-13T15:58:00.003-07:002009-09-16T10:26:01.323-06:00Darwin Bicentennial

This year marks the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the sesquicentennial of his book The Origin of Species by Natural Selection.Evolution Weekend, as it is called, begins today and runs through Sunday, February 15th. Participating is an interfaith group of more than a thousand congregations from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 15 countries outside the United States (see

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-79575628145306076102009-01-24T13:51:00.004-07:002009-09-16T10:25:29.958-06:00Preach My Gospel and no death before the fall

The missionary guide, Preach My Gospel, sets forth doctrines that LDS missionaries are expected to study and teach. Twenty eight times, missionaries are directed by Preach My Gospel to read and become familiar with ideas found in the LDS Bible Dictionary. [1]The Scripture Study section on page 52 asks missionaries to study the Bible Dictionary entry for "Death" which states explicitly: "

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-45769745308414568502009-01-10T10:04:00.004-07:002009-09-16T10:24:40.286-06:00No death during the millennium

The LDS Church defines physical death in its Guide to the Scriptures as "the separation of the body and the spirit." The First Presidency, in its "doctrinal guidebook" (indentified as such in Ensign, Apr. 2004, p.79), elaborates:"When the physical body dies, the spirit continues to live...."Because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, physical death is only temporary: 'As in Adam

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-22742495778885928232008-12-01T02:42:00.003-07:002009-09-16T10:23:43.820-06:00Earth's paradisiacal past and future

The Prophet Joseph Smith, in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, speaks of the day when earth will "resume" its paradisiacal glory (p.257). Quoting Articles of Faith 1:10, the manual further says earth will be "renewed" to paradisiacal glory (p.256).To "resume" means to begin again, or continue after interruption. To "renew" is to make new again, to restore. "Paradisiacal," in

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-54118170673886524982008-11-01T03:49:00.003-06:002009-05-31T20:52:12.387-06:00David H. Bailey, creationism, and the 1931 First Presidency

In his recent Mormon Organon article, David H. Bailey claims the Church's view on evolution was made clear by the 1931 First Presidency. Actually, there was no 1931 First Presidency statement on evolution.Bailey is quoting from an internal 3,200 word memo that was distributed by the First Presidency to general authorities in 1931. The subject of the memo was a proposed priesthood manual written

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-25546490354461925452008-11-01T03:46:00.003-06:002009-05-31T20:51:57.536-06:00David H. Bailey, creationism, and death before the fall

Over at The Mormon Organon, David H. Bailey recently expressed mock surprise that Latter-day Saints would think there was no death before the fall of Adam. But here's what Bailey forgot to mention:Gordon B. Hinckley's First Presidency approved publication of NDBF teachings in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff:"We acknowledge that through Adam all have died, that death

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-31128883949437375862008-10-13T17:44:00.004-06:002009-05-31T20:51:39.679-06:00On human origins: We don't know

Last week, SteveP, who writes the The Mormon Organon, led a discussion over at By Common Consent that elicited several comments about the beginning of human life and the origin of Adam's physical body. Ray (#156) asserted "the Church's official position is, We don't know", and queuno (#203) echoed, "the official stance is that we don't know."In a certain sense, Ray and queuno are right.As is

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-20556513843833683922008-09-07T16:47:00.004-06:002009-05-31T20:51:24.229-06:00Marriage and death before the fall

The Church teaches that Adam and Eve were placed on a paradisiacal earth as immortal beings and married by God before the fall brought death. For example:"Adam and Eve were married by God before there was any death in the world." (Gospel Principles, p.241.)Another example is President Henry B. Eyring in this month's First Presidency Message:"The first marriage was performed by God in the garden

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-42015035890964468902008-08-24T13:16:00.004-06:002009-05-31T20:50:56.135-06:00This earth was made from other older planets

SteveP writes the Mormon Organon and teaches evolution at BYU. His comments are welcome on this blog. However, one of his recent comments has me wondering. He claims "no one is a 'moron' for not believing evolution."The definition of a moron is "a stupid person." Yet on his own blog SteveP mocks what he calls the "Smashed Together and Uniting Planets Indurately Doctrine" or, as he abbreviates it,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-16294752575624735232008-07-15T00:10:00.006-06:002009-05-31T20:50:38.136-06:00Science not always a good bet

According to today's Mormon Organon, science has two main goals:"(1) Figure out why things are as they are; and (2) be able to predict the way things will be."What about the way things will be "when the lamb and the lion shall lie down together without any ire." (Hymns, 2; see also Isaiah 11:6-7). What are the scientific principles or natural laws that explain how this will happen?What about the

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-43572142413848070662008-07-10T05:39:00.001-06:002009-05-31T20:50:05.668-06:00Creating evolutionists

Creating evolutionist Church leaders has become an occasional pastime among LDS evolutionist members. For example, there was an interesting discussion last week on another blog where Chase Tingey said:"In the late 1930's Widstoe affirmed the First Presidency's feelings that evolution is one of many possible explanations (see Evidences and Reconciliations by Durham)."Chase seems unaware that no

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-12996968248929712162008-06-29T20:35:00.003-06:002009-05-31T20:49:47.722-06:00"My faith did not come to me through science"

One of the most science friendly apostles of this dispensation explained the origin of man this way:"Man is the child of God.... He is born in the lineage of Deity, not in the posterity of the brute creation" (James E. Talmage, "The Earth and Man," 1931, 13-14).Elder Talmage thus speaks against the scientific theory of his day (still current today) about the origin of man's physical body. I

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-85245773052000781932008-05-23T16:59:00.003-06:002010-01-31T01:12:02.648-07:00BYU evolution courses overrated by FAIR

According to FAIR Blog's Mike Parker, the mere fact that BYU teaches evolution connotes Church acceptance of the theory. Here is what Mike said:"One question: If the Church is formally and officially anti-evolution, why then is evolution taught freely in BYU science classes?"Consider for a moment that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are the BYU board of trustees. If evolution is

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-27185111439040424802008-04-17T22:19:00.006-06:002009-05-31T20:49:05.953-06:00FAIR claims Church has no official position on evolution

Last month, FAIR Blog's Mike Parker said twice in the same thread that "the Church has no official position on evolution" (click here). He also said "the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are the BYU board of trustees" (click here). (What's FAIR? Click here.)Correction re: BYU Board of TrusteesThe First Presidency and some of the Apostles are members of the BYU Board of Trustees.If

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-26820338340114981432008-04-05T17:28:00.004-06:002009-01-27T21:12:22.294-07:00Church President sustained -- comparing eight solemn assemblies that I remember

Half of the Church's Presidents have been sustained in solemn assembly while I was old enough to remember the event:- President David O. McKay (Era, May 1951, p.324; see below),- President Joseph Fielding Smith (Era, June 1970, p.20; see below),- President Harold B. Lee (Ensign, Jan 1973, p.1),- President Spencer W. Kimball (Ensign, May 1974, p.38),- President Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign, May 1986,

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-6815571836938787512008-04-01T22:48:00.004-06:002009-01-27T21:11:48.068-07:00The false "Generals" statement

The March 8, 2008, issue of the LDS Church News contains a short article titled "First Presidency releases statement." It says:A statement has been circulated that asserts in part that the youth of the Church today "were generals in the war in heaven ... and (someone will) ask you, ' Which of the prophet's time did you live in? ' and when you say, ' Gordon B. Hinckley ' a hush will fall,...

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-72496922866396323572008-03-30T15:13:00.003-06:002009-01-27T21:11:20.011-07:00New Church web site and March Ensign both affirm the divine, as opposed to evolutionary, origin of man (part two)

In the March 2008 Ensign and on the new Church web site, Elder Russell M. Nelson expresses admiration for the complexity of the human body and its divine creation:"My long road to become a doctor of medicine was only the beginning. After that came years of hospital work, research, specialty training, and certifying examinations. Then followed many years of teaching, service, and the challenges

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-81866849876200898312008-03-14T01:32:00.006-06:002009-01-27T21:10:46.457-07:00Times and Seasons puzzled by President Packer on evolution

On Monday of this week, Marc Bohn at Times and Seasons didn't seem too sure about how to take President Boyd K. Packer's recent comments on evolution. So, he attached several statements by past Church leaders about Mormons and Evolution.Several commenters who think the Church should be neutral or affirmative toward evolution were enthusiastic about Marc's post. A couple of Marc's commenters

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-4526688723925216742008-03-02T19:24:00.002-07:002009-01-27T21:09:37.171-07:00New Church web site and March Ensign both affirm the divine, as opposed to evolutionary, origin of man (part one)

It is claimed by some that "humans are closely related to all life on this planet" and that "our species, Homo sapiens, which has inhabited this earth for nearly 200 millennia" is descended from hominid species such as "Australopithecus ramidis [which] dates to about 4.4 million years ago." (Trent D. Stephens and D. Jeffrey Meldrum, Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding, Salt Lake

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-37744001855102988162008-03-01T03:30:00.006-07:002009-01-27T21:09:07.418-07:00New Church web site and March Ensign both affirm: The condition of mortality did not exist on this earth before the Fall of Adam

It is claimed by some that the condition of mortality has existed on this earth for many millions of years. Because mortality was already the condition outside the Garden of Eden, it is also claimed that Adam's Fall brought mortality only to himself and his family.But that isn't what the Church teaches. The paragraph below, for example, is found in this month's Ensign magazine and also posted

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-44527509982683359572008-02-08T13:29:00.002-07:002009-01-27T21:08:25.505-07:00Countdown to Darwin Bicentennial

Next year will mark the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the sesquicentennial of his book The Origin of Species by Natural Selection.During February 2006 and 2007, Darwin's birth and book were commemorated on Evolution Sunday by hundreds of congregations around the globe. This year, the event has been expanded to Evolution Weekend which begins today and runs through Sunday, February

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-58857204589536477632008-01-27T23:42:00.002-07:002009-01-27T21:06:36.781-07:00The Church always has a Prophet President

A Deseret Morning News article published Sunday said:"Sometime soon, following President Hinckley's funeral, quorum members will sustain a new church president. If historical precedent holds, the quorum's senior apostle and president, President Monson, will succeed President Hinckley." (Full article here.)There is no ' if ' about it. President Monson has already succeeded President Hinckley:"

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-57444945758431331142008-01-20T17:59:00.002-07:002008-04-06T17:43:08.745-06:00President Hinckley and doctrine

This article is my response to Clay Whipkey's post titled "I don’t know that we teach it." I have several concerns, but first I want to quote what President Gordon B. Hinckley said in the October 1997 General Conference:None of you need worry because you read something that was incompletely reported. You need not worry that I do not understand some matters of doctrine. I think I understand

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-78898075505147452392007-12-29T00:23:00.001-07:002008-04-06T17:42:39.716-06:00LDS Seminary and Elder Callister's "intelligent designer"

The Church's seminary program is currently using material from a 1934 seminary manual to teach about a "designing intelligence." The three paragraphs below are from the Old Testament Student Study Guide (English approval October 2002, p. 12). This manual is used every four years by another 200,000 LDS seminary students.Some people believe that the earth was created by chance and that mankind

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-52591739144458785812007-12-25T09:38:00.002-07:002008-04-06T17:42:13.506-06:00Ensign v Darwin in 2008

"That the eye with all its inimitable contrivances ... could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest sense." (Charles Darwin, as quoted by Elder Douglas L. Callister of the Seventy in "Our God Truly Is God," Ensign, Jan. 2008, p.65.)Darwin doesn't think it is absurdNotice that Darwin doesn't say it is absurd, only that it seems absurd. In fact, some

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-5418458081358094802007-11-22T08:31:00.002-07:002008-04-06T17:41:45.908-06:00Thanksgiving and Pearl Harbor Day

My mother was just 20 years old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. She often talked about the horror of that day. Eventually, she enlisted in the army where she served honorably for 27 months.On November 21, 2003, my wife and I visited the USS Arizona National Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Here are some of my thoughts and pictures. (Note: only the three full-width pictures are

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12692393.post-60296322108905906502007-11-20T13:36:00.001-07:002008-04-06T17:41:16.237-06:00Online LDS still trashing Sister Beck's talk

Six weeks ago, I posted my thoughts about online LDS members trashing the general conference talk given the previous day by Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President.This morning's Salt Lake Tribune reports that hundreds of women have now signed an online rebuttal of Sister Beck's talk. The article quotes blogger Julie M. Smith saying this sort of sustained opposition to and

R. Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930938925578138748noreply@blogger.com14