Searching for Truth
“I Gave You A Gift, Own It” — Reprise
Soon after posting the prior, a rather obvious question that I somehow previously missed came to mind: which church/Church is that? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? The church/fellowship that I regularly worship with? The group of friends (AME, Baha’i, Christian, Muslim, etc.) with whom I regularly have meals and discuss politics/religion/race? The > > Read More …
“I Gave You A Gift, Own It.”
There is a certain sublimity in the succinctness of “that voice” that makes it readily identifiable. Rarely has it come with an imperative. Comprehension usually distills over time. Nevertheless, my knee jerk response was to ask, effectively, “what does that mean?” “I gave you a country, own it.” Immediately the mind begins to fill in > > Read More …
Money, Money, Money (Draft)
Money, money, money, Must be funny,In a rich man’s world. Introduction Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been struggling with this theme for many years now. But, it just won’t leave me alone. Let me give a couple of examples of questions / issues. World’s Richest Man Forbes compiles the list of the world’s > > Read More …
My Religion’s Seriously Screwed Up, How About Yours? (Part 1)
These last several weeks, I’ve had increasing opportunity to search out God in lunches with a new Muslim friend, while communing and spiritually stretching in a BaHa’i devotional, while offering an invited prayer (on my Birthday, very memorable) at a anti-gun-violence prayer meeting / peace vigil, and having deep theological discussions with disaffected or questioning > > Read More …
Confirmation Bias
Note: herein I choose to reference a different compilation of the scriptures so that nothing Joseph Smith included is left out. Of course we’ve heard a lot of science in the last two decades about confirmation bias and not just how susceptible we are to this, but how those of us who attempt to be > > Read More …
Finding God In All The Wrong Places
A couple of weeks ago, I read about Karl Popper’s “The Paradox Of Tolerance” in Mark Manson’s MindF*ck Monday newsletter. A couple of key quotes: If everyone is tolerant of every idea, then intolerant ideas will emerge. Tolerant people will tolerate this intolerance, and the intolerant people will not tolerate the tolerant people. Eventually, the > > Read More …
Lies
I long for the days when dreams were fun. Flying through the air, luscious foods, swimming in jungle pools, enjoying massive, never-heard-before classical concerts — those were the kind of things that often made sleep a joy. Last night I awoke abruptly after intentionally and selfishly lying to an associate. Why would I do that > > Read More …
Outer Darkness?
Last week, in another unusual dream, I found myself on the desolate, featureless surface of a great orb, attempting to see where there was no light. During the course of conversation with a fellow sojourner (I hope not a fellow, permanent occupant) who acquainted me with the place, I noted a growing glow on the > > Read More …
S’mores Anyone?
During my morning prayers, the image came to mind…. The fire, tremendous. The gathered, pitching coals. The emissaries, collecting friends, fuel. The emotions, intense as the fire. The hills, growing ever-higher on all sides. The throngs, covering pitch-dark hills, casting ever-increasing coal. The fire, colossal, exalting itself above the expanding darkness. And the voice spoke: > > Read More …
Reset — Personal Note
Having a post on Jan 1 called “Reset” might foreshadow something to do with resolutions. But, no. Well, maybe. If so, then only indirectly layered into “Rethinking Alma 32, Part C.” When I started the thread on “Rethinking Alma 32,” I was documenting the lessons taught back in November and generally following that outline. Then, > > Read More …