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Nelson: “I Have Learned to Suffer With Joy” #LDSConf
During the winter of 1838, Mormons were forced to flee from Missouri’s infamous extermination order. On one freezing cold night, Eliza Snow and her family stayed in an overcrowded, underinsulated log...
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What We Didn’t Hear at #LDSConf
Conference Center pulpit On Saturday and Sunday, we heard messages on a myriad of topics. Some resonated deeply with me; others, not so much. But (nearly) as interesting to me as what we heard was what...
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Are You Listening to the Maxwell Institute Podcast?
There’s no delicate way to put this: if you’re not listening, you should be. Blair Hodges is an excellent, thoughtful interviewer who invites really smart, thoughtful people on the show. He talks with...
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Welcome to #MutualNight: Delfeayo Marsalis
I can’t, for the life of me, remember when I first heard it, but I do remember hearing (or reading) that, once upon a time, a significant part of Mutual was introducing Mormon youth to the best of...
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The Halloween Parent Tax
.@smbrnsn How about a post digging into the “parent tax” on children’s Halloween candy? — Jason A. Kerr (@jakerr35) October 27, 2016 I was asked on Twitter about the Halloween Parent Tax. And with...
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What I Want the Church to Say
Yesterday the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve released a statement congratulating president-elect Trump on his victory and praising Secretary Clinton on her campaign. The letter,...
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#MutualNight: Sharon Jones and Christmas
This year has been lousy with the deaths of prominent musicians. Between Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Phife Dawg, and Merle Haggard, one could certainly be forgiven for missing some of the less-famous...
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Trump’s Tax Proposals and Mormons
It occurred to me this morning that Trump’s tax plan, if it passed in its current form, would impact many middle- (and some high-) income U.S. Mormons.[fn1] I mean, it would affect U.S. taxpayers in...
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On Fred Karger, Tax Exemptions, and the Mormon Church
@smbrnsn preferably “9 ways this is stupid. You won’t believe #6!” — Andrew S (@GASpriggs) December 16, 2016 Today, Fred Karger asked a provocative question: should the Mormon church lose its tax...
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#MutualNight: Miles Davis’s “On the Corner”
Confession: the first jazz album I owned was a Kenny G album. “But that’s not jazz!” I hear you (some of you, anyway) saying. And I totally agree. In my defense, though, I was in 7th grade, was looking...
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LaVell Edwards: A Personal Reflection
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that 2016 claimed yet another victim. LaVell Edwards, that rock of BYU football, died today. He coached BYU from 1972 (before I was born) until 2000 (when I graduated from...
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What Tax Folks (and Kyle) Talk About When They Talk About Tithing
Yesterday, I saw this tweet from Jana Riess: Study says young adult #Mormons most likely generation to tithe (but there’s a catch) https://t.co/V7jqAfkBfl via @janariess — Jana Riess/Twible...
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Lesson 3: “I Had Seen a Vision” #DandC2017
Learning Outcomes: At the end of class, students will be able to: Describe the religious and cultural context in which Joseph Smith had his First Vision. Compare the various accounts of the First...
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Are Mormon General Authorities Overpaid?
Just a head’s-up: I’m not going to answer this question. I’m a law professor. A significant part of my job is to complicate questions that appear, on first glance, simple. Like this one. If you want a...
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Guest Post: #MutualNight: Afrobeat & Fela Kuti’s “Zombie”
Trevor, a relatively recent BYU graduate and Utah transplant, loves to talk music and religion (though not usually in tandem). He blogs (infrequently) at furusatoe and tweets (frequently) at...
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Soundtrack to the Inauguration
Today, Donald Trump transitions from president-elect to president. I’m struggling here to figure out what to write. I want to write that we elected a valueless misogynistic, race-baiting, xenophobic...
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On Moral Issues and Trump – Updated
Today, the church is hesitant to enter into the political sphere. For the most part, I think that’s the right decision: church leaders don’t have any expertise in public policy or governance. The...
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On Totally Destroying the Johnson Amendment
Yesterday at the National Prayer Breakfast, Donald Trump (among other things) reiterated his campaign promise to “get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment.” The phrase “Johnson Amendment”...
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What If the Church Didn’t Remain Politically Neutral?
On Sunday, Carolyn Homer wrote a thoughtful post about why, even if Donald Trump manages to “totally destroy” the so-called Johnson Amendment, the church shouldn’t start publicly endorsing or opposing...
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#MutualNight: The Reunion Project’s “Varanda”
I’m pretty sure the first straight-ahead jazz album I ever owned was Stan Getz’s “Anniversary!” It’s been a long time (I was probably in 8th or 9th grade at the time), so I don’t remember all of the...
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